The Pre-Primary Centre headed by the Headmistress Mrs. Nirmala Thomas functions as an independent wing, adjacent to St. Thomas Residential School. The Centre has a very congenial atmosphere for the healthy and happy development of children by means of the playway method. It serves as a common platform for admission to all three schools under the Mar Thoma Church Educational Society. There are 16 divisions with a total strength of 1000 in PPI and PPII together. The students seeking admission to PPI and PPII should complete 3 years and 6 months and 4 years and 6 months respectively by June. The little ones thrive well in an atmosphere of tender care and attention provided by the teachers.

Mrs. Nirmala Thomas M.A. M.Ed

Head’s Message

Education is not knowledge feeding or learning by rote but knowledge seeking. To direct the child to seek information, to know how and where to get it should be the ultimate aim of the teacher  in a good education system.

A child is characterized by his desire for activity, expression, recognition of self, attention to detail and above all curiosity- all tools of education would give full opportunity for experiences through which the child acquire knowledge.

At St. Thomas pre primary education centre, we aim at providing a home like, yet disciplined atmosphere aimed at stimulating the young minds and awakening their interests. For the age group 3½ -5 ½, the activities offered for eg: organized play, games etc. should lead to expressions of self-orally first and then through drawing, painting, rhythmic movement to music etc. These form the cornerstones to acquire the basic specific skills he/ she needs later in life.
Reading – Which includes recognition, recall, pronunciation.
Writing – Comprising hand movement and eye co-ordination.
Arithmetic – Play of numbers, figures shapes and sizes.
Natural Science – Which develop a spirit of enquiry.
Social Science – Makes him aware of the larger community he is a part of.

At St. Thomas Pre primary education Centre, the entire study pattern and atmosphere are so arranged that each individual child  born and brought up in entirely different environment and circumstances, endowed with entirely different  intelligence levels, talents and interests are aroused to seek for themselves the information and knowledge in their surroundings, to step out into the larger world with confidence and to acquire for themselves those skills and knowledge for his later life.



Working Hours

PP II 9.25 am to 2.30 pm.
PP I  9.25 am to 12.30 pm.

Visiting time for the parents: 2.30 pm - 3.30 pm.

Curriculum

Emphasis is laid on oral work. Children are given the opportunities to explore and experience the environment. An exclusive computer lab for the pre-primary children enables the small children to learn and understand concepts with hands on experience. Classroom learning is reinforced by means of the visual electronic media.



The curriculum comes as an attractive package in which the academic lessons are interfaced with art, craft, music, sports and even picnics so as to stimulate the interests of the tiny tots. The section have the unique privilege of learning from the text books compiled by their own teachers. The PP I and PP II children (those who stay back after class hours) can have special music and dance coaching from 1.20 pm to 2.30 pm.

Evaluation

Teachers assess the children in both scholastic and non-scholastic areas daily and reports are sent to the parents twice a year. Formal examinations are not conducted. No grades/ranks are given. Promotion is based on the overall progress of the child.

Library

There is a library exclusively for the pre-primary children.

Other facilities

There is an indoor playroom which is well furnished with toys meant for the development of mental abilities like the co-ordination of muscles, and learning and differentiating shapes and colours. Craft work helps to develop the locomotive skills.

Health Card System

Health cards are maintained for the PP I students on the basis of a comprehensive checkup by specialists.

Celebrations and Talent Display

The children take part in various celebrations during the course of the year. The hidden talents of the children are exposed and developed by the teachers. All the children are motivated to take part in the talent display programme whereby they get rid of stage fright. This is not a competition, so it is only the the participation of the children that counts.

Parent- Teacher Interaction

In order to foster a healthy parent-teacher relationship, the parents meet the class teacher at the end of each term.

Staff

The total number of teachers is 25 including the Headmistress, Music teacher and Computer teacher. During the first two weeks of the academic year, the teachers reach the school sufficiently early to receive the children.

Faculty Improvement Programme

Every month (from May to March) workshops led by resource persons are conducted in the school. Teachers also attend various seminars and workshops throughout the year.

Conveyance

An efficient transportation system operates to take the students to and from the school punctually and comfortably. Buses ply 27 different routes, making St. Thomas accessible to students from every part of the city and its suburbs. Apart from these, 3 buses are scheduled to operate at noon time for the convenience of the nursery children.

Ayahs

Apart from cleaning the classrooms and the surroundings, the ayahs remain in the park when the children are at play. Besides this, the ayahs are allotted duties in the park before and after class hours, in front of the main gate of the PP section to receive the children, and also in the nursery trip buses. They also escort the children from and to the bus bay.