PRESCHOOL NEWS
It’s hard to believe, but preschool is almost over for the year. The three day fours and fives started the month by learning about the Solar System. The planets, sun, moon and stars were the focus of our unit. We finished with a trip to the planetarium at the North Museum. The two day classes of four and five year olds are exploring all the forms of transportation, from their feet to airplanes to cars. They will be comparing likes and differences among the forms of transportation as they make crafts, sing songs and conduct “mini” science experiments.
Three year olds are welcoming Spring in their crafts and activities. Kites, rainbows and butterflies are everywhere. They are also reviewing the shapes with their crafts, snacks and activities. Our two year old classes are “joining” the circus as they make crafts, have stories and sing songs about the circus and circus animals.
All of our Pre-K classes will visit the Lampeter Elementary School as part of the transition to the Kindergarten program. They will experience a typical day in Kindergarten as they make a project, hear a story and even have some playtime on the playground. Each child will be paired with a Kindergarten buddy who will help them in the classroom. Solanco and Penn Manor students will also have a day to visit one of their elementary schools. The students will also ride the big yellow school bus as they learn about bus safety for next year.
Sue Henry, Preschool Director, will attend a conference sponsored by the IU-13 and Success for Six. This conference is for all Lancaster County school districts and area preschools. It will focus on preparing children to transition successfully to Kindergarten.
On Sunday, April 11th, the children and their families were invited to attend the church service as a special day to recognize the preschool families. We had a great turnout and the children helped with the service by singing songs, passing out bulletins, being ushers or being greeters. The church was decorated with crafts that were made by the students and “animals” were everywhere. Pastor Ron “blessed” the stuffed animals that the children brought to the service and the children passed out boxes of animal crackers to everyone who attended. Thanks to the church and the Preschool Board members for all their help in making Preschool Sunday a success.
By: Sue Henry
CELBRATING 25 YEARS
The Willow Street UCC Preschool provides a nurturing, caring environment for your children while helping them to grow socially and emotionally. We encourage your children to learn and explore through play, as we provide kid-centered activities to develop their thinking skills and to foster creativity. Songs, stories, rhythm activities, and finger plays promote literacy development. Gym time encourages the children to develop a love for fitness. Our goal is to prepare the children for a positive kindergarten experience as they learn to cooperate and work together.
CLASSES
The preschool provides classes for two through five year olds. Morning and afternoon classes are available. We have a limit of 7 students in our 2-year-old classes, 10 students in our 3 year old classes, and 12 students in our 4/5 year old classes. Our maximum classroom/teacher ratio is 6 to one.
SCHOOL YEAR
Our school year begins the week after Labor Day and continues through early to mid May. We operate on a schedule of 30 weeks of preschool. Several vacations are scheduled throughout the year to coincide with Thanksgiving, the Christmas holiday, President’s day week, and Easter. Snow days will be made up as needed...
COME AND SEE OUR PRESCHOOL IN ACTION
We invite all interested persons to come spend time with us during our preschool day. Observe our classrooms in action, tour our facility, and meet our director and teachers, so that you have some first hand knowledge of how our preschool operates. Call Sue Henry, Preschool Director, at 464-0720 to arrange a visit
HISTORY OF THE PRESCHOOL
The Willow Street UCC Preschool began in 1980 through the efforts of several energetic church members who joined together to form the first “preschool board”. The preschool had three classes and a combined enrollment of 30 students the first year. Enrollment is now over 100 with eleven different classes. Sue Henry, our current director, was one of the original teachers. The program was initially supported as an “Outreach” program of the Willow Street United Church of Christ under the former consistory. The preschool now operates as a non-profit, self-supporting organization. The original mission of the preschool was to provide a place for all children to socialize and learn together. Now, as then, our preschool is open to children of all faiths and children of all ethnic origins are invited to attend.
STAFF MEMBERS
Our preschool has very little staff turnover. We employ three teachers and four classroom aides. Sue Henry, our director, has been at the preschool for 28 years as a teacher, and will be starting her 13 years as director. Sue Brenner will be starting her 11 years at our preschool. She was a former teacher at another preschool and also taught elementary school for several years. We also work closely with the Lampeter School District and their early childhood development program.
SCHOOL DISTRICT SERVICED
Our preschool is centrally located between four different school districts. We are located in the Lampeter-Strasburg School District, adjacent to the former Willow Street Elementary School. A majority of our students are from the Lampeter-Strasburg district, but we also have students from Solanco School District, Penn Manor School District and the School District of Lancaster.
.
For more information on our preschool
Call Sue Henry at (717) 464-0720
