St. John’s Episcopal Preschool
3’s/4’s/5’s Newsletter
April 2017
We hope you all enjoyed a relaxing Spring Break! Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t as warm as we would have liked but we’re hoping for lots of sunny, warm days ahead! Our thanks to you for being able to take your children to the library and also to see the butterflies at the Dow Gardens in March—two of our favorite things, books and butterflies!
It’s hard to believe our school year will be ending next month but we have lots of fun-filled activities planned to keep the children busy and learning! I sent out an email a few weeks ago but want to remind you that due to the number of weather cancellation days we’ve had this winter, a decision was made at a recent Board Meeting to extend the school year slightly. The Older 4’s/Young 5’s class will get two extra days and the 3’s/Young 4’s will get one extra day so now all students will finish on Monday, May 15 instead of Wed. May 10th.
We have some great little gardeners in our class! Before spring break, we read The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss and then planted carrot seeds in a root-viewer planter. We were also busy planting some flower seeds. The children are giving them lots of daily TLC and are very excited to see their growth! They’re learning about the importance of daily watering and sunlight in order for them to grow. We added some of the “healthy” soil from our composting worms to the dirt and talked about how it has important nutrients to help the plants grow better, just like when we eat healthy food.
This month, we will enjoy some Easter books, crafts and maybe even try doing The Bunny Hop! Then we’ll talk about the farm. Please continue helping your child practice saying their full name, phone number and address clearly. Also, continue counting daily, from 1-10 and then to 20, with one-to-one correspondence. Count buttons, bags of groceries, or spoons as you set the table or empty the dishwasher together. There are so many daily opportunities to talk about shapes, colors, numbers, letters and their sounds. The children are like little sponges, soaking up so much knowledge!
Story Bags – We started a new story bag this week with the book Rosie’s Walk, Rosie the chicken and a journal. Please write a short journal entry and return everything the next day your child attends school so that she can visit everyone before the end of the year. The snowman story bag is continuing to circulate also, to those children who did not get their second turn yet.
Book Orders – The last set of Scholastic Book Order forms for this year went home this week. Please take a few minutes to look through them or all the other online order forms and consider purchasing books and activities as gifts for your children or others at very reasonable prices for the summer months ahead! The online due date is Saturday, April 15.
2017-18 School Year – We are still accepting applications for next school year for all classes from ages 2 to the Young 5’s class. Applications are available online and on the wall by the 2’s class. Please be sure to let your friends and neighbors know. Also, some Board Positions are open if you are interested. For further details, please contact Katie Erikson, our Board President @ktbug_erikson@yahoo.com.
Frosting Containers – We are looking for 16 oz frosting containers for an art project. Please save any you might have or will use for Easter decorating and send them in. Thanks.
Parent-Teacher Conferences – I will be holding another set of conferences towards the end of the school year to give you and discuss your child’s Progress Report. A sign-up sheet will be posted in the hall later on with further details.
Birthdays – We have several birthdays to celebrate over the next 2 months. This month, we’ll look forward to celebrating birthdays for Nate, Sophia, Mahlyki and Bryn.
Looking Ahead…
Friday, April 21 – Ice Cream Social 6-7 pm in Williams Hall or Outside (weather permitting) Bring a friend and any donations for our rummage sale. Please price all items.
Monday, May 1 – No School (MPS PD Day)
Wed. May 3 – Due date for flower voucher orders. Vouchers will be distributed no later than Monday, May 8th. Please refer to your order form for further details or contact Dani Liphard (Ellie’s Mom) at danimax29@hotmail.com or 989-980-9633.
Monday, May 15 – 3’s/4’s/5’s Last Day Of School
We will be having an end of the year celebration that day. More details later.
Friday, May 19 – SJEP Rummage Sale at 505 Broadhead Dr.–As mentioned earlier, please save your treasures to donate to our spring rummage sale. You may bring them in at the Ice Cream Social. Please pre-price your items. Thank you. Volunteers are needed to help set-up and help on the day. Please contact Dani Liphard for more details. (See contact info above.)
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The children all seemed to have grown an inch or two over the past month or so! So many of them have needed new spring clothes and shoes lately!
Your children are a wonderful group of individuals who are so kind and considerate towards each other. Like the beautiful blossoms of spring, wonderful friendships have continued to blossom and grow since the fall. We love each and every day with them!
Enjoy the sunny days of spring ahead!
Sincerely,
Wendy Fritsch & Michele Farley
