We Believe in Educating the Whole Child:
Their Confidence and Compassion, as well as Their Academic Skills.

The Creative Curriculum Aligns with NJ State Common Core Standards

Philosophy: Developmentally Appropriate Practice (D.A.P.)

Teaching in ways that match the way children develop and learn to promote their optimal development and learning

Educators base decisions about education of children on:

Child development and how children learn
The individual strengths, needs and interests of each child
The cultures of each child’s family and community

5 Fundamental Principles:

Positive interactions and relationships with adults provide a critical foundation for successful learning
Social-emotional competence is a significant factor in school success
Constructive, purposeful play supports essential learning
The physical environment affects the type and quality of learning interactions
Teacher-Family partnerships promote development and learning

Sing, Spell, Read & Write (SSRW)

Sing, Spell, Read & Write (SSRW)

Program Overview

A unique multi-sensory approach to teaching phonics and reading

Uses carefully sequenced, systematic, explicit phonics instruction to build fluent independent readers
Uses look, listen, point, sing-along, and echo routines along with gross-motor and fine-motor activities
Actively engages the senses and effectively reaches all types of learners
Approach strongly supported by current research on brain function, language acquisition, and reading

Pre-Kindergarten Program– Helps children develop readiness and early literacy skills by:

Combining sing-along songs, rhythm, and movement
Making reading meaningful through shared reading experiences, classroom materials that present words and symbols, and hands-on print activities
Providing a creative, non-threatening learning environment that engages every learning style and stimulates brain activity
Exposing students to concepts of letter and number recognition, visual and auditory discrimination, phonemic awareness, and sound/letter correspondences

SSRW supports Reading First

Reading First-A comprehensive, research-based program that include the 5 essential components of reading

Phonemic Awareness
Phonics
Vocabulary
Fluency
Text Comprehension

Handwriting Without Tears

Handwriting Without Tears

A developmentally appropriate, multi-sensory handwriting program for children that meets all learning styles.

Developmentally appropriate
Multi-sensory
Uses a physical approach to build good writing habits
Uses unique letter order to promote easy learning
Children develop important skills they need to print words
Lessons address grip, letter and number recognition, and capital and number formation

Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead

On Wednesday afternoons the children participate in an exciting hands-on activity in either Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts or Mathematics. Each Wednesday is planned on a rotating basis by our teachers and the whole school takes part in their own classrooms. For full-day children this enrichment is included in their tuition. Our half-day children can stay for a full-day on Wednesdays and be included in our Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead Program at an additional cost of $15 per week.

Movement Mondays

On Monday afternoons, each class has a half-hour session with Laura McComb Van Dyke. The children learn balance, rhythm, muscle movement, meditation & creative movement. For full-day children this enrichment is included in their tuition. Our half-day children can stay for a full-day on Mondays at an additional cost of $15 per week. There will be a Showcase at the conclusion of the program. Below is some more information about the instructor:

Laura McComb Van Dyke studied dance primarily at the Pennsylvania Ballet’s Rock School West, Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet, and Media Dance Center in Ballet, jazz, tap, and lyrical. During her last year in High School she was also able to study modern at Temple University along side their B.F.A and M.F.A students. She graduated with honors from Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts with a B.F.A. in dance. She has been teaching dance to ages 2 through adults steadily now since 2007, including three years as Associate Director of Hudson Dance and Movement where she helped develop their curriculum. Many of her ballet students have gone on to be accepted into the School of American Ballet, American Ballet Theatre’s school, and Ballet Academy East in New York City. Her professional experience includes dancing for Kelley Donovan and Dancers, and Nikki Manx Dance Project in New York City, New Jersey, and Boston. Her choreography has been presented at the Boulder International Fringe Festival, the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, and many venues and festivals throughout New York City and New Jersey. She is also a licensed Massage Therapist in New York. Laura looks forward to bringing her passion for and knowledge of movement to children while continuing her own education as a teacher.

Namaste Fridays

Namaste Fridays is led by one of our Pre-k3 teachers, Bernadette Flood. The children have yoga during their active play time.

Library

Getting children excited about books and reading is one of our primary goals here at VRECS. With our library the children have the opportunity to visit once a week and borrow of one of our many books, CD’s, videos or read-along books. It’s a beautiful and inviting space with lots of enriching materials available for all the children to enjoy.

