Cindy Wheeler will teach kindergarten at St. Mary School this year.

St. Mary School is expanding its kindergarten program for the 2013-14 school year – and shifting its faculty around to accommodate its new transitional kindergarten class.
“A transitional kindergarten program will provide the kindergartners with a readiness year that is developmentally appropriate and will better prepare them for success once they enter traditional kindergarten,” said Principal Kim Shields of St. Mary School.
The transitional kindergarten class – the first year of St. Mary School’s two-year, full-day kindergarten program that begins this fall – “is designed for children who aren’t ready for kindergarten and will help them make the transition to kindergarten easier,” according to the school’s press release.
Eligible children must turn 4 by Sept. 1, 2013. Applications are available for the transitional kindergarten program and for all grades at the SMS office, located at 7900 Church St. in Gilroy.
Patti Littlejohn, who co-taught kindergarten for the past seven years, will lead the inaugural transitional kindergarten program, which is designed to bridge the gap between preschool and kindergarten by “giving children more time for hands-on, interactive learning.” It will offer math, pre-reading and pre-writing, computer, movement, music and cooking.
Extended care is available as well. It also will provide students with Catholic faith formation and Christian values and beliefs that will be integrated throughout the program daily.
Cindy Wheeler, who formerly taught first grade at SMS, will teach kindergarten this school year. Mena Donavan, who was the SMS first grade aide, will teach first grade this school year.
Bobbi Green, who has taught kindergarten for the past 25 years at St. Mary School, will help develop a structured resource program for the school.
Additional faculty changes include: Christopher Eaton, a teacher with the San Jose Diocese for the past eight years, will teach fourth grade, and Heidi Wierzba, who taught fourth grade at SMS last year, will teach third grade.
St. Mary School is a Catholic school, accredited by the Western Association of Schools & Colleges and the Western Catholic Educational Association. It provides a Catholic education with an emphasis on core subjects for students from kindergarten through 8th grade.

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