Happy Days Are Here Again!

We Love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19

I can hardly wait! It’s almost time for our friends to return for another wonderful year at Child Enrichment! Classrooms are ready, teachers are rested and the goldfish cabinet is stocked and ready to go. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow at Open House from 10am-11am. Please leave all your completed forms in the lobby with Mrs. Beth, she will be sitting at a table and will be glad to answer your questions. Please return all forms as quickly as possible. Medical forms are due by October 1st. If you need to make any changes to your enrollment…number of days, adding early or late, just let her know.

We have several new faces in our staff, we think you will just love them all.  We welcome Kristen Hague and Kim Love to our crawler class, Linda Dills to our infant class, and Sarah Franklin as our new Enrichment teacher. Make sure you stop by and meet Sarah in her new classroom located upstairs.

New this year all our classes will have Shutterfly Share sites. These are wonderful new classroom websites where teachers can share news, pictures and calendars with each of you. You will soon be receiving an email inviting you to join your child’s class site. Teachers will be using these instead of the blog pages to communicate with you. We think you will really enjoy seeing all the pictures from your child’s class as well as getting notifications about all the fun things going on each week.  Teachers all have class emails that they will share with you. Please feel free to email them anytime with any questions or concerns.

I will be using Mail Chimp as a way to send out reminders and share important news with each of you. Please make sure you keep us updated if you have any email changes…we wouldn’t want you to miss out. I will be sending a test email one day next week.

In the month of September we will hit the ground running! Our first Learning Lunch will be on Wednesday, September 7th. You can always add Learning Lunch so just let us know if your sweetness would like to stay for that extra hour on Wednesdays. Creature Teacher will be here on Thursday so I am already trying to figure our what she might bring…could it be a groundhog, could it be a snake, could it be a rabbit? Once it was a Wallaby!  On September 21st you are going to want to wear the color of your favorite apple to school. Does anyone know how I can wear a pink lady apple?  Chapel will begin our second week and we have so many new things to share with our friends. You should see my new music box. Thanks to the hot air of our wonderful youth minister , DP Grigg we have two dozen inflatable microphones…who can resist singing in a mic! We have new music, streamers bells and some really great new moves.

We look forward to starting this new year off great and can’t wait to love on your babies! Please feel free to contact me anytime with questions, concerns or to just say hello.

See you soon!

 

 

It’s Turkey and Tinsel Time!

What a perfect afternoon to sit and write about all things fall and festive! I love this time of year …turkeys, trees, tinsel and thoughts of thankfulness. I can’t wait to put up my Christmas Tree and Mr. Cecil has forbidden anyone to mention the word snow around me. I LOVE celebrating the birth of Christ. Watching the children act out the Nativity is my favorite part of the season.

As we prepare for the upcoming weeks I have several things to share with you. November will be busy as we learn about Turkeys, corn, Pilgrims, Native Americans and the first Thanksgiving. School will be closed on November 5th for our teachers to attend training and again on November 11th in observance of the Veteran’s Day holiday. Cookie Dough will return on November 10th and be available for pick up starting at 8am drop off.

Look for a special flyer from Original Works Art that will have many products available that you can purchase with your child’s own artwork on them…perfect for Christmas presents. You will receive instructions on how to view and order items online and all orders will arrive in time for Christmas gift giving. Order dates are November 13th-23rd.

The children in our 4’s and Pre-k invite their families to join us on Thursday, November 19th for our annual Thanksgiving Program and covered dish. The program will begin at 10:30 followed by a covered dish meal. Parents of the 4’s are asked to bring side dishes and the Pre-K will bring desserts. Your room moms will provide additional information. Mrs. Myers will prepare the turkeys, the beverages and provide the paper products….sounds yummy!

Books Galore and More…that’s what the Barnes and Noble Bookfair is all about! November 20th and 21st will be the days to shop at B&N in High Point, mention Child Enrichment at the checkout and help us earn a % of your purchase back in free book credits! We will have artwork from our smallest babies to our biggest friends on display…stop in for a cup of coffee and browse the art and the books(we even get credit on the coffee).

