Day School
Holy Communion Day School is now accepting applications for enrollment for children ages fifteen months to four years for the 2011 Fall Semester and beyond. You may download applications from this website, or pick one up directly from the church office at 218 Ashley Avenue, Charleston. Because space is limited, applications will be accepted on a "first come, first served" basis. You may register for the future semester to establish your position on our waiting list. We ask that you identify all school terms for which you are applying so that we may meet your needs more fully.
The Holy Communion Day School will open its doors in September 2011. We will operate between the hours of 8:30 am and 12:30 pm with the majority of school functions occurring between 9:00am and 12:00 am. We will offer the following daily schedules:
- Two, Three, and Five Half Day Programs for ages fifteen months to four years (as of September 1, 2011)
- Morning Preschool Curriculum
- Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Christian Education Curriculum
Please remember to
- Fill out the application in full
- Sign and date the application
- Include a $25 nonrefundable application fee
- Mail or deliver your application to:
Holy Communion Day School
218 Ashley Avenue
Charleston, SC 29403
Upon receipt, your application will be appropriately date stamped. You may direct any questions or concerns to Scarlett Crawford by e-mail at dayschool@holycomm.org or by phone at 843.722.2024.
We look forward to meeting you and your child very soon!
Scarlett Crawford
Day School Coordinator
Church of the Holy Communion
History
The Church of the Holy Communion has a rich history of providing a solid Christian education to the youth of Charleston. Our parish created the first industrial school in the entire South and grew to include about fifty women while reducing poverty in the area. In 1867, Holy Communion's founding rector, the Rev. Dr. Anthony Toomer Porter, after a vision at his son’s grave, decided to found a school for the education and nurture of children. The Holy Communion Church Institute opened in December of 1867 with the Sunday School building for classrooms and a nearby house as a dormitory. After moving to the old Federal Arsenal (on the present MUSC campus), the name of the school was changed in 1886 to honor its founder and became known as Porter Military Academy. This school exists today as the Porter-Gaud School.
The Rev. Dr. Homer Worthington Starr became rector of the parish in 1916. He established a young people’s service league, now known as the EYC or Episcopal Young Churchmen, and formed the first Boy Scout Troop in South Carolina. The Reverend William Wallace Lumpkin continued this tradition of service by establishing the cadet parish of St. Albans at the Citadel.
We hope that our work with the newly formed Holy Communion Day School will honor this tradition by providing a safe and nurturing place for children in an atmosphere of Christian faith and life, responsive to the needs and concerns of families.
Preschool Curriculum
Philosophy
“Our aim is not only to make the child understand, and still less to force him to memorize, but so to touch his imagination as to enthuse him to his innermost core. We do not want complacent pupils, but eager ones. We seek to sow life in the child rather than theories, to help him in his growth, mental and emotional as well as physical. If the idea of the universe is presented to the child in the right way, it will do more for him than just arouse his interest, it will create in him admiration and wonder, a feeling loftier than any interest and more satisfying.”
--Maria Montessori
The curriculum of Holy Communion Day School is built upon two important principles: the absorbent mind and the sensitive period. The idea of the absorbent mind which lasts from birth to about six years refers to the child’s ability to learn almost effortlessly by manipulating his environment and the objects therein. Language is one example.
The concept of the sensitive period recognizes that a child tends to focus on certain aspects of his environment at particular moments. During this time, he is especially aware of language, order, movement, and color. By building upon these two concepts in a space especially designed to meet their needs, the teacher promotes the growth and development of each child on an individual basis.
As a part of our curriculum, we offer specific topics and themes that follow a pattern based on the seasons, the months and holidays of the year, important and defining moments in history, and the church year.
Christian Education
In September of 2002, the Church of the Holy Communion began a program of Christian education called Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. This program, used worldwide, is a Montessori approach to religious education. The concepts that were discovered by Maria Montessori and later perfected by Sofia Cavalletti recognize that children learn of God and His love for them in ways very different from that of adults.
The Atrium is designed for the 3-6 year old child to learn of God in works designed to meet their needs and abilities. Themes of the Atrium include the stories and parables of Jesus Christ, the geography of Israel, and the practices of the Church in baptism and communion.
Daily Schedule
- 8:30 - 8:45 am Welcome, Free Play
- 9:00 - 11:30 am Morning Work, Preschool Curriculum, Atrium†
- 11:30 - 12:00 pm Outside Play, Lunch
- 12:00 - 12:30 pm Story time, Music
- 12:30 pm Dismissal
The Day School offers an opportunity for each child to grow and develop independently. Our objective is to aid them in this endeavor by encouraging a love for learning, a love for God, and a love and respect for each other. Each classroom is designed to meet the needs, physically and emotionally, of children ages eighteen months to three years.
† Each child will visit the Atrium as part of the Christian education curriculum at least once a week with members of their class. Parents are welcome to visit and observe.