PRESCHOOL PARENT HANDBOOK
128 ST. MARY'S CHURCH ROAD
ABINGDON, MARYLAND 21009
Phone: (443) 512-0771
Fax: (410)-569-3846
www.newcovenantchristianschool.org
18
Table of Contents
History 2
Purpose 2-2
State Registration 3
Curriculum Statement 3-4
Address List 16
Admissions 7-8
Afternoon Preschool Dismissal 13
Asbestos Management Plan 10
Car Pools 13-14
Class Schedule and Drop off Procedure 11-12
Discipline 5-6
Emergency Evacuation Information 18
Emergency Response 17
Field Trips 5
Fire Drills 16
Grievance Policy 6-7
Health Policy 9
Health Forms 9
Helping Parent 14
Inclement Weather Announcements 16
Lock Down 17
Parent Job List 15
Parent Teacher Fellowship 15
Parental Involvement 15
Parking 13
Pick Up Procedure 12
Potty Training 10
Smoking Policy 10
Snacks 11
Supplies 16
Staff Contact Information 18
Tuition Policy 8
NEW COVENANT CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
PRESCHOOL PARENT HANDBOOK
Welcome to New Covenant Christian School (NCCS). The purpose of this handbook is to familiarize you with the policies and methods of operation of our Preschool.
History
The importance of Christian education has been clear to the elders of New Covenant Presbyterian Church from the beginning. After moving into our present facility at 128 St. Mary's Church Rd, two church members pursued the creation of a preschool with vigor and enthusiasm. Due to their leadership and through the prayer and diligence of the church, the preschool opened in the fall of 1990. In the fall of 1999, with the preschool well established, New Covenant Christian School was launched. NCCS began with kindergarten and first grade and continued to add a grade each year. For seven years, the preschool and the school operated as separate ministries of the church with the common goal of providing an excellent Christian education for children. In 2006, the elders of New Covenant Presbyterian Church decided that it would be best to merge the preschool and the school ministries into one school. The merger brought us unity and a larger sense of shared community. New Covenant Christian School serves the members of New Covenant Presbyterian Church and the community-at-large.
Purpose
New Covenant Christian School is a non-profit ministry of New Covenant Presbyterian Church. The Mission Statement of the school is:
We exist to glorify God by assisting parents in training their children to be Biblically-minded servant-leaders through a Reformed, Christ-centered, classical education.
The purpose of the preschool is to provide a loving and caring environment where 3 and 4-year-old children can learn of God's love through a Christ-centered curriculum and carefully structured play. Our goal is to give children the opportunity to grow and develop physically, socially, academically, and spiritually. The school admits students of any gender, race, color, national or ethnic origin, or religious affiliation. We work to provide a smooth transition from the preschool into kindergarten.
The heart of our program is a partnership between the home and the preschool. We recognize that parents are responsible before God for the instruction, training and discipline of their children. We seek to assist parents in meeting their responsibility in a rapidly changing world by providing curriculum, resources and godly instruction. New Covenant is a cooperative preschool, where parents have the opportunity to participate in their child’s new learning experiences.
State Registration
New Covenant Christian School is registered with the State of Maryland as a Church-Exempt School and operates under the Non-Public School Division of the Department of Education. It is the responsibility of the preschool staff, including the helping parents (serving as aides), to comply with State mandates.
Curriculum Statement
A child's play is their work. Our goal is to enable children to feel successful in the work that they do on any given day. Much of the work is accomplished in self-directed learning areas such as housekeeping, dress-ups, blocks, science table, and other centers.
The curriculum includes the following subject areas taught using an age-appropriate, Bible-centered, integrated approach:
· Language Arts
· Math
· Art
· Music
· Science
· Social Studies
· Physical Education
· Bible
In the area of Language Arts, pre-reading and pre-writing skills are developed. Children will discover that letters have a purpose and that words have meaning. Children will have opportunities to watch adults write their ideas in various forms including lists, charts, menus, thank-you notes, and original stories. An important goal of the Preschool is to encourage a love for reading and enjoyment of books through sharing of classic children's literature and favorite stories.
Math skills are developed through a hands-on and discovery approach using games and group activities. Specific skills to be emphasized include grouping and classification, one-to-one correspondence, and counting.
Art expression and creativity are encouraged through a variety of mediums. Craft projects are included to further develop fine motor skills and to provide added experiences in following directions.
The goals of the music experiences are to develop appreciation, participation, and responsiveness. Musical competencies such as pitch, volume and contrasts are taught. Many different types of music are introduced including classical, spiritual, stimulating background music, Christian songs, cultural music, children’s tunes and transitional songs.
Science activities are aimed at encouraging observation, comparison, exploration, sensory stimulation, testing, inquiry, and problem-solving. They will identify cause and effect, and will keep simple records. Major themes include: weather; plants and animals; seasons; healthy habits; and magnets.
Social Studies activities focus on learning about home, family, holidays, transportation, other cultures, about self and the immediate, as well as the larger community. Parents and other community members are invited into the classroom to share their special talents, occupations and useful information.
Physical education and movement aid children in developing motor abilities and gaining skills in body control, rhythm, tempo, timing, following directions, group participation and strengthening muscles.
Christian values such as honesty, kindness, and obedience are woven into the fabric of the curriculum. Bible stories, beginning experiences in prayer, and praise time are an integral part of the preschool day. A member of the New Covenant Presbyterian Church pastoral staff visits the class on a monthly basis for a short devotional.
In our four-year-old program, we teach phonics and reading preparation using Sing, Spell, Read and Write. This is a program built on carefully sequenced, systematic, and explicit phonics instruction. With over 25 years of proven classroom success and developed by Sue Dickson, a well-known educator with 27 years of primary grade experience, Sing, Spell, Read & Write uses music as the primary instructional vehicle. This fun and engaging preschool reading program will develop the readiness and early literacy skills children need with age-appropriate activities.
