Hi, I am a preschooler at the HJIS Early Learning Centre. I would like to tell you about a day in the life of a preschooler and how much we enjoy being here.

We arrive at school after 8 a.m. in the morning. Some of us come with our parents and others with a teacher on the school bus. We line up nicely at the hallway before the morning meeting starts at 8:30.

The morning meeting is a time we look forward to; we do calendar and weather routine, show and tell as well as discuss the planned activities for the day.  Also, two days a week the students participate in a Perceptual Motor Program in the gym. 

Then, from 9:00 to 9:40 we participate in teacher lead activities such as alphabet and numeracy practice where we do a lot about vocabulary development and problem solving skills. We like to learn new things from our teachers.

After that, from 9:40 to 10:25 we break into small groups to work in learning centres where we interact with concrete materials and accommodate for a variety of learning styles.  Twice a week during this time we have P. E. classes, where we play different games and learn the importance of exercise and staying healthy. 

At 10:25 until 10:45, our teachers help us use the bathroom and clean up.
From 10:45 to 11:25 preschool 4 students partake in lessons lead by our specialist teachers.  These lessons include: Art, Music, and Library, which not only gives us the opportunity to work with other teachers but our teachers to have some free time to rest or plan.

Lunch and recess is from 11:30 until 12:30 and then we have nap/quiet time from 12:30 until 1:30.  Some of us like to take the time to sleep while others choose to sit down quietly and read a nice picture book. Me? I am not into sleeping during daytime really!

Afternoons are spent in two ways, we either do independent learning centres or group work.  At the independent learning centres we dictate our own learning and our teachers observe us.  Group work is usually an Arts project which allows us to express ourselves creatively. 

At 2:20 we break for snack time and finish the day at 3:15 with a story and the afternoon meeting to review concepts and discuss the activities for tomorrow.
Well, last but not least, some of us stay for After School Programs. You can join an ASP unless you are at Preschool 3 –and of course too tired! If you are a bus rider, however, you need to wait at school until 4:20; that’s when the buses depart.

That was a typical day at school but please call our school office and make an arrangement to come and visit us: You will see the different fun activities we do every day with our friends and how much we enjoy being a preschooler at HJIS!