Mount Vernon Presbyterian School provides a curriculum for three-year-olds through young fives that is designed to nurture and enrich the whole child. Readiness skills in language arts and mathematics are balanced with science, social studies, art, music, and foreign language. Each classroom offers a wide variety of activities to meet individual learning styles. Students are encouraged to become independent learners through experiential and exploratory lessons, while structure is introduced for the child to understand appropriate parameters of learning and behavioral expectations. Communication skills are practiced in a way that gives students confidence in their ability to contribute orally to lessons and throughout the educational experience.

Classes are taught by highly qualified, experienced teachers. Many educators have a master's degree or are engaged in the process. All three-year old classes have both a lead teacher and an associate teacher. In our PreK and Young Fives classes, three associate teachers help facilitate individualized learning experiences within the classes. There are three three-year old classes, three PreK classes and one young fives class. The children receive art, music, Spanish, library, language cultural arts, and Christian education classes.

LANGUAGE ARTS

Each age level utilizes developmentally appropriate materials to teach literature and phonics-based language arts. An in-depth learning environment ensures that students develop the skills that will enable them to learn to read at their own pace. Phonemic awareness skills are explicitly and systematically taught. Prereading and prewriting activities occur daily, and students are encouraged to tell, draw, and act out stories. Beginning sounds, rhyming words, sequencing, and short vowel sounds are also emphasized. The Prekindergarten uses Scott Foresman curriculum, and the young fives class uses Harcourt. Handwriting is taught using Handwriting Without Tears.

MATH

Learning about number concepts, ordering, sequencing, seriation, and sorting are taught from the earliest level with developmentally appropriate materials and activities. Skills in measurement, time, money, comparison, numeration and simple addition/subtraction problems are used beginning at the prekindergarten level. Two series, Math Advantage and Everyday Math, are our published curricula.

SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES

Units are chosen that excite the students at each age level. Hands-on activities, books, discussion, art projects, experiments, special programs, and speakers are all utilized as resources in the study of chosen topics such as animals, weather/climate, the solar system, our community, the five senses, health, and holidays. Our Science Parents Program is an exciting enhancement to our science curriculum.

RESOURCE CLASSES

Music is taught three times per week to all Preschool students. The children are exposed to listening, movement, various instruments, and singing of developmentally appropriate music. Part of each class time is devoted to learning chapel songs. Three performances are held for parents: one each at Halloween, Christmas, and in May at the close of the school year.

Art is offered once per week for thirty minutes per class. The art curriculum is integrated in with the units of study in each classroom, and provides multiple forms of media with which the children explore and create personal masterpieces.

Computer/Library

Computers are available in each classroom for independent use during free choice periods of the day. Preschool students receive twice-monthly visits from one of the media personnel.

Foreign Language

While Preschool students are primarily instructed in Spanish, language cultural arts is an exposure to the culture and language of various countries. All five-day students receive a total of one hour of foreign language per week. These are very active and interactive classes that encourage individual and whole-class responses through music, games, stories, and the call-and-response technique.

Centers/Free Choice Activities

Each morning students are encouraged to choose activities in the classroom that build academic, interpersonal, artistic, and motor skills. Teachers may also make these centers available for children who complete work early during the course of the day. This is also a time individual assistance may be given to reinforce skills that are taught at other times of the day.

Spiritual Growth

Christian Education is a part of the student’s daily schedule through Bible stories, blessings, visits from the Children’s Minister and  weekly Chapel.

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