|
Letter from the Director
|
|
|
Dear Redeemer Community,
I often think about how fortunate I am to work in a community that celebrates the birth of a baby with regularity. Every time a new sibling arrives, and as is the case this year - three faculty babies, we all get to share a moment of great joy!
While Christmas time can feel hectic and crazy, a race "to get it all done", the glory of Jesus' birth is at the heart of the holiday season. The Christmas story is a reminder of the miracle of life and the magnificence that surrounds it, each and every time we celebrate the birth of child.
At this time of year, when it might feel like we are barely hanging in there, take time to be energized by the joy of life. Our children certainly do!
All of us at Redeemer Parish Day School wish you many blessings and great joy during this holiday season!
Best regards,
Mary
P.S. Please be sure to click on our new student slideshow, under the Quick Links section, to see the multitude of ways our students embrace the spirit and energy of Christmas!
|
|
|
 |
|
Classroom Updates:
|
|
|
Mrs. Barta's Pre-first:
Pre-first
is exploding with Christmas cheer. We have been quite busy gearing up for the holidays by writing our own books, practicing our letter writing skills to Santa, graphing holiday patterns, story- telling, learning about the symbols of Christmas and its' true meaning, making holiday gifts, reading holiday books, practicing our handwriting and using our math skills to solve problems. Phew! What a few weeks it has been. As we enter into the holidays, I am thankful for each and every one of my students. They amaze me with their hard work, dedication and enthusiasm for learning. Each student is at a different stage, but they are all making progress and strides in their own development. I am so proud of their accomplishments so far this school year and can't wait to see their continued progress in the new year. Have a wonderful holiday with family and friends and most importantly, 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. We wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year. We hope 2019 is filled with wonderful surprises and successes for everyone! Enjoy your break and we will be ready for you on January 3.
Mrs. Baker & Mrs. Arrup's Pre-k:
Christmas has arrived and is in full swing in our classroom. Last week we worked on the letter K and received a special visit from Team Marvel who delivered us a cape for the "Kindness King". When we catch a child being kind, they get to wear the cape and it has been a huge hit in the PreK! This week we are in full Christmas mode. Many of our projects, although Christmas themed, require counting, sorting, creating patterns, etc. There has been a lot of patience, perseverance and love put into each project. We have been discussing the 5 senses of Christmas and encourage you to take time to share with each other what you see, feel hear and touch during the holiday season. Enjoy your little ones during this magical time of year!
Mrs. Vahedi & Mrs. Loeb's Pre-k:
There are sparkles in the air; as well as paint, fluff, the scent of candy canes and cinnamon! Your little elves have been busy at work, but don't ask them what they're doing - it's a surprise! And all the while they are using all their fine motor skills, counting, singing, listening (for the most part!) and practicing being kind! Who could ask for anything more?! We can't wait to see you at our Christmas program on the 19th! We hope you have a wonderful holiday filled with joy, laughter, downtime time, and lots of love!
Mrs. Grieves & Mrs. Hooper's 3s:
Your
little Elves have been busy making many Christmas goodies...wreaths, decorated trees, glittered lightbulbs,elves and a SPECIAL GIFT.... to name a few! The children made Reindeer food which was a big "hit" as well as a red nosed "Christmoose". Be sure to ask them about the special story we read starring Daddy "Moosletoe." Another favorite book was, "Are You Grumpy Santa", which is 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. Alphabet hopscotch is a new popular hallway game. 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 our classroom is increasing as Christmas draws near. We are working on focusing that energy into our many Christmas songs which we are practicing daily and are looking forward to performing for you on the 19th! The service will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. and 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 3rd! Enjoy your "little ones" during this magical and joyful time of year!
Miss Ball & Mrs. Schroeder's 3s:
The 5 Day 3s
are working just like busy little elves! We have lots of fun things going on in this short month. We are working on decorating our room with fun projects. We have made tissue paper trees, read the book Mooseloe and made a moose of our own, we painted pretty Christmas lights and made a shhh, top secret gift!!
