HE CAME AND WE CELEBRATED!

What can I say except the Jesus came on Christmas Day and we have been celebrating all month! We sang carols by the big Christmas tree. Acting out the story of Jesus' birth we "dramatic!" Secrets were kept as we worked on our presents to our parents and wrapped them the last day of class. Then, SURPRISE!, Santa came to our party! Wow! What a month!

SIGN UP SOON!

The new year is almost here. We can put our 2011 activities to bed and begin planning 2012 with renewed energy. Perhaps you want to reassess your 401K plan (that’s always a big one for me) or dream about the vacation you might be able to take this summer. I’m getting excited about reorganizing my basement and sending my kids’ stuff to live at their houses instead of mine! Oh the excitement of making New Year’s resolutions!

Pre School is also looking ahead to next year. That is, we are already planning for our 2012-2013 school year. To get on board you must register. Here is what you need to know. Please feel free to share this information with family and friends. If they live close by, you could carpool with them!

SALEM PRE SCHOOL REGISTRATION

Registration opens for current students, Salem members and alumni:

Thursday, Jan. 26, 9:00-10:30AM in the Salem gym

Open House and Registration for new families: (Adults and children are welcome at the Open House.)

Saturday, Jan. 28, 10:00-12:00 noon

SCHEDULE FOR 2012-2013

3 year olds Tuesday, Thursday 9-11:30 AM $92/month

Wednesday, Friday 9-11:30 AM $92/month

4 year olds Mon.-Tues.-Thurs. 9-11:30AM $139/month

Mon.-Wed.-Fri. 9-11:30 AM $139/month

Tues.-Thurs. 12:30-3:00PM $92/month

Tues.-Thurs. 12:30-3:00 $139/month

There is a $55 non-refundable registration fee due at the time of registration. Salem members and families with two or more children enrolled are given a 10% discount. For more information you may go to our website, www.salemcovpreschool.com.

Thanksgiving Feast

TURKEY, TURKEY

(tune: "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star")

Turkey, Turkey look at you

Please be careful what you do.

Thanksgiving Day will soon be here.

We eat turkey every year.

Go and hide out in the woods.

We'll eat pizza as we should!

The Pilgrims and turkeys gathered for pizza lunch at Salem Pre School on November 22 and 23. We are all thankful for the blessings of family and friends that God has given us!

Come to the Stable

Ahh, December. Our thoughts are consumed with Christmas. Pre School is like a mini Santa’s workshop as we work on gifts for our parents and Christmas decor for our home refrigerators.

Each day at Pre School we look at the calendar and count the number of days that have gone by in December. We love passing the time by singing Christmas songs and listening to Christmas stories. One of our favorite books this time of year is, “Room For a Little One,” by Martin Waddell. Kind Ox lives in the stable next to the Inn. One winter’s night he invites Old Dog, Stray Cat, Small Mouse and Tired Donkey into the stable, one by one. Tired Donkey brings along Mary and Joseph for “there is always room for a little one here.” The stable is peaceful. Predator and prey lay down quietly side by side. It is here the Christ Child is born in the peace of the stable “one cold winter’s night.”

And so ... we come on Christmas night, from diverse countries, backgrounds, economic classes and political parties, to the stable. We bow down together to worship Jesus, God’s gift to all of us. He is God’s “Little One” who came for the world. Peace to you this Christmas from the little ones at Salem Pre School!

Thanksgiving

We are past Halloween and now the holiday season begins. Our children in the Blue, Purple, Red and Yellow classes will be presenting an evening program for their parents, families and friends on Thursday, November 10 at 7:00 p.m. This evening of songs, musical activities, a slideshow and refreshments is a celebration of the two and a half months they have been in school learning and singing together. We are so thankful for the many families who have entrusted their children to our school!

Thanksgiving is, of course, our main focus in the month of November. How did this turkey feast get started in the first place? What did the Pilgrims and Native Americans do for the three days they spent together when there wasn’t even football to play or watch? Just as the name of the holiday would suggest, they gave thanks!! There was no doubt in the Pilgrims’ minds that God was their shepherd and they gave Him credit for every good thing that had happened to them. Their new Native American friends, their winter supply of food, their humble homes and their health were all gifts from above. This is the spirit of thanksgiving we hope to pass on to our students, their families and all of our friends.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dressing Up Is Fun to Do

We are what we wear, or at least we can pretend to be someone or something else when we don a costume. A shy person might be more outgoing or a celebrity may blend into the crowd when they are behind a mask, make-up or costume. At Pre School we love to pretend to be something different! October offered students (and teachers) a chance to be Clifford the Big Red Dog. We brought our favorite teddies and stuffed animals to school to show them the school routine. Then, we celebrated Halloween, the granddaddy of all dress-up holidays! I love the way the children come into school on our Halloween party days. They bounce in looking all cute in their costumes. Then, upon seeing the other "characters" in the room, they stop and stare taking in the sight before them. Spiderman, Cinderella, Thomas the Tank Engine, Ninjas, and M&Ms are staring back at them. It's an awesome sight! Once the initial shock is over, they relax and start to play. The shy children often are more relaxed on party day. Perhaps they love parties or perhaps they like hiding behind their costume character. I can remember feeling that way. At the end of the day we were happy ..... and sweaty from wearing those costumes all day!

Happy Halloween!

APPLES, APPLES, APPLES

We have learned so much about apples in the last week and a half. Ask you pre schoolers what colors apples come in and how to pick an apple without ruining the buds for next year's apple blossoms. These are things we have been learning at school. Our apple peeler was busy last week as we peeled apples for our homemade applesauce. Yum! This week the three year olds are talking about the importance bees for growing apples and the importance of apple blossoms for making honey. This is one example of how things in nature work together for good! The four year old classes had the experience of riding in a school bus to Aamodt's Apple Orchard. They had a tour of the apple barn and rode a wagon out into the orchard to see the apples growing on the trees. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away," or so they say. Whether it is true or not, apples sure are delicious!