"Always find time for the things that make you happy to be alive!"
e-RPDS                                                                                             06/01/2018
Letter from the Director
Dear Redeemer Community,

How do you capture a year in preschool?
 
September with its fresh school supplies and full containers of paint, glue and glitter sometimes feels like yesterday and sometimes feels like eons ago. October? Do our little ones still fit into the Halloween costumes they so proudly cherished last fall? Can they remember all the endearing things they were so grateful for at Thanksgiving time? Or the month-long anticipation of Christmas with new carols learned and the story of the birth of Baby Jesus? Did all those mittens and hats that we needed in January ever come home? Or is preschool captured in the countless Valentines signed by chubby fingers in a script that only little ones could create? A spring break respite in March? Do preschoolers really takes respites? Riding trikes in April? Dancing and singing in May? Summer farewells in June?
 
How do you capture a year in preschool? It's all that and so much more, but it is probably best summed up in a preschooler's infectious smile, and not just the milestones, but in the journey itself. Undoubtedly, every single one of our students has grown tremendously in countless ways. Be sure to watch our new student slideshow, "Smile - a Year in Pictures!", which captures just a glimpse of a year in preschool.
 
Enjoy a wonderful summer with your families!

Best regards,
Mary Knott


Classroom Updates:
Mrs. Barta's Pre-first:
Thank you to everyone who came to the "world famous" Publishing Party. 
The Pre-first students were so proud to share all their books, hard work 
and dedication throughout the school year. It truly is so wonderful to 
see the progress each and every one of the students have made. Their 
writing, illustrations and story telling have improved so much. We are 
all so proud of their accomplishments.
Our Postcard Challenge has been quite exciting! We still need 3 states! 
Hopefully the last postcards will arrive by the last day of school! We 
are keeping our fingers crossed! 
Thank you for sharing your children with me this year! It has been a 
year filled with learning, excitement, fun, adventures and exploration! 
I am so proud of each student for all their hard work and determination. 
I wish them all the best at their new schools next year and hope they 
come back to visit! Please help them to always remember the Redeemer 
Rules...Be Kind, Be Safe and Have Fun! Enjoy your summer!!!


Mrs. Smith's & Mrs. Vandenberg's Kindergartens:
Thank you, thank you, Kindergarten parents! We are so thankful for the many ways that you have helped your child have a successful year by: getting them to school on time and being prompt in afternoon carpool, being there for every class party and field trip, reading to your child every night, and for volunteering your time in our library. Thank you for the privilege of allowing us to teach your child each day and see the amazing growth that has transpired throughout the year. Each one of you should be very proud parents!


Mrs. Faint & Mrs. Baker's Pre-k:
End of year is always a busy time in pre K with so many letters, sounds and numbers to review! We have practiced fine motor skills with writing numerals and water color painting while counting. We read many old nursery rhymes and classic stories, made word family rhymes, and played bingo with those tricky teens. Trying to fit in everything they should know before they leave us! 
And just as we watched the caterpillars change into butterflies and flutter away, and released the tadpoles (some with legs) into the wild, we have talked about how the children themselves have grown and changed since September. So much development in their brains and bodies has taken place this year! They enjoy remembering how it felt when they first entered our room and all they have accomplished inside and on the playground. And as they will sing on Tuesday, "God isn't finished with me yet".
Thank you for all the support at home and for entrusting your child with us. It truly has been a delight to get to know each one of these remarkable little people.


Mrs. Loeb & Mrs. Vahedi's Pre-k:
This will be the last parent letter. We know...! The year seems to have flown by, especially these last few weeks! We hope you enjoyed getting the last chapters of the alphabet book. This one is a keeper! 
We have all been very creative with our time indoors, and have put together every puzzle, drawn more butterflies than we ever thought possible, practiced our songs for the end of year program, and generally tried to embrace our inner Portland, Oregon. We have watched our caterpillars eat and form chrysalises and we released them! We have continued to work on numerals, writing, and our letter sounds. Some of us are reading! 
Please enjoy the summer. Let them chase fireflies, get dirty, have picnics, and go to the zoo. Your children are 4 and 5 years old. This time will be gone before you know it, and you WILL miss it. There is an innocence, a capacity for wonder, and a belief in magic that will never be there again. There is also a "comical' honesty to them now. Listen. They are funny, wise, and joyful. Enjoy this time with them. 
We will miss them.