Assemblies

Every month we bring new and exciting assemblies for all the children to enjoy here at VRECS! Here is a list of some of the enriching assemblies and special events we have on our schedule this year:

Meet & Mingle Ice Cream Social before the new school year begins
Pretzels & Movie with Pastor David (Christian Education)
Wallaby Tales
Pancakes & Pajamas for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Fire Department Visit
Thanksgiving Feast
Santa Visits
Jenkinson’s Aquarium
Mad Science
Kite Day (Parent Involvement Activity)
Mother’s Day and Father’s Day in class events
Election Day Voting Booth for favorite snack
Memorial Day Ceremony
Veteran’s Day Hero Assembly
Classroom Easter Egg Hunt
Mystery Readers in class
Special Music by Lou Gallo
The Friendly Farmyard Traveling Pony & Petting Zoo
Outragehisss…Pets
Micky Magic
Bright Star Touring Theatre

The Transitional Kindergarten program is a bridge between preschool and Kindergarten. This program is for children who have missed the public-school cut-off date (October 1st) or who are in need of another year to develop socially, physically or academically prior to entering Kindergarten. This program continues to follow the Creative Curriculum and is supplemented by a Reading and Math curriculum. The program may be accelerated based on the developmental needs of the children at a pace that has been adapted to best suit their abilities.

All classrooms include blocks, dramatic play, toys and games (math), art, library, discovery (science) and sensory areas. These special areas support school readiness and are relevant, meaningful and interesting to the children.

Transitional Kindergarten Daily Schedule

9:00-9:15-Arrival/Table Top Activities

9:15-9:35-Morning Meeting (Circle Time)

9:35-10:15-Small Groups Instruction/Choice Time

10:15-10:30-Snack (Bathroom)

10:30-11:00-Active Play

11:00-11:05-Bathroom/Handwashing

11:05-11:20-Read Aloud

11:20-11:30-Music & Movement

11:30-12:00-Small Groups Curriculum

12:00-12:30-Lunch (Bathroom)

12:30-1:00-Active Play (Half-Day Children Dismissed at 12:30)

1:00-1:30-Rest/Quiet (Bathroom)

1:30-1:40-Snack

1:40-2:30-Choice Time/Curriculum

2:30-2:45/3:00-Dismissal

Pre-K3

The three-year-old class learns through many venues: singing, dancing, finger-play, and shapes. Throughout the year, the class is introduced to numbers, the alphabet, colors, and shapes. Our classrooms are full of large and small manipulatives for the children to explore. Beginning writing and cutting skills will be introduced along with a core basic skills program. We discuss themes that pertain to seasons, holidays, and family. The children learn about God’s love and how to share, care, and get along with others.

Children learn to follow class rules and simple directions. They are also exposed to the calendar daily while discussing months, days, and seasons. Circle time is when the children sit and share with their friends.

All classrooms include dramatic play, toys and games (math), art, library, discovery (science) and sensory areas. These special areas support school readiness and are relevant, meaningful and interesting to the children.

3’s Daily Schedule

9:00-9:15-Arrival/Table Top Activities (puzzles, pegs and boards, Legos, crayons)
9:15-9:30-Morning Meeting (Attendance, calendar, pledge, weather, songs, intro to shapes, colors, and numbers)
9:30-9:50-Centers-Academic choice time, small group instruction
9:50-10:00-Bathroom
10:00-10:30-Active Play (indoor or outdoor-weather dependent)
10:30-10:50-Snack
10:50-11:10-Choice time
11:10-11:30-Carpet time (Read Aloud, Show & Tell, Music & Movement)
11:30-12:00-Choice time
12:00-12:30-Lunch
12:30-1:30-Rest time (Half Day Children Dismissed 12:30)
1:30-2:00-Small Group-Academic choice time
2:00-2:30-Snack/Bathroom
2:30-3:00-Active Play (indoor or outdoor-weather dependent)

Pre-K4

The emphasis of the four-year-old full day class is Kindergarten Readiness. We use a “hands-on” approach to learning. The children are encouraged to learn through crafts, games, and play. We cover a broad range of subjects such as: transportation, hibernation, friendship, and our personal characteristics. Religious study takes place weekly. Reading readiness is encouraged through letter recognition and phonics. Math skills are consistently developed through our “hands-on” approach. The children are exposed to the calendar daily while discussing the months, days and seasons.

We believe in educating the whole child: their confidence and compassion, as well as their academic skills. We hope to create a positive school environment where learning to get along with others is a natural outcome.

The children are read to every day and much of our curriculum is based on notable children’s books as well as Bible stories. Our classroom is lively and upbeat in order to encourage an interest in what we are teaching. The room is set up so that different areas concentrate on teaching different skills such as:

The art center for creativity and fine motor skills, manipulatives for motor and math skills, a pretend area to help encourage through song and story, along with other “hands-on” activities. Writing skills and math skills such as patterning, sequencing and counting are also addressed in a fun, hands on approach. Responsibility is encouraged through weekly job sharing.

We take the time to work with each child individually in order to address their particular needs and abilities. We hope to foster a love of learning in each and every one of our students, which will last throughout their lives. We encourage both positive social interaction and self-helping abilities.

Some of the topics we include for science and social studies are insects, hygiene, nutrition, safety, transportation, weather, authors, ecology, various animals, and holidays. If your child has any particular interests or hobbies, please let us know, and we will be happy to try to include it in our curriculum.

4’s Daily Schedule