St. Joseph of Cupertino School’s Junior Jaguars Preschool to Open This Month!

August 7th, 2010 by Ms. Lyons

Last year, St. Joseph of Cupertino School Community began research on the possibility of adding a preschool program to its elementary school. After careful planning, the renovation of a large meeting room into a state-of the-art preschool facility was initiated. This facility is now complete. In addition, a new meeting room has been built right across the way from the new preschool. This meeting room will serve the school and the parish.

The St. Joseph of Cupertino Preschool is absolutely beautiful. Architects Eduardo Martinez and John Miller (of John Miller Architects) created a perfect environment for the little preschoolers. Contractors Scott Hawley and Peter Quinonez (of SPC Construction) worked tirelessly to transform these plans into a reality. Preschool Directors Erin Edem and Jean Wilson, and Preschool Teachers Maria Deguara and Rosa Wilbanks have spent the last several months planning our curriculum and program, as well as ordering all of our curricular materials, furniture, and supplies; and our preschool is now fully outfitted.

Due to the large number of applications we received, we have increased our enrollment capability from 24 students to 32 students, and have hired additional staff to serve the needs of our children. Applications for enrollment are being accepted and may be downloaded from our website. Full information about our schedule, staff, curriculum, philosophy, policies, and tuition are also included on this website.

Due to the large number of applications we received, we have increased our enrollment from 24 students to 30-32 students, and have hired additional staff to serve the needs of our children. Applications for enrollment are being accepted and may be downloaded from our website (we do anticipate being able to accept from this waiting list during the coming month). Full information about our schedule, staff, curriculum, philosophy, policies, and tuition are also included on this website.

We sincerely thank all of the many donors who gave so generously so that we were able to turn our dream for an SJC Preschool into a reality. Please reserve Saturday, September 18, the Feast Day of our Patron, St. Joseph of Cupertino for the official dedication ceremony of our Junior Jaguars Preschool and new Meeting Room.

We invite you to take a virtual tour of our facility now. Also, feel free to drop by our site and take a look in person. You will love it just as we do.

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The first day of preschool is Monday, August 30. We look forward to opening our doors for the first time to our newest students, and we know that this preschool will serve the needs of our community for generations to come, truly proving to be an investment in our future, an investment in our children.

Panoramic of Playhouse, Quiet Reading Area, Manipulative Area, Circle Rug/Block Area, and Cubbies

Panoramic of Kitchen, Art Area, and Listening Station

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Construction Update #5

March 30th, 2010 by Ms. Lyons

Our CONSTRUCTION PROJECT is going very, very well. The time-consuming preparation work is just about complete, and framing and rough plumbing have begun.

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Preschool Applications and Construction Update #4

March 19th, 2010 by Ms. Lyons

PRESCHOOL APPLICATIONS were due last Friday, March 12. We will still accept applications as long as we have the staffing to accommodate the number of interested families. Please make sure that you and your families/friends submit preschool applications immediately so that we can plan our final numbers accurately. As you will recall, we will probably be licensed for about 35 students (student enrollment licensing limits are based on the square footage of the preschool facility and we are going to have a spacious facility). However, we had planned to only accept 24 preschoolers during our first year, and I have hired enough staffing for this enrollment size. However, if we increase our numbers to 30-32, I will hire additional staff. Therefore, this first round of applications is very important.

I also want to tell you that our CONSTRUCTION is moving ahead very efficiently. I was away on Friday, so Mr. Lee attended the weekly architect/contractors/subcontractors meeting for me, and he reports that all is going well and according to schedule.

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Preschool Construction Update #3

March 10th, 2010 by Mr. Lee

Our PRESCHOOL CONSTRUCTION is moving ahead beautifully. Mr. Gomez and I met with the architect, contractors, and subcontractors again this past Friday, and received an updated schedule which confirms that the project is scheduled to be finished on time, in May. In addition, Mrs. Edem, Mrs. Deguara, Mrs. McCombie, and I attended a Preschool Licensing Meeting last Wednesday and will be attending Part Two next Wednesday. Mrs. Wilson attended this series in February, and Mrs. McCombie also attended the series during the summer with other members of the Preschool Research Committee (Mrs. Jio & Mrs. Kimm). We have planned well and will be able to easily comply with all licensing requirements.

