Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Science Enrichment Class

Week 1 - We worked with magnets and experimenting on what is magnetic and what is not.  We also created our very own sensory bottles.  What did we choose to put inside them?  Oil, water, food color, glitter, letters, foam balls, shells… it’s all up to what each child wanted to create! 



Week 2- We created different types of “dough” and slime.  Some of it was play dough like and some of it was so super soft to touch.  We also had fun playing with our sense of touch.  Some of the dough even “melted” when we touched it… what a fun way to spend an afternoon!





Week 3 – This week we made things foam, erupt, and bubble over.  We made  bubbles indoors, created eruptions from simple household chemicals and also explored liquids, including what happens when colors are added to them. 






Week 4 – We were deemed official scientists this week and received a certificate to state that fact.  We ended our science investigations by using magnifying glasses to investigate all the different types of things we have laying around our room, our kitchens and outside.  We did a final experiment to see what will clean pennies the best. Was it soap, water, ketchup, vinegar, baking soda, or apple juice?   


What at WONDERFUL Enrichment class we had over the past four weeks!! We can't wait until the next one!!  


Sunday, December 1, 2013

December 2013 Monthly Newsletter

Important Dates
· Wednesday, December 4, 2013—We will have a “Meet and Greet” with our new three year old teacher, Mrs. Salazar, from  6 pm to 6:30 pm.  Hope you can make it!
· Sunday, December 15, 2013– Christmas Program starts at 6 pm.  We are performing our program this year with Shepherd of Peace Sunday School and we are so excited to have a live nativity and some beautiful songs!  We will be having cookies, coffee, and juice after the children perform.  Doors will open at 5:30.  Children will come to the classrooms at 5:45 to begin lining up for the performance.  We do have costumes for the children to wear and I will be asking all of them again if they would like to dress up as an angel, a donkey, a sheep, a shepherd, or if they just want to wear dress clothes.  I will be sending home a note this week on what your child decides to do! 
· Wednesday, December 18th and Thursday December 19th-Christmas Party Days!  If you are a room mom, please see your child’s teacher about planning for the party. 
· Friday, December 20 to Monday, January 6th—Christmas Break—No School
· Tuesday, January 7, 2014– Classes Resume
Chapel Offerings
For the month of October we officially raised $92 for Operation Clean Water. 
For the month of November we were collecting to help ease the burden of one of our own preschool families with tuition.  When I have a total of money collected, I will post it in an email and on Facebook as well. 
 For the month of December our chapel offerings are going to be donated to the Adopt a Child Family Care Program through Braidwood.  We have adopted a 5 year old boy and all of the gifts have been purchased so the students can see exactly how the chapel money is being used. 
A Few Reminders
Scholastic Book orders are due on December 10th so that they will be here in time for the holiday and Christmas Break.  We made $425 in Scholastic dollars that we will be using to purchase some new furniture in our classrooms as well as books and other games/toys.  Thank you to everyone who shopped it and helped work it! 

God’s blessings to each of you and your families during this wonderful Christmas Season.  Have a peaceful Christmas break… see you in the new year!

-Shepherd’s Flock Preschool Staff-


Friday, November 1, 2013

Monthly Newsletter for November 2013

Important Dates
· Sunday, November 3, 2013-Daylight Savings time ends.  Don’t forget to change your clock!
· Sunday, November 3, 2013-Preschool sings during the 9 a.m. service
· Monday, November 11, 2013-No School, Veteran’s Day
· Friday, November 15, 2013-4 year old class Grandparents Day
· Friday, November 15 to Thursday, November 21-Scholastic Book Fair
· Wednesday, November 27, 2013-Thanksgiving Service at 7:00 p.m.
· Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, November 27, 28, 29-No school, Thanksgiving break
Chapel Offerings
For the month of October we collected money for the Charity Water Organization.  The change hasn’t been run yet but when it is, we will update you on how much we have collected!  For the month of November, we are going to be collecting money for a preschool family that is in need of help with tuition. 
Thank you to everyone who sent in M & M containers.  We will be using these as our collection for each chapel.  It will make it easier to collect the change and for the children to bring it in!  
The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to our Preschool!!
Friday, November 15 to Thursday, November 21 we will have the book fair set up in our classroom library.  Each class will have a chance to make a wish list and also shop during classes.  The book fair will also be open for Grandparents Day and after school on Wednesday and Thursday.  We are in need of parent volunteers… if you are interested, please let Mrs. Simonelli know!
A Few Reminders
We will still be going outside even as the weather turns a little cooler, please have your child bring a sweatshirt or jacket so they aren’t cold! This is very important!
God’s Blessings to you and your family during the Thanksgiving Holiday!  Remember to take time out of eating to thank God for all of the amazing gifts He has given to us!
-Shepherd’s Flock Preschool Staff-

Scholastic Book Orders Due on November 22nd!


