As an outreach ministry of St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, All Angels is dedicated to helping children develop faith based on knowledge of God’s love, awareness of the wonders of God’s creation, respect for all persons, and understanding of various beliefs. We provide high quality, developmentally appropriate education for young children of the community, including the parish, by addressing their spiritual, emotional, social, physical and cognitive needs. All Angels admits children ages two through five years regardless of their race, color, ethnicity, gender or religion.
We begin our school day with a short chapel service in the church building. The ringing of the chapel bell signals it is time to gather to discuss a wide range of topics, sing a few songs and join together as a community before we begin our classroom instruction. Classroom schedules start off with a circle time that incorporates many early skills (literacy, math, science and critical thinking), followed by a nourishing snack.
After snack each classroom begins their morning routine which includes small and large group discussions and activities, inside and outside play time and an in-depth discussion of various age appropriate themes that engage the interests of the children, blend with the annual calendar and enhance their skills and knowledge. Lunch is the final component of the morning session, finishing by 12:30.
The afternoon schedule incorporates a quiet time for everyone, an afternoon snack, outside time and small group activities. Children are given ample opportunity for individual exploration of the classroom materials, teacher assisted reading and play throughout the day. Low student-teacher ratios allow frequent and quality student-teacher interactions.
Our teachers are committed to helping children have a successful school experience. The teachers believe that childhood is a time for children to explore their world and their interests and provide as many opportunities in as many different ways as they can. The teaching staff meets all the State man-dated requirements, including thorough background checks, CPR and First Aid certification and on-going training each year.
Our approach to our children's spirituality
All Angels is an Episcopal day school, and we are happy to share our rich spiritual heritage with all who choose to be a part of our community. We're part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, with original roots in the Church of England. We are catholic and protestant, broad thinking and progressive, yet traditional in terms of basic theology and worship. However, our children come from a wide variety of religious, spiritual, and secular backgrounds, and we respect and rejoice in this diversity. So while we share our own traditions with our children, we always make a point of showing that there are many other ways of approaching God, and we try to draw out and honor our children's own family experience and individual perspective, so that we might all be enriched by one another.
Our religious education will include Christian teachings and songs, conversations about God, blessings before meals, and a short chapel service each day in the church. The Director, a teacher, or a member of the clergy staff will facilitate the service, which typically consists of an opening prayer, a discussion and a song. Specific language from the Book of Common Prayer is used and chapel themes are based on both the liturgical and secular calendar year. On days the clergy facilitate, the children are offered the opportunity to receive a blessing. Once a month, baptized children who have their parents’ permission may join a midweek service of Holy Communion with a staff member and a small group of parishioners. The children, their parents and faculty members are expected to respect Christian practices as well as other customs and beliefs.
We offer two (TTH), three (MWF) or five days a week. Time slots are 9–12:30, 7–3, and 7–5:30, with extended care available by advance request.
All Angels Episcopal Day School earned accreditation from the National Early Childhood Program Accreditation Council and Commission (NECPA) in February 2008. The NECPA process involves an in-depth look at quality and appropriateness, applying national standards in many areas and requires written documentation and on-site verification. To earn accreditation, a program must demonstrate an emphasis on quality early care and education with an exceptional commitment to professional and programmatic quality. NECPA Accreditation is valid for three years and requires an annual report to confirm improvements to and maintenance of the standards of accreditation.
End Document — St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church