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District News & Highlights
March 19, 2024
The Role of Play at Liberty Preschool
Liberty Preschool, housed within Lynwood Elementary, serves as the MSD Decatur Township preschool program. As stated on the Liberty Preschool webpage, “Our staff appreciates the privilege and the responsibility of educating Decatur's youngest students! We provide a nurturing atmosphere in which the differences of all children are respected.”
Susan Bryant, Director of Liberty Preschool, has been a teacher and administrator in Decatur Township for over three decades. Mrs. Bryant stresses the important role of “play” in early childhood education and the instruction provided at Liberty. “All research tells us that kids learn through exploring their environment and through play,” she explained. “We continuously increase the academic focus, but also provide plenty of time to learn through play in every school day.”
Mrs. Bryant, Liberty Preschool Director, and students
Ms. Charity Thomas shared further, “I love being a preschool teacher because when people ask me what I do, I can proudly say, ‘I play all day!’ Sometimes I get funny looks but, it's true! During play, children build strong cognitive skills, social skills, emotional regulation, and physical skills that are building a strong foundation for future skills they will need to learn later in school.”
Ms. Charity Thomas introduces a learning activity where students find plastic worms in paper dirt and then sort them by size: big or little.
“Play” in a preschool setting includes a variety of activities. The preschool schedules include time for students to independently choose activities with materials provided by the teacher. These materials are specifically designed to provide a rich experience in math, science, and/or additional skills. Ms. Charity explained the learning experience from playing with blocks, for example: “In the block area, they are not just building a tower and then very promptly kicking it down, they are working on their gross motor and fine motor skills. They are learning about spatial reasoning. They are working on hand-eye coordination and dexterity, problem solving skills. They are building a strong foundation to so many math and science skills, just by stacking blocks and kicking them down.”
Students play with blocks in Ms. Charity's classroom
Student plays with stuffed animals in Ms. Lacy's classroom
Mrs. Bryant shared that directed play is included in the school day as well. Teachers, Assistants, or Service Providers, such as a Speech Therapist, will guide or facilitate students during play, which is especially impactful to build language skills. When playing in a “house/kitchen” area for example, a staff member might prompt the student with a question like, “Will you cook me something?” or “Find a food that is green.” These prompts and the role playing that occurs build receptive and expressive vocabulary for students.
Frannie Yohler, Speech Language Coordinator and Therapst, facilitates play with a student in the classroom kitchen area, while building language skills.
The impact of play in the preschool classrooms is clear to see and hear from the smiles and laughter of Liberty students as they play and learn at school each day.
March 17, 2024
Liberty Preschool Registration
Open Registration for Liberty Preschool begins on April 1st, 2024!
Spaces are limited and will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis to families who do ALL of the following on or after April 1st:
1. Call 317-486-4203 and provide child's name, DOB, your name, and contact phone number
2. Register at decaturproud.org
3. Pay $50 registration fee and complete additional forms at the school.
*You will receive a confirmation once your child is fully registered for preschool.
3-year old class: Students must be 3 years old by August 1st
4-year old classes: Students must be 4 years old by August 1st
*Students must be completely potty-trained to attend full-day preschool.
March 17, 2024
DC3 Trades Day: Looking for Employers to Host Tables
The Decatur Central Career Center (DC3) is hosting a Trades Day on April 10th for students to explore careers in certifiable trades. Employers wishing to host a table should contact DC3 using the information below!
District Calendar
Spring Recess (no school)
Start: Mar 22, 2024 End: Mar 29, 2024
Multi-Day Event
Last Day of School
All Day Event
Additional resources
Provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions:
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