Saint Therese Catholic School - Programs 2006/2007

The Sisters of Notre Dame
We are based on the philosophy of the Sisters of Notre Dame. The central message of their rich educational philosophy is:

The Catholic School
Why do parents send their children to Catholic Schools? This is a frequently asked question. A Catholic School is established primarily to assist the mission of the Church in the faith formation of her children. Faith formation, academic excellence, good discipline, instilling of good study habits and manners have long been trademarks of the Catholic school system nationwide.

Pre-School and Pre-Kindergarten
Mission: The mission of our pre-school and pre-kindergarten program is to prepare children to enter kindergarten with a solid educational foundation. The program focuses on developing the whole child while accenting individual strengths and encouraging children to become responsible learners. We strive to nurture the spiritual, emotional, academic, and social needs of our students. St. Therese Catholic School remains committed to academic excellence in a Christ centered environment.

As part of the larger learning community of St. Therese Catholic School, our pre-school and pre-kindergarten program shares in the mission of the school; to proclaim the goodness and providence of God through education. We provide children with a Christian foundation for life and prepare them to respond to God’s call.

Program: The pre-school and pre-kindergarten program is based on the developmental characteristics of your children. We offer both teacher-directed and child-directed activities with a balance of inside and outside play, active and quiet times, and hands-on learning. The program includes art, music and movement, science, nutrition, dramatic play, cultural awareness, pre-math, pre-reading, pre-language skills, physical development, social interaction and spiritual growth.The 3-year old and 4-year old programs are designed to give children a solid academic and social foundation and prepare them to enter Kindergarten.

Eligibility: A child must have celebrated their third birthday before attending our three year old program. Any child who is four years old on or before October 15th qualifies for our four year old program. *Effective 2009-2010 school year, a child must be four years old by August 31st in order to attend the four year old program.

Uniforms: The St. Therese tee shirt and sweatshirt uniforms are purchased from Educational Outfitters. Sneakers are required. Sneakers are recommended.

School Day: School hours are from 8:15 am to 12:00 pm.

Elementary
Program: For 2008-2009 grades kindergarten through five are offered.

Eligibility: For kindergarten a child must be academically ready for the program and by law must be 5 years old by October 15, 2008. *Effective 2009-2010 school year, a child must be five years old by August 31st in order to attend Kindergarten.

Curriculum: The Elementary Curriculum builds on the strong foundations laid in kindergarten. St. Therese offers a formal core curriculum in religion, reading and language arts, phonics, math, hands-on science, and social studies. The children also attend classes in library skills, physical education and art. The math and language arts resource lab offers remedial tutoring and enrichment. The computer skills curriculum prepares students to use computer technology for schoolwork and personal use, accessing and applying information, problem solving and communicating ideas and data.

Uniforms: Students in Grades K–5 have a uniform dress code. Uniforms are available through Educational Outfitters and should be ordered no less than two months before the beginning of school.

School Day: The hours are 8:15 am to 3:00 pm.

Lunch: Children may bring their lunch to school or a hot lunch may be purchased on designated days. Milk can also be purchased for a semester.

Extended Care
St. Therese offers an extended care program in the morning and in the afternoon. For an additional fee, any child may arrive between 7:30 am and 8:15 am .

For pre-school and pre-kindergarten students we offer “LUNCH BUNCH” from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm. This is a supervised lunch/play program and is optional for an additional fee.

From 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm, an afternoon extended care program is offered for pre-school and pre-kindergarten students which includes the lunch bunch program as well as rest time, a snack and outside play. Lunch may be brought from home or ordered according to the regular lunch menu. Milk may also be purchased.

After school care is available for K-5th grade students from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Snack is provided. A homework time is part of the afternoon session. Extended care is provided on holy days, civic holidays, and teacher workdays, for all students at an additional cost. Extended Care is not available during Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks.