Nursery School
The Serviam Shield, a symbol of our commitment to serve, is worn on all student uniforms. Serving others is a component of every class curriculum. More importantly, the active engagement in service, from Pre-Kindergarten through our expanded middle school community service program, not only plants the Serviam seed in all Mount Merici students toward a greater likelihood that they will become leaders and good stewards in the world as adults but also instills in young children a belief in their own abilities to influence positive change and compassionate improvements in the world around them.
Whether our youngest students are collecting food to benefit the local ‘Weekend Backpack Program’ or contributing their own precious dimes and dollars to the ‘Rice Bowl Program’, they recognize that they are capable of helping to feed children less fortunate than they are and that with some compassion and effort, they can make a difference.
Our 6th and 7th-grade students work diligently every week at the area soup kitchen, food bank, the Muskie Center for elders and disabled adults, here at school, and on a multitude of fulfilling service projects.
Our 8th-grade students draw from the wealth of their previous years of service work to create a year-long senior service project based on their own individual interests. so that they leave Mount Merici Academy with a clear understanding of their abilities to extend their hearts and hands by contributing their own individual gifts in their communities and in the world-at-large. At Mount Merici Academy, every child learns what it feels like to make a difference.
Learn About the Nursery Curriculum
Philosophy
As the nursery school teachers it is our objective to provide a nurturing educational environment. Students will participate in various learning opportunities each day such as working with manipulatives, learning through play, exploring their environment and themed academic lessons. Through developmentally appropriate physical and cognitive activities confidence and independence will be fostered. The children will have ample opportunities to share thoughts and ideas developing their communication skills and social interactions. It is our goal to collaborate with parents to create a positive and successful first school experience.
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Classroom Management
Classroom ground rules will be established at the start of the school year. They are designed to ensure classroom safety and reinforce respect for others. Consistent daily routines will keep children engaged in productive activity resulting in fewer problem behaviors. Kindness, cooperation, patience, and helpfulness will continually be modeled for the children. When an inappropriate behavior arises, the student will be reminded of the ground rules and asked to think about the effects of their behavior on others and themselves. Reflection will be on the positive happenings and not dwelling on the negative.
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The Mount Merici Nursery School Program offers a stimulating and creative environment in which children will enter their first educational experience in a comfortable and wholesome manner. The nursery school program provides a balanced curriculum of skills through age appropriate activities in a structured setting while at the same time making learning fun for the children. All children will have the opportunity to experience success when interested in, and capable of, achieving skills above standard age expectations. The curriculum will cover all aspects of a child’s development: physical, cognitive, language, social and emotional. Daily activities are introduced to reinforce the developmental skills that lay a foundation for future academics.
Nursery School Curriculum
The curriculum will cover the following areas:
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Reading Readiness
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Math Readiness
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Fine Motor Skills
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Gross Motor Skills
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Visual Discrimination
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Visual Motor Discrimination
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Language Development
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Reading Readiness:
To establish a basis for understanding the beginning concepts of reading by…
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Recognizing letters
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Recalling letter sounds
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Recalling specific details in a story
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Math Readiness:
To establish a basis for understanding the beginning concepts of math by…
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Recognizing shapes
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Recognizing colors
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Recognizing numbers
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Sorting objects by color, size, and shape
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Counting to 10
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Matching objects
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Counting objects to 5
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Color patterns
Fine Motor Skills:
To improve small muscle abilities by…
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Tracing
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Coloring
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Painting
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Cutting
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Stringing beads
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Making 8-piece puzzles
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Buttoning 1 large button
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Snapping
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Gross Motor Skills:
To improve large muscle abilities by…
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Marching
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Catching a rolled ball
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Walking backwards
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Jumping
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Hopping on 2 feet
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Throwing and catching a ball
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Visual Discrimination:
To perceive and express relationships of…
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Bigger/smaller
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Taller/shorter
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Longer/shorter
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Same/different
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Copying a color, size and shape sequence
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Fast/slow
Visual Motor Coordination:
To develop eye/hand coordination by…
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Copying a circle
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Copying a cross
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Tracing their name
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Recognizing their first name
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Copying the letters in their name
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Language Development:
To increase vocabulary by naming words associated with…
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Classroom objects
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Fire safety
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Body parts
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Winter items
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Feelings
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Farm animals
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Zoo animals
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Traffic safety
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Items of transportation
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Religion
Children will experience the presence of God through prayer, bible stories and hands on art activities. The students will learn how to develop good habits such as courtesy, respect, kindness, helpfulness, cooperation, responsibility. They will also learn how to get along with others and respect one another through cooperative play.
Science/Social Studies
Students are introduced to science through the following topics: weather, seasons, animals, night/day, the body, the five senses, plants, sink/float, butterflies, magnets, personal hygiene, and living/non-living things.
Students are introduced to social studies through the following topics: holidays, fire safety, families, feelings, and traffic safety.
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Daily Schedule
7:20 – 7:40 Drop off/Free Play​
7:50 - 8:10 Bathroom
8:10 – 8:30 Morning Circle/Weekly Focus
8:30- 9:00 Academic Activity​
9:10 – 9:20 Snack
9:20 -10:00 Free Play/Individual Lesson Time
10:00 Bathroom
10:10 - 10:30 Music & Movement​
10:40-11:00 Recess/Outside Play
11:00 Pick up
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Physical Education, library, and book buddies TBD
Childcare Program
11:00 - 11:35 Lunch time
11:40 – 12:00 Bathroom, story time and get ready for rest time
12:00 – 1:00 Rest time
1:00 – 1:30 Bathroom, free play, outside play
1:30 - 1:45 Get ready for dismissal
A calendar will be sent home once a month to let you know about the activities and information concerning our classroom.
We promote peace in our classroom and have a non-violent policy throughout the school. Please don’t send lunch boxes, shirts, hats etc. with characters on them that portray violence.
We will be having snack time, please pack a small snack and water bottle for snack time. We prefer snacks that are easy to open and not too messy. If your child is staying for childcare they may either have hot lunch or bring a lunch from home.
Please let us know if your child has any allergies. You may have provided this information to the office, but please let me know about any allergies as well.
We strongly discourage your child from bringing in toys/stuffed animals from home to play with during our class time. Nursery School is a great place for your child to experience new toys and activities.