3 Years Old
Curriculum
Curriculum is what an educational institution offers to its students. Gloria Dei’s Early Childhood Ministries has developed a well-balanced curriculum covering all areas of a child’s growth and development: spiritual, cognitive, social, emotional and physical. The curriculum is designed to meet the needs of our very youngest children through our Kindergarten as they interact with the world God made. The curriculum focuses on age appropriate activities, physical and emotional care, a safe and nurturing environment, and interaction between faculty and families. The PS-3 Classes offer monthly thematic units that teach, reinforce and challenge them in an activity-centered environment. Children also enjoy a monthly Bible focus to help them learn their God-given capacity demonstrated through scripture and Bible stories. All lessons contain developmentally appropriate learning activities that correspond to the interest, challenges and needs of children at their level. The children learn daily about the world around them through curriculum, cooperative play, music, library, Chapel, P.E., and Spanish. The curriculum meets the standards of the Texas and National Lutheran School Accreditation, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), and is recognized by the Texas Education Association (TEA).
The Gloria Dei Early Childhood Ministries PS-3 Curriculum includes the following content areas:
Faith Development is the central purpose of our ministry. Sharing our Christian faith and teaching children about Jesus enables them to grow in their relationship with their Savior. Opportunities exist in all classrooms to achieve this purpose through teacher/child interaction and integrating spiritual elements into lessons and activities. All lessons contain developmentally appropriate learning activities that correspond to the interest, challenges and needs of children. Activity centers help facilitate these learning activities best. Teachers use a variety of age and developmentally appropriate resources to enhance each lesson. The “Faith Alive Curriculum” is used to supplement the curriculum with additional spiritual materials.
Art is an expression of God’s beauty in His creation. Children will develop awareness and learn to express themselves in a creative way and through a variety of media. Children will experience basic artistic elements and will be exposed to art of various cultures.
Language Development helps children to build language skills and strategies through aural, oral, written and foreign language instruction and opportunities. Through language experiences children will be enabled to find enjoyment, information, insight and inspiration. Children are taught to speak and write effectively and appropriately in a variety of settings and for different purposes. Children will begin to learn to write letters and numerals correctly in order to convey the written language. Children will begin to
learn to communicate in an expressive manner that is essential for their individual enrichment and enjoyment.
Mathematics helps children to develop skills and enables them through experiences to become flexible thinkers and problem solvers. Children will become adept at the use of mathematics, reasoning, and memorization strategies through the use of
age-appropriate manipulatives, visuals and print. Concepts are introduced through play, experience and discovery. Children who are developmentally ready and interested will have a variety of creative, resourceful and imaginative opportunities. Children in the
PS-3 classes will supplement their mathematical skills with an exposure to “Math Their Way”, a developmentally appropriate curriculum utilizing the learning center atmosphere.
Music helps children to explore their innermost feelings and gives them an opportunity to express themselves through musical expression and rhythmic movement. Children will begin to develop music literacy as they acquire skills through story telling, movement, focused listening, tap, use of instruments, dance and rhythm. The “Musik Garten Curriculum” is used to supplement the learning experience with additional materials and resources.
Physical Education and Health contributes to the physical, mental, emotional, psychological, and social development of children. Children will develop a sense of personal well being, healthy choices, self-discipline and interpersonal relationships through interactive movement, games and activities. Our philosophy during this time is to encourage a sense of cooperation and trust rather than competition. We want to foster the expansion of each individual’s abilities.
In Social Studies, children will learn to appreciate themselves as children of God, the world as His creation, and their roles as Christian citizens. Children will begin to understand the relationships among themselves, their family and the community through various holidays, events, and service opportunities.
Science and Discovery is the study of the universe God has created for us to use, care for, and enjoy. Children will explore the natural laws God has put into existence to give the universe order and to benefit those He loves. Children will begin to apply concepts of basic science through discovery.
Each age level has a curriculum that is used for planning classroom activities. An appropriate age-level curriculum is located in each classroom. A copy of the overall curriculum is available for viewing by contactint the Director of the Early Childhood Ministries.
OCTOBER NEWSLETTER
Wow! What a great first month the PS-3 team has had with your children! We have gotten to know your kiddos a little bit better, and are so impressed with what we have
encountered. They are all so precious and smart; little angels sent from God! Thank you for trusting them here at Gloria Dei.
