Grace Presbyterian Preschool

Transcription

1 Grace Presbyterian Preschool Student Handbook

2 Grace Presbyterian Preschool 1415 Airport Rd Panama City, Florida Dear Parents, We would like to welcome you to Grace Presbyterian Preschool. We are very happy that you have chosen our program for your child. Grace Presbyterian Church began a preschool program in 1993 with six students and one teacher. We have grown from that time and now have approximately 150 students currently enrolled. We are licensed by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). Our teachers are required to have a minimum of 45 hours of classroom training and an additional 10 hours per year. Many of our teachers have completed certification in infant/child CPR and basic first aid. Academically we offer a variety of developmentally appropriate learning center activities which include art, books, blocks, puzzles and manipulatives, nature, music and dramatic play. Social skills are developed through sharing, taking turns, thinking, reasoning and problem solving. The children are provided with structured activities and time for free choice. Our preschool day maintains a balance between active and quite times. I hope that we will get to know each other better as we work together to provide experiences which will nurture and enrich your child to be the special person God has created him or her to be. Please feel free to call or stop by my office with any questions or concerns you may have. My door is always open. Sincerely, Susan Ackermann, Preschool Director 1

3 Philosophy The foundation of the philosophy of Grace Presbyterian Preschool is that each child is a unique child of God who grows, develops and learns at his/her own rate. Learning is enhanced when an appropriate and positive environment is provided. The trained professional staff of Grace Presbyterian Preschool strives to maintain a caring and loving environment. Young children learn from activity, active manipulation and exploration of real objects, talking with other people and solving real problems. The staff realizes that play is learning for children. As a child putters with paints, sand, water and blocks in an activity center, without fear of failure, this encourages young children to develop self confidence, social skills and knowledge of how to learn that will be the best possible motivation for formal learning. The staff acknowledges the fact that parents are the young child s primary teacher and the greatest influence upon a child. The staff realizes the need to create and maintain open communication and cooperation with parents and guardians as the preschool strives to be an outward extension of the home. Mission Statement Grace Presbyterian Preschool is an outreach ministry of Grace Presbyterian Church for the Panama City area. Our mission is to provide a safe, stimulating and loving Christian witness to both the families and more specifically, the children attending our preschool. Our ageappropriate programs which include inside and outside play, art,music, language and Bible stories are designed to encourage growth in the children socially, emotionally, intellectually, physically and spiritually. Objectives We will provide and atmosphere for a positive preschool experience which prepares the child for entry into the primary school system by promoting: Social and emotional development Fine and gross motor development Self-help skills Speech and language development Cognitive development Religious development 2

4 Grace Presbyterian Preschool School Calendar Open House Monday August 29 First Day of School Tuesday August 30 Labor Day School Closed Monday September 5 Columbus Day School Closed Monday October 10 Veterans Day School Closed Friday November 11 Thanksgiving Break School Closed Mon.-Fri. November Return from Thanksgiving Break Monday November 28 Christmas Program Tue.-Wed. Dec Christmas Break Begins Tuesday Dec 20 Return from Christmas Break Wednesday January 4 Martin Luther King School Closed Monday January 16 Registration Begins (current students) Monday February 6 President s Day School Closed Monday February 20 Spring Break School Closed Mon-Fri. March Return from Spring Break Mon. March 19 Good Friday School Closed Fri. April 6 Art Show Tues&Wed. May 8 & 9 K4 Graduation 6:30 p.m. Thursday May 24 Last Day of Preschool Friday May 25 3

5 Grace Presbyterian Preschool Staff Director Assistant Director Music Susan Ackermann Sandy Guta Kelly Preston 1 Year Olds Cara Downing Krista Welford Dale Fite M-F M-F Teacher assistant Peggy Damron Carrie Anderson Karen Fester Ashley Harris Celeste Wickware 2 Year Olds M-W-F T-Th M-W-F T-Th M-F 3 Year Olds Sue Kaeder M-F Brenda Summerville M-F Katy Jackson M-F 4 year Olds Teacher Assistants Jolyn Thornton M-W-F T.J. Snider T-Th Monica Henry MWF Karen Haney M-W-F Karen Fester T-Th Suzanne Brooks T-TH 4

