Welcome to PK3!

Our preschool is a part of the St. John Neumann community.  It is rooted in the strong foundations of our Catholic faith and promotes the spiritual, academic, physical, and emotional well-being of each child. Our dedicated preschool teacher and their assistant provide students with the integral fundamentals needed to succeed.

The vision of St. John Neumann Preschool is the care and guidance of children to learn to the best of their ability.  Our preschool children are given opportunities to engage in hands-on activities to prepare them the best we can for Kindergarten.

Meet Mrs. Draeger

Mrs. Draeger was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee. She is a graduate of Knoxville Catholic High School. She and her husband moved back to Knoxville from Chattanooga 3 years ago.

Mrs. Draeger holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Marketing and a M.Ed in Early Childhood and Special Education from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Mrs. Draeger understands the importance of differentiated instruction to best meet the needs of her students. She enjoys building relationships with her students to help them excel.

Mrs. Draeger met her husband Greg in college while they were both working on their undergraduate degrees. They have been married for 15 years. They have one daughter and a Boxer/Great Dane mix named Maximus.

Mrs. Draeger is extremely excited to be a member of the SJNCS faculty and looks forward to meeting her students and their families each year!

Meet Mrs. Ventura

Mrs. Ventura grew up in Athens, GA. She and her husband moved to Knoxville almost 10 years ago in August. She has 3 children. They also have a Yorkie named Bella and a guinea pig named Cookie.

Mrs. Ventura absolutely loves working in Pre-K and says the “little cuties” are so much fun to work with. When asked what she loves most about that age, she replied, “Our students come in so dependent at the beginning of the year. I love watching them grow and mold, eventually gaining their own independence. It is amazing to watch! I also appreciate that everyday is an adventure in Pre-K!”

Mrs. Ventura feels blessed to work with such an amazing, supportive staff and wonderful families. Being able to practice her faith all day, everyday with the children warms her heart. She truly feels that SJNCS is home.

What We're Learning This Year

In Pre-K, your child will participate in daily activities geared towards fostering independence, enhancing academic development, and promoting relationships and community.

Pre-K 3 will follow weekly themes to help them develop necessary skills to build their early childhood development skills. We will begin to teach handwriting, letter recognition, counting, and social/emotional skills to adapt to a classroom setting. The students will be introduced to a flexible but, structured daily routine. Our Religion curriculum will teach them that God created them and made them good, happy, active, and special.

Friday Folders come home each Friday. please check and clean out your child’s Friday Folder each week.