An Armenian Preschool for the Millennium
The St. Stephen’s Armenian Preschool is a private, non-profit, bilingual Preschool, licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) and accredited by the Association of Independent Schools in New England (AISNE).
The Preschool is a child centered, loving, caring and nurturing environment where the safety and security of the children is a top priority. The Preschool building has spacious, bright and inviting classrooms. Each classroom is equipped with age appropriate classroom materials that are accessible to the children and support their learning through play. The school has a large outdoor innovative playground, with rubber flooring, equipped with a safe play structure that has slides and swings for outdoor activities to foster the development of the children’s gross motor skills.
The curriculum is carefully designed to meet the individual needs and interests of the children. It offers a bilingual education (Armenian & English) that is stimulating and engaging. The daily schedule and activities are targeted towards the developmental needs of the whole child. It is crafted to enhance the development of the children’s social, emotional, cognitive and fine and gross motor skills. Our goal is to motivate and help develop in each child self-confidence, critical thinking and create in them the love of learning. This development is fostered through the implementation of thematic units and daily activities that incorporate book reading, group discussions, thought provoking inquiries, letter recognition, reading and writing exercises, arts and crafts, science projects and math activities, free play, music and movement, outdoor play, as well as through enrichment programs and field trips that take place throughout the school year. A nutritious snack is served every day in the morning and afternoon.
Our preschool teachers are experienced and state certified. The low student/teacher ratio allows us to meet the needs of the individual child. Regular staff meetings provide opportunities for curriculum planning and discussion of classroom issues. Staff participates in professional development workshops and attends courses every year.
The school hours are 8:30 A.M. – 2:30 P.M. Drop off starts at 8:00 a.m. Extended Day is available until 5:30 p.m.
The preschool program starts at 8:30 a.m. Students should arrive in their classrooms by 8:30 a.m. For parents who need to drop off their children early, the preschool will be open starting 8:00 a.m. Students and parents are welcome to enter the preschool building only after 8:00 a.m.
The preschool main entrance will be locked during the day after arrival time. If you arrive late please follow the instructions at the entrance to get in.
DISMISSAL
Parents are required to pick up their children at dismissal time from the Preschool main entrance. If someone other than the parent is to pick up a child, their name must appear on the STUDENT RELEASE CONSENT FORM. This form will be sent home for the parents to fill out and sign at the beginning of the school year.
The following schedule is implemented for dismissal to help prevent traffic congestion on Elton Ave:
Pre-Nursery: (2:20 p.m.); Nursery I: (2:25 p.m.); and Nursery II: (2:30 p.m.).
Please follow the traffic signs and marks on the Preschool parking lot, and do not block the neighbors’ driveways while parking. Siblings or other children should not be left unattended in the car during drop off or pick up. If your child is being picked up by someone other than the parents (grandparents or relatives), please make sure that they also understand and respect our parking regulations.
On early release days, dismissal is at 11:45 a.m. There will be NO LUNCH scheduled on these days.
I would like to urge all our parents to limit the time they occupy the parking spaces at the preschool and the surrounding areas on Elton Ave to no more than 5 minutes. Please make sure that you leave the school premises as soon as you drop off or pick up your children, to allow as many parents as possible to be able to use the limited parking spaces at the Preschool. If you need to stay for a longer period of time, please use the ACEC parking lot.
SCHOOL DRESS CODE
We ask our parents to make sure that their children come to school respecting the school dress code.
Boys: Should wear the designated blue plaid smock. White shirt (Polo style shirts are preferred). Navy blue pants or shorts and White socks. Black rubber sole shoes, Navy blue sweater optional (No designs)
Girls: Should wear the designated blue plaid smock. White blouse or shirt. White socks, tights, pants or navy blue leggings. Black rubber sole shoes, Navy blue sweater optional (No designs)
We invite you to visit our Preschool located at 46 Elton Ave., Watertown, MA 02472. Please call the preschool office at(617) 923-0501 to schedule a visit.
SNACK AND LUNCH
Students should bring a healthy lunch to school every day. Morning and afternoon snacks are provided by the school. Hot lunch is offered five days a week, except on early release days. If you are interested in the school hot lunch program, you will receive further information at a later date. SSAES is an Allergen Aware School. Please make sure that you do not include any products that have peanut or tree-nuts in your child’s lunchbox, because we have students who have peanut and tree-nut allergies that are life threatening.
It is our school policy that students’ birthdays are mentioned in the classrooms by their teachers along with their classmates only. No food or any other items are allowed to be brought to the school by the parents. This policy is implemented to avoid any health risks or allergic reactions to the food parents may bring in, and to use the time spent for this purpose in a more productive manner.
Parents are prohibited from bringing food to class to be shared among students for class celebrations. Any food items brought to school without the teachers’ consent will be returned to the parent.
Preschool Curriculum Theme Overview
The St. Stephen’s Preschool’s curriculum is carefully designed to meet the individual needs and interests of the children and to stimulate learning in all of the development areas: physical, social, emotional and intellectual. This development is fostered through thematic units and daily activities, free play, music, movement and outdoor play, as well as through enrichment programs and fields trips. A nutritious snack is served midway in the morning and in the afternoon.
- Red Circle
- Who am I?
- I am Special
- Apples & their importance
- Concepts of Big & Small
- Armenian Independence Day
- Fall/Change of Weather
- Falling Leaves /Color & Shapes
- Squirrels & Acorns
- Columbus Day
- Orange
- Fire Prevention Week
- Halloween/Pumpkin spiders, etc…
- St. Mesrob Mashdotz
- Invention of Alphabet
- My Family
- My Home
- Traffic Symbols
- Brown
- Animal Hibernation
- Migration
- Animals prepare for Winter
- Square
- Christmas
- Christmas Tree
- Santa Clause
- Giving & Sharing
- Green
- Triangle
- Under & Over
- Christmas Around the World
- Winter
- Snow/Snowmen
- Health & Safety
- Water & Ice
- White
- Rectangle
- Dinosaurs
- Review Colors
- Heart
- Valentine’s
- Red & Pink
- Shadows & Groundhog
- Five Senses
- Paregentan
- Vartanants
- Vartan Mamigonian
- Nutrition
- Circus
- Zoo Animals
- St. Patrick’s Day
- Easter
- Spring, Change of Weather
- Planting, Plants & Seeds
- Pets
- Oval
- Farm Animals
- Community Helpers
- Mother’s Day
- Animals that change forms
- Transportation
- Armenian Independence Day
- Ocean, Rivers & Lakes
- Insects
- Vacation & Travel
- Blue
- Father’s Day