As I'm sure you heard, the Governor has asked that all Montana schools shut down for the next two weeks starting March 16th 2020. We will keep in touch, but we will not have school this next week or two. I debated sending materials home or putting a story time “online” for you. The more I thought about it the more I realized that there is no substitute for our time together. If you wish, I can give you “worksheets” or projects from my plans, but there should be no pressure on YOU to do homework with your preschooler.
You CAN read them stories, let them practice their fine motor skills with blank paper and crayons or other art supplies (I’m not telling you to make slime for them- some messes can just be for preschool.) You can have them draw pictures for their friends or send notes to a Grandparent who is also shut-in. You can use our calendar and talk about the story we were planning to do or look around the house for things that start with our letter or the color of the week. There are plenty of opportunities to learn through play and exploration. Of course, this week was Pirate week with X that marks the spot, tic tac toe, and treasure hunts planned. (Why do these closures spoil all our fun?) Feel free to check in with me if they are stir crazy at home. I'll miss them as much as they'll miss us and our routines together. We're so used to germs in preschool that this is frustrating. The problem is that preschoolers can't NOT touch their face and then each other or cough/sneeze all over us, they just do. Enjoy this time with the kiddos and know that I'm here even if you just need to vent about too much togetherness. I'll keep you in my prayers & we'll talk soon. Mrs. Smith & (Mrs. Searcy)
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Spring is almost here. March has come in “like a lamb”. The students have three more months of preschool ahead. We are starting to get calls for Fall 2020 enrolment, so please let us know asap if your child will be returning for our prekindergarten class the fall. Also, please spread the word-especially for the TuTh class. I loved having a class of 8 this year. It was so calm after many years of 18. 😊
Wow was February busy! We need to thank our Valentine family visitors, Pastor Elizabeth, the Wise Wonders team, Our dentist friend Dr. Bennion, and our Doctor friend Dr. Kunz for all coming to our school last month. Now, I’m looking forward to Our crazy colors week with Dr. Seuss. Sometimes our “many colored days” falls on Ash Wednesday, and I end up going to church at noon in my tie Dye clothes. Hey, at least I make it to church… Lent is a season of reflection and evaluation in life and in preschool as we get your children ready for their next adventure in the fall weather it be with us in our “big kid”” class or on to kindergarten. Bring on spring! We’re excited! And so it begins! The holiday season is here. We start with the chaos that is Halloween fun! We love it, but bathroom needs and sugar buzzes are not a teacher’s friend. The students will wear costumes to school, have a parade around the building, show Mom their favorite Halloween songs books and games, and then trick or treat with their friends in class. It’s great MANNERS practice for them to say “Thank you” when someone gives them a treat.
For Thanksgiving, we make mini muffins together and pop some popcorn for our family snack day. We call it the Charlie Brown style feast. The students will sing a song or two and then share our thanks for all that we have. And then we come to Christmas! We have a short time between Thanksgiving and our holiday break this year. We will be learning some songs and finger plays to share with you on the evening of the 17th. Another great bonus for the MWF students is our new partnership with Wise Wonders Discovery center. They hope to be coming to our school once a month to do some STEM activities with our prekindergarten class. We love having them so close by! January we will get back to basics and get our friends ready for kindergarten, but the next month or two is all about fun, and holiday chaos with some sneaky learning in there too. Prayers for the teachers please as we keep up with the holidays. MS My friend Jamie from Play to Learn Preschool wrote this great blog post about separation anxiety that I wanted to share with you before we start. Some children are a bit slower to warm up to their school experience and that's OK. We will work together to make it a positive adventure for them It just might take a few classes of nerves before they are comfortable. Take a deep breath and know we've got this!
Can't wait to get started with another year in Preschool with you! https://playtolearnpreschool.us/how-to-handle-separation-anxiety-a/ It’s time to BEE excited for a new year in our preschool!
Hello from Mrs. Smith and Mr.Bee. We're excited to get started with your children in preschool this fall. We still have some room in both classes if you know anyone who is looking for a preschool. We will have Open houses for the classes on Wed/Thurs the 4th/ 5th of September. Come with your child any time between 9-11 am to meet us and do a few things to get ready. I’ll take their photo for their cubby etc. Then on the 6th/ 10th you will drop off your child by 9 to start our fun. Mr. Bee is ready to teach them how we bee-have in our school (be nice, be safe, be a friend etc.). He’s looking forward to seeing some of his old friends in our MWF class and meeting all of his new friends too. Feel free to call me at school with any questions at 252-4171 See you soon! Mrs. Smith Hello from your Preschool. It’s hard to believe, but we just have three more months to go for this year. Calls are beginning to come in for fall of 2019. If you know of anyone looking for a two-day preschool, remember to send them our way.
