Happy 2nd Week of Advent;)

Hello, Oh VERY patient Preschool Parents;)

               I hope this finds you all staying healthy and finding wonderful ways of readying your hearts for the upcoming Christmas season!  I want to thank you all for giving me your patience and understanding on not updating this blog for a bit.  I do apologize and will try to update a bit more than just once every 8 weeks!   I want to also extend my deepest appreciation for all the prayers you are storming heaven with regarding my dear mom.  She is also very touched by your kindness and love by your sentiments and prayers.  I keep telling her that on the days she is not able to pray because of weakness or when she to ill to do so, that we are praying for her.  She was so comforted by this.  Many of you have asked about her so here is what is going on so far.  Last week the doctors have discovered that 3 of the 5 tumors are intertwining themselves with each other causing it to become a bigger mass pressing on her organs.  These tumors are also growing at a much faster rate.  She is starting to experience more bad feeling days than good at this point.  The doctors want her to do a last ditch effort of chemotherapy to slow the growth of these tumors but she has decided against this.  She is really trying to fight hard to not take the pain narcotics that docs have prescribed but I think she will have no choice but to start taking these soon to help ease the pain the cancer is causing. She is still living by herself , still insisting on caring for herself and does very well at this time.  My sisters and brother are close by so they check on her quite often during the day. I try to take off to see her on the weekends.  Again, thank you so much for your prayers! They help her stay strong and close to the Holy Spirit!

    

Our last couple of weeks....

This is our last full week of school.  Our theme this week is The Holy Family. Emphasizing on the letter ' C '  We are also really emphasizing the beauty of the Nativity Story and the Holy Family.  Next week our theme will be Baby Jesus emphasizing the letter ' J ' .   We have been talking a lot about the season of Advent.  If you check out the walls, you will see the Seals and Penguins Advent Wreaths and the Polar Bear have their wreaths on display above the cubbies.  We are talking about how do we prepare our hearts for Jesus's birthday!

The SEALS's last day before holiday will be TUESDAY December 18th.  Unfortunately, I will not be at school on this day as I have a class that preschool directors MUST take before the first of the year and this day is the last class offered before January.  Unfortuately, this is not something I can help.

The PENGUINS and POLAR BEARS's last day before holiday will be WEDNESDAY December 19th. 

All classes will have a little Christmas party on their last day.  I will send a letter out regarding it this week. 
PLEASE CHECK YOUR CHILD's FOLDER FOR INFORMATION.

Next week will also be Mrs. Martin's last week as my co-teacher as Mrs. Bloom will be returning from her student-teaching assignment.   We look forward to introducing Mrs. Bloom to the classes soon. I am confident that the students will see Mrs. Martin again in our classroom though, as a sub for either myself or Mrs. Bloom.  Mrs. Martin has done a stellar job as our preschool's co-teacher.  Her love for the children and dedication to the excellence of our school is to be commended and applauded.  We thank Mrs. Martin for the love and dedication she has given us and we congratulate Mrs. Bloom on her completion of her Early Childhood Degree and welcome her back to our classes.  We are truly blessed to have both of these talented women in our preschool touching the lives our the children!

***Classes will resume on JANUARY 3rd. 

 

Concluding Thoughts:

When I see the faith and innocence of your children, I am reminded how we can rest in the strength and comfort that God will provide when facing troubles of many kinds.
It is the power and strength that comes from God that carries us on. As Christian Catholics we remind ourselves to surrender to the strength that God provides and His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

      1 Chronicles 16:11  "Seek the LORD and his strength;  seek his presence continually."

                           May God continually bless you during this Advent Season!

                                                                Mrs. Burd

."

Monday AFTERNOON classes Cancelled

Hello Preschool Moms and Dads,

 

Due to the Extreme High Wind Warning in effect starting noon on Monday, we are CANCELLING the Monday afternoon class (the Polar Bears). 

                                                                           Stay Safe!
                                                            Mrs. Burd and Mrs. Martin

Our upcoming All Saints Day Week

Hello "BOO"tiful Preschool Parents!!!

       Sorry, I couldn't resist a little Halloween humor! What a wonderful, warm week we had!  We took advantage of getting outside a little extra this week as I know our outside gross motor time is coming to a limited time;(
     I attempt to get the children out to gross motor time every classtime but went the following conditions hit, we will not be outside:
                     * temperatures below 45 degrees-(depending on the conditions)
                     * rain/sleet/heavy snow
                     * if children do not have adequate outerwear for outdoor play- ALL children must have the
                        outer wear to be permitted to go out in colder weather so I encourage all parents to send
                        along those hats, gloves, and heavier coats on the days that are chilly. Please label these
                        items as well;)
* When the multipurpose room in the elementary is available, we will go over and play some games when weather is not appropriate to be outside.

Upcoming All Saints Day parties:

      This week we will have our All Hallows Eve/ All Saints Day parties.  Each class will be a little different due to their age and understanding of All Saints Day.

SEALS:  The Seals will have their party on TUESDAY October 30th.  The children are invited to wear All Hallows Eve costumes but are not required.  Remember the costumes must be "easy on easy off" as the children do tend to shed them at some point.  If your child would like to bring in a small treat, they can but I do ask you to stay away from popcorn/popcorn balls as well as suckers/hard suck candy as these are obvious choking hazards for these little ones.   I appreciate your compliance with this request.

PENGUINS: The Penguins will have their All Saints Day party on WEDNEDAY October 31st.  The children are invited to dress up as a saint of their choice or they can also dress in a secular All Hallows Eve costume.  I would encourage you to introduce your child to a "kid-known" saints like St. Nicholas (the Christmas saint), St. Valentine or St. Joan of Arc to name a few. The children should know the name of their saint.  If your child would like to bring in a small treat, they can but I do ask you to stay away from popcorn/popcorn balls as well as suckers/hard suck candy as these are obvious choking hazards for these little ones.   I appreciate your compliance with this request.

POLAR BEARS: The Polar Bears will have their All Saints Day party on THURSDAY November 1st.  The children have signed up for a saint of their choice to dress as/ or can bring in an item that is a symbol of their saint, for example a shield for St. George  (If you need any reference books for  saint, I do have books outside the classroom to help or I can help with some great online sites.) Each child should know the name of their saint and one specific thing about their saint that made them a friend of Christ that they will share with the class.  If your child would like to bring in a small treat, they can but I do ask you to stay away from popcorn/popcorn balls as well as suckers/hard suck candy as these are obvious choking hazards for these little ones.   I appreciate your compliance with this request.

This is to be a fun and low stress.  Please let me know if I can help in anyway possible. 

****All classes will be playing some All Saints Day games and will be parading in the Early Childhood Center ***** 

Parent-Teacher Conferences:

    The state of Ohio requires all preschools, private, parochial, or public, to have a required parent-teacher conference at some point in the year.  Our school will hold this on November 8 & 14.   If you have not signed up for this, please see Mrs. Burd as soon as possible to arrange a time and date that works for your schedule.