6 Grace Presbyterian Preschool Policy Statement 1. Grace Presbyterian Preschool is in session for nine months, September through May. The date for opening and closing are determined annually. 2. Preschool hour are from 8:30 a.m. until 12:00 noon, Monday through Friday. Teachers are not permitted to receive children in the classroom before school begins. Dismissal begins at 11:45. If your child is not picked up by 12:00 noon, you will be charged a $1.00/minute late fee. 3. The preschool will close for bad weather condition when the Bay County Schools are closed. 4. Your child must be 1, 2, 3 or 4 years of age by September 1 st in order to enter his/her class accordingly. 5. Parents must complete all enrollment forms for their child and a current immunization record (HRS form 680) signed by a health care provider must be on file at the preschool. Each child must receive all immunizations upon admission to the preschool unless there is a medical reason certified by a health care provider stating why these immunizations should not be made. 6. School physical form (HRS 3040) is required of all new students. Returning students must also have a current physical form on file. Physical forms are good for two years. 7. Grace Presbyterian Preschool will make every effort possible to protectthe health and safety of the children. Cooperation from parents in helping prevent the spread of communicable diseases is of great importance. See attached Health Policies and Guidelines. 8. Children may be picked up ONLY by those listed on emergency information cards. If a child is to go home with another adult, the parent must notify the preschool staff. 9. Parents are asked to see that children do not bring food, money or toys to school without prior knowledge of and approval of the teacher. 10. Children should wear play clothes to preschool. Slacks or shorts are preferable as a safety measure in active games and outdoor play. Sandals, flip-flops and pointed -toe boots are not recommended. 11. All personal belongings and clothing must be marked with the child s name. 5

7 12. Outdoor play is an important part of our program. Please see that your child is appropriately dresses to play outside. We are outdoors 30 minutes daily, except in extreme weather. 13. Teachers cannot accept verbal messages from children. Please write a note or telephone the message to the preschool office at The preschool provides a drink for the daily snack time and parents are asked to bring snack for the class on their scheduled snack day. Healthy snacks are recommended. 15. Field trips are carefully planned for the 2, 3, and 4 year olds. Students will not be permitted on field trips without signed consent. Parent chaperones are required on all field trips. 16. Registration and supply fees are to be paid once each school year at the time a child is registered. All fees are non refundable. Tuition is due the first of each month and is considered late after the 10 th of the month and is subject to a $15.00 late fee. Full tuition is due for months in which there are holidays or inclement weather. Credit is not given for absences. Monthly Fees for Registration: $ Year Olds Supply Fees 2 days $120.00/month $105.00/year 3 days $155.00/month $125.00/year 5 days $275.00/month $155.00/year 2-4 Year Olds Supply Fees 2 days $110.00/month $105.00/year 3 days $140.00/month $125.00/year 5 days $250.00/month $155.00/year 17. Withdrawal A written notice must be submitted to the director two weeks prior to your child s early withdrawal from the program for any reason. You will be responsible for paying tuition for the two week period and your child is allowed to attend during this time period. If written notice is not given, your account will be charged one full month s tuition. If the child is withdrawn from the program following the above guideline and later wishes to re-enroll (if enrollment allows), within a three month period, the registration fee is waived. After a three month period, the full registration amount will be required. If a child is absent from the program for more than two 6

8 weeks without notice or payment, we will assume the child is withdrawn. We will proceed to register another child to fill the class vacancy. 18. Students entering a 3 or 4 year old programs must be completely potty trained. 19. Registration dates will be determined by the preschool director and will allow enrollment by church members and current students and their families during the first week of registration. Next, we will register children from our current waiting list and alumni. Finally, we will open registration on a determined date. 20. It is the responsibility of the director to assign children to classrooms. 21. Discipline Discipline is not punishment but is a system to train children to produce desirable behavior. The word discipline actually means learning or training. We will provide guidance rather than punishment. Classroom rule and limits will be set and explained to your child. Re-directing a child is often times all that is needed to eliminate certain behaviors. Our teachers may use the option of time- out, if redirecting has been unsuccessful. When a child is placed in time-out, they will sit in a chair in another area of the room, away from the current activity. Under no circumstances will corporal punishment be used. We believe consistent, loving, firm correction is the most appropriate way to guide your child. If your child continues to be a discipline problem and our efforts to re-direct are unsuccessful, we will ask for your assistance and cooperation with any behavior matters. It is a joint effort with parent and teacher to correct negative behavior. Please direct conflicts between children to the staff, rather than other parents. We cannot resolve behavior issues if we are unaware of them. Grace Presbyterian Preschool reserves the right to suspend or permanently expel a child at any time if, in the sole judgment of Grace Presbyterian Preschool, the needs of the child are not being met, or the child s continued enrollment is detrimental to Grace Presbyterian Preschool. 7

