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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 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 Toddler 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 “Hands-On" Curriculum is used to supplement the curriculum with additional spiritual materials. "Hands-On" allows toddlers to meet and interact with the God who made the world they’re so interested in exploring through developmentally appropriate activities. Toddlers learn by experiencing their surroundings through their senses, social interaction and physical movement.
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 effectively and appropriately in a variety of settings and for different purposes. Children
will begin to learn to write and draw 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.
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 as we foster the expansion of each individual’s abilities.
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 lavailable for viewing by contacting the Director of the Early Childhood Ministris.
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Toddler II May Newsletter
Dear Toddler II Parents,
“Be kind to one another” Ephesians 4:32, this is our bible verse for the month of May. Our topic this month is God’s people benefit from His creations. The Fruit of the Spirit is Kindness. The color for this month is black. The shape is an oval. The community helper is an artist. We will also expose the children to the number (9) nine.
We would like to give a special thank you, to all of you that joined us for our Spring fundraiser; Joe Scruggs Concert and the Spaghetti Dinner. We had a great time!!
As we enter the month of May, we draw closer to the hot days of summer. It would be helpful if you could apply sunscreen prior to coming to school. If you did not complete and return the Medication Form for sunscreen and bug spray at the beginning of the school year, please ask the front office for a form. Without this completed form we cannot apply anything to your child.
We have many events planned this month. Please make note of the dates below
Important Dates
5/1 National Day of Prayer
5/3 Gloria Dei Junior High Garage Sale from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Parent’s Night Out from 6:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
5/8-9 Parent and Volunteer Appreciation Chapel at 9:30 a.m.
5/12-16 Week of Water Play
5/26 ECM Closed for Memorial Day
5/29 ECM Closing Program at 6:30 p.m.
5/29-30 ECM Last Day of Preschool
Serving in Christ with Love,
Toddler II Teachers
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Toddler III May Newsletter
Dear Toddler III Parents:
On May 29, 2008 the 2007-2008 ECM academic year will end. I must say we had a fantastic year. We learned, we cried tears of joy, we laughed, and learned how to listen well, and we mostly grew a lot! What a glorious year we have had!
In September, we started learning our colors, the color red and the shape circle. We also learned all of the names of our new friends. October brought winter fun. During that month, we met Zaccheus, explored the color blue and learned the shape square. The fire trucks visited us at school during fire prevention week so that we could learn fire safety as well. Turkey time in November reminded us to praise God for all of His blessings. In November, we reviewed the shape circle and square and learned a new color called yellow. By December, we learned about the gift of the advent as we celebrated Christ’s birth. We also learned about the shape triangle and just before, we said Happy New Year in January. The New Year allowed us to have fun making white collages, winter scenes and colorful penguins. February blew in with a brisk breeze. It also brought the month that we celebrate our love for each other as God taught us how to love as He loved us. If you remember, it was also a no calorie month! The children loved coloring with the color purple and playing with the shape heart. We also had a great time at the rodeo roundup. March has also been windy. Nevertheless, it was a great month to go fly a kite. Therefore, we decorated the kites we made and had a wonderful time playing with them. April brought us rain showers, warm weather and the Spring Fling. Therefore, now we await our May flowers.
In May, our emphasis changes to mother and father appreciation. The Fruit of the Spirit Kindness is a natural tie in to this topic as we would not be able to conduct our lessons without the kind endorsement of the many caregivers our children have at Gloria Dei. Therefore, our Bible verse “Be kind to one another” Ephesians 4:32 will be a constant reminder to us this month of the grace and mercy our Savior has shown us. We will learn to follow His example as well.
Our Community Worker this month is the Artist. We have many budding artist in our class. This month expect to receive some original masterpieces that reflect our review of all of the shapes, colors, numbers and letters we have learned to date. This month our color is black. May is a month of review and reflection.
As we look back on this past academic year, we can hardly believe that the children have changed as fast as the seasons. It has truly been a blessing watching them grow and mature into exceptional two year olds.
As summer nears, please be aware of the changes in the season once again. The warmer weather brings out not only the sun and the need for sunscreen, but also mosquitoes. So, please remember to apply ample amounts of sunscreen and bug spray on your child before school. If you would like our assistance with this, please stop by the office and fill out an Authorization Form so that we will have permission to apply the materials you supply for your child.
May God bless and keep us as we travel into a new year with all of the wondrous things He has in store for our development. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you and your child.
In Him I Trust
Toddler III
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