"Joy to the World!"
e-RPDS                                                                                             12/15/2017
Letter from the Director
Dear Redeemer Community,

Often the biggest lessons are small. In our social media driven world, we often celebrate the biggest and the best - Christmas trees, fancy meals, houses, vacations, marriages, etc.. As adults it can be easy to overlook the small things. 

Our children know better. Our 2s and their teachers recently created Christmas wish lists and every child was asked, "What do you REALLY want for Christmas?" Granted, some of them had some pretty grandiose ideas like penguins and flamingos. It never hurts to dream big! It's the simple requests that really made me pause - things like a bell, a bigger bed or a good old fashioned Christmas pizza! Taking a lesson from our little ones, let's all be sure to pause and pay attention to the small things this year. They will add up to one very big Christmas!

All of us at Redeemer wish you lots of Christmas cheer during this very magical time of year. Enjoy your little ones and the joy they bring to the world!

Best regards,
Mary

P.S. Please be sure to click on our new student slideshow, under the Quick Links section, to see all the little ways our students made Redeemer a big place at Christmas time!


Classroom Updates:

Mrs. Barta's Pre-first:
Pre-first is exploding with Christmas cheer. We have been gearing up for the holidays by writing our own books, practicing our letter writing skills, graphing holiday patterns, story telling, learning about the symbols of Christmas and its' true meaning, making holiday gifts and using our creative imaginations. As we enter into the holidays, I am so
thankful for each and every one of my students. They continue to amaze me with their hard work, perseverance and their enthusiasm to learn. Each one of them is at a different stage, but they all are making great progress and strides in their development and learning. Have a wonderful holiday with family and friends and enjoy this magical time with your children!

Mrs. Smith's & Mrs. Vandenberg's Kindergartens:
We are having the best time in kindergarten as we gear up for the holidays! Each day, we are busy creating a new ornament, and understanding the meaning behind it. In math, we are working our way through the "tricky teen" numbers. Please practice writing the numbers at home. In language arts, we are finally completely through all of the letters of the alphabet and are excited to be sounding out three letter words!  While you are at home on Christmas break, the best thing that you can do with your child is to read with them. Additionally, one website that we like is www.storybots.com/videos . This website has fun, educational videos that are short and a great supportive tool for the holiday break. We wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year. We hope 2018 is filled with wonderful surprises and successes for everyone! Enjoy your break and we will be ready for you on January 2

Mrs. Baker & Mrs. Faint's Pre-k:
F rom what we hear, your homes are as full of the holiday spirit as our PreK classroom! We have been fitting in the letter K (which is a a copycat of letter C) while doing crafts to celebrate both the fun Santa part of Christmas as well as the true meaning of Christmas with baby Jesus and the Nativity. Please recognize that what looks like a simple painted wreath to you takes a great deal of patience and perseverance, not to mention counting of beads for a child to complete. The children enjoyed "wrapping" gifts (toys and blocks from our room) using much tissue, tape, ribbon and bows to place beneath our tree. We have examined several versions of The Night Before Christmas to see how they are alike and different. And it is fun to play a CD of classic carols and have the children exclaim "I heard this song in my car!"  Our focus has been on encouraging the children to think about using their 5 senses as they participate in many holiday activities. So, the challenge for you parents, too, is to stop, take a breath and notice what you are seeing, hearing, touching smelling and tasting these next few weeks. May you and your precious children truly celebrate Christmas together!

