St. Pius X Catholic School offers an Early Childhood Program beginning at the age of three. Our pre-school environment is a place where children can grow in knowledge of God's love for them and in love and concern for others. The classroom atmosphere is warm and inviting with dedicated, experienced teachers whose main goal is to make learning fun.
Our Early Childhood curriculum is based on Differentiated Instruction. A variety of strategies allow the teacher to tailor instruction to individual needs. The use of discovery, play, songs, games, manipulatives, learning centers, and hands-on structured and unstructured activities engage the students. Learning centers invite children to come and to see, to come and to do, to come and to learn. They allow children to make choices, to move freely and independently, to interact with other students, and to grow in areas of need. Centers provide opportunities for a large number of children to learn individually or in smaller groups so that the teacher can take advantage of moments of readiness, keen interest, and desire.
The learning centers in each classroom are library, art, science, manipulatives, blocks, housekeeping, computer, puzzles, and games. Specialist classes in Spanish, art, music, library, physical education, and computer are offered weekly. An Early Childhood Science and Technology Lab is also incorporated into the curriculum. Interactive whiteboards, computers, and visualizers are available to enhance student learning. All lessons are correlated with Louisiana Standards and Catholic Identity Standards.
Our Pre-Kindergarten Three Program is taught through monthly thematic units. Each month the program focuses on a different shape, color, number, Nursery Rhyme, and theme. All subjects are taught with a hands-on approach across the curriculum. Emphasis is placed on fine and gross motor skill development, social interaction, problem solving skills, and discovery of self.
Our Pre-Kindergarten Four Program uses a cross-curricular approach with the alphabet as its basis. The curriculum covers the major subject areas and is taught through the letter of the week. To enhance the learning process, children are taught in a hands-on environment where they are able to learn through discovery. Our program also focuses on handwriting and pre-reading skills that are taught through phonetic awareness. Introduction of vocabulary words, letter recognition, and sound recognition form the basis of our pre-reading curriculum. Mathematical skills are integrated throughout the day. The day begins with calendar math and counting to the 100th day of school. In the afternoon, the children even count their napkins for snack. Math concepts covered in PreK4 include: patterning, sequencing, graphing, number recognition, and using one-to-one correspondence.
Our Kindergarten Program strives to enhance the developmental needs of young children. Beginning to Read, Write, and Listen is a comprehensive reading-language arts program that is utilized in the kindergarten curriculum. It contains and correlates reading, handwriting, auditory, and oral language skills for the child who does not know how to read and write. It provides the student with a thorough understanding of the letters of the alphabet and their sounds - the most basic written language. Beginning to Read, Write, and Listen is the foundation for a student's understanding of letters as written symbols for spoken sounds. It is a multi-sensory program of visual, kinesthetic, and auditory activities, which meets the specialized needs of the beginning student. In the math program, emphasis is focused on the development of concepts. The children learn number concepts and operations with manipulatives such as blocks, cubes, links, and other appropriate materials. The activities are designed to help the child achieve an understanding of mathematical concepts without the pressure of memorizing and recording symbolically. Science and social studies are taught through a variety of activities across the curriculum and through the weekly reader. Listening to simple Bible stories, making creative art projects, singing songs, role playing, and telling stories provide first steps in the religious formation and education of children.