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Preschool Information Night and Construction Update #2

March 4th, 2010 by Ms. Lyons

Preschool Information Night

Last week’s PRESCHOOL INFORMATION NIGHT was “jam-packed.” We had been planning to conduct the meeting in our Kindergarten classroom. But soon that became too crowded so we relocated to the Art Room. We began running out of seating, so we brought in chairs from the Faculty Room. Then we brought in more chairs from the Library. We prepared 40 application folders and ran out of them by the end of the evening. We made more during the week, and ran out again! If you are a current SJC family, and you would like your child to be in our first preschool class (must be three years old by March 1, 2010), please make sure you pick up your application folder and turn in your application by next Friday, March 12.

You can also get an application packet online.

Constuction Update

I also want to tell you that we are so pleased with the architects (John Miller Architects) and contractors (SPC Construction) that we chose. Our preschool renovation is moving ahead so well. Mr. Hernando Gomez (the supervisor of our custodial staff) and I meet with the architect, contractor, and subcontractors each Friday to ensure that timelines are being met and that the project is coming in on budget. We are all very aware of our goal of having this construction project finished in May so that our preschool teachers can outfit the room in June and July. In addition, we are hoping that we will have raised the additional $40,000 to $50,000 by April so that we can instruct the contractors to go ahead with completing the additional Learning Center/Meeting Room/Music Room this year rather than waiting for next year’s fundraising. This additional room will be such a huge asset to our school and parish programs.

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Preschool Information Night, Preschool Application Packets, and Construction Update

February 23rd, 2010 by Ms. Lyons

Our PRESCHOOL INFORMATION NIGHT will be held tonight, Tuesday, February 23 at 7:00 p.m. in the Kindergarten Classroom. Application packets are now available which contain:

  • The Preschool Application which is due by FRIDAY, MARCH 12
  • The Philosophy of the St. Joseph of Cupertino “Junior Jaguar” Program
  • An outline of the preschool curriculum
  • A schedule of a typical day in preschool
  • An introduction to the members of our preschool staff
  • The 2010-2011 preschool tuition rates

If you plan on enrolling your child in our preschool next year, but are unable to attend tonight’s meeting, please make sure you drop by to pick up an application, request one from the school office, or download one from the website. It appears as if we will have many applications for next year’s preschool. Applications are due by Friday, March 12. At this point, I am planning on accepting 24 preschoolers. However, if we have far more applicants than that, I may accept up to 30 preschoolers, but I will need to know in advance so that I can hire additional staff.

Construction Update

Our Preschool Construction Project is moving ahead at a very good clip (photos are available for viewing on our website). SPC Construction Company worked this weekend on some of the especially noisy phases so that the impact on our students would be minimized. SPC offered the low bid during the Diocesan competitive bidding process; one of the owners is SJC dad Scott Hawley. Scott has a strong commitment to our community and understands the importance of this project to our school. He also understands the importance of minimizing the impact of construction disruption on our daily school routine. Scott and his partner, Peter Quinonez, met with all the subcontractors, our architect, Mr. Hernando Gomez (our SJC custodial supervisor), and me this past Friday. These Friday meetings will take place every week to ensure that the project remains on track so that it will be completed in May. All of this is a huge undertaking, but it is also so exciting!

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Construction has Started!

February 23rd, 2010 by Ms. Lyons

Construction on the Preschool Project began last week, and continued over the weekend. The project is scheduled to be finished by the end of May. We will keep you posted each week with updates.

We are hoping to raise the remaining $40,000 to $50,000 during the next several months so that we can also complete the Music Room/Learning Center/Meeting Room across from the preschool (that is, the remodeled AV Room) and next to the Sixth Grade classroom. We do have a few projects coming up that we hope will put us “over the top.” Everybody’s children will benefit from this additional room, so we are looking forward to lots of support on these projects.

Here are some shots of the demolition work:

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General Contractor Selected

January 20th, 2010 by Ms. Lyons

Last week the architects and school administration met with the owners of the contracting firm that submitted the lowest bid for our Preschool Project (as well as the lowest bid for the additional Meeting Room/Learning Center). We “ironed out” a few issues as well as confirming that all subcontractors must submit in writing their agreement to abide by all specifications outlined in our architectural plans. When all of this is finalized, we will sign the agreement with the contractors. Construction is still scheduled to begin in early February (after Open House) and to be completed by the mid-May.

We still hope to reach the $200,000 mark in our Preschool Capital Campaign so that we can complete the additional Meeting Room/Learning Center this year instead of waiting until next school year. If you would be able to help, we would be most grateful. It’s really amazing how the donations continue to come in. We have now surpassed the $150,000 mark.

The School Board and administration worked on the Preschool tuition scale at the last Board meeting, and the Preschool Committee worked on the application packet and daily schedule this week. Staffing and curriculum have already been finalized. Everything is moving ahead like clockwork.