Sizzle, Sizzle, POP will be the sound we hear on Monday, November 23rd during Popcorn Day. Sounds  like a popping good time will be had by all. Where did the first popcorn come from? Which came first the movie or the popcorn?

Our Month will round out with a Thanksgiving break November 25th-27th. We hope everyone enjoys time with family and friends and spends time remembering all the things we have to be thankful for. We are thankful everyday for your children and so glad you share them with us.

Everyone will be so excited when we return from Thanksgiving break to find a special angel awaiting them. Our Angels on the shelf will share an act of kindness each day that we can participate in…I think some really good stuff is going to come from the hearts of some really sweet kids! We also will be sharing a special gift with each family…your child will be bringing home a container they have added their special touch too and it will have suggestions for activities that you can do as a family to “Light Up” the holidays with kindness. We hope that this container of kindness will be a new family tradition. Your child’s teacher has included some special activities that your child is sure to love!

FUMC will have a special tree in the foyer of the Education Building that will be covered in gingerbread men…each gingerbread man or woman represents a $20 donation to Lisa’s Kids…a local program working to fight the hunger of our local children. If you would like to help feed a family for Christmas please consider taking a gingerbread off the tree. Checks can be written to FUMC . The tree will be up on Tuesday, November 24th.

As you can see we will be busy for the next few weeks and I will have more to share soon…we haven’t even talked yet about POLAR EXPRESS Breakfast with Santa…sounds interesting??  Stay tuned for more fun to come…start cooking, get to wrapping and allow the spirit of a baby fill your heart.

Welcome Back!!!

It’s finally here! After a long summer it is time for our babies to return to school…we sure have missed everyone! We would like to welcome our new families into the Child Enrichment family and hope to serve you well! The doors of First United Methodist Church are always open and if you are looking for a church home we would love to have you. Our Ministers, John Fitzgerald and Debra Swing are also available for you at anytime.

Tomorrow we will have our Meet and Greet from 10am-11am, we hope everyone will have a chance to stop in and meet your new teacher and give your child the chance to become familiar with their classroom and say hello to some new friends. There will be lots of information for you to take home and read but I thought it might be important to highlight some of them for you…

• Please take time to read the school handbook…It will answer many of your questions and provide you with all the things you will need to know to help your child’s preschool experience be the very best! Please feel free to call or email with any questions or concerns.
• We do need to have a current shot record and medical form on file…they are good for one year from the date of examination. We would like to have all files updated by October 1st.
• You will receive a paper with your child’s name on it for use in your car window during pick up. Please display this in the front window when entering the driveway each afternoon. This will help us to have your child ready to load and keep the driveway moving. You would be surprised how many mommies have the same car. It will also help us if you will allow us to direct you forward to the appropriate place for pickup. We use a system of cones in the driveway that allows us to load three at a time and again keep the line going.  We will also ask for your patience in the driveway…sometimes it can get  backed up but we will do our very best to keep things moving. Please do not use Richardson Street to enter onto Wrenn St… this can be very dangerous and the High Point Police Dept. has asked us to  avoid it if possible.
• NEW this year we will be offering monthly opportunities for you to purchase books for your children through Scholastic Book Clubs. The book orders will have a due date written on the back and you will need to make all checks out to Child Enrichment. You are under nor obligation to purchase but we do receive bonus points from the orders that allow us to receive free books for our school. There are monthly specials that are always a great bargain.
• Would you like to Adopt and Angel? I know you already have one but this one comes in the form of a plush doll. We  would like to provide all our classrooms with a special Angel during Advent that will act somewhat like the Elf on the Shelf but our Angels are going to promote acts of love and kindness that can be performed daily by our children. Each Angel cost $15 and we need one in each of our 12 classrooms. During our Meet and Greet and during the first few weeks of school we will have a display in the lobby that tells you how you may purchase one of these sweet cherubs. You can even give it a name if you would like!
• We are looking for individuals that have hearts for working with children to be a part of our substitute teacher team. If you would like to know more about it please let’s talk. You will have to meet a few requirements, have a background check and take a few hours of training….CE is a great place to work.
• Each month we will share with you a donation item of the month…You are not obligated to purchase….it is just a way for parents to help if they would like. The item(s) for September are glue sticks and Clorox wipes.
• We have many opportunities for you to volunteer …we need help with parties, class projects, event help and fundraising help. Please sign up when you visit for Meet and Greet or ask your child’s teacher how you can help.
• Payments for tuition or other items can be left in the Child Enrichment mailbox in the driveway (located at the bottom of the steps) or in the Child Enrichment mailbox in the downstairs hall right outside of church offices or left in the Directors office located upstairs….please do not give payments to a teacher.
• Remember to send your child to school each day with their tool belt loaded for success…a good breakfast, appropriate clothing for play, paint, fun and safety; book bag, a big kiss and mostly words of assurance that today is going to be a great day! Even if you are sad they are leaving you…don’t show them…give them confidence to step out without you! They can do it and so can you…we promise to love them while you are away.