Mrs. Hooper & Mrs. Grieves's 3s:
We had a wonderful 'End of Year' party today...a BIG thank you to our party parents! Our Ocean Counting Book is complete and went home today. Be sure to ask your children to share with you the many fun facts they have learned about their ocean 
" friends" !! We have been practicing for the JUNE JAMBOREE and can't wait to preform for you all next Tuesday, June 5th in the church at 9:15 a.m. What a FABULOUS year we have had with your precious children.....so many wonderful days full of laughter and learning. It has been a pleasure watching each of them "blossom" both socially and academically. They truly are the TERRIFIC THREES! Have fun chatting, cutting, coloring, rhyming and reading with your children this summer. Parents remember ....you will always be your child's greatest teacher! Thank you for all of your support this year. 
We are sad to bid "farewell" to Gabriel , Grace and Owen; you shall be missed and we wish you all the best ! 
Have a wonderful Summer and we look forward to seeing everyone back at Redeemer soon!


Mrs. Schroeder & Miss Ball's 3s:
The 5 Day 3s have had a great year. We are spending our last days talking about the ocean and reviewing all of the many things that we have learned this year. From Nursery Rhymes to the Alphabet the 5 day 3s are proud of all they have learned and all that they are able to do! Our class is ready to go to Pre-K! Our cutting skills are stellar, we always recognize our names and we know how to greet people during the day! Please be on the look out for the many things that we are sending home in the next few days. 
This summer have your children practice writing their names and or tracing if they are nervous. Let them cut pictures out of magazines and use play dough to strengthening their little hands. Most of all have a great summer and enjoy your children! We have been so lucky this year and will miss everyone during the summer. Thank you for sharing your special little ones with us this year! 


Mrs. Arrup & Mrs. Mrs. Yanega's 2s:
How is it already the end of the school year?  It seems like just yesterday your children were arriving for their first day a little shy, hesitant and a bit teary.  My how they have grown!  It has been a joy and working with your little ones throughout the year.  We have had such fun learning our colors and creating art through painting, stamping, gluing and coloring.  We sang songs about friendships, pumpkins, Christmas trees and about Brown Bear.  Listening to stories and poems was a favorite of this class, especially when we had our "special readers" join us this spring! They have created new friendships through imaginative play, swinging on swings and gathering on the playground and learned to share and compromise.  As we look to summer, I am sad to say goodbye to this crew.  To say it has been an absolute joy working with your children is an understatement!  We wish you and your family a wonderful, relaxing summer!


Mrs. Wyatt and Mrs. Zuidema's 2s:
With the school year coming to a close, we end our units on summer fun, diamonds, and the color yellow.  We finished up the year by making crab handprints on a sponge painted beach and by practicing our cutting skills on the grass outside; it was getting quite long!  While we are looking forward to summer, we are very sad to say goodbye to this year's twos.  It seems like yesterday that we were sharing our mornings with quiet, shy, and occasionally teary two year olds.  Next week, we will be saying goodbye to the same children who have blossomed into confident and very tall three year olds. We spent the year learning about colors, shapes, patterns, and various themes from apples to summer fun. We watched candy canes and donuts grow from the seeds we planted. We painted, colored, and glued; we stamped our hands a lot. We sang songs about our emotions, dancing Christmas trees, melting snowmen, the pets we have, signs of spring, and what the brown bear sees. We built sand castles, played tag, rode trikes, and learned to pump our legs on the swings, but without a doubt, the best thing we did was make good friends. We hope the summer brings you many fabulous adventures, and we look forward to lots of hugs in September as our old friends make their way to their new classrooms down the hall. We thank all of you for a fantastic year!  