9 Lunch Bunch Lunch bunch is an after school program that is offered Monday through Friday from 12:00 to 1:30. Students are eligible for this program when they are two years old. Students need to bring a packed lunch and drink. The cost is $6.00/child. If a child is not picked up by 1:30, you will be charged a $1.00/minute late fee/child. Please sign up at the bulletin board outside the preschool office by 10:00 a.m. We must have a minimum of 7 children or lunch bunch will be cancelled for the day. ***Pre-paid lunch bunch cards will be sold in increments of 5 and 10 lunches/card. The card will be kept in a book in the preschool office. Our teachers will take attendance at each lunch bunch and then turn this in to the preschool office where your card will be punched and dated accordingly. If you would like to see how many lunches you have on your card, you can stop by the office to check the book. Lunch bunch teachers will no longer collect money.*** 8

10 Grace Presbyterian Preschool Health Policies and Guidelines Grace Presbyterian Preschool is concerned with the physical well being of every child of God. To that end, we must prevent the spread of infectious diseases within the preschool in order to protect the health of each child and adult in attendance. Therefore: 1. A child must stay out of the preschool for 24 hours after treatment has begun if he or she has: Conjunctivitis Bronchitis Ear and/or throat infections (including strep) Croup Sinus infection 2. A child must stay out of school for 48 hours after treatment has begun if he /she has: Walking pneumonia Viral pneumonia 3. Because we are not staffed to care for children who are irritable and cannot participate in the day s activities, he/she must stay out of school if he/she has a fever. A child must be free of fever for 24 hours before returning. 4. If a child has head lice or scabies, he/she may return to school after being treated, but must bring a note from a doctor or health department certifying that they may return. 5. Parents will be notified and must have the child picked up from preschool within one hour if any conditions requiring exclusion are present, such as: diarrhea, vomiting, fever of 100 or higher, chicken pox, etc. 6. Parents will be notified, but will not be required to pick child up if the child is acting unusually lifeless, unusually pale, or irritable. 7. If a child must be given medication while in attendance at the preschool, the medication must be taken to the director s office. Each bottle must be clearly labeled with the child s name. A note, signed by the parent, with specific instructions for administering the medication must be attached. 9

11 Arrival/Departure and Security Policies Access doors to the preschool are on Lisenby Ave. and at the main entrance of the church. Doors open at 8:30. Please bring your child to their classroom and sign them in on the sign in sheet provided outside the classroom door. Be sure to leave telephone numbers where you can be reached. No child will be released to a person not authorized to pick up. Teachers are busy getting their classrooms ready for the day and are not prepared to supervise your child before 8:30. The main entrance into the preschool will be locked at 9:15. Please knock and someone will let you in. The church entrance will remain open. You are always welcome at the school at any time. These security measures are in place for the safety of the children and our staff. It is only normal for some children to feel anxiety in a new situation or when being left in someone else s care. We have found that with a child, the sooner a teacher can get them involved in classroom activities the more quickly the child adapts to the new environment. We strongly urge parents to say their good-bye s quickly at the door and do not enter the classroom. You are encouraged to wait out of sight until your child has settled down, or feel free to call the preschool office at anytime during the day to check on them. Departure time begins at 11:45 a.m. Please come to the classroom to pick up your child. If you arrive prior to 11:45, you will need to come to the preschool office to receive a pass before proceeding to your child s classroom. 10

12 Parent Agreement I, whose child is enrolled in the school year at Grace Presbyterian Preschool, have received a copy of the Student Handbook. I have read and understand the policies and guidelines as described in the handbook, and agree to abide by them. (Signature of Parent/Guardian) (Date) ***Please return to the preschool office as soon as possible.*** 11