Thank you for sharing your precious angels with us…we promise to take good care of them.

The Final Countdown!

The clock is ticking down on our last few weeks of the school year…so many things left to be done! It seems like we still have so many things left that we wanted to share with your children, books left to read, games to be played, that one special art we wanted to do, one more story about Jesus and of course many more hugs to share. We again will be sending off “our” babies to Kindergarten which comes with bittersweet emotions. We never want to let go but know that we must….but we find great joy in knowing we send them all out ready to conquer the world! We also will miss all those families that let us borrow your children for awhile…we have enjoyed working with you and being part of your family. Please keep us posted on all the great things your big kid accomplishes!

There are many things coming up in the next few weeks and you may want to jot them down…

Individual and Class Pictures will be held on April 29th and 30th- Schedules came home last week. See your teacher for details.

Child Enrichment Sunday will be on Sunday, May 3rd during the 10:55 worship service. The children in the two year old classes and up will perform two songs together at the beginning of the service. They have been practicing so hard so invite your whole family and come join us for worship.

The week of May 4th-8th is Teacher Appreciation week. Thanks in advance to everyone who will be providing goodies for our teacher breakfast on May 5th.

Our Annual Family Picnic will be on Wednesday, May 6th at City Lake Park. Information went home last week and reservations are due back by May 4th

The End of the Year Program for two’s and up will be held on Thursday, May 14th in the Sanctuary at 11am. Children will be free to leave following the program but extended day will still be going on for those that normally stay. We have some really cute little numbers coming your way!

Pre-K Graduation is Wednesday, May 20th at 11am. Ms. Suzanne will send pre-k families more details.

The ice cream truck will be here on our last day…May 21st. Please note that all classes dismiss at 12pm on that day. No extended day.

…and last but not least our supply item of the month is Paper Towels. (perfect for all that end of year clean up)

We look forward to seeing you at all these fun events. We still have a few three and four/pre-k spots available for summer school if you haven’t already registered and a few spots remaining for fall. Refer a friend and if they enroll you receive a $50 tuition credit.

Groundhog, Groundhog what did you see?

Well it just depends on what time of day the Groundhog poked his head out from his hole as to what he may have seen but either way we still have some official weeks of winter left! We still have some weeks to hold out hope for a few flakes of the white stuff, we still have a few weeks to wear our favorite winter clothes, we still have a few weeks to work on the muffin tops that have grown over those winter clothes and we still have lots of things to learn before the school year is over.

February will be short but busy with lots of activities centered around love, dental health, famous Americans, teddy bears, food and fitness, Circus fun and we may even try our hands at being Cowboys and Cowgirls. Mark your calendars for Red Day on February 13th, Summer Registration begins on February 11th and we will celebrate Grandparents here at FUMC on February 15th with a special bulletin at or 10:55 service. Our 4’s and Pre-K will visit the Millis center at High Point Regional to learn about dental health on February 19th. Thanks to everyone who donated paper towels during January. Our February supply item is Clorox/Lysol wipes….you can never wipe away to many germs!

Registration began on January 28th for all new families for the 2015-2016 school year. If you haven’t already registered for next year please don’t hesitate…several classes are already full. Summer school information is coming home on February 2nd and we will begin taking registrations on the 11th. Spaces are limited during the summer.