Preschool Directory Info:

     I will be starting a preschool directory this upcoming month, I will be approaching those families who have not signed up to see if you would like to be included.

SCHOLASTIC ORDERS:

    Thank you so much to those familes that have been ordering from the Scholastic Book Orders forms.  Please be aware that you can also order via online if you would like to do so.  I will be sending out a December form within the next few weeks.  Each order earns our school points for free books.

FUNPASTA orders DUE SOON!

***Our FunPasta fundraiser is due this week.****
 
The SEALS will need to turn their orders in by Thursday NOVEMBER 1st  .

The PENGUINS and POLAR BEARS will need to turn orders in by Friday NOVEMBER 2nd.

                   All monies are due at the order turn in time. No exceptions on this.

Concluding Thoughts:

          All classes have started their Bible Focus story each week.  With each Bible focus time we try to do an activity that re-inforces the Bible lesson.  Your children work so hard at these little projects.  I encourage you to talk with your children about the story and the project.  The Bible is such a great tool that we will use all our lives...to guide us, to encourage us, to challenge us. It is so great to see the childrens' faces as they talk about the wonderful miracles and lessons that Christ teaches us in the Bible.
       May you and your children enjoy nature as we watch the beautiful season of Fall evolve into our next season...Winter! :)
                                                       Mrs. Burd & Mrs. Martin      

Great Fall time Pumpkin Patch Fun!

Hello Top-Notch Preschool Parents!

     What  great Pumpkin Patch fun we have had.  The Seals on Oct 2nd and then again the Penguins and Polar Bears on Monday the 15th!  I really hope the children had a ball but also learned something about the bees and pollenation, grains, as well as pumpkins themselves.  I want to give a HUGE shout out to all the moms, dads, grandmas & grandpas that chaperoned this trip.  I truly appreciate you taking time out of your day and busy schedule to help watch over our precious little people. This week we have continue learning about autumn animals and plants.

Chapel Time:

      The Pre-K POLAR BEARS had their first Chapel time last week.  We learned about the Chapel and how we enter and exit as well as praying in front of Our Lord.  We also visited the Tabernacle.  The PENGUINS will have their first Chapel trip on the first Monday in November. The POLAR BEARS will have chapel the first Thursday of each month.   The SEALS will have a tour of the "big" church next week Thursday. We will discuss some basic things like genuflecting, making the sign of the cross, and the large crucifix in our church.  I have talked to ALL classes about the difference between a cross and a crucifix.   

An Addendum to the Parent Handbook:

       Early this fall I revamped the Preschool Parent Handbook.  It was pointed out that I neglected to include our preschool's Behavior Notification Policy.  This should have been included and I apologize for not having it in the book to begin with.  I am, at the current time, re-writing the policy and will have out to you early next week.  The diocese expects certain things to be included in Catholic Preschool Parent Handbooks; this is one of those things;)  When you recieve the addendum, it will have a cover letter that I would like initialed and sent back in.  Please slide this policy addendum into the handbook for any future reference.  Thanks so much!

Parent-Teacher Conference Sign up Sheet:

     The Parent-Teacher Conference Sign up sheet is now available in our hallway for you to sign up for a time to meet with me during our set Parent-Teacher Conferences on November 8th and 14th. Please make sure you look over both dates and the times available.  If these dates and or times do not work in your schedule, please let me know and we can work something out. 

WE WELCOME....

    St. Francis de Sales Preschool welcomes ISABELLA DEWEY to our SEALS class.  We are so blessed to have Isabella in our Seals Preschool Family.  Welcome, welcome, welcome Isabella!

GYM Class next week!

     The Penguins and Polar Bears will have Gym class this upcoming Wednesday. Please make sure the children wear comfortable, non-slide shoes.  The Seals will start gym in November.

Halloween Party????

  I have had parents approach me about whether or not we "celebrate" Halloween at our Catholic Christian Preschool.  We do acknowledge the fun aspect of Halloween but we do not have a party per say. If a child would like to bring in a fun Halloween treat to share with the class, this is fine but we will not dress up or have a set party.  However, we will "celebrate" All Saints Day on November 1st.  Each class does something special for this day and I bring in doughnuts and juice to share with the children.  More to come on this soon!

FUN PASTA Sale has started!!!

    By now all the families should have gotten their FunPasta packet.  This fundraiser benefits the children in that we use the proceeds to purchase gross motor equipment as well classroom items such as new imagination items, learning games, replacement toys, and small furniture.  We get 40% of the sales.  The pasta kits really makes GREAT Christmas gifts and is really very tasty.  Please note that online sales are also available. This is a super tool for family or friends that live farther away.  Online orders willl ship directly to the individual.  Any questions, see Mrs. Burd;)

All Souls Day Rememberance Tree:

     On November 2nd, the Catholic Church commemorates individuals who have passed from this earthly life into God's eternal life.  To remember and commemorate these loved ones, we will have a Rememberance Tree. All children were given leaves in their folder.  These leaves can be filled out with names of family and or friends who have passed away. We place them on the tree and include all our tree names in our daily prayers.

Concluding Thoughts...     

     As I was heading home today, the beauty of the Autumn day really struck me.  I hope you and your fabulous families are able to enjoy the true beauty of this fall time together.  May your weekend be a great family time for you all. Happy Friday;)

                                                           God bless!
                                Mrs. Burd and Mrs. Martin

             "...Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a real blessing..."
                                                         Psalm 127:3

Pumpkin Patch and Pictures!

Hello Splendid Preschool Parents!

       What a GREAT Fire Prevention Week we had! I think the Polar Bears really thought it was funny when I had to dress like a firefighter! I don't think I should quit my day job anytime soon! haha!
      I want to tell all the moms and dads how perfect your children were during the fireman's talk about how to keep safe from fire accidents as well as teaching the children about fire safety.  Your children were wonderful!  A huge thanks goes out to Lt. Darby Rehbeck, the Newark firefighter who came into our classroom as our community helper as well as led the fire station tour for the Polar Bears.  Thanks Darby!

DEVINE PUMPKIN PATCH:

      Monday October 15th, the Penguin and Polar Bear classes will have their pumpkin picking day!
We go rain or shine.  Looking at the forecast, it looks like cool and clear...but then again it is Ohio...bring the umbrellas just in case! Please dress your little person for the weather.  Also, please have your child bring a snack and drink as well will have a place to break for a snack.

Penguin class- Please have your child to the pumpkin patch between 8:45 and 9 am.  We will end our time at 11:00.

Polar Bear class-  Please have your child to the pumpkin patch between 12:15 and 12:30.  We will end our time at 2:30.  Elementary parents are more than welcome to leave as appropriate in order to be able to pick your school age child.

BOTH classes will drop off and pick up at DEVINE ()not the school) on Monday.

