St. Thomas is Lighting the Way for our children's future by giving them the opportunity to attend a Catholic pre school. Even our youngest children can begin learning about God along with their pre-school experience. Little Saints Pre School is an extension of St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic School but is located at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church at 1027 McHenry Avenue in Crystal Lake. Classes are scheduled for 2 1/2 hour sessions in either the morning or afternoon. 3 year olds meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays while the 4 year olds meet on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. !

Little Saints Pre-School gives our young children experience in sharing information with show and tell, calendar time, weather discussions, and short language arts/phonics learning time. Fine motor skills are developed with table time activities: games, puzzles, math activities and special projects. Skills in following directions, listening and memory are reinforced through simple lessons in science, social studies, science, and of course Religion. During Religion, students learn about Jesus through Bible stories, song and Catholic prayers.

If St. Thomas School is closed due to weather or any other reason, we will also be closed. St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic School is registered with the Emergency Closing Center and will be broadcast on local TV and radio stations. Students of St. Thomas and Little Saints are registered with Honeywell Emergency Broadcast and will be notified via this system for school closings as well as other important announcements. Please be sure to access their site and amend your registration with cell, work and other emergency notification numbers.

One of the many roles of a pre-school teacher is to help the children grow in self-discipline and self-control. We use redirection as a means of calming the child and removing them from a situation if inappropriate behavior is displayed. We feel parent communication is important. If the behavior does continue, we would notify the parent for further discussion. Action to overcome inappropriate behavior:

1. Speak with the child to discuss the behavior and redirect child
2. If the behavior continues, discussion with parent/guardian to develop an individual plan for behavior
3. If behavior continues, we may use a brief time out for some time to think about what just happened
4. If behavior persists, parents and teacher will discuss what is best for the child and the whole class