St. Mary’s Preschool offers an early childhood program for children three and four years of age. The goal of the school is to promote the spiritual, emotional and intellectual development of each child in a nurturing atmosphere with Christian values.

The children are exposed to a wide range of experiences such as free play, music, art, dramatic play, story time, and dancing. The teacher and children gather for group experiences which develop thinking, perceiving, memory and communication skills. Group activities encourage being part of a whole community and instill respect while helping one another. The school environment provides the child with a sense of self-worth and well being and always encourages the positive "I can" attitude with emphasis on doing things for oneself.

St. Mary’s Preschool relies on your tuition money to pay its bills; therefore, please pay your tuition on the 1^st of every month. All checks are to be made payable to St. Mary’s Preschool. Checks should include your child’s name and class in the lower left corner/or attached to a tuition coupon located in the monthly newsletter. Checks can be mailed or should be dropped off in the envelope located outside of the classroom door. A fee of 10% of base tuition will be charged for any checks received after the 10^th of each month. Insufficient funds will require a new check, as well as a check returned fee. Exigent circumstances may be discussed with the Pastor. We need your support and your prompt payment. TUITION PAYMENTS (excluding last month’s registration tuition) ARE REFUNDABLE ONLY IF A CLASS IS FILLED WITHIN 30 DAYS AFTER THE CHILD HAS WITH DRAWN. A one month’s written notice MUST be provided. Please remember that IN-PARISH status is for parishioners who have been registered at St. Mary’s for 2 years. You regularly attend Mass, receive the sacraments, regularly contribute using your envelope and generally participate in religious and social activities of the parish. (all policies are subject to change)

It is always interesting to see a classroom in action and to see your own child interacting with other children away from home. The school uses a list of substitutes to assist in the classroom when the teachers or assistants are absent and volunteers for Lunch Bunch, Field Trips (4’s), Classroom Parties etc. All substitutes and volunteers are required to be fingerprinted (through the Archdiocese), have criminal background checks, complete necessary paperwork and have completed the Archdiocesan Child Protection Virtus Training. If you choose to substitute or volunteer, we must remind you that each child comes to school with his or her own unique personality and we ask that you do not discuss individual children outside the classroom. We owe the children and their parents this courtesy.

Children usually have several items to transport home each time they come to class, and their small hands often have trouble holding their many treasures. We ask that you either purchase or make a tote bag for your child to carry back and forth to school. The open shopping bag type is preferable to a backpack, as often the treasures are an odd size. The St. Mary’s Preschool tote on sale at school is ideal for this. Be sure to label the bag with your child’s name and bring it to school every day. Often their tote bag saves their place at circle time/table spot at the end of the day. You can also decorate it or attach something to it that will help your child to recognize it as their own!

Part of our preschool day includes outdoor play, weather permitting and art projects, which include finger painting and generally messy stuff! Therefore we ask that you dress your child appropriately for class. Except during rain or extremely cold weather, we will go out every day. Remember mittens and hats! If your daughter insists on wearing a dress, which girls often do, have her wear pants or tights underneath on cold days. We also have found that party shoes, clogs, flip flops and sandals are difficult to run and climb in. Please do not allow your child to wear these. Clothing should be washable and allow freedom of movement. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE LABEL ALL OUTERWEAR!

*All children MUST be potty trained. Pull-ups are not permitted.

If your child is sick or has a temperature above 98.6º F (frequent coughing, profuse nasal discharge, sore throat etc.), do not send him/her to school. If your child was sick the night before school (fever, throwing up), it is best to wait 24 hours before returning. For runny noses, the general guideline to follow is: clear mucus is okay for attending, but keep your child home if the mucus is yellow/green. If your child is not well enough to play outside, a staff member will not be able to stay inside with your child. If your child becomes sick during school, you will be notified to come pick him/her up. If the parent cannot be reached, the emergency contact will be called. If your child is sick 3 or more days from school, a note from the doctor or parent must accompany his/her return to school. Please inform the school if your child has a highly contagious illness such as chicken pox, strep, lice or conjunctivitis.

Parents are welcome to visit the class and see their child in action. New prospective preschool families are also encouraged to observe a class in session. Call (301)762-4179 to set up an appointment. The most ideal situation for observing is through a one-way mirror like those used in most college nursery schools. Since we do not have a mirror at St. Mary’s, here are some helpful hints for successfully observing your child.

Be sure to make arrangements with the teacher in advance. In the past we have discovered that 15 – 20 minutes is a good length to observe.

There is a general meeting in September that parents are asked to attend. Parent-Teacher Conferences are held twice a year in which parents are also expected to participate.

Parents with special skills, talents, hobbies or places of work suitable for field trips are encouraged to bring this to the attention of the Director. The 4 year old classes will start going on field trips in January and parents are expected to chaperone/drive.

Each family will be required to assist and participate in the administration of the school. A parent participation form will be distributed, which will list volunteer positions available and descriptions. Parents will be asked to sign up.

