Schools
St. Mark's Nursery School in Orinda Introduces New Director
Local resident, mother and long-time educator Claire Peterson accepted the top slot. School starts Sept. 2!
St. Mark’s Nursery School, a pillar of early childhood education in Lamorinda for more than 50 years, is pleased to announce that Claire Peterson has accepted the director position at the school.
Peterson comes to St. Mark’s with 11 years experience as a head preschool teacher, as well as management experience and 33 credits in Early Childhood Education.
A Bay Area native, Peterson is a resident of Orinda and has two children in Lamorinda schools.
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The small class size (30 children onsite per day, grouped into smaller learning circles) at St. Mark’s offers children a structured and nurturing environment in which to learn social skills and conflict resolution, while fostering cognitive, social, emotional and physical development through a teacher-guided, child-led, play-based curriculum.
“Our teaching philosophy here at St. Mark’s acknowledges the educational intention behind play,” Peterson says, “We believe that the curriculum for preschoolers should regularly include opportunities for developmentally appropriate projectbased learning. And we view early childhood education as a true partnership between families and educators—as we build relationships with the children, we also build relationships with their primary caregivers, so that we can all best understand the needs of the child.”
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By offering two-, three- and five-days-a-week programs for 3- and 4-year-olds, St. Mark’s hopes to compliment the traditional schedules already in place at other area schools, and allow families greater flexibility.
And with its Kindergarten Preparation program, the school offers a challenging and fun pre-K option for children who would benefit from an extra year to work on cognitive, motor, social and emotional skills.
The school year starts Sept. 2, and families interested in joining the St. Mark’s Nursery School family should contact St. Mark’s to schedule a visit, and download registration materials through the website: http://www.stmarksnurseryschool.org. Phone: 925.254.1364
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