Festival of Friends Family Packets came home last week….we are so excited about this years festival. We have some really great trips and activities that have been donated to the silent auction….keep an eye out on our facebook page and in those backpacks for weekly updates. Dinner tickets are on sale now… it should be so good…Southern Sisters!

During this month we celebrate love we are reminded of how much we love your babies…thank you for sharing them with us!

Merry Christmas!

Oh how I love the Season of Advent! I anxiously await each year for its arrival…after all isn’t that what we should be doing the whole year through, anxiously awaiting for the return of the most precious gift ever received…the tiny baby that will someday return, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. During our time together this month we will emphasize the true meaning of Christmas, the story of love given to all of us, the birth of the baby and the promise of life everlasting….Mary, Joseph, Angels,  Shepherds and a tiny baby  will help to tell us the story. I am already seeing some beautiful keepsakes being made to help your child remember and retell the story every year.

We will also be talking about the “Magic of Christmas”…Santa and his reindeer, elves, gingerbread men and the joy that can be found in giving and caring for others at this special time. Our Four’s and Pre-k will take a journey around the world as they learn about Christmas traditions from other countries.

There are several dates you may want to note on your calendars:

Breakfast with Santa is December 10th…don’t forget to send your child to school in their favorite PJ’s. We will take each child’s picture with Santa and make sure you get a copy! We Love our Santa….Cliff Snyder and can’t wait to see him again.

School will close for all students at 11am on December 12th…thanks to all our wonderful parents for providing our staff with a wonderful Christmas lunch that day.

Our last day before the Christmas break begins will be December 19th. School will reopen on Monday, January 5th.

Speech Screenings will be held for all parents that requested on for their child on December 3rd

Angel Tree gifts are due back on December 14th.

We hope all our families will enjoy a wonderful holiday season and Santa brings you all you asked for! Take lots of pictures….time travels by ever so quickly!

Blessings, Mrs. Myers

Giving Thanks

November is the month we so often sit down and take the time to think of all the things we are thankful for….funny how a year has gone by since the last time we did it, I’m just as guilty ….I’m so often caught up in the everyday happenings of life to stop and say thanks. This month promises to be different and I along with your sweet children are going to take the time to say thanks to God….thanks for our mommies and daddies, thanks for our friends, thanks for our favorite Disney characters, thanks for ice cream with supper and most of all thank you God for loving us so much!  This month we will be so busy learning about that first Thanksgiving, talking about turkeys and corn, discovering what it would have been like to be an Indian or Pilgrim child (shock will come over us as we discover there was no video games or computers) and sharing our families Thanksgiving traditions.

We will start the month out with the letter H and meet our next zoo friend…Honey Horse! On Tuesday, November 4th, Mr. Dan Kurtz from Cedar Creek Ranch is coming to bring his horse, Rosie for all our friends to meet. Our 4’s and Pre-k will see her get some new shoes! If you haven’t heard, our Zoo Phonics friends have been very cleaver each week bringing us something special….Francy Fish and her french fries from the Biscuit Factory have so far been the favorite!

There are several important events happening this month:

• Monday, November 3rd your child will bring home a beautiful piece of artwork along with a catalog of items that it can be reproduced on….Original Works Art is a huge hit every year and makes wonderful Christmas gifts. Orders will be due back on November 10th and will arrive in time for Christmas. Please handle the artwork carefully and don’t bend. If you do not plan on purchasing you do not need to return the art…it belongs to you!
• School will be closed on Thursday, November 6th for our staff to attend the UMC Weekday Workshop in Matthews, NC and again on Tuesday, November 11th in observance of Veteran’s Day.
• Thanksgiving vacation will be Wednesday, November 26th- Friday, November 28th.
• Our 4’s and Pre-K will have their Annual Thanksgiving Program and Feast on Thursday, November 20th at 10:30 am in the Fellowship Hall. Please bring your favorite covered dish item to share….Mrs. Myers is cooking the turkey and making the tea!
• One of our favorite events of the year is our Barnes and Noble Bookfair which will be held November 21st and 22nd at the High Point location only. Shop anytime those two days in store or online (so tell those out of town friends and family) and just mention us at the checkout or enter our bookfair code and we will receive a percentage of your sale. We always take our rewards in the form of a B&N gift card and it can often be in excess of $500….that’s a bunch of new books we can purchase for the school! Mrs. Myers will be the guest reader on Friday night and Saturday morning. More details will come home this week. This is the perfect time to do some Christmas shopping!