Lunch Bunch: 
Lunch bunch is winding down! Thank you for sharing your children with us. I can't beleive how much we have down.  We have painted, danced, beaded, out way through lunch bunch. We have seen new friendships develope and grow.  It's been fun to watch kids connect with each other and learn from them. 
We are looking forward to ending our year with out end of the year party. It will give us a last chance to enjoy all the fun with kindergarten and  Prefirst. We will be having popsicles and pizza, bubbles, and more! 
For the friends who are moving on, we hope that lunch bunch helps in your learning and school foundations. We look forward to next year and hope to see many of these faces next year. Enjoy the summer and take the time to enjoy your children as we have. 
Office Notes
UPCOMING CALENDAR EVENTS:

Monday, June 4th- 11:45 ALL SCHOOL DISMISSAL- Faculty Meeting

Tuesday, June 5th-9:15 June Jamboree - Summer Break begins after program! Have a great summer!

A LOOK AHEAD: 
  • June - Tuition Invoice sent via e-mail            (due July 1)
  • July 1st- Medical forms due for NEW students and students entering kindergarten ONLY. 
  • July - Summer Mailing: general school information, paperwork, and Lunch Bunch/Early Morning Drop-off registration forms
  • August-Class list and contact information
  • Monday, August 20th- Office reopens
Click   here  for a link to our 2018-2019 School Calendar. 
Play & Grow Summer Camp 

Space is still available in all sessions! Click here to register.
Program Highlights:
Friday Afternoon Fun
Our pre-first, kindergarten and Lunch Bunch students were treated to a fun-filled afternoon today, our last full day of school. They enjoyed a pizza lunch and the opportunity to play together and enjoy lots of special activities.

 
 Visiting Seniors
Thank you to Matthew and Daniella for spending time with us during their senior projects. They worked and played with all age groups and were a great help to the Redeemer teachers.  Daniella, who is fluent in Spanish, read and translated, Si Le Haces Una Fiesta A Una Cerdita (If You Give a Pig a Party),  to our kindergarten and pre-first Spanish classes. We were especially grateful for their help during our last gym day when we celebrated with a field day.  Best of luck to them as they both head off to college in the fall!
 
 
Maryland Zoo Visits the 2s
Our 2s classes, along with their parents and teachers, were visited by the Maryland Zoo. They got to meet Bertha the tortoise, Tetra the African penguin, and Cinnamon the Lionhead rabbit.

 
Kindergarten & Pre-first Celebrate Cinco de Mayo
Cinco de Mayo celebrates the victory of the Mexican army over the French. At Redeemer we celebrated with a fiesta including tacos, a pinata and the Mexican hat dance. 

 
A Visit from the Chestnut Ridge 
Volunteer Fire Department and Fireman Dew
Our 3s classes recently finished a unit on community helpers which inspired a visit from the Chestnut Ridge Fire Department and Redeemer parent, Chris Dew. Our students learned about fire safety and were able to see their fire truck first hand.

 
Kindergarten & Pre-first Publishing Party
Our budding kindergarten and pre-first writers celebrated a year's worth of work and effort during their May 18 Publishing Party. Parents and special visitors were treated to many individual and class-created books. Our students and teachers should be proud of all they accomplished this year.

 
Summer Food Drive
Redeemer students, families and teachers collected an incredible amount of food to support our neighbors at the GEDCO CARES Food Pantry. Parishioner and former PDS student, Jim Gary, visited our students during chapel to help them better understand the importance of this wonderful mission. Thank you, Redeemer families and teachers, for your support. We also want to extend a very special thank you to kindergarten and values teacher, Judi Smith, for conceiving this idea!

 
 
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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!


 
CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR NEW STUDENT VIDEO"Smile - a Year in Pictures!"


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 Best of Values"
A Year End Summary
Community News

Thank you, Jenn Lohse!

On behalf of the entire Redeemer community, I want to say a very special thank you to Jenn Lohse for her three years of dedicated service  as the Chair of the PDS Advisory Board. Jenn's insight, ability to listen and leadership have made our school a better place. While her role in our community is somewhat behind the scenes, it is crucial to our success. She will be missed!

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

Mary Knott, Director
mknott@redeemeronline.com