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Lakeside Presbyterian Church Weekday Preschool

December 2009 Newsletter

December 2009

School Closings
We will be closed Monday, December 21 through Monday, January 4. All programs resume Tuesday, December 5. 

School News
Annual Christmas Pageant (Pre-K and Kindergarten)
Our pageant this year is Wednesday, December 9 at 6:00pm in the church sanctuary. Our Kindergarten and Pre- K children have been invited to present the annual Preschool Christmas Pageant at Lakeside’s Worship on Wednesday this year. Immediately following the pageant, everyone has been invited to the Fellowship Hall for dinner hosted by the church family. An information sheet and RSVP will be in your child’s folder soon!

Christmas Celebrations (Playgroup and Preschool)
We will celebrate on Wednesday, December 16 with Christmas songs performed by the children! Playgroup and Preschool families are invited to come to the church Sanctuary at 10:00am for a special God is Good Time followed by a Happy Birthday, Jesus party in the Fellowship Hall. We will have a special visitor in a red suit that will stop by as well! Please check your child’s folder for the Information flyer and RSVP.

Happy Birthday, Jesus Gifts
All students will be participating in a Happy Birthday Jesus party. Please send a gift suitable for a newborn for your child to put in the manger during their party for Baby Jesus. Our gifts are donated each year to the Crisis Pregnancy Center of Richmond.

LPC Fund Raisers
We will be holding a LPC Night at Panera Bread at Virginia Center Commons (across from Shoe Carnival and Bed Bath & Beyond.) on Wednesday, December 2 from 5 - 8pm. A portion of the sales will benefit the church’s Heating and Cooling update.  We are sending 2 coupons home with each student in their folders. You must have this flyer for us to receive credit. Check your child’s folder for 2 coupons that have been attached to the December Calender for you to use and a friend you might invite. Also, thank you so much for your response to the Enjoy the City Coupon Book fund raiser. It has been absolutely overwhelming! Thanks to your efforts we have donated $1,730.00 to the “LPC Heatin’ & Coolin’ Update” fund and are still going. God is Good! We have some books left. If you have not returned your original book or the $ for it, please do so by Monday, November 30. 

Mid-year Notes from the Teacher
These updates will be sent home the week of December 14. Toddlers Morning Out, Playgroup and Preschool teachers will be sending an “I Just Wanted You to Know...” letter home with each one of their children. Pre-K and Kindergarten teachers will be sending a Progress Report home with each one of their children. 

Program Updates
The Preschool welcomes Luke Van Houten to Mrs. Johnson’s class on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Happy Birthday
Happy December Birthday to Alden Carlson - Dec 1, Tyler Thorn - Dec 1, Jackson Garcia - Dec 2, Isaiah Hodges - Dec 8, Sophia Garces - Dec 9, Duncan Carlson - Dec 17, Heidi Crist - Dec 24, Jesus - Dec 25, Mrs. Anderson - Dec 26

Thanks!
A big thank you to Mrs. Gill, Mrs. Lawton and the Pre-K and K staff for all of their hard work putting the Thanksgiving Play together for another year. Also, a thanks to all of our families for their contributions to the Lamb’s Basket Thanksgiving Dinner Bags. Lastly, much appreciation for the donations from Alden and Duncan Carlson’s family for our toddler outside play area, Parker Maughan’s Mom for port-a-crib sheets and Maxine Moxley for the crib quilts.

For your thoughts and prayers
Ashlynn Russell’s family - her Dad’s grandfather died
Mr. Ed - for his ongoing treatment
Christopher Wade, a former student, now serving in Afghanistan

Reminders
Pictures
Picture packets are due back by December 1st. You are under no obligation to buy, but we must account for all photos and are charged for those not returned. The preschool receives 20% of the total sales.

Folders
PLEASE CHECK YOUR CHILD’S FOLDER BEFORE THEY RETURN ON THEIR NEXT DAY REMOVING PAPERS, READING NOTICES AND CHECKING FOR PERMISSION SLIPS.

Clothing Labels
As strange as it may seem, a lot of children cannot identify their own jackets, coats and accessories. Please remember to label these items so that the proper things go home with the correct child. Thanks!

Payments
Tuition: December’s tuition payment is due on or before Tuesday, December 1
January’s tuition payment is due on or before Friday, January 1 - it is fine to post date this payment and send it in before we close for Christmas on Friday, Dec.18. If you plan to drop it off, please call before coming. It can also be mailed. 
Extended Hours: your next bill will be sent home in your child’s folder on December 14 & 15 - payment is due on your child’s next day. 
As a nonprofit we do not maintain a reserve fund to cover payments when they are not paid on time. Meeting our financial obligations, particularly payroll, is compromised when payments are received after the specified due dates so we appreciate your making your payments on time!

Outside Play
The temperature will be getting cooler, then cold. Even so we will go outside as long as the temperature is 40 degrees or above. Layers work best and please don’t forget the hats and mittens!

Box Tops & Cans
Check the products you buy and clip the “Boxtops for Education” coupon when you find one and send it in to us. We plan to add some scooters to our riding “fleet” with your contributions. Also, don’t toss that can (or any other aluminum)! Bag it and send it in and we will add it to our collection. The money earned goes into the maintenance fund. 

Wish List
Spaghetti jars - emptied and washed

From the Director’s Desk:
This is one of my favorite stories. I share it with you because it is my hope that if Christ is not the reason your family celebrates Christmas, maybe a seed will be planted and God will do the rest during the coming year for you and your children.

