Dear Parents,

          January has been a month of weather fluctuations. We have very cold days followed by warmer temperatures. As a result of the weather and the season, we have had children out of school due to colds, strep throat, ear infections, and the like. Thank you for letting your child remain home to recuperate rather than send him/her to school when he/she might be contagious. Because of your diligence, we have not had any epidemics thus far.

Curriculum

The theme this month will be Dinosaurs. In addition to learning about dinosaurs, teachers will be teaching rhyming patterns and the values of kindness, taking turns, and honesty. Teachers will also be revisiting the skills of last month, especially patterns and positional words. In music, the theme is “Out and About” and “On the Go”.  February is also Dental Health Month; therefore, the classes will be discussing the proper care of their teeth and seeing the dentist.  This month we will look at Kindness asone of the Fruits of the Spirit. The Bible stories will focus on this concept, and the Bible verse is “Be kind and compassionate to one another.” Ephesians 4:32

Special Events

Ground Hog Day – February 2                                               
Valentine’s Day Party – February 14 – More information to come

Presidents’ Day – February 18 – Schools are closed

Scholastic Books

            If you are ordering from Scholastic Books, the due date for all orders is Thursday, February 14.

Valentine’s Party

Thursday, February 14 is our Valentine Party. Each teacher will send home a class list for you so that valentines can be sent in for the classmates. If help is needed in preparing for the party, the teacher will notify you. E

Enrollment for Next Year

February is the start of enrollment for next year’s two, three and four year olds. An enrollment letter and enrollment form are attached. Please read and respond within the next two weeks if you would like to verify early placement. Your recommendations to neighbors and friends have always brought us wonderful families, so if you need extra forms, please let me know.

Have a Heart Month

          Each year, we have a coin collection month. The purpose of this project is to instill in the children that it is never too early to do good for others. We ask each child to bring in any loose change each day and add it to their class’s “piggy bank”. At the end of the month, we take the change that has been collected to the bank, have it counted, and use the money to help someone in need. In the past, we have collected money for the food pantry, purchased Thanksgiving meals for a few families in the community, and given a donation to our local animal shelters. Anything that you can do to remind your child to bring in a few coins each day would be greatly appreciated. We will begin the drive on Tuesday, Feb. 5 and end on Thursday, February 28.

Snacks Reminder

          Thank you to those parents who have been so diligent in providing a snack for their child’s class. Children enjoy the variety that you provide. Please let your child’s teacher know if you are unable to provide a snack on the day that you were given on the calendar. The teacher needs to know so that a snack is prepared for that class. The snack can be simple. There are some food suggestions in the student handbook.

Tax Information

          Some of you have requested our school’s identification number for tax purposes. The number is 56-1983731. I hope this will help you during your tax preparation.

          February is a short month, but it is such an important one because it makes us all stop and reflect on those qualities in our loved ones that we so love and appreciate. It certainly makes our staff know how much we love your children and how much we appreciate you for allowing us to help them grow developmentally, spiritually, and emotionally.

          Happy Valentine’s Day to each of you.

                                                Sincerely,

                                                Donna Russell         Sherry Marshall

                                                Cathy Milstead      Kellie Frey

                                                Jennifer Gerrald   Pat Herdic

Dear Parents,

          Happy New Year to each of you. I hope you had a blessed Christmas and feel ready to face the New Year with enthusiasm, optimism, and good health. We are ready, willing, and very enthusiastic to see the children again.

          We appreciated your support at the Christmas program. We were very proud of the children and they were thrilled to see you out in the audience to see them perform. You will be surprised to see their growth as they perform at our end of the year program. This is the time when we begin to see a big learning spurt and development in the children. In the next few months, you will probably begin to see a “maturity” in your child at home as well.

January Curriculum

January will focus on the theme of Homes and Habitats. Each class will be making models of habitats that they have studied in class. We hope you will stop in and see them. We will let you know more details later.We will also be focusing on the skills of patterns, positional words (over, under, behind, etc.), and tracking (following a defined path to reach the end). Values that we will stress are team work and being helpful. Kindermusic’s theme will be “On the Go”. In our Bible lessons, we will focus on Patience as a Fruit of the Spirit. The Bible verse that the children will learn is Ephesians 4:2, “… be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

Kindergarten Readiness Tests and Conferences

Miss Cathy and Miss Donna are seeing some areas that still need more attention in teaching before mastery. Therefore the kindergarten tests will be completed in March. After the testing is completed, conferences will be scheduled. We want you to have an accurate depiction of what your child is ready to do in kindergarten and what areas will need more reinforcement over the summer.

Miss Cathy and Miss Donna are seeing some areas that still need more attention in teaching before mastery. Therefore the kindergarten tests will be completed in March. After the testing is completed, conferences will be scheduled. We want you to have an accurate depiction of what your child is ready to do in kindergarten and what areas will need more reinforcement over the summer.

Safety First

Please make sure that your child is always with an adult whether it is in the parking lot or in the building. If a teacher is not in the room, please wait with your child until the teacher returns. Don’t let your child out of your car away from the door and expect him or her to get inside alone. We want safety for your child at all costs. Thank you.

Dates to Remember

January 15 (Tuesday) – Scholastic book orders are due            

January 21 (Monday) – Martin Luther King’s birthday – School is                                  closed

We are hoping to avoid any more outbreaks of illness this winter. If your child has a fever or shows sign of illness, please let him or her have a day at home in the hope that it will ward off any contagion in the classroom. Thank you for your part in avoiding illness.

Each of the teachers and staff want to thank you again for your generous gifts to our school and us. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful parents such as you to support us with your time, your money, and most of all the love you show your child. Each of them models the love and nurturing that you give them every day.

We all wish you a year filled with blessings, health, and peace. Thank you for your continual support of us.

Sincerely,

Donna Russell
Cathy Milstead
Jennifer Gerrald
Sherry Marshall
Kellie Frey
Pat Herdic