The month of October is full of fun! Our second week will be fire prevention week;
since the firefighter is our Community Worker for October! We will be learning about firefighters and their uniforms, following the rules of “stop, drop, and roll”, and having a
visit from the Nassau Bay fire department truck! Please check your child’s classroom for a posting of the day and time of the fire truck visit. After that we will be focusing on different means of transportation! The kids will love this section; involving airplanes, trains, bikes, cars, motorcycles, etc. Some activities that your child’s teacher might do will be tire track paintings, fire truck cookies, or even a popsicle train track!
We will also be talking about the Fall Season. One activity that will focus on the
changing of season will be collecting brown, orange, and yellow leaves. This might also be turned into a color lesson as well as a counting exercise. Some teachers may incorporate a science lesson by planting or baking pumpkin seeds, while others might dissect a pumpkin to examine the way God made it grow. Whatever way your child’s teacher incorporates the changing of the season, all of us here at Gloria Dei will
celebrate it’s forthcoming with the Fall Festival, held Friday October 28th! You are more than welcome to come up to the school and celebrate this exciting day with your child.
Our color for October is yellow and our shape of the month is a triangle. Games are played throughout the PS-3 rooms to try and familiarize the children with these new concepts. “I spy something yellow”, or “find the hidden triangle” are just some examples of activities that make learning a fun event. All the classrooms will continue
teaching and reviewing the Alphabet, with a main focus on learning to recognize and spell the letters in their names. Remember that every child progresses at a different speed, so the teachers work very hard on accommodating each child’s individual needs.
On the bible scene, we will be talking about two wonderful stories; “The Parable of the Lost Sheep”, and “Jesus and the Children”! The Fruit of the Spirit is Gentleness. Learning to be kind to one another will be a big topic that we will be focusing on in our bible stories. Going over these bible stories with your children at night is a wonderful way to bond your family’s relationship with our Lord. What better way to refresh
your own relationship with God than by teaching your children His ways! Parent
Chapel will be held on October 14th at 9:10. If you are able to make it, we would love to have you. Be sure and check the class calendar for any activities that your
child might have coming up during the month.
Thank you again for all of your support during the first month of school, and we look forward to the rest of the year! God Bless!
NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER
October was a lot of fun with our talks of Firefighters, Policemen, and Transportation!
Some of the teachers have already been working on those fine motor skills with lots of “cutting” exercises using scissors! This is an extremely complicated fine motor skill that takes some time to develop. The PS-3 rooms are usually the children’s first experiences with using scissors. Safety, holding, and “paying attention” are lessons that are emphasized while executing these activities. We will
continue to work on this skill in our classes.
“God saw that it was good”, Genesis 1:10 is the bible verse that we focus on here at Gloria Dei ECM during the month of November. And “Goodness” is our Fruit of the Spirit. There could not be a better biblical theme for the happy holiday of Thanksgiving than this. Your child’s teachers will be focusing on the GOOD things in our lives, and for what we are Thankful.
This month will be equally exciting for our kiddos with much “Turkey Talk” and “healthy foods!” The three year old teachers will be talking a lot about the many blessings that God has given us in our lives, and how we are “Thankful” for them. Some of the
teachers may do this by adding it to the children’s Thanksgiving placemats. Others may show the children’s thanks in a craft set for the season. Each child will have a Thanksgiving Feast in their classroom the last week before the Thanksgiving Holidays. Please check your child’s class calendar for the day and time. Also, there may be a list of foods to bring in to contribute to this wonderful Feast! The children will not need their own lunch for that day, and we would love it if any of you parents could join us for the occasion.
Speaking of food: the PS-3 community helpers this month are people working in the Food Service Industry. We will be discussing and learning all about food (my plate) and “slow, go, & whoa” foods. Some ways the three year old teachers may choose to discuss these important lessons, may be through games like Food BINGO, Is It a Fruit or Vegetable, counting and sorting foods, and tasting parties!
The color of November is blue and the number for the month is 4. The square is the
PS-3 shape for November, and letters D-E-F will be emphasized during activity time. Teachers will continue to stress these specific letters, shapes, and numbers by activities such as “I spy something blue”, or “find 4 turkeys”. However, all letters in the alphabet, numbers 1-10, and all colors are always incorporated into our daily lessons.
The pre-school will be closed November 21-23, but full time care will still be open. The entire ECM will be closed for the holidays Nov. 24 & 25. When we return from the Thanksgiving Holidays, we will jump right in to the amazing miracle of The Christmas Story.
Please don’t forget in the hustle and bustle of the cooking and cheers and roars of the football games, to take the time with your family to point out the true Thanksgivings that you have in your lives. Our children learn so much in school, but their strongest lessons are learned in the home with the ones they hold dearest!
Have a wonderful and blessed month of November, and “Thank you”, for blessing us here at Gloria Dei ECM with the company of your children!