We are also working on the color green, the shape of a Star and the poem of little Jack Horner. We celebrated 2 birthdays this month as well. We have been talking about the true meaning of Christmas and learning lots about everyone's trees and decorations at home!
I hope you hear your little ones practicing their songs at home. We are working on our songs for the upcoming Christmas show. Reminder- it will start at 900 in the 19th. We look forward to seeing you for that. Please enjoy your holiday break and have a safe and joyous holiday season.
Mrs. Knott & Mrs. Astley's 2s:
Merry Christmas from the 2s!
Can I just say it's a joy to come to work every day to see your children's smiling faces? I have loved getting to know each one of them as they grow and develop. This month we have talked about Christmas, the color green and the triangle. In circle, we have read lots of Christmas stories and have sung about silly elves jumping on the bed! We have made Christmas trees, candy canes and planted our own peppermints that grew into Candy Canes! The weather for December has been wonderful and we have loved being outside. Please remember to send in a warm jacket, hat and gloves. We do our best to go outside every day. We are looking forward to our Christmas program on the 19th, followed by an all 2s Christmas party in the Hail immediately after. This would be great time to also take inventory of your child's cubbie and make sure that we have plenty of supples and winter clothes for the new year. I hope that each one of you and your families has a wonderful holiday and I can't wait to see you in 2019!
Mrs. Zuidema & Mrs. Wyatt's 2s:
The Wyatt/Zuidema Twos have had a fun-filled December. During circle, we looked for sleigh bells under different color sleds, fished for holiday actions, and sang about a dancing Christmas tree. Our projects included triangle trees, candy canes, and surprises for our families. We even planted a peppermint and watched it grow into a candy cane. We hope that everyone enjoys a wonderful holiday season with family and friends. Remember to relax and cherish these moments. We look forward to seeing your beautiful children in the new year. As always, thank you for sharing them with us.
Lunch Bunch:
Lunch Bunch has been in the holiday spirit! We have been playing Christmas themed games such as Pin the Heart on the Grinch. We have been making Christmas crafts such as ornaments, sun catchers and necklaces. And of course listening to Christmas music and practicing our songs for the Christmas Service! We also had the children help us make a holiday themed bulletin board where the children painted ornaments, a tree and used different materials to create gifts.
Please try to remember to send in water bottles and any needed utensils in your child's lunch. We are also in need of weather appropriate clothing in many children's cubbies. If you are able please check to make sure that your child has a full set of clothing. This includes everything from underwear and socks to an extra sweatshirt and shoes (please label all of it!) As much as we try to avoid the mud somethings it still manages to find us! Thank you for sharing your children with us, they really are gifts!
Art with Mrs. Blair:
You're happy artists are in the Christmas spirit and have been "Jingling All The Way" through their latest creations. They have been learning that artists use all kinds of tools to make art..from forks and spoons to pine branches to jingle bells! The 3's and Pre-Kindergarten created beautiful process art trees (with a big box full of jingle bells as their paintbrush) which will be coming your way this week. The kindergarten and pre-first artists learned the story of the pointsettia from their wonderful Spanish teacher Mrs. Poe. In a cross-curricular collaboration, our artists made their own painted paper and created the most gorgeous poinsettia ornament. They will be home in time to put on the tree.Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!
Gym with Mrs. Craig:
The children have enjoyed mixing up our gym routine with some Christmas games. Last week we played Christmas tree tag, fed reindeer with a relay game, and "freeze" danced to Christmas music. This week, Santa tried to corral his reindeer in a tag game, and all of the classes rotated through Christmas themed stations: a snowball toss, pulling scooter sleighs, building snowmen with gym equipment and more. Wishing you all a healthy holiday!
