Teachers at Jack and Jill Community Preschool

Teacher

mrs. jane jurkowski

Ms. Jane

After a teaching career that spanned 35 years in several communities across New York State, "Mrs. Jane" joined the Jack & Jill family in September 2010 to continue the long and rich educational heritage at the cooperative preschool. She has held teaching positions in public and parochial schools, as well as the university level, where she instructed graduate students. In addition, she served as a program coordinator and literacy coach for the Buffalo Public Schools. She has held leadership roles in curriculum development, staff development, and student achievement initiatives. She is a member of Phi Delta Kappa, University of Buffalo Chapter. Experience in early childhood education, elementary education, literacy and special education helps Mrs. Jane in designing lessons that focus on pre-academic and social skills to prepare students for success in kindergarten. Dedicated to a hands-on approach that keeps children actively engaged in learning, Mrs. Jane offers a variety of opportunities to move, sing, dance, explore and participate in the preschool curriculum. A simple motto, "Fun for all, and all for fun" underlies the school's mission to provide children with a warm, nurturing learning environment. A child-centered philosophy governs classroom structure, where all children are encouraged to grow at their own pace, with plenty of love and support along their journey.

Teacher Assistant

mrs. Ann Bobeck

Mrs. Ann joined Jack & Jill Community Preschool in September 2014. Her education and background is as an administrative assistant in both the medical and legal fields. Her first child was born in 1998, which began her journey as a stay-at-home mom. She found her love for children to be her true passion and began work as a teachers' aide in 2009. Since then, she has steadily worked with preschoolers in the Grand Island community schools and area churches. Mrs. Ann enjoys the theater, camping, the beach, hiking, concerts and sports events with her husband and three children.

Teachers

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Here are some useful links for you and your child to enjoy.

Fun 4 Kids

From the teachers

We are often asked, "What does my child need to know for preschool?"

The Following, "Three S's," would be at the top of our list!

1.

SITTING STILL

One of the components of preschool is circle time, when children sit and listen to a story or sing songs or even do some simple academics as a group. The act of sitting in a circle calms the children down and helps them focus.

Practice sitting still by having a circle time at your home. Okay, you're wondering how you and your one child can sit in a circle. Well, this circle time is not so much about the circle as it is about the time. Plan a time each day to sit with your child and sing or read. Set specific times for snacks, so that you child will learn to sit and eat as he/she will for snack time at preschool.

2.

SELF-CARE

The children would have more time to review the day and sing goodbyes, if parents would to this one thing at home: teach the children how to put on their coats. Maybe you can use pretend play for this skill - play going to a coat store, or the "It's hot, it's cold" game, or the upside down/ overyour head jacket trick. (Just ask for a demonstration, if you need one.)

And too, children need to take care of all their own bathroon use and hygiene. They should tell the teacher when a bathroon trip is needed and always wait for an adult to accompnay them out of the room. Children need to be able to use the toilet privately, use toilet paper, pull up undies, and wash and dry their hands with minimal help.

3.

SHARING

It's difficult to teach sharing. When you teach a child a letter, you may have to go over it a couple of times and they get it. When you're a teaching your child to share, you'll be repeating yourself 50 times, and the child still won't always share. (Not that sharing is a piece of cake for adults either, but, it's important for adults to model good sharing behavior, of course.)

It's not that children don't understand sharing, it's just that they are so into what they're doing and having fun, they don't want to share.

So, preschool is a natural place for children to practice sharing, especially when the parents and teachers work together. We don't need to be heavy-handed about it. Just encourage kids to ask for toys rather than grab them, and to let a friend play with them. Character building is a lifelong process, and preschoolers are just beginning.