St Martin's Pre-Primary School

riences to enhance the potential of every child. We value and promote mutual respect in relationships between pupils, teachers, parents, Church and the community. The child and the entire family and staff are nurtured through mutual concern, love and care. A well-researched programme, which is planned and organised carefully, is offered. Structured teacher-directed and free-choice play periods promote concept formation, language development, pre-reading, pre-writing and pre-maths skills, confidence, self-discipline, problem-solving, social skills, etc. Age-appropriate lessons include the following:

In exploring Music, the children learn about timbre/quality of sound, dynamics/loud and soft, pitch/high and low, tempo and notation, etc. These musical concepts are discovered through song, movement, instrumentation, verbal dynamics and creative activity. Functional Movement lessons promote muscular control and co-ordination, whilst consolidating intellectual concepts, e.g. body image, locomotion, eye-hand co-ordination, eye-foot co-ordination, ball skills, balance, climbing, etc. In Expressive Movement and Dance, the children use the body, how it moves, where it moves and how it moves in relationship with other individuals and groups in investigation. In Drama rings, the children dramatise a story, an event, an emotional experience, a fantasy scenario or a problem situation; the focus being the communication of ideas and feelings through words, sounds, actions and role play. Object Studies allow children to develop analytical skills whilst examining familiar objects. Language advancement is one of the most important aspects of early childhood education; our programme fosters the acquisition of vocabulary as well as the children's ability to articulate, to express their understanding and to use language creatively. Stories and Puppet Shows further enhance language skills and teachers illustrate these enjoyable experiences with pictures, charts, real objects and puppets - and lots of drama and theatrical sound effects! Active learning is encouraged and children explore and learn in various ways, i.e. discovering with the five senses, working with real objects, playing educational games, interpreting posters and expressing conceptual understanding through artwork; thereby allowing each child to progress in his/her own way and at his/her own pace.