Thanks to everyone who donated baby wipes during October…..we always need them! The November item is tissues…..we spend a big part of the day chasing down runny noses so you can never have to many Kleenex. If you our someone you know is looking for a child to help this Christmas; FUMC will once again have up an Angel Tree in the lobby of the Education Building starting November 24th. Each of the Angels is a child from Northwood School. Mrs. Pam will be sending home more about this in the upcoming weeks.

October was such a marvelous month as we all continued to get to know each other….sometimes I wonder how one persons heart can hold so much love but each day mine grows bigger with each hug,  each “good morning Mrs. Myers” or with each “I love you” shouted down the hall.  In November, I will make sure and say “thank you God” for each one of the little lives you have brought my way, thank you for every opportunity to teach them, hug them, listen to them, and yes even the opportunity to explain why making a bad choice usually comes with a less than desirable consequence. I will say “thank you God for allowing me the opportunity to serve you as I serve the smallest in your Kingdom”….what will you say thanks for?

Blessings for a wonderful Thanksgiving spent with family and friends.

October News…..Pumpkins, Fire Trucks and Special Treats!

Did you see September? It flew by so quickly I barely saw it! We had a wonderful time getting to know all of our new friends and we jumped right into a new year of learning. We meet the Creature Teacher, Mrs. Crystal, Mrs. Meleah and everyone’s favorite Mr. Slane…the master of the iPad lab! We were introduced to all the animals that make up the Zoo Phonics program and we have already spent time really getting to know Allie Alligator and Bubba Bear. During the month of October we will meet Catina Cat, Dee Dee Dear, Ellie Elephant, Francy Fish and Gordo Gorilla…we are so proud of how our friends are learning the letters and the sounds they make. Our Pre-k is starting to combine letters and sounds to form words….pretty awesome!

We had a blast tasting, graphing, painting and even exploding apples…look out Johhny Appleseed we are ready to take our apple knowledge on the road! Last week several of our classes talked all about transportation and how thankful we are for the many community helpers we have…..we have lots of officers in training. If you were in the four-year old class you took a private tour of High Point on the Hi-Tran bus….according to the children under 50 if was so cool! The Pre-k has also informed me that the wooly worm is black this year and we may not get any spring break since there are going to be so many snow days. Could they be right?

There are lots of things on the agenda for October so grab a pen and take notes….

• Cookie Dough Orders are due back in on Monday, October 6th…thanks for all of your hard work. We expect orders to arrive back on October 28th and will have them available for pick up at afternoon dismissal.
• The October Supply Item is Baby Wipes….we are so thankful for all the goodies that came in during September.
• The Pre-K will take their first field trip on October 6th when they venture off to the pumpkin patch….we will have a special pumpkin patch at school for our toddlers and two’s on October 8th and the three’s and four’s will celebrate with a special fall festival on Monday, October 27th.
• Look out for the fire truck as it pays us a special visit on October 15th.
• Don’t forget to dress to impress in your favorite shade of orange on October 29th….why it’s orange day of course…orange you glad.
• We will conclude our busy month with some practice trick or treating on the 31st….please leave costumes at home, they tend to get dirty or torn before the real thing.

We want to thank our busy team of Festival of Friends moms and our great PTO volunteers that have already been busy preparing for this years Festival as well as getting us lined up with some great new fundraising opportunities. One of which will start this month…Please join us on Monday, October 20th (at anytime) at San Luis Mexican Restaurant on Westchester Drive for Child Enrichment Day. Mention CE at checkout and we will receive 25% of the sale…tell all your family and friends, go for lunch after school or for a family supper. Thanks San Luis!