Tuesday, October 1, 2013

October Monthly Newsletter

        We would like to welcome to our Staff Jessica Powell.  She is our permanent Aide in the 3 year old classroom and we are excited to have her with us!
Important Dates
· Wednesday, October 9 and Thursday, October 10-School Pictures.  Order forms and payments are due the day of the pictures. 
· Monday, October 14th-No School, Columbus Day
· Wednesday, October 23rd– Market Day online orders are due (pick up is Sat, Oct 26 from 11:15-12)
· Friday, October 25th-Dollinger Pumpkin Farm Field Trip 9am to 11am (Permission Slips included with this Newsletter!)
· Friday, October 25th-Scholastic book orders are due
· Wednesday, October 30th and Thursday, October 31st-Harvest Parties
(If you signed up to help plan the party, please see your child’s teacher to begin planning)
Coming in November…
· Sunday, November 3-Preschool Singing in Church at 9 am service
· Friday, November 15- Grandparents Day for our 4 year old friends
· November 15 the 21st– Scholastic Book Fair.  We will be doing a family reading night at some point of that week (more information to come.. If you would like to help let Mrs. Simonelli know!)
Chapel Offerings
What an amazing month we had raising money for the Pregnancy Resource Center… We ended up raising $355 with our baby bottle collections and I believe that this was one of our largest collections over the past years.  What a wonderful gift we can give to this local center!
 For our offerings in October, we will be working with a mission called Charity: Water.  They are committed to helping communities in Third World Countries receive clean water through drilled wells, spring protections, and BioSand Filters.  If you would like more information about this project, please visit http://my.charitywater.org/united We are helping The Village Christian Church and The First Christian Church of Morris with this mission. 
Sometime this month we will be making chapel offering boxes that will help you collect any change you have and help the students remember that we have chapel on Mondays and Tuesdays. 
A Few Reminders
We will still be going outside even as the weather turns a little cooler, please have your child bring a sweatshirt or jacket so they aren’t cold!
If you haven’t brought in a change of clothes for your child yet, please do that as soon as possible.  Accidents can happen at anytime!  This is VERY important!

We are looking forward to a wonderful Autumn!! 
-Shepherd’s Flock Preschool Staff


Friday, September 13, 2013

How many apples up on top??!?!?

Apples, apples EVERYWHERE!!  We had a great first few weeks of school learning about each other, about our families, about our classroom and about our school!  We also learned about the first letter of the alphabet…. And APPLES!!  Besides making apple prints, counting apple seeds, taste testing apples and graphing our favorite ones, the most popular activity that we did is reading “Ten Apples up on Top.”  The students love to try to balance “apples” (beanbags) on their heads to see how many they could stack up.  We also did an apple on top craft… That was lots of fun to stack them up on paper too!  What a wonderful way to start a new school year!!

 We also learned about apple trees and how they change through the season.  “The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree” is a wonderful book to go along with this art activity that uses children’s handprints as tree trunks.  Then we added different items to represent each season.  Summer was green dotters with red glitter apples; fall was triangles cut in fall colors; winter was simply clear, sparkly glitter, and finally spring was green tissue paper with small pieces of cotton balls to represent the apple blossoms. 

Sunday, September 1, 2013

It's that time of year again.... Welcome to the 2013-2014 School Year!

September Shepherd's Flock Preschool Monthly Newsletter


Welcome Back to school!
             Welcome back to preschool for the 2013-2014 school year.  Thank you so much for attending Open House last week.  We are so excited to have your child here! 
             This is our monthly newsletter that will go home for all students with reminders of what is going to be coming up at school.  It will also inform you of any important dates or things going on here.  Be on the lookout for it at the beginning of each month!
Check us out online!  We are on Facebook at Shepherd’s Flock Preschool and we also have a blog at www.shepherdsflocklutheran.blogspot.com. Both of these things are really a great way to see what awesome things are happening at our preschool!
Important Dates
· Friday, September 20th-Scholastic Book Orders are due… Look on the back of this newsletter for information on this months special! (If you receive this through email, that letter will be in your child’s cubby!)
· Wednesday September 25th-Market Day orders due online
· Saturday, September 28th-Market Day pick up at 11:15 am

Chapel Offerings
Each month our chapel offerings will go to a different organization.  This month we will be collecting for The Pregnancy Resource Center in Coal City.  They are having their first Banquet For Life on October 10, 2013 and we would love to be able to sponsor a table at that event! You can learn more information about this at www.hopeforafuture.com  Please have your child bring their offering on Monday and Tuesday to donate during Chapel.  The first week of class we will be creating Chapel Cups for the students to place their offerings in when they get to school.   This way they will not lose their offerings in their school bags or the classrooms.    These Chapel Cups will be placed in the cubbies on Monday and Tuesday as a reminder that we will have chapel that week.
Chapel will begin the second week of school.  The first week we are focusing on getting the kids comfortable here at preschool and used to the routines.

-Shepherd’s Flock Preschool Staff-


Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Summer Camp at Shepherd's Flock!



Join us for Summer Camp at Shepherd’s Flock!!  This is the first year that we will be offering different themed sessions throughout the summer and we can’t wait to make memories with your children. 


There are 2 different age groups for the camps. 
  • Children entering 3 year old preschool through entering Kindergarten. 
  • Children entering 1st grade through children entering 2nd grade. 
    • If you have both an older and a younger child and would like them to attend together, that is a possibility.  Please talk to the Summer Camp Director, Beth Simonelli, at the church office, 815-458-9445. 






