Transitional
Preschool Class
Beginning at the age of 2 ½ or for students transitioning into the program, the transitional preschool class offers students an opportunity to prepare for the preschool program here at St. Rita. Students will be immersed in a comprehensive communication environment to continue to build their academic and social foundation as they transition into preschool.
The curriculum and classroom routines
challenge students at an age-appropriate level. The students participate in
both large and small group activities, with a time limit appropriate to their
young age. They have opportunities for free play as well as more structured,
teacher-directed activities, with an introduction to Montessori materials and
philosophy. The curriculum focuses on developing children’s foundational skills
and is aligned to the Ohio Department of Education’s Early Learning and
Development Standards. Self-help skills such as eating with a spoon, drinking
from a cup without a lid, and toilet-training are also worked on throughout the
school year.
We want all of our students to be able to
successfully communicate with others. For those students who are implanted or
aided, Hearing Assistive Technology (HAT) systems are utilized in the
classrooms. Speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, and other
related services are provided when evaluations determine such need or the
student turns 3 and an IEP is developed.
Preschool
Program
The preschool program is for children 3 to 5
years of age and offers a comprehensive communication environment to maximize
each child’s potential for academic achievement and social & emotional
development. We believe that our students benefit from the use of sign language
both receptively and expressively. The preschool classrooms follow the Montessori
Curriculum aligned to Ohio’s Early Learning and Development Standards for
preschool. The Montessori environment allows each child to explore and learn at
their own pace, and to freely access their entire classroom at all times to
take advantage of critical windows of learning for each child.
Emphasizing Maria Montessori’s philosophy that
each child is an individual who is on a journey of self-discovery, the early
childhood program at St. Rita School for the Deaf allows children to learn at
their own pace and in their own sequence of discovery. Children who spend
longer on one part of the curriculum than others are not left behind in the
classroom, and those who master a concept quickly are encouraged to move on in
the curriculum at their own individual pace. Abstract concepts are taught using
concrete materials for language and comprehension. The goal is to prepare each
child for elementary school, both academically and socially, with a strong
language base for communication.
The Montessori teacher’s primary role is not
to merely transmit information from a prepared curriculum, but rather to help
children to act and think for themselves, creating an atmosphere of calm,
order, and joy in the classroom to develop self-confidence and inner
discipline. The teacher demonstrates the correct use of the materials,
carefully watches the progress of each child and keeps a record of his/her
work. Learning is child-directed and individualized.