The Solidarity School students participate in the learning process through exploration and discovery. Staffed by teachers who are bilingual and a student to teacher ratio of 6:1, our program emphasizes a developmentally appropriate approach to preschool education that encourages our students to lay the foundation for life-long learning.

Sensitive to the level of each child’s development, our learning methods foster creativity, an awareness of God, respect for self and others, a positive self-image, and a love of learning. Working in a partnership with families, students grow in a nurturing environment that enables each to realize their potential in these critical early years.

Key to the success of the Solidarity program is the introduction of the English language. Incrementally introduced, students leaving Solidarity have the foundation necessary for entry into kindergarten. A multi-sensory approach to thematic units allows for the incorporation of religion, language arts, math, science, social studies, art, music, and creative movement according to the developmental readiness of the student. A variety of outside enrichment opportunities are made available through visitors from our community including the local police, fire department, storytellers, and business organizations. Most important to the children are the independent schools that visit monthly and reinforce values and assist in our character development programs.

Students are evaluated using instruments that not only assess their academic performance, but also development growth. The program allows for a smooth transition into local kindergarten programs where ESL tracking is not necessary due to their proficiency in English and academics.

The Preschool program is designed to be an enriching learning experience suited to the developmental needs of young children. The curriculum adopts a "hands-on" approach to learning. It is important to the mission of Solidarity that our students develop an understanding of newness of community structures in the United States so that we assist in broadening than own experiences both within our school and in their families.

RELIGION – Christ our Life Series which develop a positive self-image in relationship to a loving God. Weekly visits to the chapel, beginning the day in prayer, K4J Virtue program facilitated by Holy Spirit Preparatory Lower School, and celebrating all the liturgical seasons of the calendar year brings faith alive for Solidarity students.

READING & LANGUAGE ARTS – Open Court, Carson –Dellosa, Mercer Mayer, as well as a host of supplemental resources guides the development of phonics and reading readiness

MATHEMATICS – REAL MATH and Mercer Mayer provide the foundation for the curriculum and allows for the development of knowledge that comes from the understanding of quantitative concepts

SCIENCE & SOCIAL STUDIES – Through supplemental materials and resources, the program allows for the development of a natural curiosity leading the child to question, investigate, manipulate, classify and report findings. Especially important to the students we serve is the celebration of the cultural diversity and traditions associated with their heritage.

ART – Develop creativeness and a sense of self-expression

MUSIC – Develop a love and appreciation for singing and rhythm

LANGUAGE – Develop appreciation for the Spanish language and culture

CREATIVE MOVEMENT – Develop both gross and fine motor skills including skills that directly contribute to early writing

PERSONAL AND SOCIAL SKILLS
 

The school keeps files on all students enrolled and finds most beneficial the records of those who have remained in the program for all three years when assessing experience and growth. Students not receiving benefits of all three years in the program enter at a disadvantage but efforts are made to maximize their exposure to the program during the time they are enrolled. The program provides the community with opportunities for early learning in a context of a nurturing environment, meeting each child’s intellectual, physical and spiritual needs. Outcomes related to the goals of the school are obvious when looking over individual records, achievements, developmental growth, English proficiency, and the level of care demonstrated by the faculty and staff.
 

Aware of the mission and goals of the school, how it is funded, resources are made available and used to maximize the day to day operations of the school. Essential to the school are its teachers who not only trained in early learning, but also have a strong foundation in their faith and an understanding of the culture of the community served by the school. Professional development, communication, and meetings are critical to the success of the Solidarity School and environment. Volunteers who provide support and enrichment to the program are essential. Important to note is the work of the volunteer child psychologist, speech pathologist, nutritionist, mentors, religious, and priests, as well as the parents who are always willing to give their time to the school. Referring to the many activities that enrich the program, the students are the beneficiaries of professionals who are willing to assist the children who might not otherwise have this advantage.

The success of the school is the result of the commitment of the teachers, parents, board and community. Student developmental scores continue to increase, families become more involved in Church related activities, English becomes proficient and students, barring any learning disabilities, are appropriately placed in kindergarten or first grade. Having flexibility to address needs other than those just associated with education, programs have been implemented related to dental health and nutrition while attempts are made to seek outside assistance in order to continue to meet the needs of the students in the school.
 

► Daily religion classes using Christ Our Life series

► Each day begins with prayer and ends with prayer. In addition, classes have opportunities to visit the chapel, make and write prayer requests, and say the blessing before their meals.