Lunch Bunch is an optional program that offers your child a chance to socialize with fellow classmates while eating and have extra time to play or do a craft. The program begins in October and it is staffed and run by our preschool parents. It would be offered for one hour in addition to your child’s regular class and is paid for separately per session. Lunch Bunch will be free for those children whose parents are working on that session day. The continuation of this program will depend on the number of volunteers available to run it, as well as the level of interest of our preschool families. We will send further information as it becomes available. If you decide to have your child participate, please furnish a lunch and drink which do not require adult assistance or refrigeration. Please be sensitive to allergies in the group. When picking up your child from lunch bunch, please enter the school lobby, go directly to the school auditorium, notify the lunch bunch helper that you are there to pick up your child. The helper will call your child to you. Then quickly exit through the side door of the auditorium. This will help ease any confusion during the pick-up process and allow dismissal in an orderly fashion.

On occasion there may be a classroom problem you would like to discuss. The following is the procedure we would like to have you follow: If possible please discuss your particular problem with the teacher. If you feel it would be difficult to talk with the teacher, you may discuss your problem with the Director/agent and a meeting can also be arranged.

-The above is subject to final approval of the Pastor, and Director. Please consult current registration procedures prior to registration.

Punctual pick-up of students is important to the children as well as being fair to our staff. While we understand emergencies happen, please be considerate in adhering to this policy.

The Late Pick-up Policy is:

Ten minutes after class dismissal, parents will be fined $5.00 per minute according to the classroom clock. Habitual late pick-ups will require the parents to have a conference with the Director and fines may be assessed. Fines will be collected by the Director and must be paid within 14 days.

During inclement weather, we are closed when Montgomery County Schools are closed. When County schools have a one or two hour delay, we open "one" hour late. When public schools have an early closing including all afternoon activities, Kindergarten and Pre-K, there will be no afternoon classes. (Code Blue)

Please make sure that the school has accurate phone numbers, email addresses and cell phone numbers for your family. This can become extremely important in an emergency when we need to contact families with a short notice.

Conferences will be held twice a year in November and April. A written evaluation will be given in the spring. If you have any questions about your child and his or her progress, please remember you may call a teacher or request an appointment to meet with the teacher after the class. Teachers may not discuss your child’s progress through email. A monthly newsletter to all families is also provided.

All students will enter the building through the front door. All parents will identify themselves as being authorized to enter the building with a school authorization card received in September. Individuals without cards will be required to stop at the reception desk. Additional cards may be obtained. Please remain quietly with your child until the teacher/aide escorts you to the classroom door. Your child will only be dismissed to those individuals listed on your child’s pick-up form. A driver’s license will be requested to confirm identity if the teacher has not met the person picking up. (This is a license requirement and for the safety of your child) A written notice from the parent will also suffice. If play dates are arranged, PLEASE send a note to your child’s teacher. Your child’s pick-up form is located in the classroom and a copy in your child’s file. They can be updated at anytime.

Parents are asked to provide the snack for the class two or three weeks a year. We ask that you send a snack which is nutritious and which requires no preparation by the staff. Please provide spoons or forks if needed. Please try to provide enough of the SAME kind of snack for the entire class. For example: ALL blueberry muffins (NOT 8 blueberry and 8 chocolate) or ALL chocolate iced cupcakes (NOT 5 chocolate iced and 11 white iced).This makes it easier on everyone! J On your child’s birthday or ½ birthday, you may send his/her favorite cookies, cupcakes or treat! Please remember if you are having a birthday party we will be more than happy to deliver the invites during class, but you must include either the entire class or all girls/all boys i.e. Otherwise it would be best to mail them as to not hurt a child’s feelings. There may be a time when you are asked to provide a specific snack to reinforce a lesson, but usually you can send whatever you like as long as it is nutritious. Please be sensitive to allergies in the class. You will be reminded of your snack week by a volunteer snack coordinator. Please see snack ideas. Our childcare license requires menus that list your chosen snack for the week to be posted the previous week. Please submit them to your child’s teacher on time. Copies are included in your back to school packet. Extras are also available in the classroom.

SNACK IDEAS

Orange Slices

Bananas

Grapes

Apple Slices

Raisins

Carrot Sticks w or w/o dressing

Celery Sticks w or w/o cream cheese

Jello Cups

Yogurt or Gogurt

Mini Pizzas or English Muffins

Sliced Bagels w/cream cheese or plain

Bread Sticks

Apple Sauce

Pretzels or Hot Pretzels

Oyster Crackers

Goldfish Crackers

Graham Crackers or Sticks

Animal Crackers

Cheese and Crackers

String Cheese

Homemade Trail Mix (no nuts)

*If your class has any allergies, please avoid those foods completely. All fruits should be washed, cleaned and sliced if possible. Please provide spoons and forks if needed.

Please provide 1 roll of paper towels and napkins for your snack week.