Music with Ms. B:
What a wonderful time of the year for the children. We are working hard on all the Christmas carols for our annual Christmas pageant. I love telling the story of the Nativity and what the words mean when they sing each song . The Drummer boy has been fun with adding drums and triangles, which you will see on Dec 19th. We recently acquired some different instruments like a cabasa and a marimba which we will be exploring soon. Hope to see you at the Pageant. It will be a precious performance!
Science with Mrs. Craig:
We have been celebrating the season with Christmas themed experiments and STEM activities! All of the classes enjoyed a Christmas cookie chemical reaction, dripping red and green vinegar into cookie cutters filled with baking soda. Pre-first made gorgeous crystal ornaments, suspending pipe cleaner candy canes and snowflakes in a Borax solution. Kindergarten put their STEM skills to work building Christmas trees with gum drops and toothpicks, and using Legos to build Christmas shapes. I hope you enjoy all the magic of the season with your little ones!
Spanish with Senora Poe:
It is fun celebrating Navidad in Spanish Class! The children enjoyed reading The Legend of the Poinsettia and learning the meaning behind the flower. We collaborated with art and created these gorgeous poinsettias. Feliz Navidad and Prospero año y Felicidad!
Values with Mrs. Smith:
Christmas is truly a time of magic and wonder for children. It can become a period of extra time with the family.(never a bad thing!) Enjoy this magical time!
World Cultures with Mrs. Knott:
Our travels have taken us around the globe to learn about holiday traditions celebrated throughout the world. We visited the Netherlands to learn the story of St. Nicholas and his gift of generosity. We then flew to Israel to play dreidel and learn about a few traditions celebrated during Hanukkah. Our last stop took us to Guatemala where we celebrated Las Posadas with a story, followed by a treat of cookies and milk. Joyeux Noel!
|
|
|
|
|
Office Notes
|
|
|
I
nstagram- Just a reminder that RPDS is on Instagram! Please be sure to follow us.
UPCOMING CALENDAR EVENTS:
Wednesday, December 19th 9:00 am- Christmas Service- break begins after service
Thursday, January 3- School Resumes
A look ahead:
Friday, January 11th - 11:45 All School Dismissal; faculty meeting
Wednesday, January 16th
- 6:30 pm Girls Night Out- Bingo Bonanza
Monday, January 21 - NO SCHOOL - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
|
|
|
|
|
Program Highlights:
|
|
|
Kids Love to Give
On December 1 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.
Holiday Greens
The Redeemer community once again was able to decorate homes and businesses with fresh holiday greens and poinsettias from our annual fund raiser. Thank you to Brooke DiManno, Jenn McDermond, our Holiday Greens Co-chairs, and to Parent Council Co-chair, Emily Pfiefer, who fulfilled orders with baby Lulu in tow!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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
Please visit:
to learn more about
The Church of the Redeemer
RPDS
CURRENT VALUES:
The True Meaning of Christmas
Needs vs. Wants
|
|
|
|
|
|
Community News
Church of the Redeemer Christmas Pageant
Calling all angels and shepherds (and angel wranglers and shepherd herders, too)! It's that time of year and we would love to have you participate in this year's Christmas Eve Pageant during the 4 p.m. service on December 24.
Children and youth ages 3 and older are invited to participate. Please note that children younger than 5 need to be accompanied by an adult in the pageant.
All participants including adult shepherds and wranglers are required to attend the rehearsal on Sunday, December 23 from 11:30 am-1:00 pm and to arrive on Monday, December 24 by 3:00 pm to get into costume prior to the service. Parents should plan to remain for the rehearsal on Sunday, 12/23. We will have pizza for all participants following the rehearsal.
Please sign up online by clicking HERE. Questions? Let Kathy know!
Christmas at Church of the Redeemer
Please click here to see dates and times for upcoming services!
|
|
|
Contact Us
|
|
|
|
Redeemer Parish Day School
5603 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21210
410-435-9510
Mary Knott, Director
|
|
|
|
|
|
