2024-2025 PK & K Student Registration Form (Kindergarten - 5 years of age by 9/1 & Preschool - 4 yrs of age by 9/1)

Preschool Informational Resource

Immunization Form (Required for Kindergarten)

Kindergarten Readiness: Is my child ready?

Families choosing schooling in the Catholic tradition know that Catholic schools are committed to the growth of the whole child by offering developmentally appropriate programs which address children's needs - spiritual, intellectual, physical, cultural, social and emotional. The kindergarten program promotes the development of independence and acknowledges that children arrive at school as competent and capable learners who have been learning since birth.  The kindergarten year builds on your child's learning at home and in other places like preschool and child care.

Kindergarten Program Goals

• a positive approach to learning
• independence and confidence
• thinking and problem-solving skills
• language skills
• early literacy and numeracy
• physical abilities

Prepping for Kindergarten - Skills Expected Prior to Entering Kindergarten

Children entering kindergarten must have turned 5 years of age or older by September 1. Most parents enroll their child in Kindergarten in the year they turn 5 by September 1. However, parents do have flexibility to enroll in kindergarten the following year, giving consideration to the child's developmental, behavioral, and emotional readiness for school. Children develop skills at different rates and might be strong in some areas and weak in others. Children who are ready for kindergarten will demonstrate abilities in many of the following skills:

Lanuguage Skills

• Speak in complete sentences and be understood by others most of the time
• Use words to express needs and wants
• Understand and follow two-step directions
• Appropriately answer a direct question
• Make comparisons and describe relationships between objects like big/little, under/over, and first/last

Reading Readiness Skills

• Enjoy listening to stories
• Know how to find the first page of a book and which way to flip the pages
• Recognize familiar logos and signs, like stop signs
• Recite all or part of the alphabet
• Recognize and print their own first name
• Recognize when two words rhyme (like cat and bat)
• Start to connect letter sounds to letters (like the sound of the first letter in their name)
• Draw a picture to help express an idea

Math Skills

• Count from 1 to 10 without skipping numbers
• Match a number to a group of up to 5 items ("I see three cats.")
• Recognize and name basic shapes (square, circle, triangle, rectangle)
• Understand more than and less than
• Arrange 3 objects in the right order (like smallest to largest)
• Name or point to the colors in a box of 8 crayons

Self-Care Skills

• Use the bathroom and wash up independently
• Get dressed independently (may need help with zippers, shoelaces, buttons)
• Know and can say their first and last name and age
• Complete simple routines and transitions

Social and Emotional Skills

• Separate from a parent or caregiver without getting overly upset
• Interact with other children
• Pay attention for at least 5 minutes to a task an adult is leading, like listening to directions for an activity or discussing the day's weather during circle time
• Is comfortable sharing or taking turns

Fine Motor Skills

• Use a pencil or crayon with some control
• Use scissors
• Copy basic shapes
• Make distinct marks that look like letters and write some actual letters, especially those in their name.
• Put together a simple puzzle
• Use a spoon and a fork

Gross Motor Skills

• Run
• Jump with feet together
• Hop on one foot
• Climb stairs
• Bounce a ball and try to catch it

• Practice activities your child will be doing in class, like forming letters, holding a pencil, using a spoon or fork and zipping a coat. It's fine if your child hasn't mastered these skills when school starts, but it can ease stress for your child if the kindergarten classroom isn't the first place your child tries these tasks. Kindergarteners also cut out lots of shapes. If your child hasn't used kid-friendly scissors yet, now's a good time to try them out.
• Attend weekly Mass. Although Mass with young children can sometimes cause parents stress, keeping them home from Mass may send the message that Church is only for the perfect. Encouraging correct behaviors in Church now will help them transition to weekly school Mass when school starts.
• Depending on your morning schedule, it may help to move bedtime to an earlier time.  Before school starts, run through the morning routine with your child, too. Practice having your child wake up on time, get dressed, and eat breakfast.
• Start phasing out nap time. Kindergarteners will have a rest time, but if your child still takes naps, this break will probably be shorter than the naps your child is accustomed. Start cutting the length of nap time by a couple of minutes a day before school starts. (A shorter nap might help with the change to an earlier bedtime, too.)
• Make following directions fun. Kindergarteners are expected to listen and follow directions throughout the school day. Practice this at home in fun ways. Have your child do activities with one and two steps before school starts. Play games, do crafts or have your child help with cooking.

• Practice asking for help. Teachers and staff will always help your child but it's important that your child be able to voice their needs. Have your child practice asking for help before the school year starts. This helps children build confidence to speak up for what they need when they need it.
• Read together. Your child will be learning the basics in subjects like reading, writing, and math. Reading to your child as often as possible helps lay the foundation for kindergarten learning. It also helps prepare kids for listening time in the classroom. Run your finger under the words as you read to your child to help him/her learn that words go from left to right and top to bottom. Nursery rhymes are a great way to help you child recognize rhyimg words (similar sounds in words).
• Introduce new friends. Especially if your child hasn't had a lot of experience playing with others his/her age, make a point to set up play dates at home or at the playground. Encourage your child to share and take turns.
• Our school provides a nutritious lunch from all food groups. Your child will be exposed to many new foods. Provide opportunities for your child to try foods outside of their favorites which will help to ease lunchroom stress.