St. John the Baptist
Greek Orthodox Church
Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Βαπτιστής
Ἑλληνική Ὀρθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία
Des Plaines, IL
Guardian Angel Orthodox Day School (Preschool-8th Grade)
Day School: GAODS was founded in September 1999 as an Orthodox Christian preschool. Through God’s grace, GAODS has grown into a Pre-K through Grade 8 elementary school. Our goals are to provide an education that is both academically excellent and rooted in the Orthodox Christian faith, and to lay a foundation for our students’ lives: intellectually, socially, physically, and spiritually—that will allow them to reach their full, God-given potential.
Preschool: With great awe to our great God and with deep reverence toward a Christ-centered child development, the Guardian Angel Orthodox Preschool welcomes you. We are committed to securing a strong spiritual foundation and high learning standards. Through creative expression, children experience development of their physical, motor, visual, and auditory skills. The learning curriculum allows for social, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual growth. Education takes the form of knowledge and truth. As a result, the children grow to be fruitful in every good work (Dewey, Piaget, & Vygotsky). Our goal is to educate the whole child in a program that provides a stimulating learning environment and the opportunity to discover the Orthodox Christian Faith. Our quality program offers a structured curriculum for 3, 4, and 5-year-old children. Self-expression and socialization are emphasized through music, arts & crafts, stories, fine/gross motor skills activities, and hands-on manipulatives. Academics and socialization, as well as our Orthodox faith, are the focus of our preschool program. It is our belief that children learn best through engaging exploratory activities.