PICTURES for Penguins and Polar Bears- This Friday:

     The Penguins and Polar Bears will have their picture day this Friday.  We will have pictures done during each class session.  The Seals will have their pictures done in November.  (Due to a scheduling conflict with the picture company, we had to schedule the Seals a bit later.) If you are in need of a new picture brochure, please let me know.

 Pick Up Procedure:      

   On Friday, I was made aware of an assult that happened close to our school campus a couple days prior.  I have made a decision to slight tweak our pick up procedure a bit for safety reasons.  We will keep the children inside the school (upper hallway) and escort the children one by one to their vehicles.  It may take a bit more time but safety is our utmost priority.


Concluding Thoughts:
     I am very happy with the progress I am seeing the students make with their fine motor work.  We will continue to work with the children on various fine motor activities but we will start expanding into more phonic and literacy work as well as math number sense. 
    May your week be a very blessed one.  God bless.

                                                                                 Mrs. Burd & Mrs. Martin
" Let no one despise youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct in Love, In Faith, &and In purity."
                             (1 Timothy 4:12)
                                


 

What a full week we have ahead!

Hello Wonderful Preschool Parents!

          WOW! What a great and full week we have ahead of us! 
This week we have our firefighter community helper coming in to speak with the SEALS and PENGUINS about fire safety.  The Pre-K POLAR BEARS will have their walking field trip to the firehouse for a tour of the 4th street Newark Fire Station. Please dress the children for the weather.  We will only not go if it is raining.   IF IT IS RAINING on Wednesday afternoon, our firefighter friend will come to us instead.
         On Thursday of this week, the Pre-K POLAR BEARS will also start chapel time.  Chapel time will be where I introduce the 5 year olds to children's Eucharistic adoration time, parts of the church, and have a time where we sing praise and worship to Christ the Lord.  The POLAR BEARS will have chapel the first Thursday of every month (except for October) from 12:30-1:00pm.
The PENGUINS will start their chapel time within the next month and have it on the first Monday of every month. 
I do not do an organized chapel time with the SEALS due to their young age, however, we do occasionally take the SEALS class into church and talk about reverence and how we act in church.  I also take them into the small day chapel and we talk about how Jesus is on the altar and do praise and song at this time.   We do this about 3-4 times within the school year. My experience in the past is that the 3 year olds are not quite ready for an organized chapel time every month.

DEVINE FARMS:

On Monday of next week the PENGUINS and POLAR BEARS have their field trip to Devine Farms.  ** PENGUINS will need to be to Devine no later than 9:00am as our tour is scheduled  soon after our arrival.  Our time at Devine will end at 11:00am
** POLAR BEARS will need to be to Devine no later than 12:30. Our time at Devine will end at 2:30pm.  If parents of elementary parents need to leave sooner to pick up your school aged child, that is perfectly fine as the last hour is free exploration time on the farm.
WE GO RAIN, SNOW, OR SHINE so please, please, please, dress for the weather. (I recommend mud boots if it is wet out)
***ALL children will need a snack and drink as we will be breaking for snack at some point of the tour.

BookMobile Visit the PENGUINS today!

     Today our Penguins got a very special visit from the Newark Library Book Mobile.  The children were able to pick out 3 books to check out to bring back into our classroom.  Once a month, the bookmobile will visit the preschool morning class.  Eventually, the children will be able to bring their choice books home but for this visit, I opted for them to stay in the classroom so all classes can enjoy them as well.  I would love for all the classes to be able to visit the Book Mobile however, they were only able to come to
St. Francis one time per month as their schedule is quite full.  This year it happened to fall in the morning. Hopefully, we can schedule more visits for next school year;)

PASTA Fund Raising:

The end of October, we will start our Fun-Pasta Fundraising Sale.  We have had a great success with this product. Our fundraising will last for about a month this school year.  I will have a sample pamplet from last year's fundraising out on small desk for you to look at. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to come on into the classroom to ask. 

REMEMBERENCE Tree:

Next week, we will send home leaves with your child.  These leaves will be for our Rememberance Tree for the observance of All Saints and All Souls Day.  You are invited to write down the names of deceased friends and family members for our classes to pray for during our observance of All Souls & Saints Day.  If you would like more leaves than provided, please let us know and we can get you more.  Please look for these starting next week in your child's folder. 

Speaking of folders....  Please try to remember to send some type of folder for your child in his or her back pack. This keeps projects and hard copy communications safe and able to reach you securely.  Also, please remember to check your child's folder frequently.  Thanks;)


  Concluding Thoughts...
       May your week be a beautiful and blessed one.  We thank you for your continuous support for their Christian education you all show your wonderful children.  I am seeing so much growth from them and I know it is because of your love and support.  We appreciate all you do.  May God bless your week.

                                                                       Mrs. Martin and Mrs. Burd
                                                                      " Overcome evil with good."
                                                                                       1 Peter 3:9

Happy Autumn!!

Hello Wonderful Preschool Moms and Dads!

 
        Happy Autumn!  Even though last Saturday was the first "official" start of Autumn, this weekend certainly felt and looked like a beautiful typical Ohio Autumn weekend! I hope everyone has been able to enjoy nature's beauty a bit this weekend. As our family traveled to Dayton for a family wedding, we couldn't help but notice the brillant fall colors that north western Ohio is experiencing now.  I am sure we will see this same beautiful change soon! What a great way to experience the simple but wonderful touches of God's hand in our world.
     As I look at the calendar, I realize that we are nearing the finish of our first month of school! The children are all getting into the routine and their adjustment is just outstanding. Your children are such a blessing to Mrs. Martin and me! I could be having a really groggy morning but the minute I see their sweet little faces, my day is instantly brightened! I can't help but smile and feel better.  Those little people are just so darn fantastic!  Thank you so much for sharing them with me.

Saint of the Month:

      Your children may have spoken about our Saint of the Month, St. Michael the Archangel for the month of September.  St. Michael is written about in the book of Revelations and he is known to be the patron saint of policemen.  As September ends, we ask St. Michael to pray for our families who have family members that are in the law enforcement career. 

     October's Saint of the Month is St. Vincent de Paul.  St. Vincent is the patron saint of the poor and sick.  We all know someone who is struggling with their health or with other struggles of sickness.
     As Catholic Christians, we teach that the saints are not worshipped but looked to for intercession for us on earth who need help. I liken it to asking your mom or dad or friends to pray for you when you are enduring your own earthly cross. We ask saints, who are even closer to God than family and friends on earth, to pray to God for us, to help us pray for our intentions and prayer request. 

We would like to welcome....

     We would like to welcome Layla Annarino who joined the SEALS class last Tuesday.  We are so happy to have Layla join us here at St. Francis Preschool!

