Orange Class
Class Description
The Orange Class is made up of 18 four and five year olds and two teachers, Kim Neessen and Michelle Smith. The Orange Class is a PreK class and is for students who will be enrolled in kindergarten the following year and have previously attended preschool. Meeting Monday through Friday mornings from 8:30-11:15am, the Orange Class follows the traditional school schedule.
Curriculum Description
The Creative Curriculum is a nationally recognized curriculum that is aligned with the Iowa Quality Preschool Program Standards (QPPS). The Creative Curriculum translates new research and theory from the field of early childhood education into a practical, easy-to-understand approach to working with children. It is a comprehensive curriculum that includes a framework for decision making along with a focus on interest areas (blocks, dramatic play, toys & games, art, library, cooking, discovery, music & movement, outdoors and computer.)
Handwriting Without Tears is a nationally recognized handwriting curriculum. The Pre-K Get Set for School program that we use at IPS introduces school readiness activities for young children of all ability levels. Through music, movement, building, coloring, and multisensory activities, children have fun as they develop important skills: language proficiency, color and shape awareness, fine and gross motor control, letter and number recognition, counting abilities, and social skills.
Skills Covered
The skills covered in the Orange Class include: name recognition, writing first name and beginning to write last name in caps and title case, recognizes and writes numbers 1-10, shapes (square, triangle, circle, heart, star, rectangle, oval, crescent, diamond, octagon, pentagon), memorization of phone number and address, identification of all upper and lowercase letters, cutting objects for projects, beginning to make letter-sound connections, self-help skills, following directions.
These skills are taught through a series of thematic units.
The Orange Class is made up of 18 four and five year olds and two teachers, Kim Neessen and Michelle Smith. The Orange Class is a PreK class and is for students who will be enrolled in kindergarten the following year and have previously attended preschool. Meeting Monday through Friday mornings from 8:30-11:15am, the Orange Class follows the traditional school schedule.
Curriculum Description
The Creative Curriculum is a nationally recognized curriculum that is aligned with the Iowa Quality Preschool Program Standards (QPPS). The Creative Curriculum translates new research and theory from the field of early childhood education into a practical, easy-to-understand approach to working with children. It is a comprehensive curriculum that includes a framework for decision making along with a focus on interest areas (blocks, dramatic play, toys & games, art, library, cooking, discovery, music & movement, outdoors and computer.)
Handwriting Without Tears is a nationally recognized handwriting curriculum. The Pre-K Get Set for School program that we use at IPS introduces school readiness activities for young children of all ability levels. Through music, movement, building, coloring, and multisensory activities, children have fun as they develop important skills: language proficiency, color and shape awareness, fine and gross motor control, letter and number recognition, counting abilities, and social skills.
Skills Covered
The skills covered in the Orange Class include: name recognition, writing first name and beginning to write last name in caps and title case, recognizes and writes numbers 1-10, shapes (square, triangle, circle, heart, star, rectangle, oval, crescent, diamond, octagon, pentagon), memorization of phone number and address, identification of all upper and lowercase letters, cutting objects for projects, beginning to make letter-sound connections, self-help skills, following directions.
These skills are taught through a series of thematic units.
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Class Schedules
8:30-8:45 Arrival 8:45-9:05 Group Time 9:05-9:30 Outside 9:35-9:50 Snack 9:50-10:05 Story 10:05-10:55 Project/Choice Time 11:00-11:10 Music 11:15 Review and Dismissal |
Thematic Units
August/Sept. – Getting to Know Your Preschool, All About Me, Feelings October – Fall, Fire Safety November – Corn, Thanksgiving December – Giving, Christmas January - Winter, Author Study February – Valentines, Community Helpers March – Sea Life, Spring April – Pets, Gardening May – Favorites from the year |
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Preschool-wide Events
October 11 – Costume Exchange and Flu Shot Clinic October 20 – Fall Open House October 23 (October 30 – rain date) – Trunk or Treat November 10 – Parent Education Network and Scholastic Book Fair January 17 – Community Open House February 13-16 – Parent/Teacher conference March – Simpson Play for IPS friends and families |
Special Visitors
Every month, each class enjoys a visit from two special community helpers: Jane Carlson, librarian at Indianola Public Library Missy Smith, naturalist at Annett Nature Center Field Trips: October – Fire Station April – Indianola Public Library April - Science Center of Iowa May – Annett Nature Center May – Barker Park |