Thank you ALC for allowing us to use the Fellowship hall for our Valentine visitors. Everyone had someone who loves them come and help make Valentines for Mom and Dad. We have adjusted to the space downstairs, but it sure helps to have all those tables to work from. Adults don’t always appreciate preschool sized chairs. We also had a visit from a Doctor Dad & our RN Dad who talked to us about taking care of our bodies. After hearing the Good Samaritan story, we were ready for a unit on taking care of each other and ourselves. If you are on Facebook you can see the preschoolers acting out the Samaritan story. Find us at ALC Preschool, Billings. March is a fun month for high energy kids. We start by having fun with Dr. Seuss. We had been wearing a specific color every Wednesday and Thursday last month. With Dr. Seuss we get color crazy and wear as many colors as we can. I always tell parents to just let the child dress themselves that day. They have some crazy combinations. We will attempt our first real mess in the kitchen with Green Eggs and Ham. We also get to do some pirate play with our green week for St Patrick’s day. What else do you do with X but mark the spot? With the hope of spring comes the Creation story and how God loves everything that he made. We also get to learn about all God’s creatures with Noah’s story and how Moses grows up and saves his people. We are having a great time downstairs in your preschool. Thank you for the continued prayers and support. Marianne This month on the 13th/14th we will be hosting our Valentine friends. We ask that you send someone to come and visit your child at 10:30 to help us make Valentines for Mom and Dad. It can be a Grandparent, Aunt/Uncle, Godparent, or just a family friend. Moms or Dads are welcome if there is no one else available. We just like to show your child that they are loved be others as well as parents. AL church has some foster Grandparents who would love to be here as helpers if we need them as well.
Your child can bring 18 Valentines to share with classmates There is no class list, just make one for each box. You might wish to start now by having your child write their name a couple of times a day vs sitting there to do it 18 times. Doing too many is overwhelming for them, but we encourage your child to try to do it themselves. It will help your child to have their name printed in front of them (by you), so they can remember the order of the letters in their name. You may also choose to send a "treat" or goodie bag with their Valentine. Thursday's class must remember the nut allergy.The child cannot have homemade treats. (You can have 17 and just send an alternative for one-or make them all allergy friendly.) If you choose to send something like cookies, please make sure they are individually bagged, so they can be sent home in their boxes that day. It's a messy fun love filled day in preschool. As of January 2nd we are in our new home. It was two weeks of moving 30 years of preschool materials into a space with 50 years of history. American Lutheran had an established school here until last year when their director retired. They graciously offered Messiah the space and we took the holiday to get re-set. The students are adjusting to the change. We now have two rooms instead of one. The staff of ALC has been very welcoming and excited to see the young ones back in the building. Pam Lowe, the original director 50 years ago, came to meet us on the first day. Mrs. Smith's son is on a college break and has been helping us the first week as well. He is studying Elementary Ed, so it's a great experience for all of us. The gentle giant is 6'9" so the students are enjoying having a big boy around for a bit.
Our parents have been working together to carpool from their west end homes. We are building some new relationships that way. All in all it has been a great start in our new home. Hard to believe, but enrollment for fall '19 will begin soon. So spread the word. Messiah has moved. Same program and fun, just a new place to learn and grow together. Seasons Greetings from Marianne, down in your preschool. The students are spending every December class making messes and hopefully some joyful noise in preparation for our program on Tuesday the 18th. Both classes perform together in the sanctuary that night. This year will be especially bittersweet as we look to the future of our program.
It is with sadness and excitement that I let you all know that our preschool is officially moving to a new building in January. I have really prayed about waiting till spring to go. With the winter coming, the snow removal needed, and the financial circumstances of Messiah I needed to make a decision about our program. American Lutheran Church had a preschool for 50 years. They chose to close their doors this fall with their director's retirement. American made the gracious decision to wait and see what Messiah’s future was before hiring a new preschool team there. As much as it pains me to leave Messiah, I have decided to move over the break. If I waited until spring, I am afraid that it would end up costing money that could be used for the church’s prolonged needs. American is a thriving congregation with a beautiful facility. It will be a fresh start for all of us over there. The staff is excited to have preschoolers in the building again making that "joyful noise" every day. I sincerely want to thank Messiah for blessing us with this space and their unwavering support of the Preschool. I was a part of it for its entire 30 year ministry. I couldn’t be more proud to have been a board member, parent, and part of the staff. My heart is heavy but also blessed to have contributed to Messiah's beautiful ministry. My prayers are with them as Messiah finds their way in the future. Marianne Welcome to the preschool news. We are enrolling students for the fall. Our open houses will be full of families exploring the classroom. Once these students get used to the routine, we will take off. September it’s a time for play and exploration while we learn how it works.
Children come to Messiah in a two year program, progressing with skill levels as they are developmentally ready. We start the year learning all of the rules and routines in a preschool day. We have help from our friend the Bee. Be kind, be safe, be a friend, be quiet, or just be our selves. One of our first Bible stories is Jesus feeding the 5,000. Snack at preschool only feeds 18, but we learn to share, learn our table blessing, and work on our manners when we hear this story. We also get to learn a bit about allergies with a peanut allergy in our Tu-Th class this year. We try to update our Facebook page often at Messiah Lutheran Preschool, Billings and continue working on this web page, so check in for answers to any questions you may have about our program (or as always, feel free to ask Mrs. Smith anything). We want to add a thank you for all of the work that Messiah members Pastor Kris, Karen Duncan, Dennis Hackmann, Tim Singer, & Skip Mitzman have done for the preschool. If we missed anyone who contributed time and talents to our basement classroom, we thank YOU too. Thank you for your continued support as we begin a new year downstairs in your preschool. Marianne |
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