► Weekly Chapel is held with either a member of the clergy or is led by classroom teachers. The Solidarity School brings together the community with two Masses per calendar year.

► The "Kids for Jesus (K4J)" program introduces a virtue of the month. Holy Spirit Preparatory 5th grade students are buddies to all Solidarity students and come to the school the first week of the month to bring the designated virtue alive to the Solidarity students by using religiously oriented games and projects. These virtues are reinforced throughout the school day by teachers and members of the community.

► The school calendar celebrates all liturgical holiday and seasons. The feast of the Guardian Angel in October finds our little angels encompassed in the traditions of this feast. The season of Advent is highlighted with aspects that are unique to the culture of the Hispanic population. Our Lady of Guadalupe’s feast and the annual Posada reflect the cultural celebrations of the school’s community. Members of the clergy, Order of Malta, and entire community fill the chapel as students present the annual Christmas Pageant – a night when the true meaning of Christmas is experienced through the songs and lines of the preschool students. Catholic Schools Week provides days to honor the dedication of our clergy, faith-filled teachers, supportive parents, and school spirit. Lent allows our students to understand the sacrifice of Christ and the love of our Heavenly Father. Easter becomes a time of renewal and celebration of our faith and lives. Our year ends in the chapel with a Matriculation ceremony where Monsignor Dillon, members of the Order of Malta, and the entire community honors the students who will move on to their new schools.

The Solidarity School is consistent with the philosophy of Catholic education.

PHILOSOPHY OF CATHOLIC EDUCATION
The Solidarity School is based on the Christian concept of the human person. We believe that children are created in the image and likeness of God with a supernatural destiny in Christ. Our vision of the human person, therefore, is a vision of faith. This positive view of the created order gives rise to a series of fundamental educational principles. Foremost among them is the importance we give to the integral formation of every dimension of the human personality. Not only should we not undervalue the natural gifts that a person receives from God, but also we must develop them to their full potential.

An integral formation necessarily includes the proper formation of the mind. This does not consist only in a quantitative acquisition of knowledge, what we might call the accumulation of information. It implies the proper use of our ability to reason, penetrating the truth, and the ability to express balanced, true judgments about oneself, others, and the events of history, society, and culture. Intellectual formation must be complemented by the formation of the will, passions, sentiments, emotions, and all that goes to make up a person's character. Our school seeks to form students who will become masters of themselves in order that they might be capable of mastering their instincts, subjecting them to reason enlightened by faith.

We cannot overlook the role imagination plays, both in grasping concepts and ideas, and in personal creativity thus we also promote its development so as to achieve a creative personality that can express itself in diverse ways: in art, technical professions, and even in perceiving values and putting them into practice.

Conscience formation begins at a very young age and is of immense consequence since conscience provides the moral judgment of our acts and perceives the good to be done and the evil to be avoided. The intimate link between conscience and the perception and living out of moral values renders conscience a topic of capital importance in the formation of the person. Conscience discovers the moral character of human acts, their ethical dimension.

The area of value formation, intimately tied to conscience formation and is comprised of a vast array of human and social realities. There is a need for and importance of teaching young people to appreciate the values of justice and fairness, truthfulness, dialogue, responsibility, nobility of heart, mutual respect, and living in a manner consistent with one's principles- these are the foundation stones of any human community. Add to these virtues others that lend added perfection to the individual's human stature- good manners, sensitivity to others, etiquette, social grace, courtesy, kindness, generosity, and so forth.

Love is the whole purpose of education, and at the same time the overriding impulse that determines its execution. An education confined to a series of external rules, to patterns of behavior imposed from the outside, with no love to drive it, would be useless. In the very first encyclical of his pontificate, John Paul II himself reminded us that "man cannot live without love," that "he remains a being that is incomprehensible for himself, his life is senseless, if love is not revealed to him, if he does not encounter love, if he does not experience it and make it his own, if he does not participate intimately in it" (Redemptor Hominus,10).

One of our objectives at The Solidarity School has been to provide a level of individualized instruction for the children. The principle of personalized education derives from the fact that each person is unique, endowed by God with a combination of talents and gifts all his own. God does not create duplicates, nor does he "mass produce," especially in the case of free and spiritual creatures. Moreover, the life-circumstances of each individual are different depending on God given talents and the family, social, economic, cultural, emotional and moral setting he finds himself in. Education cannot be carried out en masse. It must be undertaken on a one-on-one, person-to-person basis.