Tours of the School

You are encouraged to have a tour of the school while it is in progress prior to registration, particularly if you are new to the area or this is the first child you are interested in sending to the School.  Tours for parents usually begin on November 1st and continue throughout the school year.  Please phone the office at 609-921-7207during the hours of 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. to set up an appointment.

Curriculum

Children are full of wonder and curiosity.  At The Jewish Center, the environment is the curriculum.  The social and physical world invites many possibilities for stimulating creative development.  The surroundings are designed to make children want to explore and discover.

Our philosophy is to take a whole child approach to the curriculum and the environment.  We try to integrate the child's cognitive, emotional, physical and social growth.

The room is carefully prepared with interest areas to stimulate a joy for learning and to enable children to gain confidence by succeeding.  Through a balance of individual and group play, free choice and structured learning, we hope to foster responsibility, self-discipline and confidence.  Under no circumstances are toy weapons or action figures of any kind, such as power rangers, permitted.

All of the classes learn about and celebrate the Jewish holidays.  Readiness activities, as well as science, art and small and large motor activities, are an integral part of the curriculum.

Orientation

In order to make the transition to school an easy one for you and your pre-schooler, there is an orientation process composed of, a Back-to-School Night, an Open House and a Gradual Start for the 2-1/2 to 3 year old classes.

The Back-to-School Night is usually the first event of the school year, held in the evening prior to the start of school.  It is a chance for parents to meet one another and to meet the teachers with whom their child will be spending the school year.  Teachers will speak about the daily routine, planned units and answer questions. This evening is for parents only.
     
The Open House is traditionally held on the Sunday morning prior to the week school begins.  Children and parents are invited to spend time in the classroom getting to know the teachers, the classroom environment and some of the other children in the class. 

The Gradual Start is the way the children entering the 2-1/2 to 3 year old classes begin their school year.  For the first three days of the school year, half of the children in the class will come to school from 9:00 - 10:15 a.m. and the other half will come from 10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.  Easing the children into school with a shortened day and with only half of the class in attendance at one time helps the children feel more comfortable in the classroom and with their teachers.  Teachers, in turn, have more time to spend getting to know the children on an individual basis.

Prior to the start of school, when circumstances permit, all parents will receive a phone call from one of their child's teachers.  Parents can share any information they think would be important for the teacher to know about their child, thereby giving teachers a chance to learn more about the child. A list of the children in your child's class will be sent to you by early August  should you want to arrange some play dates with his/her future classmates. During the summer, we send each child a picture of the class teachers so that the faces become familiar to the child.

Components of the Program:  Early Morning Drop Off:  8:30 - 9:00 A.M., Monday - Friday

Children may be taken to a designated room in the school building for quiet activities before regular school hours.  They will be supervised by a staff member who will escort each child to his/her classroom at 9:00 a.m.  Only toilet trained children may attend this program.  Parents are requested to place lunch boxes, school bags, coats, etc. on the child's classroom coat hook prior to bringing their child to the Early Drop Off Program.  There is an additional cost for this program (see Fee and Payment Schedule for rates), but pre-registration is not required.

Components of the Program:  Morning Program:  9:00 A.M. - 11:55 A.M.

      1.   Arrival:  Children should arrive promptly at 9:00 a.m.  The teachers have a daily routine planned for the children.  Late arrivals not only disrupt the class but also prevent the latecomers from fully participating in the program.  Children are usually disappointed when they miss an activity due to a late arrival.

      Parents are responsible for seeing that their child and other children in their charge reach the correct classroom.  For safety reasons, children should not enter the classroom until the teachers open the door at 9:00 a.m. to greet them.  Parents should assist with the removal of any coats, boots, snowsuits, etc. when this clothing is necessary, as well as with the placement of lunchboxes in the designated area.  The staff kindly requests that you take newly toilet trained children to the bathroom immediately prior to the start of classes.

      Upon arrival at the Nursery School, parents should say good-bye to their child(ren) at the classroom door, where teachers will be ready to welcome them.  The staff does expect that some children will cry.  However, the teachers have found that the crying time is shorter when all parents leave promptly.  For this reason, it is the school's policy that parents not enter the classroom at arrival time during the first few weeks of school.  The Nursery School Director will be available if you would like to phone the office or have her phone you to find out how your child is progressing in class.  A staff member will contact the parent of a child who is unduly upset for an excessive length of time.

