SHAPING HEARTS TO BE LIKE HIS
At Fortis Academy, your children will be entering a safe environment where they will learn to love God, His creations, and develop the academic skills that will prepare them for kindergarten. Our MDO program is designed for children ages 3 to 5 years old and meets two days a week – M/W or T/TH.
PHILOSOPHY
Nurturing a Christ-like character and enriching development in all areas – spiritual, emotional, physical, social, and cognitive – is the purpose of our Mother’s Day Out program. Our goal is to work with families to help foster positive independence, love for God and man, and a love for learning during the formative pre-kinder years.
CLASSICAL CHRISTIAN
- Focuses on developing a sense of wonder about God’s world and for learning
- Teaches children to love what is good, true, and beautiful
- Inspires children to love God
LANGUAGE RICH
- Read-aloud and interaction with lots of books
- Exposure to great classical literature
- Develop pre-reading skills through the teaching of basic phonics
- Explore God’s creation and develop an appreciation of nature
- Develop number sense through experiences with math manipulatives
- Memorizing scripture and beautiful poetry
- Safe environment (Students and parents should all feel safe and loved!)
ENGAGING
- Children should love learning!
- Hands on activities
- “Is it cute or does it count?” Projects will have developmental purpose.
- Develop fine motor and gross motor skills
CHARACTER TRAINING
- Regard others as equals (Treat classmates with kindness)
- Respect God’s authorities (Follow school rules/procedures))
- Reverence for God and His Word (Participate in prayer; Listen attentively to Bible stories)
GOALS
- Building self-control and attention spans
- Developing fine motor and gross motor skills
- Encouraging a love of learning (and reading)
- Social skill building through the introduction of Biblical character traits
- Building respect for God’s Word and His authorities
- Developing book/text sense
- Phonetic awareness through the introduction of phonograms
- Develop proper pencil grip and beginning handwriting skills
- Begin pre-reading skills and introduction to short vowel words
- Develop a good understanding of number sense
Daily Schedule:
8:40-9:00 – Drop off & Morning Activity
9:00-9:30 – Circle Time (Bulletin board, Songs, Story)
9:30-10:00 – Potty/AM Snack & Bible Story
10:00-10:30 – Recess
10:30-11:30 – Whole Group (Letters, Numbers, Colors, Shapes)
11:30-12:15 – Potty/Lunch
12:15-1:00 – Rest Time
1:00-1:45 – Potty/Outdoor Free Play
1:45-2:00 – Potty/PM Snack
2:00-2:45 – Centers
2:45-3:00 – Pack up & Dismissal
Hours of Operation: Monday-Wednesday and Tuesday/Thursday (9am – 3pm). August-May (Check current school calendar). Doors open at 8:45 am. Pick up in-person by 2:45 pm. Car pick up is from 3-3:15pm.
Parent Teacher Communication: Weekly newsletters and or emails will include information about upcoming events as well as classroom learning. Parents are encouraged to use this information for discussion with their child to reinforce what is being taught. Questions or concerns can be addressed through the teacher’s school email, or by contacting the teacher to schedule a meeting.
Parent Visitation and Volunteers: Fortis Academy Mother’s Day Out has an Open Door Policy. You may visit the classroom during any time of operation. We encourage you to be a part of your child’s classroom experience through various volunteer opportunities. These opportunities may include helping with class parties, assisting with special art projects, presentations in areas of special interest, and other various activities.
Discipline: God’s purpose for discipline is precise; it is to bring about the peaceful fruit of righteousness (Hebrews 12:11). We practice positive reinforcement through encouraging words and practices. Students are treated with respect and love.
Clothing: Children should be dressed in play clothes that are appropriate for the season and the weather conditions. Please remember that your child will be involved in many activities, some of which may be messy. Please make sure not to dress your child in clothing that they are unable to reasonably manage to go to the bathroom. Close-toed shoes are best suited for school activities. We recommend that you apply a long lasting sunscreen before school during times of the year your child might be susceptible to sunburn. Each child will need to have an “emergency” set of clothing to be left in the classroom or backpack in case of an accident or spill. Please label all articles of clothing.
Lunch / Snack / Water: Each child will need to bring a sack lunch that does not require heating or refrigeration, and a light, non-sugary morning and afternoon snack. Please pack your child’s snack in the small snack bag provided. Please send a full water bottle each day for your child to use at lunch, snack, and outside time. Due to various allergies and diet restrictions, children will not be permitted to share or exchange lunch or snack items. Please label your child’s lunch box and water bottle.
Toys: Our classrooms have many developmentally appropriate toys for your child to use during the day. We welcome children to bring their toys on “Show and Tell” days. If they have a favorite nap time Snuggie, they may bring it as well.
Rest Time: All children will have a quiet time after lunch and are encouraged to rest. Lights will be lowered and older students will be required to be on their “comfortable mat” while a selection is read from chapter books. Younger students will be required to lie down on their mat and quiet music will be played. Rest time will be over for anyone not napping after 20 minutes of still, quiet rest. One special rest item, such as a favorite blanket, will be allowed at this time. Children may bring a foldable kindermat or preschool size pallet for use during this time. Please label your mat.
Potty: All children must be potty trained to enroll in Mother’s Day Out. The class will take several potty breaks throughout the day when each child will be required to “try” to use the potty. In addition to class restroom breaks, your child will be taken to the potty individually at anytime during the day that they have a need. In the case that your child has a potty accident, you will be contacted immediately to clean/change them. Please make sure that we have your current contact information.
Medications: All children are required to have a signed permission slip before medication can be administered. Medication must be in the original container with instructions on dosage and times to be administered. If it is prescription medication, the child’s name must be on the prescription label. When possible, coordinate dosing to prevent a need for medication during school hours.
Illness: Children may not be brought to school if they are ill. We are depending on you to help us maintain this policy. Parents will be notified to pick up their children immediately if signs of illness occur during the day. An ill child may not come to class if one or more of the following exist:
The illness prevents the child from participating comfortably in class activities. Fever (within the last 24 hrs). Diarrhea (within the last 24 hrs). Children will be sent home after two incidents of diarrhea in one day. Vomiting (within the last 24 hrs). Impetigo (until all lesions have healed). Pink eye (24 hrs after antibiotic has been administered). Strep throat or sore throat (24 hrs after antibiotic has been administered). Head Lice (all nits removed from hair and proper cleaning treatment received). Chicken Pox (at least one week after eruptions appear or until all lesions are dry). Rash Other communicable disease.
Field Trips: Although field trips are a great way to enhance a child’s learning, our board has decided that the liability risk is too high to take any chances with your child. In lieu of field trips, we will be bringing in special events that correlate with themes being taught in the classroom.
Siblings: Due to liability, it is the policy of Fortis Academy for non-enrolled siblings/children to be carefully supervised by parents while on school grounds. This includes classrooms, playground, and parking lot.
Please contact Fortis Academy or check online for current tuition and registration rates.