Fundraiser Input:

    It is time for me to start organizing the preschool fundraiser.  Last year, our school sold Fun Pasta.  For those returning families from last year, I would like to hear from you regarding your thoughts on how you thought the pasta tasted, how easy was it to sell, your thoughts on the price, and how long you would like to have to seel it.  I am considering this fundraiser again this year.
 For those new families, Fun Pasta is a pasta company that sells unique shaped pasta and pasta meal kits as well as soups.  I will put out a flyer for you take a look at regarding this company.  I welcome everyones input and thoughts about this.  Our preschool does one fundraiser a year.  We will be doing a fundraiser sooner and it will last a bit longer than last year.  The order will be placed in time for it to come before Christmas.  Last year we hit it too close so this is the reason for me to start this event sooner. Feel free to chat with me about your thought about the fundraiser one on one or you may email me at: mburd@cdeducation.org  to input constructive thoughts and opinions.  Thanks so much!

Parent Handbooks:

Thanks to all who have reviewed and returned their handbook review slips.  If you have not done so, please look over the policies, especially the clothing policy. 

DEVINE FARM Trip:

FOR SEALS CLASS:

On TUESDAY October 2nd the SEALS class will have their Devine Farm trip.  Please make sure your SEAL's students are at Devine no later than 8:30 am.  We will be finished by 10:30 and you are free to leave with your child then or be there to pick them up by 10:30.  Please bring a drink and snack for them as we will have snack at Devine. If you have not paid, please remember to have the fees with you at the Farm on Tuesday.  WE GO RAIN OR SHINE!!!!!

FOR PENGUIN and POLAR BEAR Classes:

On MONDAY October 15th the PENGUINS and POLAR BEARS class will have their Devine Farm Trip.  Please have your fees into me by FRIDAY of this week.  Please NO checks as they are hard to reconcile. 
PENGUINS will need to be at the farm no later than 8:55.  Pick up will be at 11:00am
POLAR BEARS will need to be at the farm between 12:15-12:30  no later than 12:30pm. Pick up will be 2:30pm.
Please bring a snack and drink as we will stop to have snack at Devine.  WE GO RAIN OR SHINE!


Theme of the Week:  FARMS
Color of the Week: White
Feature Letter of the Week: "F"
Sight word of the week: "for" and "Fall"
October Community Helper: Firefighters
October Saint of the Month: St. Vincent de Paul

Prayers:

Some moms and dads have asked for me to write the prayers we say during the day so they can pray them with their child.  Here you go...

Opening Prayer:
" As I start another day, keep me close to you I pray. Be with me both day and night. Help me follow Christ our Light." Amen

Closing Prayer:
" God made the sun; God made the sea; God made the fishies; and God made me.
Thank You for the sun; thank You for the sea, thank You for the fishies, and thank You for me." Amen

Snack Prayer (aka" The SuperHero Prayer):
" Thank you God for giving us food! Thank God for giving us food!  Thank you for the food that we eat; and the friends that we meet.  Thank you God for giving us food; AMEN"

CLOSING Thoughts:

      As week start another fun and exciting week, I want to thank you wonderful mommies, daddies and guardians for your great support.  Mrs. Martin and I appreciate you all.  Also remember to dress those little ones in jackets or sweatshirts as we do try to make every attempt to have our gross motor time.

                                                                            God's blessing...
                                                           Mrs. Burd and Mrs. Martin


           " ...the Lord is trustworthy in every word, and faithful in every work."   Palsms 145: 13

Happenings in the second full week of school:)

Hello Super-Uber-tastic Preschool Parents!

                 Well, we are onto our second full week of preschool.  You all should be VERY proud of all your little people! All the students are transitioning so well. I am so proud of them.  Here are a few things our classes are working on:
            SEALS:  Seals are working on shape and color identification by playing shape Bingo on Tuesday.  Veeerry interesting this game was!   We have also been talking about how to be good friends to each other.  We  read the book Corduroy.  Some of the students then got a small bowl of gummy bears and graphed the amount of different colored bears they had!   We also have been busy at working on writing our name and writing the letter of the week.  All student are working on simple and complex patterning as well catagorizing objects according to color and shape. OF course, don't forget we are ALWAYS learning new songs!  In religion, we have been learning the Sign of the Cross, learning our starting prayer, snack prayer, and closing prayer. We have also been talking about who Jesus is.  It has been a stupendous couple of weeks! Great work Seals!

         PENGUINS:  Penguins are working on identifying their names, knowing the order of the letters in their names,writing their names, Letter of the Week letter formation and of course letter sounds.  Currently, the students are creating a Name Cheer Mini Book.  We are also learning about the importance of being a good friend to our preschool family members.  We have been working very hard at getting in a good routine at calendar time.  In calendar, we sing songs and learn all about the weather, days of the week, months of the year, patterning, reading the calendar, shapes, seasons, and about the letter and color of the week! This circle time is a VERY important time of our day.  They are partcipating very well  The Penguins are also working on the proper way to do the sign of the cross, glorifying God in our daily prayers, as well as Who is J-E-S-U-S! Ask them about their Prayer Song (to the tune of BINGO) Super work Penguins!

     POLAR BEARS:  The Polar Bears are working hard at creating their very first book of the year. The Polar Bears class create class books each month but this month I decided it would be fun to have each child create their own book that is all about them! We are also working very hard at increasing their knowledge about the letter sounds by encouraging them to think of words that start with the letter of the week.  I put them on large sheets of chart paper and hang them in the hallway on a weekly basis.  What smartie artie pants you have!  The Polar Bears also work a more indepth circle time.  We sing color songs that teach them how to spell each color word, we sing and dance to the month hop that encourages us to not only just sing the order be to spell them and to guess which month comes after another month. OF course, we are learning all sorts of great songs.  I think this class's favorite is "Watching Over YOU"!    We are also working on writing their names as well.  Of course, we emphasize the letter formation.  They are all catching on very well.  Superb job Polar Bears!

Early Childhood Experts suggest that it will take about 4 weeks for preschools to adapt to a new routine and learning the expectation establishment of this routine.  All the children are doing very well!

 

We had Gym Class today!

   The Polar Bears and Penguin classes had gym class today with me (Mrs. Burd).  Yes...believe it or not, I did teach a year of physical education and was a CC coach once upon a time many moons ago! haha  We actually did some integrated language development and physical education teaching during gym class today.  We worked on stretching, exercise the arms and doing some minor cardio activities.  We used the parachute and letter balls today.  I won't spoil it for you, ask your little one about it!  I have P. E. on the calendar outside my classroom on the cork board.  Our next time for P.E. , is Oct 24th.  The SEALS will start their Physical Education around November, 

Our First "All preschool Field trip"....DEVINE FARM PUMPKIN PATCH!!!!!

          This year we will be pumpkin picking instead of apple picking.  Each preschool class will have an assigned date and time in which they can be either accompanied with their parent or can be dropped off at Devine Farms in Hebron instead of coming to our school for their assigned day.  Here are the dates and times.  More detailed info will be coming within the week!

