December 2020 News from All Saints School

December 2020

FROM THE DIRECTOR

Welcome back! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I “Zoomed” with extended and out of town family, which was filled with lots of laughs and reminiscing, and my husband and I enjoyed a small dinner here. As we jump into December and all things Christmas, I am reminded of what a blessing it is to work here surrounded by little ones; their enthusiasm and sense of joy are contagious. The holidays are now in full swing at All Saints School! Our classrooms are filling with Christmas carols, peppermint play dough, candy cane experiments, Santa’s Workshop dramatic play, and lots of Christmas literature from The Polar Express to The Gingerbread Man.

Most importantly, our classrooms are focused on the season of Advent. Advent is a time to prepare our hearts for the celebration of Jesus’ birth. The children are learning all about the characters in the Nativity and how they must have been feeling on that very special night. Our Young Ones and up have an Advent wreath in their classrooms. We make them from fresh evergreens, which symbolize new and everlasting life brought to us by the birth of Jesus. The circular shape of the wreath reminds us that God’s love has no beginning or end, and the candles symbolize the light of God coming into the world through the birth of his son. Each day the classes will light their Advent wreath and sing a special song (to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle”): Light the candles one by one / Now our waiting has begun / Christmas day will soon be here / Time for joy and time for cheer / Light the candles one by one / Advent waiting has begun! This year Advent began on November 29^th.

We will be closed for the Christmas holiday from Friday, December 18th through Monday, January 4th. When we return on Tuesday, January 5th, we will be busy with registration for the 2020-2021 school year, St. Jude’s Trike-a-Thon, and Tom Marshall black and white photos. Please mark your calendars for these dates (listed below). Enjoy your break! Soak up these precious moments with your little ones, and please know how much we appreciate your kindness, support, and generosity.

With Love,

Emory Messeroff

COVID-19 UPDATE

As we navigate through an uptick in cases both locally and nationally, please take some time to review and refamiliarize yourself with our sick policy and COVID-19 policies and procedures.

All Saints School administration continues to meet regularly with church leadership and our medical consultants as we strive to keep our teachers, children, and families safe and healthy.

As always, thank you for your support and cooperation!

SPOTLIGHT ON: PLAYGROUND

The grand opening of our playground was Palm Sunday 1997…23 years ago!

It’s hard to believe that the Thomas Center and gym were not yet built.

When you look at this picture (below), can you hear the 2,000+ little saints’ voices that have played and learned on this playground? Can you imagine all the gross motor milestones that have been met?

So many children have spent time sliding down the slides, climbing on the structures, learning how to pedal a tricycle, running around the open space, and jumping, jumping, jumping until finally being able to reach the high bars!

Imaginations have transformed the structures into castles, pirate ships, houses, fire stations, dragons, ice cream parlors, and more. Our seesaw has heard hours of songs sung by teachers all the while bouncing up and down, up and down…so much so that last year we had to have major repairs. Our playground has witnessed friendships being formed and deepened and conversations between friends and teachers. It has witnessed children learning more than gross motor skills, it has witnessed children growing in all areas of their development.

Did you know that each year our older saints take time to talk to our younger saints through the fence? Our smallest ones look forward to watching the activity on the playground.

When you think of the more than 2,000 children who have laughed, sweat, cried, sang, been comforted, and played with pure joy, it is understandable that we need a new playground to welcome the next generation of children. Thank you in advance for your support during this exciting endeavor!

KINDERGARTEN COFFEE

Come learn about All Saints School's Kindergarten program on Thursday, January 7th at 9:30 a.m.

Ms. Emory and Ms. Colleen will share information about the curriculum and daily life of a Kindergartener, which retains our playful focus while meeting all Kindergarten standards.

Feel free to invite friends or neighbors who may be interested as well.

BABY SAINTS ANNOUNCEMENTS

Congratulations to the Hills family who welcomed Halston Burke Hills 🎀 to the world on November 11th! Big sister Henley is in Ms. Natalie and Ms. Laura's class.

Fall 2021 REGISTRATION NEWS

Procedure Explained - Please Read Carefully!

On Monday, January 11th, our currently enrolled families will receive a Pre-Registration Card for each child in the family. All available classes and options for our next school year (August 2021 - May 2022) will be listed. Complete the form by filling in your 1st and 2nd choices for your child next year.

Important: When making your selections, please understand that each year there are teachers who change classroom assignments for a variety of reasons, and next fall will be no exception. The class you choose may have a different teaching team next fall than the one in place now. Trust that we will provide a wonderful experience for your child! In an effort to plan for your needs for the upcoming school year, we reserve the right to make any adjustments necessary in the makeup of our classrooms. If registration numbers exceed or do not not meet requirements, we may cancel or change as necessary.

You will be given from January 11th - January 14th to fill out your Pre-Registration Cards and return them to school.

It is imperative that we receive your deposit on time, by 2:00 p.m. on January 25th, so that you do not lose your placement.

All registration materials - Pre-Registration Cards, forms, and monies - must be turned in directly to Ms. Emory or Ms. Rosie in carline. DO NOT place registration material in your child’s backpack and assume that the teacher will find it and turn it in for you!

Timeline:

Monday, January 11th

Receive Pre-Registration Cards

Thursday, January 14th

All Pre-Registration Cards due by 2:00 p.m.

Tuesday, January 19th

Confirmation Cards sent home

Monday, January 25th

All deposits and outstanding balances due by 2:00 p.m.

Tuesday, January 26th

Parish Registration

Thursday, January 28th