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Incarnation Pre-school director Rosemary Muscarella goesover class with students at the Glendale facility on Friday.(Raul Roa/News-Press)

Education

In The Classroom:Back to preschoolIncarnation Parish added the school in September aspart of new community center.By Michael J. ArvizuPublished: Last Updated Monday, November 16, 2009 9:15 PM PST

Students from Incarnation Parish’s new preschool spentFriday morning drawing their family’s faces in crayon onsheets of paper depicting a family tree.

Four-year-old Julian Vences began to draw his grandfatherin purple crayon, whom he described as “very old” and inhis “100s.”

The preschool, inaugurated Sept. 8, is part of the church’snew community center, which was officially christenedSunday during a ceremony called “A Harvest ofThanksgiving.”

The community center, which has been in the making formore than three years, is the former site of a Methodistcongregation, said Incarnation Pastor the Rev. Paul Hruby,calling the opening of the new preschool “another chapterin our parish school.”

The community center features offices and a preschool gym, which Incarnation Preschool Principal Olivia Carrillosaid was one of the preschool’s biggest features.

“We hope to use the gym to rent out to people in the community,” Carrillo said. “It’s not only for parish groups,but also for other people to use.”

The new preschool follows the same curriculum and school year and is part of the larger IncarnationElementary School, which was founded in 1937.

The school follows a multi-age curriculum, but as the school’s numbers grow, it will work with the kidsaccording to age groups, said Incarnation Preschool Director Rosemarie Muscarella.

The preschool, Carrillo said, is large enough for more students to enroll.

Muscarella has 16 kids in her class so far this semester, but there is room for 30, she said, adding that theschool certainly could use more students.

“The preschool is one of the big things,” Carrillo said. “For years, everyone has been recommending that weopen a new preschool.”

On top of the regular curriculum the school follows, students also will receive a Catholic education “at a veryyoung age,” Muscarella said.

“By the time they go into kindergarten . . . they learn to recognize and print their name,” said Muscarella, and “they learn about God [and] how special they are in the eyes of God. We do focus on our religious background.Both the 3- and 4-year-olds have a religion curriculum that we follow.”

Friday’s project was centered on families and what the kids are thankful for. Next month, the kids will focus onAdvent and the birth of Jesus.

The first few weeks, Muscarella said, have been very positive. Of course, first-day jitters were apparent, as theyoung students fought to cling to Mom or Dad one last time before starting school.

“When your child gets up in the morning, and they’re excited to go to school, that’s positive,” Muscarella said.

“I think the kids feel that way.”

Kids Talk Back

The Glendale News-Press last week visited the classroom of preschool teacher Rosmarie Muscarella.Incarnation Preschool opened Sept. 8 in the church’s new community center, which was officially christened thispast weekend. We asked the kids: “What is your favorite thing to do at your new preschool?”

“I like the play park. I like making holes [in the sand.] You just find hard stuff.”

JULIAN VENCES, 4

“I like to play games.”

AIDAN WILLIAMS, 4

“I like to play on the kitchen. I like to play with my friends in the kitchen.”

KAROLYN BARSAMIAN, 4

“I like to make chocolate chip cookies. I can eat three chocolate chip cookies.”

TALIA DERBEDROSIAN, 4

Copyright © 2009 - Glendale News Press

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