Our Classrooms
The Power of Play: Found in our Classrooms
The philosophy of SPELC is guided learning with progressively higher expectations as children mature, combined with developmentally appropriate periods of free play.
The children are exposed to a variety of thematic activities, both child and teacher directed, that encourage exploration of ideas and the mastering of basic skills; social, physical, emotional, creative and spiritual. The children are also encouraged to use art and language to express themselves.
To determine which class your child should be in,
please use your child’s age as of October 1st of each year.
Pearl Class: 1-2 years old
Our youngest age group is a great introduction to the SPELC program. They learn to play and socialize with other children their age.
PEARL 1: Child to Teacher Ratio: 5/2
PEARL 2: Child to Teacher Ratio: 5/2
1 to 2 year olds at SPELC mastering basic skills
Ruby Class: 2 – 3 years old
The Ruby Class is the right step in your Toddler’s development to show creativity, imagination, curiosity and desire to learn.
RUBY 1: Child to Teacher Ratio: 5/2
2 – 2 ½ years old
RUBY 2: Child to Teacher Ratio: 8/2
2 ½ – 3 years old
Creative skills being practiced in Ruby class at SPELC
Emerald Class: 3 – 4 years old
Our Emerald Class is the perfect solution to help your child demonstrate independence and observe and make discoveries on their own.
EMERALD: Child to Teacher Ratio: 2 classes available
Emerald 1: 10/2 ratio plus a parent volunteer
Emerald 2: 16/2 ratio plus a parent volunteer
Emerald class using social skills to share at SPELC
Pre-Kindergarten Class: 4 – 5 years old
The Pre-K Classrooms are designed to promote kindergarten preparedness by ensuring your child has the skills needed to succeed in kindergarten.
Pre-K 1 and 2: Child to Teacher Ratio: 2 classes available
Pre-K 1: 12/2 ratio plus a parent volunteer
Pre-K 2: 20/2 ratio plus a parent volunteer
Pre-K class learning academic skills at SPELC
PEARL information continued…
PEARL 1: Child to Teacher Ratio: 5/2
1 – 1 1/2 years old
PEARL 2: Child to Teacher Ratio: 5/2
1 1/2 – 2 years old
- Ability to separate from parents
- Feels comfortable coming to school
- Beginning handwashing
- Sits still for snack, lunch, and projects
- Able to transition from place to place
- Explores, investigates and participates in classroom activities
- Imitates or uses words to express wants, needs and desires
- Complies with simple commands
- Able to listen attentively to and enjoy simple stories
- Uses small muscles to complete tasks
- Guide children to begin learning appropriate interaction with other children
- Introduction to colors, shapes, markers, crayons, and paintbrushes
- Able to sit still for story time and Chapel
- Guide children to begin to learn how to clean up after snack and lunch, and clean up toys
RUBY information continued…
RUBY 1: Child to Teacher Ratio: 5/2
2 – 2 ½ years old
RUBY 2: Child to Teacher Ratio: 8/2
2 ½ – 3 years old
Follows the same expectations for the Pearl Class.
In addition:
- Introduction to scissors
- Children begin to clean up lunch and put away lunch box
- Uses small muscles to complete tasks: turn pages of a book, stacks blocks, scribbles with a crayon or marker
- Recalls words to a song or finger play
- Follows simple directions
- Shows an interest and participates in classroom activities
- Helps maintain classroom environment (picks up after self)
- Can accept shared attention
- Throws an object in the intended direction, beginning to catch a ball or beanbag
- Able to run without tripping, walks & climbs without falling
- Uses small muscles to complete tasks; string beads; put blocks into containers
- Able to sort large shapes, do simple puzzles
- Shows creativity, imagination, curiosity and desire to learn
- Able to make believe with objects
- Beginning to imitate writing and drawing in circular motion
EMERALD information continued…
EMERALD: Child to Teacher Ratio: 2 classes available
3 – 4 years old
Emerald 1: 10/2 plus a parent volunteer
Emerald 2: 16/2 plus a parent volunteer
Follows the same expectations for the Pearl & Ruby Classes.
In addition:
- Sit for circle time, story time and Chapel
- Sit at table thru entire snack and lunchtime
- Show responsibility for personal belongings
- Introduction to using scissors, being able to cut independently by the end of the year
- Make simple comparisons
- Show persistence in doing tasks
- Longer attention span, able to complete simple tasks
- Arrange things in a simple series
- Begin to show awareness of cause and effect relationships
- Begin to observe and make discoveries on own
- Follow two-step directions
- Talks and interacts with children during daily activities
- Participates in routine activities easily (comes to circle time, snack time, or other routine activities without much delay or protest)
- Demonstrates increasing independence
- Works cooperatively with others on completing a task
- Able to catch a large ball or beanbag
- Runs with control over direction and speed
- Can hop
- Shows balance in use of large muscles (walks along a line, on tiptoes, balances and hops on one foot)
- Learning problem solving
- Identifies by name a wide range of objects
- Makes increasingly representational drawings
- Uses writing and drawing tools with control and intention
Pre-K information continued…
Pre-K 1 and 2: Child to Teacher Ratio: 2 classes available
4 – 5 years old
Pre-K 1: 12/2 plus a parent volunteer
Pre-K 2: 20/2 plus a parent volunteer
Follows the same expectations for the Pearl, Ruby and Emerald Classes.
In addition:
- Name recognition
- First name written with upper and lower case letters
- Upper and lower case alphabet recognition
- Number recognition from 0 to 12
- Basic mathematics concepts
- Grouping objects that are similar
- Understanding comparisons such as: larger/smaller, taller/shorter, heavier/lighter, wider/narrower, up/down, left/right, under/over
- Color recognition
- Shape recognition
- Science for exploration and fun (What happens if?, Why does this happen?, etc.)
- How does Jesus want us to treat our friends? How does Jesus want us to act?
- Manners (please and thank you)
- Independent exploration of activities/centers
- Dramatic play
- Listens for at least 10 minutes at a time
- Shares verbally in front of a group
- Creates with a variety of art mediums, both directed as well as undirected
- Follows 2 and 3 step directions without intervention
- Adjusts easily to changes in daily routine
- Acceptance of not always being first or winning
- Shares attention and toys
- Finds more than one solution to a problem
- Shows awareness of roles people play in society
- Makes increasingly representational drawings
- Bounces a ball and catches it
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