St. Paul's Episcopal Nursery School



Children’s development proceeds in a hierarchy, with new skills and knowledge building upon previously learned skills, tasks, and developmental milestones. It is, therefore, important that the teacher’s plans facilitate an appropriate level of challenge for each group. Our classes are divided into parent/toddlers, 2 1/2 year olds, 3 year olds, and 4 & 5 year olds.

Teachers plan neighborhood walks outside of the school premises as they wish and as weather permits. The Director always is notified prior to a class taking a neighborhood walk so that he/she is informed about the destination and expected length of the walk. Teachers also take first-aid supplies and a cellular phone with them on the walk, and children always use the sidewalk or designated path while walking to and from the outing. Additionally, parents are required to sign a release form at the beginning of the year that gives permission for their child to take neighborhood walks.

Teachers plan field trips to enhance the experience of the class. Each trip is decided independently of other classes, is at the teacher’s discretion, and is based on the group of children and the relevance to classroom interests and curriculum. Most school field trips are taken by the classes of older children (4- and 5-year olds). A notice of the upcoming field trip is posted on the teacher’s bulletin board outside of the classroom. St. Paul’s makes every attempt to minimize the cost of the field trip to families, and any cost that the family would have to incur will be included in the notice.

Each child must be accompanied by an adult other than the
teacher(s) at all times during a field trip. Families are welcome to bring their other children on an outing upon prior approval from the teacher.

Permission slips are distributed for parental signature before each trip. Families or their designated guardian as noted on the permission slip are responsible for transporting their child to and from the field trip.