Table of Contents

Philosophy	3
Objective	3
Administration	4
Facilities	4
Enrollment	4
Registration	5
Tuition	5
Schedule	6
School Closing	6
Health Regulations	6
6Social Adjustment	7
Sign In/Out	7
Legal Custody	7
Logistics	8
Curriculum	9
Emergency Procedures	10
First Aid	10
Accidents	10
Safety	11
Medicine	11
Insurance Coverage	11
Grievance Procedure	11
Fund Raisers	11

Contacts

David M. Ponath, Pastor Cell 651-238-6140

Susan Geske, Preschool Teacher Home 651-351-7567

Organization St. John’s Lutheran Little Hands Preschool - through the Church Council - is operated, maintained and supported by St. John’s Lutheran Church of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). The administration of Preschool business is governed by the St. John’s Preschool Committee. The Preschool Committee consists of people who are elected by the church council and ratified by the congregation. The Preschool teacher acts as the agent of the congregation and Preschool Committee in the direct administration of the school. The Pastor is responsible for all spiritual leadership. The Church Council makes decisions on behalf of the school with input from all responsible parties. Full and final control, however, is vested in the congregation's voter assembly.
Non-Discriminatory Policy
St. John’s Little Hands Preschool admits children without regard to race, color, creed, gender, religion, or national origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the Preschool. The Preschool is open to enrolling and accepting children with special needs where reasonable accommodation can be made without undue hardship on the Preschool.
Staff-Child Ratios
St. John’s Little Hands Preschool has adopted a 1:10 ratio between staff and children, with a maximum of 20 children per class.
Philosophy St. John’s Lutheran Little Hands Preschool believes that is our duty to ensure wholesome physical, mental, and social development in a Christian atmosphere. We will strive to meet the needs of all our children in a developmentally appropriate manner.

Objectives
1. To lead children to know Jesus as their Savior

2. To teach children to speak to God in prayer.

3. To help children develop love and tolerance for all people for Jesus’ sake, so that they can live happily and harmoniously with them.

4. To help children become aware of and have an interest in God’s world around them

5. To help each child see himself/herself as a special person who is unique and loved by God, and to help the child to develop an increasingly positive self-concept realizing that each one is a wonderful gift of God’s creation. This is reinforced by displaying the child’s artwork in our classroom.

6. To help children adjust to school in a happy and wholesome way.

7. To help children feel a real sense of security, belonging, and full acceptance.

8. To help children understand their feelings toward each other.

9. To teach children to act and think for themselves and to develop a degree of independence.

10. To give children the opportunities to learn through play, whether it is in groups or individually.

11. To provide opportunities for children to play with different media that foster creative expression in music, dramatic play, art, and movement.

12. To teach children to observe a few simple health and safety rules.

13. To help children develop desirable speech habits—to communicate more effectively and to grow in vocabulary.

Administration

Facilities

St. John’s Little Hands Preschool is held in the lower level of the historic parish hall, which was renovated in 2004 with new bathrooms, facilities, flooring, and handicap access. The Preschool is designed to hold a maximum of 20 children during each session, with 2 teachers. The school provides over 44 square-feet per child (exclusive of bathroom and storage areas) and offers over 1,500 square feet of outdoor play area with new play equipment. A full kitchen exists on the upper level of the parish hall, for special events. St. John’s is a smoke free environment. Smoking is permitted off the premises only.

Enrollment Requirements

Children entering these following programs must be that age by September 1^st. of the year they are enrolling for.

* 2 ½ year old program (three years before entering Kindergarten).

* 3-year old program (two years before Kindergarten).

* 4-year old program (one year before Kindergarten)

Children entering these Programs must be potty trained.

Registration

Pre-registration to hold a place for a child in the ensuing school year will begin January 1^st for current students, and members of St. John’s church are given first choice. Beginning February 1^st open spots will be filled with outside registrations on a first-come, first-serve basis. A non-refundable $45.00 registration fee is to be paid at the time of pre-registration. Parents are required to meet with the Preschool staff, review the Preschool handbook, and receive all of the required forms for enrollment. Registrations will be reviewed to determine how many classes will be offered the end of August.

