St. Mary Magdalen's Early Education Program is comprised of our PreK3, PreK4, and Kindergarten classes.  These classes form the building blocks of our early education curriculum.  While each grade functions with adherance to their own academic and developmental guidelines, the program shares the same philosophy and collaborates as a whole throughout the year for various activities and celebrations.

St. Mary Magdalen offers students the opportunities to develop socially, emotionally, intellectually, physically and spiritually through hands-on, exploratory and sensory experiences.  Our program strives to enhance a child's self-concept and promote acceptance of others, to facilitate communication, problem solving, and decision making skills, to express self-awareness and creativity through the arts, to promote good health and gross motor coordination, and to develop language and cognition across various intellectual areas.

Our experienced faculty guide children through exploration in Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, and Religion. All students in our Early Education Program have specials throughout the week, including Art, Technology, Library, Music, Gym and Spanish.  Students also participate in a bi-weekly Children's Chapel, which takes place in our church or our Prayer Garden outdoors.  Teachers lead students in songs, plays, and storytelling to weave bible stories and faith formation into fun and memorable lessons that help children discover the goodness and presence of God in all that we do.

PreK3

Our PreK3 is made up of 2 classes of 12 students each, and led by certified elementary education teachers and facilitiated by a full time aide in the classroom.  Our dynamic curriculum works to teach children both independent skills and postitive peer interactions through hands-on, center based activities and cooperative group play.  Students follow a daily routine that includes developmentally appropriate academics, morning specials, free play time and outdoor exploration in our early education playground.  

We offer both a full day and half day program for our PreK3 families.  Our half day students are dismissed at 11:45am each day.  Full day children stay to eat their lunch in the classroom, followed by an outdoor recess.  Our 3 year old students nap on mats in their classroom each afternoon.

PreK4

Our PreK4 consists of 2 classrooms of up to 16 students, and is also led by certified elementary education teachers and facilitiated by a full time aide in the classroom.  The curriculum in PreK4 is more structured, and uses the Handwriting Without Tears program to teach children the building blocks of language.  Each week focuses on a different letter; how to write it, what sounds it makes, and identifying words using that letter.  Students have weekly writing workbook assignments and begin to journal their experiences through drawings to express themselves.  Students work on math skills including counting and number recognition, graphing, and patterns. The curriculum is supplemented with center based hands-on activities, small teacher-led working groups, and physical movement with games and songs.  PreK4 students also enjoy a daily special and a morning recess in either our early education playground, or on our main playground.

We offer both full day and half day options for our PreK4, with the half day dismissal taking place at 11:45am.  The bulk of the academic work and the daily specials take place in the morning to offer learning consistency to all students.  Full day students eat lunch in the cafeteria, followed by an outdoor recess.  PreK4 students have a rest time in the afternoons, which decreases in length as the school year progresses.  

Kindergarten

Kindergarten at St. Mary Magdalen is a natural entry point for many of our students.  We have 3 classes of up to 20 kids each in the program.  Our certified elementary education teachers are assisted by a half day aide in the classroom who works with the class through lunch.  Our full day program focuses on building a strong academic foundation in Language Arts and Math, while using cross curricular content to integrate concepts rooted in Science, Social Studies, and Religion.  SMM follows the curriculum guidelines set forth by the Diocese of Wilmington.  To see  a comprehensive overview of those standards, click HERE.  

Our Kindergarten teachers use routine and structure to help facilitate the transition to full day school.  Classroom jobs rotate among the students, and everyone is expected to take personal responsibility for their workspace and cubbies.  Mornings are centered around academics and include reading, writing, grammar, phonics, spelling and math.  Science, Social Studies, and Religion are also taught daily, and are often re-inforced through the language arts curriculum. Students eat lunch in the cafeteria, and enjoy an outdoor recess both after lunch and again in the afternoon.  Daily specials take place in the afternoon as well.

Kindergarten is both a fun and transformative year for our students.  Throughout the year, our Early Education students hold celebrations for holidays, religious events, and annual traditions.  Kindergarten students participate in the Star of the Week Program, which celebrates each individual student throughout the year.  As the year progresses, students grow in self-confidence and the curriculum evolves to establish strong reading comprehsion skills and prepare children for the rigors of first grade.