Please contact the church office or visit the church website for a Summer Camp and a VBS Registration Form.

 
Shepherd of Peace Lutheran Church
1180 W. First Street
Braidwood, IL 60408
815-458-9445


Summer Camp 2013 at Shepherd’s Flock

 Session #1: “A is for Aloha”
*Students entering 3 yr old preschool – students entering Kindergarten*
MWF - May 20, 22, and 24
9:00 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.


We will explore the many wonders of Hawaii during this first session of our Shepherd’s Flock Summer Camp.  We will each make our own volcano and see a chemical reaction happen right in our class.  We will also discover the many animals that live in the ocean near the shores of Hawaii and we will see how those coconut palms are different from the ones in our backyard! We will investigate different types of shells when we make our seashell picture frame art.
On Friday we will get decked out for our own LUAU, complete with hula skirts, leis, and Hawaiian shirts!  We will boogie to the music of the Beach Boys, see how low we can go under the limbo stick, try different types of tropical juices and fruits. 

Session #2: “Sweet Home Chicago!”
*Students entering 3 yr old preschool – students entering Kindergarten*
MWF – June 3, 5, and 7
9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
*Students entering 1st and 2nd grade*
TuTh – June 4 and 6
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.


Second stop of the summer is the windy city… Chicago! We will discover the many ways that people travel around the city - cars, trains, boats, and even horse and buggy!  What amazing sites will we see when we are there? Fancy fountains to run through, giant sculptures, tall skyscrapers… we will recreate many of the things that make the big city exciting!
We’ll create our own Chicago-style pizzas for snack one day and we will wear our favorite jersey for Shepherd’s Flock Cross-Town Classic!  Which team will you pick?!


VBS Week: June 17 – June 21

9 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
*For students entering 4 year old preschool – 5th grade*
Cost $5 per child

 

Join us this week as we “Tell it on the Mountain” that Jesus Christ is Lord!  At “Tell it on the Mountain,” our theme this year for VBS, your children will learn about the Only True God through five mountaintop Bible accounts where God meets His people with clear messages of His might and power. God’s message of salvation through Jesus our Savior is one to shout out and share from the mountaintops to the four corners of the world. As the children hear the Bible stories at our VBS, they will learn who our almighty God is and how He works in their faith and life.
        We will have crafts, outside games, Bible stories, Bible challenge, snacks, and music all week long to help us learn that God’s word is life – now and forever! (Please fill out the VBS permission slip and not the Summer Camp registration form in order to register for this.)

Session #3: “Water, Water Everywhere!”
*Students entering 3 yr old preschool – students entering Kindergarten*
MWF – July 15, 17, and 19
9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
*Students entering 1st and 2nd grade*
TuTh – July 16 and 18
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

 

Who doesn’t love a little water in the middle of the hot summer?!  In this session we will discover all about water by investigating it and playing in it!  We will see how water changes paint color through diluting it, look at the water cycle and where water comes from (and where it goes!), and learn about how we need water in every part of our lives.  Winter will even visit us as we put on our gloves and hats to touch and feel how cold water can get in the form of snow and ice!  It will be a season flipped around!
Because we will be playing in the water both inside and out, please have your child wear their swimsuit and sunscreen each day of camp and also have them bring a beach towel. 


Session #4: “Summer Art Camp”
*Students entering 3 yr old preschool – students entering Kindergarten*
MWF – July 22, 24, and 26
9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
*Students entering 1st and 2nd grade*
TuTh – July 23 and 25
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.


This camp is perfect for the art lover.  We will be doing all different kinds of art projects. Whether it be paint or clay, the possibilities are endless and so is the fun!  Throwing away those boxes, can tops, or paper towel tubes??  STOP!  We will recycle them into 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional works of art!   
On the Friday, July 24 at 11:30 all campers and parents are invited back to visit our first annual “Shepherd’s Flock Art Show.”  Our art will be on display.  From paintings to sculptures, you will be able to see what amazing things we created this past week!

Enrollment Guidelines

·                     Shepherd’s Flock Summer Camp enrolls by session.  Children must be enrolled for a full session.
·                     Tuition of $30 per session is due when registration form is handed in.  Registration forms are due for each session on the Monday prior to the session starting.
·                     Camp tuition includes a snack. 
·                     Enrollment is on a first-come, first-serve basis.  Full tuition is due regardless of attendance and there are no refunds given.
·                     Every child will need the full “Summer Camp Registration Form” even if they are or were enrolled in our Preschool Program. 


Summer Camp Procedures

·                     We will have a sign in / sign out sheet similar to the one that we have for preschool.  Please sign your child in and out each day that they attend camp.
·                     We will use the cubbies to store your child’s items for the day.
·                     Each day of camp your child is asked to bring the following items:
o        Backpack or tote bag
o        A complete change of clothes (accidents happen, especially with messy summer craft projects!)
o        Please do not send your child in open toe sandals or Crocs.  They are not safe for running or climbing.  If we have a water day and it is specified that your child should wear a suit, sandals are fine for that day.