Parents of registered children must submit the following completed forms no later than August 1^st:

1. A St. John’s Lutheran Little Hands Preschool Registration Form

2. A Health and Medical Examination Form

3. An Immunization Record Form

It is assumed that all registrations are for a full school year, if parents need to remove their child from the Preschool they are requested to provide a 4-week notice to the teacher.

Tuition

Tuition is due on the first class day of each month and applies to all children. A late payment fee of $15 dollars will be assessed on the following month’s fee statement for payments received after the first class day of the month. Tuition payments not kept current are reason for immediate termination, and in the event of emergencies the matter will be referred to the St. John’s Preschool committee for arrangements.

A $15 handling fee will be charged for all checks returned because of insufficient funds.

1. Two days: 2 ½ - 3 yr. olds………………. $95.00/month

2. Three days: 4 and 5 year-olds…..$115.00/month

Schedule

The Preschool will follow the Stillwater area public school calendar as closely as possible, except that the Pre-school will start 1-week after the public school year begins and finish the end of May. In addition 1-day in April will be designated off to allow the teacher(s) to attend an Early Childhood Conference. A monthly calendar will be sent home.

The Four and Five year olds, three morning program meets from 9:00 to 12:30 pm.

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.

(Parents may pick up their child at 11:30 if they do not wish to have their child eat a bagged lunch from home, with their classmates)

There are currently no set conference days. If parents have any concerns we encourage you to discuss them with the teacher at any time.

The four and five year old class may go on field trips if there are enough parent volunteer drivers. Any field trips will require signed permission slips for each child, and may require a nominal fee.

School Closing

St. John’s Little Hands Preschool closings for weather reasons will follow District # 834 announcements made on WCCO radio station 830 AM. or on TV stations. If a 2-hour late start is announced there will be no Preschool that day.

(St John’s teachers may call off Preschool if they feel weather conditions are unsafe to drive in with young children. Please check email daily!)

Health Regulations

Parents are asked to protect their own child and others by keeping their child home while carrying an infectious illness such as colds, fever, flu, head lice… The school must be notified of any contagious disease so that we may notify all parents of possible exposure. After admission to the preschool, parents are responsible for regularly updating their child’s health files to reflect new immunizations and to keep records up to date. If a child is inadequately immunized, for any reason, that child may be excluded from school if any contagious disease warrants exclusion through the incubation period.

Social Adjustment

Children will be provided with immediate and directly related consequences for unacceptable behavior. Procedures for managing our children’s behavior help them develop safe and satisfying personal relationships and a healthy self-image. Children will not be subjected to corporal punishment, nor will they ever be denied food, light, warmth, clothing, or medical care as a punishment.

If a child is separated from the group 3 or more times in one day

the parents will be notified.

If a child is separated from the group 5 or more times in one week or eight times in 2

weeks, procedures for persistent unacceptable behavior will be followed.

The Preschool reserves the right to remove a child after consultation with parents when the welfare of the child or the class would make this advisable.

Sign In/Out

Children are to arrive at school no earlier than 5-minutes prior to the start of their class, and must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

For the safety of all St. John’s students and staff, we will have a sign-in/out log for all students that must be signed by the parent (or guardian over 16-years of age).

A separate log book will be available for special requests. (For example, early pickup, leaving with someone other than a parent, vacations, etc.)

Parents are asked to call the Preschool office to let the teacher know if a child will be late or absent. Tuition refunds are not given for absences.

Authorization for Pick-up changes to the list submitted on the registration form must be made in writing.

Whenever an alternate pick-up person is used, the staff must be notified in advance and the person must present a photo-ID for checking against the child’s file.

If an unauthorized person arrives at the Preschool to pick-up a child the parents will be called immediately. The child will not be released until a written authorization is received, and if need be the local police will be contacted for assistance with the matter

Front Door

The outside door of the Parish Hall maybe locked during the day! Please use the doorbell to get access if it is locked.