2.   Free Play: During this time, children are free to choose from a variety of activities.  The materials in the classroom have been carefully selected to enhance both large and small motor development, cognitive skills, and creative play.

      One of the major goals we have for our pre-schoolers is for them to develop an understanding of society, the world and the people in it.  Pretend play allows children a chance to create a world based on what they understand and where they can be in control of the results.  They begin to develop the skills necessary to function as a member of a group, negotiate team work and leadership.  As they assume various roles, they have a chance to walk in other people's shoes, helping them to see another's point of view and understand another's feelings.  Pretending is a safe haven where children can release anger and confront and overcome fears without risk.  Children strengthen their problem solving skills, expand their vocabulary and acquire new skills while practicing old ones.  The creativity involved with pretending allows a child to dream and to experience adventure and excitement without leaving familiar surroundings.  It also provides an opportunity to relive and savor happy moments in their lives like a family vacation or a party. 

      Based on the theory that children learn through play, classroom routines encourage active involvement and meaningful experimentation and reinforcement.  Schedules are designed which balance structure and free choice as well as active and quiet times.

3.   Art:  Creative expression and the use of different media are encouraged.  In addition, projects are most often coordinated with a story, unit of study or the celebration of a Jewish holiday.

4.   Clean Up:  The children are responsible for cleaning up the toys with which they have played.  Putting away the toys involves matching and sorting as well as classification skills. This activity helps children develop a sense of responsibility and order.

5.   Circle Time:  During circle time, some activities presented and discussed are:  good morning songs, the calendar, weather, helper of the day, poems, "share and tell" and the theme of the day.  Children learn to pay attention in a group setting, learn self- composure and practice speaking and listening skills.  In our older classes, the Hebrew names of the days of the week, month and year are taught.

6.   Snack Time:  Each child puts on a kippah (skull cap) and together the class recites the appropriate Hebrew blessings before eating.  Snack time is a social time for the children where good manners are promoted.  Each family provides snack for the class on a rotating basis.

7.   Quiet Time:  On some days, there is a short quiet time during which the children may listen to music or browse through a book of their choice.

8.   Story Time:  The teachers read aloud to the children each day.  The stories are typically related to the unit of study.

9.   Math, Reading-Readiness, and Science Activities:  Children have "hands on" experiences counting, matching and sorting objects.  Simple science experiments enhance some units.  Experience charts and stories, letter and sound recognition and other pre-reading and math skills are integrated into the schedule.

10.  Music:  Songs, body movement and use of rhythm instruments are part of music and dance time.  The children are exposed to a variety of musical experiences by our music specialists: the Cantor of The Jewish Center, a secular music teacher and the Nursery School Director.

11.  Large Motor Activities:  Daily play periods are scheduled year round on our playgrounds.  It is, therefore, necessary to dress your child accordingly.  Boots, mittens, hats (and sometimes snow pants) are needed in the winter months.  All outerwear should be labeled with your child's name.  In addition to daily play, a fitness instructor from My Gym conducts classes twice a month.

12.  Optional Lunch:  (12:00 - 12:55 p.m. Monday - Friday).  During this time, the children enjoy having lunch with their friends, followed by a variety of activities all supervised by the classroom teachers.  There is an additional charge for participation in the lunch program (see Fee and Payment Schedule for rates). Children wear a kippah (skull cap) during this time and say the appropriate blessings prior to eating. The children in the 2-1/2 to 3 year old classes may not stay for lunch until mid-October.  Please discuss your child's readiness to remain for the lunch program with his/her teachers.

13.  Dismissal:  Children are dismissed promptly at 11:55 a.m. unless they are staying for lunch and/or Extended Day.  Dismissal after lunch time is at 12:55 p.m. Parents who do not pick up their children on time will be billed accordingly.  Particularly at the beginning of the school year, you are encouraged to arrive five minutes prior to dismissal time for the emotional comfort and security of your child.

14.  Enrichment Program for the 4 to 5 year old Classes:  All children in a 4 to 5 year old class stay in school until 2:25 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays for supplemental enrichment activities.  The cost of lunch is included in the tuition for these two days per week.  Children may then join the Extended Day Program at 2:30 p.m. if parents so wish.  A six week class called "I'm Safe and Sure" is usually presented during the winter by the Camp Fire Girls Association.  Once per month, there is a special science program for each class.  Every Monday, the children celebrate Havdalah, learn about the Torah portion of the week and have a shira (singing) session with the Nursery School Director.