Preschool Academics
At St. Mary Catholic Virtue School, our Preschoolers are provided with a nurturing environment where love, faith, and curiosity come together to help each child flourish.
How Preschool discovers
their greatness
The goal is to inspire lifelong learners who are eager to explore, ask thoughtful questions, and discover how to use their unique gifts from God. We foster a community where every child feels encouraged, supported, and challenged.
Our preschool program uses a topic-based, play-centered approach enhanced by free-flow exploration. With both indoor and outdoor learning centers, children progress at their own pace while developing important life skills like negotiation and understanding consequences. Our flexible environment encourages creative, open-ended use of materials, incorporating natural elements to deepen the learning experience. This balance of play and discovery lays the foundation for authentic academic growth through developmentally appropriate practices.
We follow developmentally appropriate practices. Through each child’s individual learning plan (ILP), we understand who they are, how they like to learn and their potential strengths or areas of growth. In this way, we can ensure that the whole child is ready to be a lifelong learner when they move on to K-5.
While there are a myriad of picture books available for preschoolers, our learning objectives use only those books that create an opportunity for virtuous discussions and positive character traits. Technology is not an option for preschool as research shows that excessive screen use stunts the imagination and curiosity we expect to enhance.
A Day in the Life of a St. Mary Catholic Virtue School Preschooler
We offer flexible schedules to fit your family’s needs. We want you to be able to get your job done so that when you pick up your child, you are 100% focused on your family time. You choose the days that work best for you. We offer three different lengths of day to fit your schedule as well:
8 a.m. to 12 noon
Our most productive time for exploration, when the children do projects, take walks, and learn together.
12 noon to 1 p.m.
During "Lunch Bunch," students can eat together and participate in enrichment activities, such as extra Spanish instruction or games of soccer.
1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
While our younger students definitely need this time to recharge and are permitted and encouraged to do so, the older Preschoolers take thirty minutes of down time before minutes participating in games, listening to stories, and working on the projects that have started before.