Welcome to the St Mark Preschool Homepage!
3230 Lake Otis Parkway
Anchorage, AK 99508
(907) 274-8041
e-mail: preschool@stmarkalaska.org
Welcome! And thank you for your interest in St Mark's Preschool
Openings still available at St Mark's Preschool - see below for more details...
St Mark Preschool is now accepting registrations for Fall 2008.
There are lots of creative centers for hands-on learning, story telling, music, play time, chapel and tons of other fun stuff in an atmosphere designed for optimum learning.
No one is absolutely sure who has more fun - the children or the teachers!
Our Mission:
We believe that each child is a unique gift of God with individual needs, personalities and abilities. Children of all races and creeds are readily accepted and respected. We try to instill a positive and healthy self-image in each child through the love and care of the staff members and our program. We strive to use and adapt our program to fit the child as an individual in a loving and positive Christian atmosphere.
Our Philosophy:
St. Mark Preschool offers a program in which children may grow and learn under the leadership of Christian educators. We believe that each child is a unique gift of God with individual needs, personalities and abilities. Children of all creeds are readily accepted. We try to instill a positive and healthy self-image in each child through the love and care of the staff members and our program. We hold the deepest respect for every child regardless of ethnic origin, religion, creed or gender.
We encourage a growing relationship with Jesus Christ by modeling, teaching, and practicing age-appropriate components of spiritual development.
Our program offers an inclusive, anti-bias curriculum and policies that reflect the diversity of children and families in our community.
Parent involvement is welcome and appreciated. There are numerous ways in which parents can assist and support the program and the teachers.
Staff
Teachers at St. Mark Preschool hold degrees in education, early childhood development, special education and have many years of experience in teaching. We are committed to exceeding the standards set by the State of Alaska Department of Education and the Evangelical Lutheran Education Association.
Administrator/Teacher: Carolyn Cope. Carolyn is married to Steve. She holds a degree in elementary education as well as in early childhood/child development. She has been teaching for over 30 years, more than 20 of those in a preschool setting. She and Steve have lived in Alaska since 1974.
Teacher: Bonnie Sherwood. Bonnie is married to Todd and is the mother of 2. She has over 25 years of teaching experience, including home schooling her daughters, both of whom are now honor students. She has a degree in child development/early childhood with a special education emphasis and 2 years of Bible college with a specialization in Christian education. She and her family have lived in Alaska since 1989.
Music Teacher: Kimberly Carlson. Kimberly, husband, David, and four children have lived in Alaska since 1995. All four children have attended St. Mark Preschool. As a professional music teacher, she has over 30 years of studying, performing, and teaching music. She directs musicals in her home church and has a wealth of experience working with children.
Classes
Each program at St. Mark provides children with opportunities for learning in both small and large group settings. Ample free choice time is provided with a wide range of learning materials, puzzles, games and individual activities. Areas of domestic play, blocks, art and quiet reading are also available during free choice time.
Classes run from September to May. We close for federal holidays and follow the Anchorage School district calendar as closely as possible.
Three year olds: Tuesday and Thursday 9:00 - 11:30 AM
Some basic goals of the program are:
Introduction to cooperative play to promote both social skills and language development.
Foster listening skills in a group learning situation.
Encourage creativity with a variety of art materials.
Introduction to colors, numbers, letter sounds and basic scissor skills.
Many opportunities for music, stories, movement, puppets and dramatic play.
Four and Five year olds: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9:00 - 11:30 AM OR 12:30 - 3:00 PM
In addition to those of the younger class, some of the goals of this program are:
Further development in small motor skills with scissors and writing implements.
Practice developing social skills by learning to take turns, listen to each other, wait in line, make appropriate choices and cooperate.
Confidence building with leadership, self-help skills and participation in classroom chores.
Early mathematics and pre-reading skills for kindergarten readiness.
Basic music theory, rhythm, instruments and singing.
History of St. Mark Preschool
In the year 1980, St. Mark Lutheran Church had a dream. That dream began with a promise made by the congregation at the baptism of each child to educate them in the faith. From that promise, a desire grew to provide children with a preschool where they could grow physically, emotionally, intellectually, creatively and spiritually. In 1981 that dream and desire became St. Mark Preschool.
The faithful people of St. Mark Lutheran Church created a welcoming place where families could bring their children. Jesus Christ opened his arms and gathered the children around Him in the same way St. Mark Preschool has chosen to do. For more than 25 years, through dedication to educational ministry and faithfulness to the Gospels, St. Mark Preschool has touched the lives of countless children and their families.
St. Mark Preschool will continue to reach out to children and families and provide age appropriate learning in an environment of Christian love and care.
Below are St Mark Preschool documents that may be downloaded for your information and convenience
(note: these documents are in Adobe
Acrobat format. If you do not have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader
installed on your computer, click on this logo to download the reader:
St Mark Preschool Registration
St Mark Preschool Tuition Form
Scenes in and around St Mark Preschool
Chapel time with Pastors Rick and Bimen
Learning to pour
Learning to work with scissors Learning to count
Learning to share and play together
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