We truly believe that children learn through interactions with their surrounding environment and through hands-on experience. With a strong supportive environment, children will be able to make and express choices and will participate in playful activities with a learning purpose.

Average Class Size: 18

Each classroom has a teacher and at least one teacher, assistant.

Students must be completely potty trained to participate in this program.

Rest time is essential for our little learners, and is provided each day from 12:30 until 1:15 p.m. Nap mats are provided by student’s families and used by students to either sleep or rest quietly during this time.

Our Young 5 students are expected to wear our defined school uniform. There are many options for parents, including a school closet with gently used clothing to get your student started. 

Although the program is Monday – Friday, Fridays are optional for our Young 5ers. We know and understand that a five-day school week might be tiring for our youngest learners, so Friday is considered an optional day. This must be declared at the beginning of the year, and there is not an adjustment to tuition.

Monday - Friday

7:45 am - Meet in Cafeteria for Elementary Convocation: Prayer, Song & Sign, Pledge of Allegiance, God Bless America, Parents are welcome to attend convocation with their student or drop them off in the cafeteria with their teacher.

8:00                          Arrival in Classroom and Morning Work

8:30-8:50                Calendar, Daily Chain, & Question of the Day

8:50-9                      Bathroom & Drink Break

9:00-9:15                Story and Transition to Stations

9:15-10:15              Stations (Literacy & Math)

10:15-10:30            Prayer & Snack

10:30-11:30            Free Choice Play

11:30-12:30            Lunch and Recess

12:30-1:15              Rest Time

1:10-2:10                Whole Group Activity (Letter of the week/number, social studies, science)

2:10-2:30                Recess

2:30-2:40                Closing Activity

2:50                          Dismissal

• Fleming Farm Field Trip
• Holiday Class Parties
• Question of the Day
• Classroom Jobs
• Show and Tell
• Individual Portfolio
• Use of iPad
• Computer Lab
• Library Time
• Music & Gym Class

Due to the unique size of our school, our youngest learners are exposed to a wide range of whole school activities, including pep rallies, weekly mass, school plays, and other activities.

The St. Mary Cathedral School Young 5 Program was designed to meet and exceed the Michigan Grade Level Content Expectations (GLCE) and their defined and rigorous curriculum framework.

The SMCPS’s Young 5 curriculum is based on language arts, self-care, social and emotional skills in addition to math, science, social studies...

Language Arts: Listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.

Self-Care: Zipping and buttoning jackets, care for their belongings, and managing snack and clean up time.

Social and Emotional Skills: Learning how to work with new friends, interact appropriately with other children, enjoy group games and turn taking, follow classroom rules and routines, and complete tasks both as a group and individual.

Math, Science and Social Studies: learning stations, calendar, counting, and number recognition.

St. Mary Cathedral Parish and School Young 5’s Curriculum Goals:

• Recognize and write first and last name
• Be able to identify Uppercase and Lowercase letters
• Retell stories using pictures clues
• Follow two to three step directions
• Write numbers zero through 10/15
• Name and match shapes and colors
• Understand relational concepts (up, down, big, little)
• Hold writing tool with appropriate grip
• Express/Communicate needs, wants, and ideas
• Respond to a question with a response that is on topic
• Demonstrate self-care and maintain self-control
• Introduce and develop Pre-Primer sight words
• Understand concepts of counting, patterns, graphing, addition and subtraction

As a Catholic school, our mission drives our daily activities. “St. Mary Cathedral School is dedicated to nurturing a lifelong discipleship in the Lord, promoting academic excellence, and cultivating God-given talents”. As a result, students are engaged in daily prayer, religion activities and lessons, weekly mass, Bible Stories, visits to our chapel and cathedral and daily reflection on our Catholic Faith. Our program provides an opportunity for children to be involved in prayer and other religious activities in conjunction with our Catholic Christian values.

For more information about our parish.