Field Trips
The teachers will organize field trips to enhance and supplement the curriculum. All children must have a signed parental permission slip, PRIOR to the trip, in order to attend. Pre-payment for both parent and student must accompany the permission slip. We require that a parent (or their choice of a designated chaperone) accompany the child on field trips. For field trips, the class will meet at the designated site.
The policy of the preschool is that SIBLINGS ARE NOT PERMITTED on school-sponsored field trips. Please do not ask the teacher for permission to bring siblings. A list of parents interested in exchanging babysitting is provided at the beginning of the school year. We welcome siblings to the Christmas Party and end-of-year picnic.
Discipline
The teacher and teacher aide of the preschool view discipline as an opportunity to train the child to develop self-control and to operate within appropriate guidelines and expectations based on the needs of the group. This will generally be achieved through the use of positive reinforcement, continually recognizing appropriate and Godly behavior of both individuals and the group, and noting progress in areas of growth throughout the school year. Discipline will also be fostered through training the children in appropriate social behaviors (e.g. laying out napkins, picking up toys) and in providing examples of positive behavior in individuals and through literature.
When, a child's negative behavior must be acknowledged, the teacher or aide will be sensitive to the individual nature of the child and will respond with respect and a concern for nurturing positive self-esteem. When the teacher or aide finds it necessary to address a negative behavior, she will gently offer guidance to the child as to the appropriate behavior. Repeated misbehavior may require a firmer verbal response, communicated in a kind but firmer manner. The teacher may provide a time-out opportunity for the child. This time-out will be short in duration and followed by positive reinforcement from the teacher or aide.
Although it is the desire of the preschool to meet the needs of each child and to see each student enjoy a productive and successful school experience, we also recognize the limitations of a co-op preschool. In a co-op, parents work with the children under the supervision of the teacher. Since the co-op parent changes from day to day, the responsibility for any consistent training lies with the teacher and the aide. When it is suspected that a co-op is not in the best interest of a child, the parents will be contacted and the teacher will maintain open and frequent communication. All attempts will be made to work with the parents and child to bring the child to a place where he is successful in the school setting. Many resources can and will be suggested, depending on the particular situation. The teacher is usually able to assess, after a short period of time, whether these resources will provide enough help to ensure that the child has a positive preschool experience.
When a child is consistently unable to function in activities as a part of the group, cannot refrain from distracting other members of the group from the task at hand, or exhibits inappropriate behaviors for his age, an assessment may need to be made to determine whether the child should continue in the co-op program. As soon as the teacher identifies an area of concern, the parents will be notified. With parental cooperation, the child may adjust to the preschool setting. If after allowing time for growth and adjustment, the child is still experiencing difficulties, the Grammar School Principal will be consulted to assess the situation. At this time, a determination may be made to ask the parents to find a more suitable setting for their child.
Grievance Policy
Teachers and parents will communicate regularly. Occasionally, problems arise that need to be addressed personally with a phone call or face-to-face. At all times, the principles of Matthew 18 and James 3 will be followed, especially during the attempted resolution of concerns. In these situations, we ask that you adhere to the following guidelines:
Parents to Teachers
1. All concerns about the classroom must first be presented to the teacher by the parents.
2. If the problem is not resolved, the parents may bring the concern to the Principal.
3. If the Principal does not resolve the problem, the parents should appeal the decision to the School Board. That appeal must be in written form. The Board will determine if and when a hearing needs to take place.
Parents to Administration
1. If parents have a grievance or dispute about the general operation of the school (apart from the operation of the classrooms), they should bring their concerns to the principal.
2. If there is no resolution, the parents should request a hearing from the NCCS School Board. This request must be in written form.
3. This procedure applies to Board members who are acting in their capacity as parents, and not as representatives of the Board.
Upon enrollment of your children in New Covenant Christian School, you are committing to support the educational philosophy, objectives and standards of conduct specified in this Handbook. If at any time during the course of your child’s education at NCCS, we find that we can no longer work together in the spirit of unity (as outlined in the “Grievance Policy” herein), it may become necessary for either the parents or NCCS to terminate enrollment.
Admission
New Covenant Christian School encourages and welcomes applications from students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, and activities generally accorded or make available to students at the school. It does not discriminate in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarships and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs. Our class size is approximately fifteen children for the three-year-olds and eighteen children in each class for four-year-olds.
Steps in the Admissions Process:
1. Parents may have their child’s name added to the preschool waiting list by completing and returning the appropriate form located online or in the school office. No fees are required at this time.
2. When an opening becomes available, the preschool secretary will contact the parents to fill out the preschool registration packet.
3. Completion of the preschool registration packet along with the non-refundable registration fee secures your child’s spot in the class for the up-coming school year.
In January, families with children currently enrolled will be given the opportunity to reserve a spot for the following year. Returning families will be informed of the date that they will be required to reserve their child’s spot with a non-refundable deposit. On the Sunday following, a notice will be placed in the church bulletin announcing the opening of registration, giving first priority to church members for remaining spots for the following fall. Church members must reserve their spot by February 1st in order to be guaranteed priority status. Church member applications submitted will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis, and must be accompanied by a non-refundable deposit. After February 1st any remaining positions will be filled according to the waiting list. Returning parents must contact the secretary to put younger siblings on the waiting list.
Priority for Admission of a Preschool Student:
1. Current New Covenant Christian Preschool students
2. Siblings of students enrolled in New Covenant Christian School
3. Members of New Covenant Presbyterian Church