*Tuesday October 2nd the SEALS will be at the Pumpkin Patch from 8:30am-10:30am

*Monday October 15th the PENGUINS will be at the Pumpkin Patch from 9:00am-11:00am

*Monday October 15th the POLAR BEARS will be at the Pumpkin Patch from 12:30pm-2:30pm

Cost will be $7.00 for the students.  If parents would like to chaperone, the parent cost is $3.00 for EACH parent the comes. (No more than 2 adults per child please)  This cost includes admission, a small pumpkin for each student, and a coloring book that touches on the things that the child learned about this day.

Because this is a school function and per the suggestion of the farm, I ask that siblings not accompany the student on this particular trip.  Thank you for respecting this decision.

Pick-Up Procedure

    I just want to send out a huge shout out to all the parents.  The pick up procedure is coming along so well! Thank you for being very patient as we try to get faster in moving the cars through.  Just a gentle reminder to please try to stay in your cars. Parking and walking up to the side walk seems to create a longer delay trying to get all students loaded. Thanks again for being so wonderful and patient with us:) You are awesome!

Extra Clothes Reminder 

    I just wanted to remind moms and dads to make sure that your child has a full set of extra clothes in their backpack.  Every child should have the following in a sealed bag or container:  a change of socks, underwear, shirt, and pants of somekind.  As the weather begins to get a bit chillier, please work on getting the summer type clothes changed out for more autumn appropriate clothing. 
     I also wanted to let you know that we make every attempt to go outside for gross motor time so I would encourage you to pack a light jacket with your child.  Even if the child does not want to wear it coming to school, he/she still has it for when it is time for us to go out.  Thanks so much for your help on this:)

If you got a Yearly Physical request from me... 

    Per State of Ohio mandate, every child that attends our preschool MUST have a yearly physical   When your expiration date is fast approaching, I will send you a reminder that you will need to get your child in for another physical. Please try to get this done sooner rather than later.  Thanks so much for your help and understanding on this.

Concluding Thoughts:

         Thank you for being such a GREAT group of parents! You are so very supportive and understanding.  Please do not hesistate to contact me if you ever have any questions and or concerns.  We strive to keep the lines of communication open.  My email is: mburd@cdeducation.org   I usually check it at my lunch hour as the mornings are very busy with class preparation.  If it is urgent or you need to reach me prior to the 11:15am time, you can always call the preschool office number at: 345-4049 ext 236   God bless you and your beautiful families.

                                                                                      With Christ,
                                                                          Mrs. Burd and Mrs. Martin
      "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; as it is a gift of God"
                                                                                                  Ephesians 2: 8

THANK YOU TARGET!

Hello Wonderful Preschool Moms and Dads!

            I want to give a huge shout out to the Target store in Heath.  We recieved a $25 dollar gift certificate from the Target store.  The preschool was able to purchase some items for the imagination station, basketballs and pump, as well as more cones for our bike area! Thanks so much Target!  We are truly grateful!

      THANK YOU Parents!

     I want to thank all the parents for continuing to be patient and for the great continuous effort to keep our pick up line moving! I am giving you all a double wiggly thumbs up....ask your children....this means
S-U-P-E-R :)
 

      Parent-School Handbooks

I have had some questions regarding Parent Handbooks for this school year.  After looking at this handbook I had realized how dated some things were so I decided to revise and re-write this handbook.  As we speak, it is being worked on and my goal is to get it to you by September 28th. My apologies for it being late.  Thank you for the inquires.  As soon as it goes to print, I will get it to you;)

My email

   A parent has inquired about my email address.  Here is my school address:  mburd@cdeducation.org
Please feel free to drop me an email with questions, concerns, or if you would like to report your child absent. 

   
Mrs. Martin and I want to thank you all for allowing us to be part of your beautiful childrens lives.  They are so great! We truly have been blessed. God bless.

                                                                              Mrs. Burd & Mrs. Martin

Ahhhhhhh...cooler weather!!!!

Hello Dynamic Preschool Parents!

      
        Thank you Jesus for cooler weather!!! What a difference 20 degrees can make, eh?  I hope everyone had a VERY restful weekend! I am sure your little ones were tired...I know I was!  I think last week went very very well.  Your children are so amazing.  Each day, we are able to add a little bit more and more to our schedule.  My main goal for last week and this week is to establish a consistant pattern to our schedule. We continue to add a little bit more each day to our circle time and large group time. 
      This week each and every class will work on writing their names. I know that many of the students know how to write their names however I see three consistant things that we need to work on. The first is to teach the children NOT to use capital letters in the middle of their names.  In our preschool, we teach that the ONLY letter that should be uppercase is the first letter in the name.   The second is to get the children in the habit of starting from the top down in writing their names and the third is to review in identifying their own names.
         Next week I hope to assess the children using the same criteria the statewide early childhood standards.  This will give me a more concrete idea of what we can skip, what we can review, and what each individual child needs reinforcement on. 

PICK-UP Reminder!

     For all classes, our new pick up is working pretty well. Thank you:)   Please remember NOT to park or turn off your car and get out to wait for your child.  Please stay in your car so you can pull up to our building & pick up your child.  When you pull up and your child's seat is on the driver's side, I will deliver your child to that side of the car for you to buckle in otherwise I will help them buckle in.  It seems the more parents park and are not able to continue the flow of traffic, the longer the pick up process seems to take.  I am confident that this will continue to work itself out and pick up will continue to get smoother.  Thank you so much for your help and patience with this process;) You are so wonderful!

WELCOME!!!!

    Our preschool would like to congratulate Mr. and Mrs. Gebhart and Mackenzie as they welcome a new set of twins into their family! What a beautiful blessing.  Congratulations to your beautiful family!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

     I want to take this moment to thank all you moms and dads in a few things:  1st:  Thank you for getting paperwork into me so very promply.  I SOOOO appreciate your cooperation with this.
2nd: Thank you for all the families that donated Clorox wipes as well as things from our Giving Garden.  We are truly touched by your generosity. 
      The children and I have talked daily about sneezing and coughing into our sleeves .vs. our hands.  We also have encouraged the children to keep their hands off their noses and mouths.  (I do insist that children keep their fingers out their mouths.   We strive very hard to keep each and every precious little one healthy so they can be in school as much as possible!)


Have wonderful week and please pray for this continued cool and beautiful weather!

                                                                            Respectfully yours,
                                                                      Mrs. Burd and Mrs. Martin

  "All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children."

                                                                                              Isaiah 54:13

GREAT day Penguins!!

Hello Uber-Awesome Preschool Mom's and Dad's!

           What a SUPER day we have during the Penguin's very first day of preschool! All the students did such a wonderful job at paying attention and participating.  We actually got through an entire calendar time on the very first day!  This doesn't usuallly happen until the second week!  You have great kids! Good job Penguins.