Mrs. Vahedi & Mrs. Loeb's Pre-k:
Mrs. Loeb's and Mrs. Vahedi's class is so excited about Christmas we are literally dancing in the classroom! Your busy little elves have decorated the classroom, made presents for friends and family, and sung their little hearts out. Our classroom is littered with glue, glitter, and wrapping paper, not to mention sequins and paint. Nothing makes them want to write letters more than addressing a 'gift tag' to one of their friends!  We have loved our Santa's Workshop' and have written lots of letters to Santa. The mailbox is full!!!  We have certainly experienced a weather change, as Benjamin had lots of 'sunny and cold' weather reports. Katie has kept us on track with the calendar, and knows exactly how many days 'til Christmas!  Max has been a fabulous line leader, and knows just where to go! Our snack helpers, Logan, Finn, and Logan have been great setting the table. We didn't have cooking this week as we were SO busy, but we still had a lovely treat as Henry G. turned 5 and we had cupcakes!  Henry G. has been our caboose, making sure everyone gets where they're supposed to!  Please make sure your children have hats and mittens as we really do try to go out every day!  Enjoy this wonderful holiday and remember:  the best present is the gift of time to enjoy!

Mrs. Grieves & Mrs. Hooper's 3s:
Your little Elves have been busy making many Christmas goodies and special gifts.....wreaths, trees, glittered lightbulbs and angels, to name a few!  They made Reindeer food which was a big "hit" as well as a red nosed "Christmoose."  Be sure to ask your children about the special story we read about Daddy "Moosleltoe."  Another favorite story was , "Are You Grumpy Santa", a book full of rhyming and laughs!  Letter recognition and the children's attention span at circle time are greatly improving.  They enthusiastically answer many of our "content" questions after story time!  Little Jack Horner is our December nursery rhyme and green stars are our color and shape of the month. The energy level and "volume" in the classroom are increasing as Christmas draws near.  We are working on focusing that energy into our many Christmas songs which we are practicing daily for the pageant.  The children are looking forward to performing for you all on Tuesday, December 19th at 10:00 in the church.  Drop your children off in the classroom between 9:30 -9:45 and go directly to the church to claim a seat.  Following the service, our children and their families will gather in our classroom for a brief party.  Thank you in advance to our "party parents".  Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and we look forward to seeing everyone back at school in the New Year on January 2nd!  Enjoy your "little ones" at this very exciting and joyful time of year!
Miss Ball & Mrs. Schroeder's 3s:
The 5 Day 3s are full of sprit this Christmas Season! We have been creating Christmas crafts, singing carols and celebrating the spirit of the holiday season by taking time to enjoy our class, friends and school. We have been working on the letters M & N and have been trying to listen to the difference between the two very similar sounds! Our Rhyme this month is Little Jack Horner. The children have been speculating whether or not Jack is a good or bad boy in the poem. 
We read the Christmas Story in the Childrens Bible and have been relating what we are learning to our Pageant and songs. In the spirit of the season we are thinking about how we can be kind to one another, our family and all.  We have also been discussing what we want for Christmas and what we would like to give to others. The children are very excited about making presents for their parents, It is so hard to keep a secrete! We are so blessed to have your children in our class. Have a joyous Holiday Season!
Mrs. Yanega & Mrs. Arrup's 2s:
Merry Christmas!  We have had a very festive few weeks preparing for Christmas!  We were treated by a visit from Mrs. Knott, who read "Night Tree" and we discussed the joy in doing for others and expecting nothing in return.  We then made bird feeders with the pre-first "Team Marvel" and hung them outside on a tree as a gift to the birds.  We have had a great time gearing up for Christmas and your kids are excited to decorate your Christmas trees with some special ornaments they have made!  In circle time the students have been playing a new game "find the candy cane" where we sing a song to choose a tree to look under to find the candy cane.  The kids have done an amazing job of waiting their turn and learning the song and identifying their colors.  Almost all the students know our snack time prayer and say "please" and "thank you" when receiving their snacks.  We have been so proud of their acts of kindness towards each other and respecting each other through all aspects of our school day! We wish you a very merry and blessed Christmas and We can wait to see all your kiddos in 2018!

