Come and See the Donahue Difference! Pre-K Open House is on April 17
Next week, on Friday, April 17, from 10:30 to 11:30am, parents and their preschoolers will have a chance to experience Donahue Academy! The Pre-K Open House is a unique opportunity for community members to see the school’s Catholic, classical education model in action. Below is a brief overview of the program, which can serve as a valuable guide during the event.
What do preschoolers do all day? They explore. Exploration is the word that defines this earliest year of formal education. In Pre-K, students explore something for the sake of its nature and essence. They also develop skills that sit at the foundation of knowledge acquisition, such as, to compare, count, explore, grip, hear, hold, identify, measure, mimic, move, order, play, recite, rest, see, share, sing, smell, sort, sound, speak, taste, touch, wait, wonder. Teachers primarily assess preschoolers’ progress in these areas through observation. The primary goal is to prepare children – through intentional curricular experiences and guided age-appropriate activities – for Kindergarten at Donahue Academy. Secondary goals include to: create a desire to learn; explore individual needs, interests, and abilities; develop a positive attitude toward self and others; promote spiritual, intellectual, social, and physical growth; and provide activities that are both self- and teacher-directed.
Religious education helps students to develop a personal relationship with God. Through the study of Catholic faith, students prepare to celebrate God’s love, proclaim God’s message, and live in accordance with His teaching. Preschoolers are capable of learning appropriate behaviors and attitudes toward prayer and an awareness of God in their lives. They can experience God’s word and gifts and are beginning to respond to God on a personal level. In Language Arts, students develop skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking so that they can communicate clearly. In preschool, we also lay the foundation for the study of mathematics at all grade levels. Skills such as counting and identifying numbers, letters, shapes, and order, as well as identifying (and continuing) sequences and patterns, comparing sets, and measuring form an intuition for basic arithmetic. A solid mathematical foundation also means nurturing student confidence and success.
Science is integral not only to our daily lives and survival but also to our Catholic faith. At its core, science gives students a deeper appreciation of our Creator. Preschool science teaches students to respect God, themselves, others, and our world in accordance with Catholic teaching. Likewise, art and music play a major role in developing the call to evangelization, worship, community, and service. Preschool students use a variety of art materials for artistic expression and creative movement to appreciate and participate in music. Of course, no day would be complete without play! “We have had three of our children go through Pre-K at Donahue Academy with Mrs. Amy Gawron. There’s no one we would trust more to care for our children’s intellectual development,” says Mrs. Alexandrea Crockett Bartsch. We look forward to seeing you on April 17!