        A HUGE shout out goes to Makenzie Richner's family for the very generous donation of another fan for our classroom. Thank you, thank you, thank you! The classroom was much more comfortable today.  Thanks Richner family!

         I want to thank the afternoon Polar Bear families for a much more smooth pick up.  Thank you so much for not parking against the guard rail or the circle turn-around during pick up.  I think pick-up went much more smoothly. 
     A VERY good question arose today from some wonderful parents.  The question was:
                "Do we get out of the car to buckle our child in OR do we let you buckle them in?"
My answer is this:  If your child's car seat is on the drivers side in the back then YES please pull up, wait for me to bring your child to you, then feel free to get out and buckle your child in.  IF your child's car seat is on the side of the curb side pickup, then I will buckle them in if your child can not do so on their own.
        Thanks for the great question! Keep them coming!

             Today the Polar Bears played letter musical chairs.  It was a blast! It is musical chairs but with a letter writing twist. It was great fun. Your children are so smart.

        Just to let you know that volunteer sheets are on the brown chair outside the classroom.  If you want to volunteer, please fill one of these out and return it to me. 

          Thanks so much.  God bless your wonderful family!

                                                                            Mrs. Burd & Mrs. Martin

Great day SEALS & POLAR BEARS!

Hello Stupendous Preschool Families!

                  Other than being tremendously humid, it was a FABULOUS day for both the Seals and Polar Bears first day!  It was a fairly easy day for both classes.  Both classes worked so hard trying to listen hard and pay attention through this yucky heat! IF any family would be willing to donate or let us borrow an extra fan (preferably a pedistal fan)   we would be extremely grateful!!!!!!!   Yowser it is warm!
                 Tomorrow the Penguins will have their very first day!  We open the doors at 8:05am. In a previous paper, I accidently typed 8:15.  This is incorrect and I am sorry for any confusion it may have caused.  Doors open at 8:05am.  We do not typically start class right at 8:05am.  We have a flexible station exploration time until 8:20.  Then we clean up and take a restroom break. 

REMINDERS....

Please remember to send something to eat and drink with your child for snack.

Please dress your children in very comfortable and breathable clothing. 

Please send your child in closed-toed shoes.

Please help your child wash their hand before entering our classroom.

AFTERNOON POLAR BEAR Parents:

     The elementary principal has asked me to remind the afternoon preschool parents NOT to park against the guard rail OR in the circle drive by the preschool building.  This causes much congestion as the elementary cars use this to help with the turn around at pick up time Please stay in your car and park against the curb on Pearl St. Also, remember to try to come closer to 2:55pm.  If you have an elementary child waiting, they are more welcome to come down to the preschool hallway to wait for their preschool sibling. We will escort them all to their car.  Thank you so much in advance with this.

Concluding Thoughts:

  I just wanted to thank you mommys and daddys for allowing Mrs. Martin and me to be part of your amazing child's life! We feel so very blessed to be able to teach them and especially to bring God's Word to them! Thanks so much! Your children are soooooooo GREAT!

                                                                                       Mrs. Burd and Mrs. Martin

Are you all ready???

HERE WE GO!!!!

     Tomorrow is our first day of school for SEALS and POLAR BEARS!  I am so excited and I hope your precious little ones are excited too!
      Here are some reminders:    
                Doors open for SEALS at 8:05am and pick up on Pearl St. is at 11:00am
                Doors open for POLAR BEARS at 11:55 and pick up on Pearl St. at 2:55pm. 
Polar Bears Parents: please be in line at 2:50pm.  You will NOT be able to sit and wait so I encourage you to come as close to 2:55 as you can. 

Our First Couple of Weeks:

       As we start our first weeks, I will be easing all of the classes in slowly!  In the first week of school we work on just the basics, where are the bathrooms, how do we wash our hands, lining up for recess, the classroom rules, stuff like this.  We like to the hit the ground running but we will do it verrrry gently!

Paperwork sent home with your child:

      As I went through all my student files, I noticed a handful of children who have outdated immunization/phyiscal forms.  If you notice one of these forms in your child's folders, please get your little one in to your family doctor asap for a physical as well as a copy of your child's updated immunizations.  

 

AFTERNOON Polar Bear Pick-up:

      As of now, we will have the afternoon Polar Bear parents pick up on Pearl St. at the curb of the Preschool building however, in the next few weeks this will change.  When the principal and I meet to discuss the details, I will then relay these to you.  As of now, please follow the traffic on Pearl St. 

What a sensational open house!

Hello top-notch preschool parents!

             What an phenomenal open house today! Wow... it was so great to see all the new and returning students.  I loved that grandmas, grandpas, and the godparents that came too.   What great supportive families you have.  God has certainly blessed you all. 
 I want thank all the parents that brought in their paperwork.  This certainly makes my record keeping much easier so I really appreciate it.  If you have overlooked or forgotten about the state required paperwork, I will send a reminder home in your child's folder.
Every child must have in their file, the following:  Birth Certificate, Social Security card, Baptismal cert. (if not baptized at St. Francis), photo authorization form, authorized pick-up form, emergency contact form, official and updated registration form, medical form, and of course, yearly updated immunization and physical form.  I keep very close eye on those expiration dates on the medical forms.  When your immunization/physical form is a month away from expiration, I will send a reminder of when it expires and when your new form must be in. If you do not immunize your child, you must have an updated exemption form on file. Those forms can be obtained from me. Please understand that I am very vigilant on these forms as they are state-mandated requirements.
   
     Also, thank you so much to the families that brought in their Clorox wipes! We strive to keep our classroom very clean and TRY very hard to prevent communicable sicknesses.  We try our best to keep your precious ones healthy! You may have noticed that we also have bottles of hand sanitizer around  our classroom.  Of course this by no means takes the place of hand washing but when the children sneeze or touch their noses, we do ask them to use hand sanitizer. 

DRESS CODE:

      Many parents asked about if our preschool has uniforms.  We do not reqire the children to wear uniforms however there are a few policies I want to highlight:
     ALL children and staff must wear closed-toed and back-supported shoes. Crocs and sandals with straps supporting the back with closed toes are acceptable.  Jeans, shorts, exercise pants/sweat pant are also acceptable as well.  
     If the girls wear dresses, please have them wear little shorts or leggings underneath. We sit on the floor during  group calendar station and this just ensures their modesty a bit more.  Spaghetti strap dresses are not permitted. 
     I understand that your young one may like certain clothes but just please keep in mind that we are physically active all day and we tend to get messy!  I  suggest that  the dressy (Sunday type) clothes are kept  for special programs and not for everyday.
I will be sending home a parent handbook on the first day of school (along with a sign off sheet that you have read our policies)  so you are able to delve a bit more into our policies.  PLEASE do not hesistate to ask if questions or concerns arise. My door is always open:)

DONATION of SLIDE SET!!

