St. James School
Allison Torok
Transitional Kindergarten
All Day TK
The goal of our TK program is to provide the best foundation for your child’s future academic and social success.
Because our Transitional Kindergarten is All Day, there is ample time
- to teach the critical first steps for understanding math, writing, letters and literacy
- for the very important free play where students learn social, problem solving and leadership skills.
Our Transitional Kindergarten students also benefit from their weekly instruction with our music, art and physical education teachers.
Children must be age 4 by September 1st to apply for All Day Transitional Kindergarten.
Staff
Our Transitional Kindergarten is taught by a full-time teacher and a full-time instructional aide.
Shelly Dirksen
Educational Achievement Specialist
Kari Fisher
School Counselor
Maggie Warren
TKInstructional Aide
Each day, students rotate through active learning centers, which focus on important instructional elements that are aligned with Common Core Curriculum Standards.
Religion
In addition to learning many Bible stories, students learn that God loves them. Respect and kindness are taught every day. Kind words, kind actions and kind thoughts make St. James’ TK a great place to be.
Writing
Tracing letters, shapes and numbers help to develop fine motor skills and develop pencil grip.
Math
Through many fun activities, students become adept at counting objects and number recognition.
Letters
Students learn to identify upper and lower case letters, sort letters and match lower and upper case letters.
Literacy
Students learn to blend letter sounds to form words.
Free Play Time
Children play both indoors and outdoors, promoting motor coordination, imagination, fair play, sharing and sportsmanship. During free play, children experience leadership, problem solving, social skills and language development. When children are playing they are learning.
Music
Twice a week, music director, Mr. Schwagerus (or Mr. S to our TKers) brings his guitar and other fun instruments to the classroom where the students learn songs and respond to music through movement.
Physical Education
Three times a week, under the direction of the school’s full-time P.E. teacher, students attend formal Physical Education classes, either in the school’s gym or on the play field. They learn skills in games, team play and gross and fine motor coordination.
Visual Arts
Students channel their creative expression by painting, drawing and constructing art pieces. They use play dough and other tactile objects on a daily basis which supports fine motor skills, prewriting skills and imagination. Once a week, the school’s Art teacher exposes the students to a Fine Arts Program where they learn about artists and their work, Art History and how to produce similar pieces.
Library Time
To cultivate a love of reading, Transitional Kindergarteners are introduced to the library through weekly story-time sessions with the school’s librarian.
