At St Catherine’s Convent Preschool, we realise the importance of the special care and attention required to help your children adjust to this new stage in their development.
We will help your child take the first big step into a school environment where basic skills, self-confidence and healthy relationships are developed.
Baby Fledglings
Ages: 4 months – 2-year-olds
Fledglings
Ages: 2 – 3-year-olds
Grade 000 (Pink Owls)
Ages: 3 – 4-year-olds
Grade 00 (Blue Butterflies)
Ages: 4 – 5-year-olds
Uniform
The uniform is compulsory for grade 00 and 000.
Uniform List
School and Aftercare Hours
A Preschool day starts at 08h00 and ends at 12h30.
However, the gates open at 07h00 and teachers provide morning activities until the official day starts.
All teachers are on duty from 07h00 for early drop-off.
Aftercare is offered as extra for the 00 and 000 (Pink and Blue) classes. Baby Fledglings and Fledglings do not pay extra for aftercare. It is included in our services.
Session 1: Half day children. Should you not be able to pick up your child on time, your child will join the aftercare. In the event of you fetching your child after 13h10, the aftercare rate will be added to your school account.
Session 2: These children will be served lunch at 13h00 and thereafter children will have ‘rest time’ from 13h30 to 14h30. Should you pick up your child after 14h40, the aftercare rate will be added to your school account.
Session 3: Children who stay from 13h00 – 17h00 will be served lunch, as well as a snack.
At St Catherine’s Preschool, our primary mission is to provide a safe and stimulating environment in which children can discover and learn new concepts, while providing an ideal setting to develop meaningful relationships with teachers and friends.
We believe that the pre-school years should be happy and relaxed, a time in which children feel loved, accepted and successful. We also believe that the preschool years are crucial to the stimulation of the child’s awareness and love of God.
In line with these fundamental beliefs, our goals and objectives are to provide children with the following opportunities:
To provide a safe and nurturing environment that will promote the physical, spiritual, social, emotional and cognitive development of the children in our care.
To develop positive and responsible relationships with other children and adults.
To provide a curriculum that is designed to provide age-appropriate and developmentally suitable activities that will encourage success and creativity.
To promote our faith in God, by incorporating prayer.
The St Catherine’s Preschool curriculum is designed to help children achieve school readiness in all areas of academic and social learning.
Our preschool programme is filled with investigation, exploration and discovery. A tailored programme in which active and enthusiastic children can refine and expand their skills and knowledge.
Through experiential teaching practices, purposefully designed learning environments and
enriched activities, our teachers ensure that our pre- schoolers have joyful, appropriate and meaningful learning experiences that lead to success in school and in life.
The standard daily programme comprises of a morning ring, daily tabletop activities, snack, inside and outdoor play with emphasis on gross-motor activities, music rings, story time, sensory play and perceptual work activities. A new theme is introduced on a weekly or bi-weekly basis and daily discussions, activities and artwork revolve around this theme. Field trips, puppet shows and special visitors are arranged to enhance the curriculum.
Swimming lessons, Drama, Music, Physical Education and Movement are incorporated into the school day.
Children are continuously evaluated throughout the year and progress reports are issued at the end of the second and fourth terms.
Communication between teachers and parents is done via the class phone on WhatsApp. Notifications and reminders will be broadcast to each parent individually.
You can also log onto the D6 Communicator which can be downloaded from the internet. All school events and newsletters are posted there.
Parent/ Teacher Meetings will take place three times a year. Additional meetings with the class teacher can be arranged by appointment via email:
School secretary: Lucy.Gombart@Stcatherines.co.za
Please keep in mind that teachers are not available while teaching or supervising the children. Staff must devote all their attention to the children.