    After our preschool was given the grant from the Round Up Foundation, I sent letters out to the area businesses for help with either discounts on equipment or, if they felted called, donations.  A man from our area LOWES called today (Sunday) to say that he would give us a discount on some equipment and installment tools.  He also personally donated a gently used slide set. It has a tube slide and a straight side! What wonderful "candy from heaven" this is!  We will need to put the slide set together so I may be calling on willing parents to help me set this up.  Thanks to Mr. Lennon from LOWES!  God is so good!

 Start dates and times:

   The start dates and times for the classes are as follows:

     SEALS:  Tuesday Sept. 4th  from 8:05am-11:00am
     PENGUINS: Wednesday Sept. 5th from 8:05am 11:00am
     POLAR BEAR: Tuesday Sept. 4th from 11:55am to 2:55 pm

Remember that we require you to accompany your child into the school at drop-off, wash their hands, have your child put their back pack and snack bags in their cubby and escort them to the classroom.
At pick-up time, preschool staff with bring your child to you to your car. 
   The MORNING classes will have their pick up line along Pearl Street on the side of the preschool door.  The children will line up outside the door and we will bring them to you.  Please do not get out of the car unless you need to meet with me. If this is the case, you will need to park in the sacristy parking lot and come to the preschool.
     The AFTERNOON Pre-K class will differ a bit in pick up. We will still bring your child to you however the traffic pattern will follow the elementary pick-up pattern.  I meet this week with the elementary principal to discuss how this will work.  I will  post details later  this week to update on what this pattern will be.  If you have a child that attends the elementary, we will have the elementary student meet up with your preschooler and we will load them together.  I suggest that you do not come too early to pick up your afternoon preschooler (come as close to 2:55 as you can) as you will not be able to wait to long in line.  Thanks for your patience with us on this.

Our prayers out to....

      We will be praying for Makenzie Gebhart's mom as she will be delivering TWINS within the next couple of weeks! Makenzie is in our Penguins class.  We will lift Mrs. Gebhart up in prayer so that things go smoothly and she has a stellar delivery!   St. Gerard Majella...pray for us! 

Office hours this week:

    I will be in the office until noon on Monday.  I will be out of the office on Tuesday all day as I will be spending the day with my own children the day before they start school.  I will hold regular office hours Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (8:00- 3:00).  May your week be filled with wonderful blessings!         
                                                                                    
                                                                                       God bless.

                                                                              Mrs. Burd & Mrs. Martin
 

Open House times

Hello splendid preschool moms and dads!
      I just wanted to reiterate the times of each class's Open House times:

            POLAR BEARS: 11:00am to 12:00pm
           
            PENGUINS: 12:00pm to 1:00pm

            SEALS: 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm

Remember to bring any registration, medical papers and child's picture on the apple.  Any questions regarding Open House, please feel free to call my office at 345-4049 ext 236.  Hope to see you all there:)

                                                           Mrs. Burd

Upcoming Open House- August 19th!

Come one, come all!!!

       To our Preschool Open House from 11am-2pm.  Please stop in to chat and allow your precious little one to meet the preschool teachers and our preschool pets! Please remember any paperwork and of course those apples with your child's picture! We look forward to seeing you all!

Grant Awarded to Our Preschool!!  

    The Round Up  Foundation (through the Energy Co-Op) has awarded St. Francis de Sales Preschool $1000 toward the start of playground renovation!!!!!  YEE-HAW!   This money will go toward a Spring See Saw Bouncer, a bigger sand box with a cover, 3 bouncy jumpers, a few more bikes and perimeter cones for the biking area.  I will continue to write more grants for more play ground equipment.  A HUGE thanks goes to the Energy Co-Op and the Round-Up foundation for this grant! Thanks goes to all those Energy Co-Op patrons that "round up" their energy bill.  Without this, the grant would not have been possible! We have been blessed.

Preschool Bathroom Floor re-done

     A grant from the Catholic Foundation, has allowed us to re-do our preschool bathroom floors.   This much needed maintence has helped the floors look (and smell!) much nicer.  The Catholic Foundation Grant is given to maintence projects for parish buildings.  We have also been able to replace the sink fixtures in both of the bathrooms.  They now have sensor-triggered faucets which is very nice for when the little ones need to wash those hands. Thanks to the Catholic Foundation!

Tuition

Thanks to all the preschool families who have established their tuition intentions.  The parish gives preschool families two options for payment.  They are as follows:
      * Pay tuition in one lump sum by no later than August 1st   OR
      * Establish monthly tuition payments (with the accounting department) via automatic withdrawl.
ALL families must have either option established and agreed upon by July 31st. 
Thank you all very much for understanding and consideration of this policy.


I am so looking forward to seeing you all soon.  I am very excited for all the great things I have planned for the year.  God's blessing to you all. 

                                                                                Mrs. Burd, Mrs. Martin, & Mrs. Bloom
                                                                                            "I am with you always."  
                                                                                                         Matthew 28:20
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

August is creeping upon us...dog days of summer ahead!

Hello magnificent preschool moms and dads!

         I don't know about you but it is hard to believe that August will be soon upon us.  It was like yesterday that I was saying goodbye for the summer to all your precious little ones.  WOW! 
 I am hoping that you all have gotten the first round of information mailings.  I will be sending out the second (and a little thicker) mailing on Friday.  You should get it early next week.  There are quite a bit of forms that need to be filled out for all students, new and returning.  You may either mail them back to me before August 19th OR you can just bring the along to the OPEN HOUSE on the 19th of August. 

OPEN HOUSE Information:

                 Please come to our Preschool Open House on Sunday August 19th from 11am-2pm.  I have broken up the Open House times according to class.  Please refer to the first letter for time information. If you are not able to make the assigned time of your child's class, please do not hesitate to come when it is most convienent for your schedule. I broke up the day so our room didn't get so hot and stuffy for you, our most important visitors!  I look forward to seeing you all there!      

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL:)

             Our first days of school start up after Labor Day.  They are as follows:
Tuesday SEPTEMBER 4th:  First Day for SEALS and POLAR BEARS
Wednesday SEPTEMBER 5th: First Day for PENGUINS

Please remember our start times:  Seals and Penguins- doors open at 8:05 am
                                                      Polar Bears- doors open at 11:55am

Slight Change in DISMISSAL:

         Last year, the morning classes had to park and come to the classroom to get their student.  This year dismissal will be a bit different.  This year the preschool teachers will bring your child to you in the dismissal pick up line.
Morning AND afternoon classes will be dismissed in this manner.  You will simply get in a "pick up" line to the right side of Pearls St. (right in front of the preschool doors) and we will escort your child to your car.  PLEASE DO NOT PARK IN THE CIRCLE TURN AROUND! Please stay in your cars to pick up your child.  If you need to talk to me, please park in the sacristy parking lot and walk to our loading area. 
      With Michael's Playground being constructed here soon, a different pattern pick-up pattern MAY occur as restructing happens.  I will inform you of any change of pick-up as soon as I know them. 
      Drop off will still occur in the same manner as it did last year. Dismissal is the only thing that will change this year.

