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