The Quilt of Holes
As I faced my Maker at the last judgment, I knelt before the Lord along with all the other souls. Before each of us laid our lives like the squares of a quilt in many piles. An angel sat before each of us sewing our quilt squares together in a tapestry that is our life.
But as my angel took each piece of cloth off the pile, I noticed how ragged and empty each of my squares was. They were filled with giant holes. Each square was labeled with a part of my life that had been difficult, the challenges and temptations I was faced with in every day life. I saw hardships that I endured, which were the largest holes of all.
I glanced around me. Nobody else had such squares. Other than a tiny hole here and there, the other tapestries were filled with rich color and the bright hues of worldly fortune. I gazed upon my life and was disheartened.
My angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together, threadbare and empty, like binding air.
Finally the time came when each life was to be displayed, held up to the light, the scrutiny of truth. The others rose; each in turn holding up their tapestries. So filled their lives had been.
My angel looked upon me and nodded for me to rise. My gaze dropped to the ground in shame. I hadn’t had all the earthly fortunes. I had love in my life and laughter, but there had also been trials. I had to start over many times.
I rose and slowly lifted the combined squares of my life to the light. An awe-filled gasp filled the air. I gazed around at the others who stared at me with wide eyes. Then I looked upon the tapestry before me. Light flooded the many holes, creating an image - the face of Christ.
Then the Lord stood before me, with warmth and love in His eyes. He said, “Every time you gave your life over to Me, it became My life, My hardships and My struggles. Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside and let Me shine through, until there was more of Me than there was of you.” May all our life quilts be threadbare and worn, allowing Christ to shine through.
No one will journey through their life without facing challenges along the way. For some those challenges will be harsher, more tragic than those of others. There is no way to know, but there is a way to prepare for what may come - being in relationship with God. This is the gift Christmas brings. Have you really opened it for yourself and your children? If not, it is my hope that you will open it this Christmas season, finding a Love that knows no bounds, a Joy that knows no end and a Peace that fills your heart forever . . . Merry Christmas!

From the Church
Advent Breakfast Sunday, November 29 from 9 - 10:30am. Good food, special children’s activity and a guest speaker sharing his thoughts on our theme for the season - “Hope”.
The Bethlehem Walk Sunday, December 6. All those interested in going will meet at the church to car pool at 3:15pm
WOW Worship on Wednesday is December 9 at 6pm. Nothing to bring but yourself and your family. Nursery available for children under 3yrs. Program: Annual Preschool Christmas Pageant
Special Music Programs Sunday, December 13 11am Children’s Handbell Choir plays; 4pm Choir Christmas Cantata “The Rose”
Christmas Eve 5pm Family Service; 11pm Candlelight Communion Service
Brown Bag Bible Study every Thursday at 12noon led by Pastor Dick. Bring a lunch and if you need childcare to attend please call the Preschool office and we’ll help with that. 
Lamb’s Basket the food pantry serving the Lakeside area needs volunteers to help with stocking and distributing weekdays 9:30am-1:15pm and with clean up on Saturdays 10-11:30am.
Please call Janet Jones (364-1841) to volunteer yourself, your family or a group you belong to that’s looking for a service project.

Classroom Updates
This section will regularly feature a snippet from your child’s teacher’s monthly updates that are featured on our parent discussion forum. Look out for a welcome email from your child’s teacher in the upcoming week. You will be prompted to register at that time. The Discussion Forum is here to allow parents more access to their child’s preschool day. It is open to parents and family members of currently enrolled students only.

Toddler Morning Out: We are now focusing on themes that are more appropriate and their response has been great. Our art work and activities will be seasonal, objects that are soft, hard, animals and their sounds etc. We hope you will enjoy everything we send home. They are really having fun with art now...read more.

Playgroup:
Mrs. Bobbie’s Class - We read Thanks for Thanksgiving, and Thanksgiving Mice. We listened to the books on CD....The Nutty Nut Chase and The Great Turkey Race...read more
Mrs. Jackie’s Class - Our “Very Hungry Caterpillar” has eaten so many healthy foods this week!  We have been talking about eating healthy like our friend.  Our shopping carts were filled with some fun picks at the “grocery store”, we created a plate full of “vegetables” and loved everything we “tried.”...read more.

Preschool:
Mrs. Hudson’s Class - The boys and girls have fun going over our letters and talking about whose name might start with the letter of the week.  We also have been counting on our calendar and all of them can count very well.  We can all count up to twenty in no time...read more
Mrs. Johnson’s Class - When we return after Thanksgiving we will pick up our alphabet work with Letter J, and we will be busy with our Christmas themed crafts and stories.  The children will also begin practicing their songs for the upcoming Christmas program, and they will be making Christmas gifts to bring home to youread more.

Pre-K:
Mrs. Oliver’s Class - Our letters for last week and this week are H and I.  For our art projects, the kids colored houses with pictures of their families inside.  On Monday, Mrs. Parent did a group art project of ice cream cones for the letter I.  Books we have enjoyed are “Hippo Hide and Seek,” “House for Hermit Crab,” and “Iggy the Iguana.”...read more.
Mrs. Parent’s Class - Thank you for sending in items for the Lamb’s Basket. We will be visiting the Lamb’s Basket on Monday the 23rd. It will let the children see how the operation works, and hopefully get an understanding of how important it is...read more.
Mrs. Riley’s Class - We are also continually working on our letters, writing our names, tracing, and cutting. Next week we will be focusing on Native Americans...read more.

Kindergarten: In Social Studies we completed our book “The Thanksgiving Story”.  We talked a little about American Indians.  Ms Katie read them a couple of American Indian legends, “Flowers in the Sky” and “Why the Animals Don’t Talk”...read more.

Music with Mrs Gill: I am happy to report that we are now occupying the refurbished music room.  It is still a work in progress, but I can honestly say it’s enough just to have our own space...read more.

We would love to hear your comments and suggestions! 

Highlights This Month