Kerry Leard
Preschool
Becoming a teacher of young children has always been a dream of Kerry Leard. During the first year of preschool, students go through many positive changes. There are many developmental milestones to be met for children from the ages of 2.9 to 4.5 years old. Through play and supervised learning activities, students gain more confidence and become more independent. Mrs. Leard says that one of the most rewarding parts of teaching preschool is the moment a child exclaims, “I can do it!” after watching him/her struggle with a particular task.
Mrs. Leard’s classroom is warm and inviting to her students. There is plenty to do and many areas where children can discover, learn and grow in a positive and loving environment. Mrs. Leard is at the door each morning with a smile and hug if needed. The preschooler’s day is filled with stimulating activities and lots of socialization. At the end of each day, a handwritten note is tucked into each child’s backpack informing the parent of the activities of their child’s day.
"I can’t tell you how much that note means to me. My son doesn’t say much about his day and it’s so great to read what went on. When I mention something about the day to him – like a book they read or an activity they did –he lights up and tells me all about it.” Peter Gailunas, parent.
Mrs. Leard’s nurturing nature shines through in her description of the children’s first week of school.
"This week in Preschool we enjoyed our first week together. The children started school on Monday. They were introduced to their classroom centers such as the circle area where we gather for songs, dances, fingerplays, calendar and weather updates, stories, and theme introductions. They also explored the art, housekeeping, blocks and building, library, table toys and science centers.
We started the year off learning about rainbows, friendship, and worked on recognizing our names. We have a class pet named "Rojo." He is a red Betta fish. We also have a class mascot named "Peter." Peter will be spending weekends with the children very soon. This stuffed bear will be bringing a journal back to the classroom which will tell the exciting tales of Peter's adventures with his friends from St. Peter Academy Preschool.” Later in September, there was a week best titled “A” is for Apples Week .
"This week in Preschool we started learning about the letter "A" and what words have the "A" sound. The main focus of our week was apples. The children were treated to many stories such as Big Red Apple, The Mouse and the Big Red Apple, and The Apple Pie Tree. They learned how to find a star inside an apple after hearing an old Norwegian folk tale about the Round Red House.
Our senses were stimulated by comparing different kinds of apples. We hypothesized how many seeds were in an apple. We also made an apple graph showing what is each child's favorite color apple. Mrs. Leahy came in to make applesauce with us and we learned how to remove the cores. Everyone had a turn adding apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon to the crock pot. When the apples were soft, we put the mixture into a food mill and ground it all up. Boy, was that a good treat!
We got messy painting this week. We used the apples that we did not eat to create apple stamp pictures. The children made apple trees with their arms and fingers. We used Q-tips to paint apples for our class "tree" and had an impromptu marching band when the apple shakers were finished.
Some of our best fun was playing games. We did fingerplays and sang apple songs. Our favorite game was "Ten Red Apples." The children had to pick numbered apples to figure out where the "tricky" worm was hiding.”
Upon graduation from preschool, Mrs. Leard and the St. Peter’s family have a beautiful ceremony in the schoolyard. Mrs. Leard gives each student’s family a personalized yearbook with photos of their children and mementos of accomplishments and goals they have achieved. Everyone attending the graduation is treated to a performance of songs that the children have prepared. Not only does each student receive a certificate of achievement from the Principal, but they each receive a beach pail filled with treats as well. It’s a wonderful day for all and a special time to mark the beginning of their educational journey at St. Peter Academy. Mrs. Leard’s dedication and commitment to her students proves itself in the faces of self-confident and happy graduates.