MOVING INTO MARCH

Ahhh, March!  Finally we have a month without a holiday or big event.  We love parties at Pre School but they aren't special if you have them all the time.  This month we will have plenty of time to talk about land and water transportation, tools, and big wheels (big trucks as opposed to bikes).  On the 16th through the 20th we will be on vacation.  Although we will be lonesome for each other, and ask Mommy and Daddy every day, "Is it school today?" we will be excited to share our vacation stories with the class when we come back to school.  At the end of the month we will learn about weather.  The seasons will be changing by that time.  The new growth and spring rains will open the door for our talks about "new life" as it relates to nature and Easter!!

Hope you enjoy these Valentine's Day pictures!

A BUSY FEBRUARY

So much has happened at Pre School since the last time I posted news!  The Orange and Green Classes worked hard all month learning their songs, finger plays and musical activities for the evening program on February 5th.  They did a GREAT job!!  We hope you parents enjoyed it, too.  

Last week all of the classes learned about the post office and the responsibilities of the postal workers who deliver our mail to our houses and places of business.  Karol Johnson, a former teacher at Salem, came to school and told us all about this very important community helper.  She brought the official uniform (for each season even) and the authentic mail bag and boots.  Some important advice she shared with us was, first, stay back from the curb when the mail truck is coming. The postal carrier loves to wave at you but he doesn't want to bump you with his truck.  Also, please keep your dog on a leash when the postal worker arrives, for the safety of the dog and the postal worker.   At the conclusion of the week, we all mailed ourselves a letter!  Thank you, Karol, for visiting our classes!

Parent - Teacher Conferences  are coming up quickly.  They will be Monday, Feb. 23 (Blue and Purple Classes), Tuesday, Feb. 24 (Red and Yellow Classes), and Wednesday, Feb. 25 (Green and Orange Classes).  Please sign up for a time  this week.  The sign - up sheets will be posted in the hallway near the classroom doors.

Finally, the most exciting day of the year is coming up .... PAJAMA DAY,  February 26 and 27.   It has been rumored that some children have been looking forward to this day since school began.  Stories have been handed down from older  brothers and sisters and the stories are true.  You can wear you pajamas to school on Pajama Day!  (The teachers will too.)  Your favorite nighttime pal or blanket can come too.  It's a really fun day!  No napping allowed!   

FEBRUARY FUN

One of our favorite February songs at Pre School is:

Love, love, love, 

That's what it's all about

God loves us, we love each other

Mother, father, sister, brother.

Everybody sing and SHOUT!

'Cause that's what it's all about.

It's about love, love, love!

In February we talk about love; love of family, friends, God, our country, and our world. That's a lot of love!  We will share ideas about how we can show love and recognize it in our lives.  We will also learn about the Post Office and postal workers.  After all, they do deliver many of our love-ly Valentines!

Also in February:  Our Orange and Green Classes will be presenting a Winter Program on Thursday, Feb. 5 at 7:00 pm.  Songs, finger plays and music activities will be included in the program.  Family and friends are invited to join us in the church Fellowship Hall.  (Children in the program should be in the church nursery on the first floor of the church by 6:45 pm. Follow the signs in the narthex to locate the nursery.) 

Santa Came

Yes, Santa came to Pre School.  Wow!

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN JANUARY

We will be back at school after a fun Christmas season on Jan. 5, 2009, and we will be full of energy.  January is the perfect time to play in the snow.  We will learn about polar bears and other animals that love the snow as much as we do!  We are hoping to get outside and do some sledding in the back yard at church.  Look for our footprints!

The biggest event in January is or REGISTRATION our 1009-2010 classes!!  Salem members, current students and alumni can register on THURS., JAN. 22 from 9:00-10:30 in the church gym.  New families are invited to our OPEN HOUSE on SAT., JAN. 24, from 10:00 until noon, in our classroom area.  Registration information can be seen on the church website, www.salemcov.org, on the Pre School link.  Spread the word to family and friends!

Busy November

November is a busy month at Pre School.  The first week of November we will learn about our wonderful state of Minnesota.  We are thankful for summer memories of the days at the beach and cheering for the Minnesota Twins.  As we watch the ducks and loons (Minnesota's state bird) fly south for the winter, we look forward to sledding, skating and other Minnesota winter pass times.

Week two focuses on music as a theme: loud and soft, fast and slow, high and low, rhythm and rhyme.  We'll move to the beat!  It is only fitting that this will be the week of our Fall Program.  The students in our Blue, Purple, Red and Yellow Classes (4-5 year olds) will present a musical program Thursday, November 13, at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall.  Family and friends are invited to join us for the program and refreshments to follow.

November closes with Thanksgiving.  As we look back at our beginnings and the road our country has taken, we are thankful for our families, our homes, good food, the right to vote for our leaders, and the freedom to respectfully disagree.  We are especially thankful for the right to worship God as we please, for He is the source of all our blessings.  The children will celebrate by sharing in our annual Thanksgiving Feast of individual pizzas, milk, and pumpkin bars.  So much for turkey!

Halloween Parties

We hope your Halloween was fun and safe!   The weather was perfect for being outside.  Our Halloween parties at Pre School were excellent.  The pumpkins didn't rot before we carved them.  Some years they have!  The children were so cute in their costumes.  Thanks for all the effort you put into dressing them up.  We also appreciate the treats many of you shared with us!

 Our next big event is the Fall Program that the Blue, Purple, Red and Yellow classes are presenting on Thursday, Nov. 13 at 7:00 pm.  Is there anything better then watching 4 year olds sing and dance?  We will also include a slideshow of  these children in their fall activities, at the apple orchard and at their Halloween parties.  Friends and family are welcome.  

Please have the children in their classrooms by 6:45 pm.  The program will be upstairs in our Fellowship Hall.  See you then.