Kindergarten Curriculum:

      Our full day kindergarten at Our Lady of Mercy School promotes: a positive attitude toward learning and school, a positive self-concept, good citizenship, and love of God and Country.  Kindergarten at OLM encourages children to develop an ability to discover, to inquire, and to make decisions.  We build a strong foundation in the academic areas while enhancing creativity and enjoyment of life through music, art, and movement activities. 

Religious Education - Our basic teachings include: The Holy Family (Jesus, Mary, Joseph), families, the Church, what it means to be a Christian, self esteem, and friendship.

      Language Arts -The program incorporates language experiences through stories, poems, and songs.  We also place a strong emphasis on phonemic awareness.  Children are exposed to upper and lower case letters, letter sounds, sight words, listening skills, sequencing, left to right progression, poetry, similarities and differences, writing, opposites, and rhyming.

      Math - Children learn by doing!  The use of manipulatives is an integral part of each math lesson.  The children are able to clearly see concepts at work and the connections between them.  Some topics that are covered are as follows:  position/location, sorting/classifying, counting readiness, patterns, measurement, and number concepts (0-20).

      Science and Social Studies - Taught as an integral part of the kindergarten program, science and social studies involve many mini-units which are integrated in all of the academic areas.  Units include: seasons, community helpers, holidays, families, pets, our country and flag, homes, farms, magnets, weather, animals, five senses, seeds, plants, and insects. 

       Each week the children participate in a music, library, and computer class.  They also have physical education classes twice weekly and a health class biweekly.  Along with our regular program, we incorporate field trips that are integrated into the curriculum.  We encourage parents to assist in these activities.  Our kindergarten is a place where children develop by exploring the world around them and learn about the love of God, friends, and family.