Mrs. Zuidema  & Mrs. Wyatt's 2s:
What a festive time we have been having in the Twos! During Circle Time we have been singing about a dancing Christmas Tree, searching for bells hidden under different colored sleigh, fishing for Christmas lights, and reading wonderful Christmas stories. Some of our projects have included triangle trees, a reindeer ornament, and marble painting a candy cane. Without a doubt, our favorite activity was planting a peppermint and watching it grow into a big candy cane. We hope to see everyone on Tuesday. Your children have been practicing ringing their bells, and they do it beautifully! There will be a party for all of the twos in the Hale immediately following the program. You may want to take this time to take inventory of your children's cubbies and extra clothes. We hope you enjoy a peaceful break with your families, and we wish you a very merry Christmas and a wonderful new year. As always, we thank you for sharing your children with us.

Lunch Bunch:
Lunch bunch is full of Christmas cheer and spirit!  We have been making holiday pictures, we used stamps and glitter water colors , markers, stickers, chalk and more glitter. We have enjoyed making sugar cone Christmas trees and hunting for hidden candy canes! This was a big hit as the children got to look around other classrooms. We are practicing our songs for the holiday show as well as singing other traditional favorites. We have visited the North Pole workshop upstairs and wrapped presents, had puppets shows in the library and enjoyed experimenting in the STEM room. We have been playing some Christmas games, pin the heart on the grinch, jingle bell toss and fishing for candy canes.  Please remember lunch bunch will get outside play time so will need mittens and hats in our backpacks. Please enjoy your children's holiday excitement! 
 
Office Notes
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UPCOMING CALENDAR EVENTS:

Tuesday, December 19th 10:00 am- Christmas Service- break begins after service

Tuesday, January 2- School Resumes

A look ahead:
Friday, January 12th - 11:45 All School Dismissal 

Monday, January 15th - NO SCHOOL

Thursday, January 18th- 6:30 pm Girls Night Out- Bingo Bonanza 

Program Highlights:

The Kindness Tree

Two weeks ago all of the Redeemer students gathered together to listen to Mrs. Knott read, "The Night Tree", a story about a family who creates their own special Christmas tree for the animals. Every class created edible ornaments and today we decorated our very own "Kindness Tree". Afterwards, we sang Christmas carols and celebrated with a special snack of hot cocoa and popcorn.


 

Kids Love to Give
On December 2 families from PDS, the Church of the Redeemer, and Govans Elementary School gathered to cut and bake cookies for Govans Winterfest. The children also created handmade gifts for specials friends and family members. It was a wonderful gathering of our communities and a perfect way to kick off the holiday season. Please click here to watch a video and learn more about the festivities.




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In preschool we recognize the privilege, responsibility and joy of educating our youngest students. Alongside their parents, we work diligently at building the foundation for their ongoing and lifelong learning. Be sure to click on the link below found in every issue to see our wonderful students in action. Enjoy!

 


Please visit our website


Interested in learning more about our 
Kindergarten 
and 
Pre-first?

Please visit:
to learn more about 
The Church of the Redeemer

RPDS 
CURRENT VALUES:

The True Meaning of Christmas

Needs vs. Wants
Community News

Family Impacted by California Wild Fires
Faculty member, Terri Ball, has a dear friend whose family in California lost everything to the wild fires. They have four adopted children -two of whom are boys ages 18 months and 2 ½. Unfortunately, they lost everything in the fires. Terri is looking to send them a few items to help them get back on their feet. If you have any gently used clothing that you would like to contribute, the boys wear sizes 18 months and 3T. A box for donations will be outside of Katie's office through Monday, December 18. If you are interested in learning more, the family was interviewed by CBS Los Angeles. Click here to learn more.

Govans Winterfest
All PDS families are invited to the Govans Elementary Winterfest on Saturday from 11-2. They will have crafts, games and refreshments. You can even sample the cookies we made on December 2!

Christmas at Church of the Redeemer
Please click here to see dates and times for upcoming services!

Stroller Needed
A refugee family who recently moved to Baltimore is in need of a double stroller. If you have one that you are willing to donate, please contact Eric Haber.
erichaber@hotmail.com


Contact Us
Redeemer Parish Day School
5603 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21210
410-435-9510

Mary Knott, Director
mknott@redeemeronline.com