The foundation of all the wonderful things that happen at St. Agnes Catholic School in downtown West Chester, including all of the activities in our strong pre-school program, is a faith in our loving God. This faith drives our dedicated Pre-K 3, Pre-K 4, and Kindergarten faculty to help each child know God’s love through everything they do, and to treat each student as a unique child of God with special gifts to be developed.
Chief among these gifts is a curiosity about the world around us. Instilling a love of learning is a goal of all of our teachers—Mrs. Karen Moffit (Pre-K 3), Mrs. Lisa Gerber (Pre-K 4), Mrs. Victoria Zirolli (K), and Mrs. Shannon Dolan (K). Their classes are filled with hands-on, developmentally appropriate experiences that emphasize learning through discovery. For example, the Pre-K 4 class takes an annual field trip to the Chester County Historical Society, where the children learn about early American quilting, and they together make a Noah’s Ark mural to help the school celebrate Catholic Schools Week. The curriculum follows the Archdiocese of Philadelphia guidelines, which include motor, creative, manipulative, imaginative, rhythmic, and language skills.
Another of God’s gifts developed in St. Agnes’ pre-school programs is the gift of community. Daily prayers for others help the children always to stay connected to their families and communities. Families are encouraged to participate in holiday activities, Show N Tell for the letter of the week, and a weekly Mystery Reader. And teachers lead the children in regular service projects, like collecting mittens, hats, and scarves for the St. Agnes Day Room.
Our pre-school programs also offer enrichment activities to the Pre-K 3 and Pre-K 4 classes that cultivate the gifts of the children’s own minds and bodies, like the Soccer Shots program, the Dramatic Youngsters program, the Art program, and ATA Karate.
In short, the pre-school programs at St. Agnes School prepare our children for school—not just intellectually, but socially, physically, and spiritually as well. To find out more about our programs, please call us at 610-696-1260, and/or come to our Open House on Sunday, February 11th at 11:30 am.
