Holy Trinity Catholic School Division has put together a light-hearted video informing parents what can be expected when their children participate in prekindergarten or kindergarten programs.
The two-minute, 23-second video — which starts and ends with children laughing — features 11 prekindergarten or kindergarten teachers discussing the role that the Catholic faith plays during students’ education and the benefits that grow from that faith formation.
Registration for these programs is now open. Check the Holy Trinity website for further details.
According to the video, educators will teach the children about Jesus and how to pray, which will create a warm, caring and safe place to grow that encourages the kids to feel good about themselves as a child of God. This encouragement will help them build self-confidence and enable them to take on new challenges, which will help them learn to share, listen to others, take turns and be a good friend.
“When children develop friendships, it fosters a spark in their curiosity, and a natural love of learning begins,” one teacher from St. Agnes School says.
Many fun adventures will spring up through play, exploration, and stories, with students hearing tales from the Bible and discovering the great love God has for them, the video continues. Knowing how much God loves them will ignite a lifelong friendship with Him, helping develop self-esteem and a positive attitude toward learning.
“When children have a positive attitude towards learning, they feel good about coming to school and making new friends,” says a teacher from All Saints Catholic School.
The 11 teachers put together the video last spring because the pandemic prevented families from visiting schools to learn about the programs and to meet the teachers, explained Jodie Bzdel, early learning consultant with Holy Trinity. This video builds on what the teachers did last year when they created either a slideshow presentation or video about their classrooms for those who registered last year.
“It’s so important (to have) that strong start, to give (students) the support and work with families (and) get that parent engagement happening,” she continued. “And that parents have that understanding of how important their role is with their child’s education, and we can’t do it without them.”
By starting children in school at a young age, this provides them with the basic skills they need to succeed, such as social and emotional skills and the ability to play, Bzdel said. While students have returned to the classrooms, family engagement has been held online as teachers attempt to support families through that medium.
Registration for prekindergarten and kindergarten lasts until the programs are full. The provincial government provides funding to two schools in Moose Jaw for prekindergarten spaces. Two other schools in the community have early learning programs that the YMCA runs.
Specifically, St. Agnes School and Sacred Heart School both have 32 spots, with 16 students learning in the morning and 16 learning in the afternoon.
There is another ministry initiative called the Early Learning Intervention Program (ELIP) for kids who need additional support. Two spots for this program are available at Sacred Heart.
Children have to be three years old by the fall to start in prekindergarten, said Bzdel. Kids can then spend two years in the prekindergarten program, after which they would then start attending kindergarten around age five.
While the kindergarten program takes every student, there is an application process for registering in prekindergarten. Educators use criteria to determine which students can join.
“We are excited to getting people into our buildings … ,” added Bzdel. “I’m excited to get these little bodies into our buildings next year.”
