Learning at Apple’s Preschool at New Jerusalem Church in Lower Saucon Township is both an excellent foundation for kindergarten success and fun!
Educationally, children benefit from smaller class sizes–particularly in their formative years, when individual attention from a teacher can make a huge difference in their learning down the road.
Apple’s Preschool at New Jerusalem Church in Lower Saucon Township prides itself on providing the smaller class sizes and thoughtfully-developed, personalized instruction that help little ones become well-prepared for kindergarten.
The preschool–which is conveniently located off Rt. 412, south of Hellertown–offers a 3-year-old class for up to 12 students on Monday and Tuesday mornings from 9 to 11:30 a.m. and Monday and Tuesday afternoons from 12:30 to 3 p.m.
Pre-K classes are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 to 11:30 a.m. or 12:30 to 3 p.m., and can accommodate enrollment of up to 14 or more students.
The morning Pre-K class currently has 12 students and the afternoon class has five students, school director Shani Fassbender (“Miss Shani”) said, adding that parents have the option to enroll their children in a customized full-day pre-kindergarten program (morning and afternoon classes).
Miss Shani emphasized that the preschool is nondenominational, although some church members’ children do attend, and other families have joined the church after their children were preschool students.
Most of the students are from the Saucon Valley area, but Center Valley, Allentown, Bethlehem and Upper Bucks County are also areas that feed into Apple’s Preschool.
Each new student receives a learning assessment during the first few weeks of class, and all students receive mid-year assessments.
Students in the morning Pre-K class play a game of “Hot Potato.”
“I constantly send information home so their parents know if their child needs a little help,” Miss Shani said. “I want them to be able to see where they are with their writing, their counting…”
Given the young age of the students, most daily classroom activities are foundationally simplistic, including coloring, focusing on a particular letter of the alphabet (“Alphabet Soup”), stamping, journaling and other types of arts and crafts to help increase dexterity.
Each day begins with “Circle Time,” which includes counting, recognizing which day of the week it is, talking about the weather and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
“The kids love it,” Miss Shani said of the Pledge. “As an American citizen you should know it.”
Learning is always fun at Apple’s Preschool! Pictured: Students dressed up for “Crazy Clothes Day.”
After Circle Time the children in the larger class break up into groups of four and rotate between stations for approximately 15 minutes at a time, which ensures that they get a chance to do everything. The day ends with snack time, story time, and “music and movement,” which can involve anything from interactive songs to playing “Hot Potato” to musical chairs.
Visitors sometimes drop by the school–such as Lower Saucon Township volunteer firefighters, who visited in March, and “Mystery Readers,” who are community members who’ve volunteered for story time duty–and field trips to places like Trauger’s Farm Market in October and DeSales University’s Children’s Theater in April further expose fertile young minds to arts, culture and more outside the classroom.
“We just want to get them ready for kindergarten,” Miss Shani stressed, adding that the preschool has become more curriculum-focused and structured during her 13 years there. She is assisted by Katrina Fenstermacher, who was once a student and is now a full-time staff member at the preschool.
Variety means learning is never boring at Apple’s Preschool.
Apple’s Preschool’s school year begins a week after Saucon Valley’s starts (i.e. after Labor Day) and ends in mid-June. The school follows Saucon Valley School District in terms of weather-related closings and delays, but is open during in-service days.
There is always open enrollment, so children can start class at any time.
Potty-training is recommended for children entering the 3-year-old program, but the use of pull-ups is fine, Miss Shani said.
Children with allergies to certain foods can be–and are–accommodated, with the Apple’s Preschool currently operating within a “peanut-free zone” because of a student’s allergy, she added.
Parents are kept informed through a monthly newsletter that highlights the previous month’s activities and upcoming events, including student birthdays, and at the end of each year each family receives an individualized, bound yearbook as a memento of the school year.
“We do so much, and every day’s different,” Miss Shani said.
Tuition, she pointed out, is competitive, and has remained the same for the past two years, with no increase forecast for next year. The school’s registration fee is just $25.
To learn more about enrollment in Apple’s Preschool, or schedule a visit, parents should call Miss Shani at 267-377-6570, email sh***@rc*.com or send a message through the school’s Facebook page, which is regularly updated.
Please see below for several testimonials from the families of Apple’s Preschool students.
A “Mystery Reader” reads a story to Apple’s Preschool students.
Students hunted for Easter eggs outside the school on a warm March day.
Parachute play is an activity at Apple’s Preschool in Lower Saucon Township.