About/Our Story - St. Joseph's Church

St Joseph’s Preschool

The Story of St. Joseph’s Preschool

Once upon a time, more than a decade ago, A preschool began, where children flourish and grow
This preschool was admired both far and wide, an exceptional school, St. Joseph’s pride
The children were happy! They had fun every day, they learned about God, their faith grew as they’d pray.
The parents were grateful for a safe loving school, with teachers so caring, ’twas truly a jewel
Monday through Friday the parish center’s alive, with children all learning, they blossom, they thrive
This preschool’s for children age 3 and age 4, their first taste of school offers learning galore
With gym and a playground the fun never ends, each day’s an adventure with all of their friends.
They learn manners, letters, colors and science, they’re taught shapes and numbers and self reliance
With God ever present, to nurture real clarity, they learn the virtues of kindness, patience and charity.
When they moved on to school they were well prepared, their teachers all marveled, no others compared
As the children grow older they’ll long reminisce, of their first school experience, it’s fun and it’s bliss
Not just for parishioners, we welcome one and all, any time, any season: winter, spring or fall!

Our Philosophy

There is no greater gift from God than our precious children. We consider it an honor to be given the opportunity to assist children to grow and mature both personally and spiritually. We believe that our primary goal as educators is to provide an environment where children will feel safe and are encouraged to explore and learn naturally, without fear of failure. Learning is a process of exploration, trial and error, and the ability to look at problems from more than one direction. By teaching children how to discover, we will equip them with skills for life long learning. We will strive to create learners who possess confidence and love of knowledge.

Program Goals

The focus of St. Joseph’s Preschool is child centered. We will provide an environment that will facilitate the child’s development on spiritual, physical, intellectual and emotional levels. We will strive to:

Assist the child in developing a positive self image and self-confidence
Foster the child’s thirst for knowledge and the joy of learning
Encourage respect for multi-cultural diversity
Provide the opportunity to develop the social skills needed to assimilate into peer groups
Provide ample opportunities for both structured and open-ended learning experiences, facilitated through a wide array of hands-on and manipulative materials
Maintain small size classes with appropriate adult-to-child ratio
Prepare the child for future success in school

Curriculum Outline

Large and small muscle activities
Language Arts: stories, fingerplays, early reading and writing skills
Music and movement
Science and exploration
Math Skills
Multi-cultural Awareness
Religious education program
Social and communication skills

General Curriculum

The academic program that the preschool follows is:
New York State Prekindergarten Foundations for the Common Core
http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/common_core_standards/pdfdocs/nyslsprek.pdf

The Preschool will provide play based learning experiences to meet the individual developmental, social and intellectual needs of the children.

The curriculum will include skills and concepts taught in a sequential manner. Children will be presented with beginning concepts and will be guided to advancing these concepts to a more complex level. Their conceptual ability will be nurtured to progress from the concrete to the abstract. We understand that each of the children will be operating at a different developmental and interest level. We will structure the lessons to begin at the level where they can function comfortably and help them to advance to higher levels of thinking.

Religious Ed Curriculum

The Religious Education program that we follow is Seeds (Preschool) Pflaum Gospel Weeklies Faith Formation Program http://cart.pflaum.com/home.php

“For preschoolers, the Sunday Gospel message creates the foundation for them to begin a lifetime of learning about their faith. Concepts are introduced simply and powerfully, Jesus becomes immediate and real, make-and-do projects match preschoolers’ skills, and parent notes in English and Spanish get families involved.”

What Our Parents Say

We loved St. Joe's and every time we drive by we say "Hi St. Joe's-we miss you"! We miss it so much. I loved that my kids felt warm fuzzies every single day! The staff was extremely helpful in dealing with food allergies and we felt totally comfortable with leaving our children in their care. St. Joseph's Preschool is a treasure in our community.

Both of our children have had wonderful experiences at St. Joseph's Preschool. It is a caring community where the teachers and director are attentive and nurturing, and the curriculum is always creative and challenging. There is a strong commitment to foster each child's individual growth in all areas (academic, social, emotional, spiritual). They encourage parental involvement and communication, and treat you like family!

I sent all 3 of my children to St. Joseph's preschool. They all enjoyed their time there. They loved the staff and greeted them with open arms every morning. Nothing makes a parent more happy than knowing your child is receiving a fun preschool experience with a loving staff that enjoys what they do!

All 3 of our Children attended St. Joseph's Preschool and it has been such a great fit for our family. The teachers and staff really made an effort to know each of our children and us as a family. They provided our kids with a safe, fun, educational learning experience. We felt comfortable dropping them off at school, knowing they were in such capable and caring hands. The faith-based program has given our children a strong foundation to begin their education. Thank you St. Joseph's Preschool!

I chose to send my son to St. Joseph's Preschool after my sister had sent both her son and daughter there the past few years. She gave rave reviews. The scheduling options were perfect for our schedule. The first week was very difficult for my son to stay at school. He had to literally be peeled off of me while he cried. The first day, Tracy MacMullen, the director, emailed me that she had just gone into the class and he was doing great. To receive that email within the first hour was such a relief. My son has sensory issues and has really developed these past six months. Mrs. Corbin and Mrs. Beyer have always been very patient with him and allowed him to move at his own pace with a little nudging. As parents we receive multiple communications which are very organized. We receive the very specific plan for the week which includes lesson plans, religious topic, snacks, and more. We are constantly invited to volunteer in the classroom which the children love. I highly recommend St. Joseph's preschool!

St. Joseph’s Preschool is a family-oriented gem of a school right on our parish grounds! It is a magical place where loving and professional teachers teach 3 and 4 year old children that learning through play is really fun and that mommy will come back to pick them up in a little while. Our children were given a faith-filled foundation for a lifetime love of learning and for that we are ever grateful!

We feel so blessed that our 3 children have been a part of St. Joseph's preschool. Our kids began each day at school with this prayer "Thank you God for this day, I'm glad that I am here so I can pray. You are so good in all You do. I'll try to do my best for You. Amen" Each time we heard one of them repeat this prayer at home, we were certain we had chosen the best program for our family. This faith based program has given our children time to play each day, made learning fun and engaging and continually stimulated them with developmentally appropriate learning opportunities. The teachers have always made our children feel loved and valued. We will always be grateful for these foundational years spent at St. Joe's.

As a veteran teacher, I thought I would be ready to send my own children off to school when they were ready. However, when the time came I was filled with trepidation. Having a little guy with Special Needs I was so unsure of what would be the best fit for our son. You see, our son Brendan was diagnosed with Speech Apraxia, a developmental delay disorder of speech. We wanted him to be challenged and to be given an opportunity to model "typical" children. Shari and the staff of St Joe's welcomed our Brendan with open arms. They provided him the opportunity of a terrific pre- school education in mainstreamed setting. Their acceptance of Brendan and their ability to challenge him, as well as the other students I observed, exceeded expectations. As I stood in front of my own classroom at Camillus Middle School, each day, I did so knowing that down the street, my own son was in the most capable of hands.