TUITION DUE:

       If you have not made tuition arrangements (monthly or pay in full)  with our accounting office, please do so as soon as possible.
The accounting office's number is: 345-9874 ext 235      Unfortunately, if tuition is not reconciled before August 30th, I will have no other choice than to remove the child from the roster.  Please contact Mrs. McCracken in the accounting office if you have any questions or concerns.

Just a Heads Up:

      I just wanted to give mom's & dad's a "heads up" that the preschool will be closed on SEPT. 24th for a Diocesan-wide Teacher Professional day in which Mrs. Martin and myself will need to attend.  Thank you in advance for your understanding of this issue.


Continue to stay cool and have a wonderful rest of July!

                                                                                             Many blessings,
                                                                                                 Mrs. Burd

                                    "God never sends us a thorn in our lives that de doesn't send a rose to bloom."
                                                                                                                             St. Catherine of Siena
                                                                               
     
  

It's the middle of July...ALREADY??!!

Happy Summer my super-ubertastic preschool families!

          I hope this finds you all well, rested and cool!!!  What a hot one it has been so far! I keep hoping to have a cool day so that I can start back into my classroom but I think I will just have to suck it up and brave the heat;(  After shutting the room down in June and our family vacation in the beginning weeks of July, I am now dusting off my computer to write up some "save the date" days to send out to you all.  I miss my sweet little students so much!  I have some great and exciting changes coming this school year.

Our NEW class Bunny Rabbit "Fluffy":

          Much to our family's sadness, our beloved rabbit Thumper died this summer.  A week later, we found a sweet little lion-head bunny that someone had abandoned in our neighborhood.  He was so skinny and sad but after lots of attention and as much food as he wants, Fluffy is doing wonderful.  He will be our "in house" bunny in our classroom this year. He will stay in the room instead of traveling back and forth like Thumper did.

       

Temporary Staff change coming:

        My wonderful co-teacher, Mrs. Bloom, will be doing her student-teaching the first 15 weeks of school in Mrs. Bowman's third grade classroom here at St. Francis. After her 15 weeks of student-teaching are finished, she will re-join us in our preschool class (right around Christmas holiday) for the remainder of our school year. We send Mrs. Bloom many prayers for a wonderful student-teaching experience and wish her all the best during the beginning 15 weeks of this exciting school year. What an wonderful time for her!

     In the 15 week absence of Mrs. Bloom, Mrs. Diane Martin will join our preschool family as my co-teacher.  Mrs. Martin comes to us with a wealth of educational experience.  She recently finished a year as a co-teacher with Mrs. Susan Walsh, one of our wonderful kindergarten teachers here at St. Francis.  Mrs. Martin is excited to be with us in our preschool.  She will be a great asset to us here at SF Preschool. We welcome Mrs. Martin with open hearts and open arms!

Blog Updates for the upcoming school year:

        I will be updating this blog on a bi-weekly basis for the remainder of the summer.  For the upcoming year, I will be sending lots of reminders to subscribe to the blog.  If you already get email notifications of updates, please disregard and have patience with these reminders. Thanks;)

        May you continue to have a blessed and safe summer holiday.  I look forward to seeing you all very soon.  God bless you all. 

                                                                                           Educationally yours,
                                                                                                Mrs. Burd

And the winners are......(drum roll)

Hello Fabulous Preschool Parents!
        Congratulations to the winners of the class artwork from Granville Studio of Visual Arts. They are.......

Seals:  The Richner Family

Penguins:  The Bailey Family

Polar Bears: The Garrido Family

Thanks to EVERYONE who submitted a bid.  We appreciate your great generosity and support.  You are so wonderful.  Mrs. Bloom and I have been truly BLESSED with you and your precious little ones.  God is so good!
Proceeds from this auction will go toward the purchase of more bikes and other equipment for the gross motor play yard as well more classroom learning items. 
              
                                                                                        Blessing to you all!

                                                                                     Mrs. Burd and Mrs. Bloom

Bid update

Hello Preschool Parents,
       The bids are as follows thus far:

                     Seals: $140.00 (Family #3)
                     Penguins: $43.00 (Family #9)
                     Polar Bears: $125.00 (Family #7)
Bidding will close at 3:00 pm today (Tuesday).  Thanks so much for everyone's support for these wonderful masterpieces!
                                                                           God bless!
                                                                           Mrs. Burd

Last week of school!

Hello WONDERFUL Preschool Parents!

           Well, this is the last week of school (sigh!). I want to thank each and every mom, dad, grandma and grandpa for the fabulous support this year.  I have taught for 14 years and this is, by far, the absolute best school year I have ever had! My first year as director was certainly full of wonderful learning and growing.  I want to thank you all for helping with this learning and growing, but also for being patient with me.  I so look forward to next school year to see all my students again.  I also look forward to see my Polar Bears as kindergarteners!! I will pray that you all have a safe and fun summer.  Again, thank you all so much for a great year.  Your continual support is always greatly appreciated.

OCEAN THEME CONT.'

        We are continuing our Ocean theme this week.  Today (Monday) both classes heard whale and dolphin sounds on our Smartboard.  We also will play "Commotion in the Ocean" tag this week.  The children L-O-V-E-D "Dino Tag" and this game is quite similar but the children have to move like the ocean creature they are assigned.  Fun Stuff!!!  Please take a look out into the hall for your child's ocean creations.

 

BIKE Day:

      On your child's last day, we will be having a FUN day by having "Bike Day".  When you drop your child, please place your child's bike just inside the small gate that is right by our preschool entrance.  The bikes will also be inside the gate at pick up time.  A bike helmet for your child is strongly encouraged. 
      A few parents have asked about bringing in a treat for the last day.  If your child would like to bring in a small and simple treat that is perfectly fine.  If you have any questions regarding "Bike Day", please do not hesitate to ask. 

Parent Survey:

      IF you have not done so already, please fill out your Parent Survey and hand them into the basket out in the hall.  Your constructive input is VERY important to me and I appreciate all the surveys that have been handed in thus far. 

Preschool Art Auction:

      Thank you to all of the parents who have put a bid on your child's GSVA art piece.  As of today (Monday May 21st) our top bidders are as follows:

                         Seals: $140.00 (Family # 3)
                         Penguins- $40.00 (Family #6)
                         Polar Bears-  $125.00 (Family #7)

If your family number is not up and you would like to re-bid, you may put in another bid in your child's class bid bag.  I will be closing the auction Tuesday afternoon, at 3:00pm.  If you want to bid and are not scheduled for class tomorrow, please feel free to call my office and I will write your bid down and submit it for you.  Again, thank you for your generosity!


                                                                                               God's blessings to you all,
                                                                                               Mrs. Burd and Mrs. Bloom   
                                              " But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!"  
                                                                                                           Joshua 24:15