Our Preschool Information Night will be held on Tuesday, February 23 at 7:00 p.m. in the Kindergarten Classroom. Complete St. Joseph of Cupertino “Junior Jaguars” Preschool Application Packets (including tuition scale, schedule, staff information, and preschool philosophy) will be distributed that evening. Join us if you have preschoolers and feel free to invite friends and family.

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SJC “Junior Jaguars” Preschool Update

January 5th, 2010 by Ms. Lyons

In this issue:

  • New Year’s Update on Capital Campaign
  • Preschool Information Night – February 23, 2010

SJC “Junior Jaguars” Preschool Update

Donations continued to come in during Christmas vacation for our PRESCHOOL CAPITAL CAMPAIGN !!!  We have just about reached the $150,000 mark toward our overall goal of $200,000.  We had hoped to hit this mark by December 31, and we are so grateful to all who have given.   The generosity of our community has truly been inspiring.  Please consider joining us as we “literally build the foundation” for our new preschool — Home of the Junior Jaguars!

Contractors’ bids were received and reviewed at the Diocesan Offices this past Tuesday.  A decision on which contractor will be hired will be finalized soon.   The bids that came in cause us to think that it is a definite possibility that we will not only be able to renovate the AV Room into a state-of-the art preschool facility, but that we will also be able to build the new meeting room/learning center across from the AV Room.  This will serve so many purposes during the school day, while also providing an additional meeting space for parish groups, especially our Scouts.  In order to actually give the contractor the “go ahead” to plan on completing this meeting room this year, we will need to reach our $200,000 goal.  We are confident that we will be able to do this because of your good-hearted generosity.  Therefore, if you have not yet made a donation to the Preschool Capital Campaign, may we ask that you now consider doing so?  We will save money in the long run if we are able to complete both components of this project this spring, instead of waiting until a future date to complete the meeting room/learning center.

Preschool Information Night

We will have another Preschool Information Night on Tuesday, February 23 (at 7:00 p.m. in the Kindergarten classroom) so that we can answer all questions.  Staffing has already been finalized and staff members and school administration will be present.  Tuition and fees will be explained, and applications for the 2010-2011 preschool year will be available.  Plan on joining us.

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Donations of all Amounts Continue to Come in for our Capital Campaign

December 15th, 2009 by Ms. Lyons

In this issue:

  • Update on Capital Campaign’s Success
  • SPREAD THE WORD:  THE SJC JUNIOR JAGUAR PRESCHOOL WILL DEFINITELY OPEN IN FALL, 2010
  • PRESCHOOL INFORMATION NIGHT will be held in February.
  • Preschool Blog will keep you “in the loop”

Extremely Generous Donations of all Amounts Continue to Come in for our PRESCHOOL CAPITAL CAMPAIGN !!!

Our overall goal is $200,000, and it is possible that we will reach three-fourths of that goal by the end of this calendar year, December 31, 2009.  Your openhearted goodness has truly been inspiring, and we are so grateful.  We have already exceeded the $135,000 mark (including over $4,000 from our architect, John Miller).  Remember, all gifts given by December 31 will be tax deductible for the 2009 tax year.  Please help us reach the $150,000 mark.  If we are able to reach $150,000 by the end of this month, then we are confident that we will be able to reach the $200,000 mark by the end of the school year, and we can proceed with plans for the additional meeting room/learning center that will be such a boon to our curricular and extracurricular programs.  The Diocesan Building Committee agrees that we will save a lot of money by including this additional room in our renovation plans so that the contractors can complete it while they are already here remodeling the AV Room into our new preschool — Home of the Junior Jaguars!

If you are still deciding which charities to support as you write your end-of-the year checks, please consider this most important project, which will leave a lasting legacy for our community for generations to come.  Cash gifts, pledges, credit card donations, and stock transfers are a few of the methods of giving offered.  If you need to speak to one of us during Christmas vacation, please e-mail me at principal.2009@sjcschool.org or Kama Belloni at development@sjcschool.org.  We will get back to you right away.  As always, we remain deeply grateful for your continued support.

Preschool Information Night

We will have another Preschool Information Night in February so that we can answer all questions.  All tuition rates and application forms will be finalized by that time.   Most importantly, we will be able to assure families that our SJC Preschool will be the best!  We will have a beautiful facility, an outstanding staff, a nurturing environment, and a strong curriculum.

Preschool Blog

If you or anybody you know has missed portions of our ongoing updates about the SJC  Preschool, remember to log on to our Preschool Blog for full information:

www.sjcschool.org/preschool

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