We all know that October also welcomes the fall Furniture Market to High Point and with it brings lots of extra traffic to the downtown area. Please be patient during drop off and pick up and please allow yourself some extra time. FUMC is host to a time-honored tradition when it opens the doors to The Parson’s Table …. for the week of market our fellowship hall is turned into a great place to enjoy homemade soups, sandwiches, salads and of course desserts!  All the money earned during Parson’s Table is invested back into our community through the missions of the United Methodist Woman. Stop in for a bite if you get the chance. You will love it…especially the desserts!

Finally, looking into November mark your calendars for November 6th and 11th. Child Enrichment will be closed on the 6th for staff training and on November 11th in observance of Veteran’s Day. Our Annual  Barnes and Noble bookfair will be held on November 21st and 22nd …get your Christmas list ready!

Nothing Stopping Us Now!

What a wonderful first week we are having! Tears are starting to fade away and friends are starting to learn new routines, smiles are everywhere and the best hugs in town are right here at Child Enrichment. Thank you all so much for sharing your children with us! I think I have learned everyone’s name and of course some of the most important questions have been answered…favorite color, favorite Disney movie, favorite food, and what do you do in your office at night?! Today we had our first visit from the Creature Teacher; which was also our first time transitioning from our rooms to the Chapel. It was a mighty big step but we all made it. You should see our Four’s and Pre-k kids….everyone’s got pencils in hand and the work is flying. The three year olds are in awe of the things you get to do when you get bigger….the scissors are awesome! if you are two your main concern right now is getting a sticker on the potty chart…woohoo they are doing it! Our babies are just loving the opportunity to explore and meet other little creatures like themselves. I love to watch toddlers as they touch each others faces in awe!

We can’t wait for next week to see what the Lord has in store for us!

Please don’t hesitate to call with any questions or concerns you may have. The doors are always open.

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Preschool

Welcome back to all our Child Enrichment Families and Friends…summer always seems to fly by so quickly but seems so long without seeing the smiling faces of the children. Our summer to do list is starting to get shorter and we are just about ready to welcome in the 2014-2015 school year. You should have by now received your parent packet in the mail …if not please let me know. This packet contained  information about open house,  medical forms and your current billing statement.

Open House is scheduled for Thursday, August 28th at 10 am. You will spend from 10-10:30 in your child’s classroom and then move over to the Sanctuary for an informational parent meeting…children will stay in the classrooms with their teachers. You should be contacted in the next few days by your child’s teacher. Please feel free to share with them any important information they need to know about your sweet one…especially if there are any allergies we need to know about. All children will need to bring a complete change of clothes to leave at school…accidents do happen.

Please take the time to thoroughly read all the information that will be given out at Open House, especially our Parent Handbook. Teachers will provide parents with an email address that will help you to stay in touch with them. Our teachers are always available to meet with you to discuss your child’s progress before or after school. Let us know if you ever need to have a conference…it takes all of us working together to ensure your child’s success.

Parent’s often ask what they can do to make the first days of school be the most successful and less stressful and I offer a few suggestions: Try and get back on a schedule if you have fallen off of one over the summer. Don’t wait to start it the night before the first day. A goods nights rest makes for a much happier camper. Have clothes ready the night before. I love to see the children that take ownership in picking out their outfits…we embrace the creative minds that put them together! If your child is old enough have them put their book bag at the door or in the car the night before. Eat a healthy breakfast….it takes fuel in the tank for the car to run. Most importantly be excited about the new adventure they are about to undergo…talk it up, give them words of encouragement, and give them the wings they need to fly. Even if you are feeling apprehensive don’t let it show…walk them in, give them a kiss goodbye and let them soar! As a mother of three, ages 22, 20 and 14 I’ve been there and done that…when I dropped my oldest off for kindergarten I thought it was the hardest  thing I had ever done but boy was I wrong….college about killed me! By the time the third one hit kindergarten I had finally gotten it right…I hardly slowed down in the drive-thru line to drop her off…lol.

I have been so blessed to have been given the role of parent and preschool director, both have allowed me the opportunity to be loved in so many unbelievable ways. Together with you I hope to combine those roles to give your child the greatest start possible to what will be many years spent in the world of learning.  The main goals of our program have always been to love your child, show them the love of Jesus and create in them a real love of learning ….here’s to a successful year of LOVE!