Phone calls

If calling during class time the teacher may not be able to answer the phone right away, please keep calling until she is able to answer.

Legal Custody

It is the responsibility of the parents to keep a current list of people authorized to pick up a child. Unless legal documentation is submitted to the contrary, the Preschool assumes that both parents have equal rights to drop-off or pick-up a child.

Logistic

Snacks Parents will be asked to take turns providing healthy, daily snacks on a weekly basis. (Birthday treats are welcome, but please make arrangements with the teacher) The monthly calendar will tell who is responsible for each week.

PLEASE feed your child a healthy breakfast before attending school.

Clothing Dress your child in simple, washable, play clothes. Please label boots, jackets, mittens, backpacks, etc. to avoid mix-ups. Extra clothing (in case of spills or accidents) should always be in your child’s school bag. We encourage parents to have their child put-on/remove their own jacket, and to encourage them to dress themselves.

Lunch from home For the Three day Program, children are asked to bring a healthy lunch and beverage from home. The lunches can be placed in the refrigerator in our kitchen, up stairs in the Parish Hall.

Bringing things from home Items that are pertinent to seasons or topics we are discussing in school may be brought for show-n-tell. Favorite books may be brought on occasion and pets may visit if arrangements are made with the teacher before hand.

Items that children are not permitted to bring

o Money ( unless it is part of our curriculum)

o Balloons (some exceptions )

o Gum

o Toy weapons

Supplies that all children should bring

o A large backpack should be labeled and brought to school each day.

o Paint Shirt, (big, old, short sleeve shirt)

o Extra set of clothes.

This is a sample of extra supplies that your child may be asked to bring:

o Box of Tissues (at the beginning of the school year)

o Crayons

o Washable Markers * Zip- lock Bags

o Pencils * Paper plates

o Water Colors

o White Glue

o Napkins

Donations of art supplies or toys are always welcome.

Curriculum

Curriculum is all of the child's experiences for which the Preschool accepts responsibility. All subjects are taught in the light of God's Word.

A Tentative Curriculum Covered Throughout the Year

September: Making new friends, safety, apples

October: Fall, fire prevention, harvest fun

November: Earlier Americans, Thanksgiving

December: Getting ready for Jesus’ birth, Christmas fun

January: Winter animals, and snow people, start working on letters

February: Post Office, Valentine’s Day, love, dental health

March: Spring, health, favorite stories,(parents read to the class), Easter

April: Rain, mud, baby animals

May: May Day, farm animals, end of the school year

Religious Instruction: Bible stories are presented to acquaint students with God. Children and teachers pray together at various times during the day.

Creative Art: Children are acquainted with many types of art media and their uses. Through the arts, the children will grow to appreciate the beauty God has created in the world around them and enjoy expressing themselves through creativity.

Language Arts: The language arts program is begun in Preschool as a study of sounds, letters and readiness skills. Classic and Christian literature is used as reading selections and ample opportunity for varied reading is provided.

Mathematics: Children in the Preschool learn number recognition, counting, and patterns. Hands on skills are emphasized.

Music and Movement: We hope that with increased exposure to music, students will be motivated sing from their hearts! The children also learn songs to be sung in Church, especially the Children's Christmas Service. Through music and movement, we introduce an appreciation for artistic expressions.

Science and Cooking: Through creative hands-on experiments, children can explore different concepts and gain and better understanding of how things work and function. Children develop their understanding of sequence, eye-hand coordination and visual perception.

Social Studies: Children study their more immediate surroundings of the home and the community. We may travel the world by never leaving our school!

Emergency Procedures

Fire drills are conducted with the children monthly, and all drills are recorded. Primary and secondary exits are noted on the floor plan and are posted in all areas of the Preschool. The person detecting a fire will call 911; staff will evacuate the children and take attendance. Staff will attempt to:

Shut off all lights/Electricity.

