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First Presbyterian Church Pre-School

 

L to R: Mrs. Hamby, Mrs. McGinley, Mrs. Matchett

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First Presbyterian Church Preschool has enjoyed a long history in our community.  We strive to provide a loving and open environment that encourages social interaction and inspires inquisitive young minds.

With separate classes for ages 3, 4 and 5 (pre-kindergarten program), we provide activities appropriate for each stage in a student's development.  Unlike multi-age programs, your child can attend for more than one year and not repeat the same curriculum.

Parent involvement is a cornerstone of our program.  Monthly, parents sign up to help in their child's classroom.  This enables the parent to observe how their child interacts with others and also gauge development as well as any areas of concern.  It has the added bonus of showing the child that education is important to you.  We find that this fosters a close relationship between students, parents and teachers that enables everyone to work together to provide a meaningful school experience.

 

Daily Activities include:

Circle time

jobs-calendar, weather, pledge, flag and counting

song and story time

sharing

theme development

Learning centers/small group activities

(block play, art and creative projects, manipulatives, table games, listening centers, puzzles, readiness activities)

Free play

Snack, games and/or movement activities

Each day is a new and interesting experience...and most of all, FUN!

Curriculum

Our curriculum stresses an integrated learning approach.  This means that themes are developed within units to help build skills in the areas of literature and language development, socialization, math, science, music, art, dramatic play, large and small motor skills. 

We provide an environment that nurtures empathy, acceptance, caring, helping, and sharing.  We encourage children to find peaceful ways to settle disputes.

Our programs also include field trips, a monthly physical education day, special visitors and programs, and for the 4 & 5-year- old classes, a bus safety program.

First Presbyterian Preschool Philosophy

It is the purpose of this school to create an educational growth experience.  The program is designed to create an atmosphere for children to learn to work, play, and share with others, while being conducive to creative play and exploration of the social world.  It takes into account that children progress at different rates, but in general, advance through the same stages of learning.  Our school will be concerned with the child's social, physical, mental, creative and emotional development.

 

 

Preschool Teachers

Joan McGinley received her teaching degree in Elementary and Early Childhood Education from Cabrini College and has a master's in reading from West Chester University.  She has been with the preschool since 1994 as a substitute teacher, employed full-time since 1996, teaching 3-year-olds.

Renee Hamby, our program’s Lead Teacher, graduated from Seton Hill College with a Psychology degree and dual certification in Elementary and Early Childhood Education.  She has been with the preschool since 1998 as a substitute teacher, employed full-time since 2002, teaching 4-year-olds. 

 Wendy Matchett, our pre-kindergarten teacher, graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan College and received her teaching certification from Seton Hill.  She has been with the preschool since 1997.