I’m Janelle Bascom. I’m very excited to be part of the St. Jerome’s community. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in ECE/Elementary Ed from Temple University. I have been in the ECE field for the past 28 years as a Pre-k & Kindergarten teacher and most recently a director of a preschool. I am happily married with 3 children. This will be my 4th year at St. Jerome’s and my second teaching kindergarten here. I am happily married with 3 children. My oldest daughter recently graduated from college. My middle daughter is in third grade at St. Jerome. And my youngest, my son, is in second grade at St. Jerome. I am enjoying this chapter of my teaching career with the St. Jerome’s family and for my children to be a part of it also.

Our Kindergarten program offers a comprehensive curriculum rich in content: religion, mathematics, life skills, motor skills, social skills, literacy, listening, speaking, reading and writing, work and study skills. We align our curriculum with the guidelines of the Archdioceses of Philadelphia and the Common Core State Standards. We continue to build upon the skills implemented in our Pre-K classroom with the Children’s Literacy Initiative. Each day our students are engaged in meaningful activities that trigger intellectual curiosity and inspire creativity. Our goal is to assist our students to become responsible, expressive learners who have confidence in their ability to succeed.

Kindergarten Program Highlights

• Traditional and daily prayers
• Christian classroom environment
• High academic expectations
• Awareness of differing learning styles
• Rich literacy classroom culture
• Phonemic awareness to blend sounds
• Express ideas in pictures and words
• Apply strategies to comprehend and make inferences
• Problem solving
• Guided reading
• Active exploration of mathematic skills using manipulation, examination and practical experiences
• Promote peSocial & Embedrsonal responsibility and integrity