Close doors upon leaving.

Take the first aid kit and emergency card file.

The group will proceed outdoors, away from the building to a designated waiting area to receive further instructions. All staff is trained in the use and is aware of the location of fire extinguishers. Written instructions on the use of fire extinguishers, fire evacuation plans, and duties of the staff are posted in each work unit.

Tornado drills are practiced in April and May, and each drill is recorded. In the event of a tornado warning all children will be taken to the tornado shelter as indicated on the fire/tornado evacuation plan. Staff will take attendance upon evacuation to the tornado shelter.

First Aid

All teachers, assistant teachers, and aides are trained in first aid, and at least one staff person will be onsite at all times that is trained in CPR. The Preschool is equipped with a first aid kit that is inspected on a monthly basis.

Accidents

All accident, injuries, and emergencies that occur to children, staff, or visitors at St. John’s Preschool are documented. This written record contains the name of the injured person, age, date and place of the accident, type of injury, actions taken by the staff, and to whom the accident was reported. The staff member who administers first aide signs the accident report, along with the parent or guardian, with a copy of the report kept on file and a copy provided to the parent/guardian. Within 24-hours after an injury requiring medical care, a death, a fire, or a tornado a report will be submitted to the Department of Human Services. Should an animal bite occur an immediate report to the Department of Health will be made.

Safety

The following safety precautions are taken to limit the possibility of injury:

1. All equipment and furniture is designed for the age group, free from sharp edges or corners, and free from splinters or paints that contain lead

2. Sharp scissors, knives, matches, and other potential hazards will be stored out of their reach.

3. Choking: care will be exercised in giving appropriate snacks. Children will remain seated during snack-time and lunch, closely supervised to make certain they are chewing and not playing around while eating.

4. Burns: Electrical outlets shall be covered when not in use. The water temperature will be checked regularly to make sure it doesn’t exceed 120 degrees F.

5. Suffocation: Children will be supervised closely when using materials that cause suffocation

6. Hallways and entry walkways will be kept clear at all times, and floors will be maintained daily. Outside walks and the parking lot will have snow removal during the winter months.

Medicine

Diagnosis and treatment of illness and the prescribing of drugs and medications is not the responsibility of St. John’s Little Hands Preschool. If medications need to be administered during school hours a physician must prescribe the medication, all medicine must be clearly labeled (with child’s name and dosage instructions) in its original container. Parents or guardian must complete a medication form before a medication can be administered. All medications must be kept out of reach of the children.

Non-prescription medications will not be administered at school. If a child has allergies or other conditions where a doctor deems it necessary that non-prescription medicines be administered, written instructions signed by the child’s physician are required.

Insurance Coverage

St. John’s Church holds liability insurance policies that cover the St. John’s Little Hands Preschool for comprehensive liability, broad form.

Grievance Procedure

If there is a grievance over the Preschool program, facilities, or procedures direct contact with the teacher(s) or the Preschool committee should be made verbally or in writing. It is the intent of the Preschool to handle all grievances internally within 2-days, but in the event you may require additional clarification you may contact the Pastor of St. John’s.

Fund Raisers/ Projects

St. John’s Little Hands Preschool is using Kwik Trip’s, “Milk Moola” dairy items as one of our Fund-raises. We are asking everyone to save the “Milk Moola”, milk bag tops, bottle caps…. When we send in the tops, we receive 5 cents per top/cap for our school. Kwik Trip is a gas station/store. We also save Campbell’s labels, look on the packages for the “Campbell Soup Kid” (read the package to see what needs to be saved/cut from the package.) We have a coupon booklet…. We have containers in our classroom for these items.

Spring Garage Sale: in April

Lumber Jack Days Parade: July, join us in the parade

Washington County Fair: August, work at our booth

Ask our teacher for more information about these fund-raises. We need some parental help with these Fund raiser projects.

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Handbook

St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church

5274 Stillwater Blvd. N.

Lake Elmo/Stillwater, MN 55082