Class Directory

I forgot to give out the class directory for our class. If you would like a listing, please email me and I will send it as an attachment. It has the 2009 school listing for each child in our class. Sorry - it was so hectic after graduation, I just forgot to slip them in the diploma folder.

Welcome Summer

Summer Vacation Begins Now.

Time To Move On

These are the words to a Lutheran hymn, written by Jaroslave J. Vajda. "Go my children, with my blessing, never alone. Waking, sleeping, I am with you, you are my own. In my love's baptismal river I have made you mine forever. Go, my children, with my blessing, you are my own." It is with so much gratitude that I post these final pictures of our year. May God bless each of you with safety, good health and happy days. Thank you class of 2008-2009.

Caps and Gowns

As we prepared for the big moment, the hats were itching and the tassels were twirling. The children had, and still have no idea, what faces them in the years to come. So many smiles and laughs - childhood was at it's very best this morning.

Before The Song

These are our faces as we arrived this morning. You could feel the excitement and see the wonder of summer in their eyes. Look at these precious faces - God blessed me with such a wonderful, loving class. Who knew that 12 boys and 4 girls could become their own family. They laughed and cried together and learned about God's love. Thank you boys and girls for singing so beautifully today. This was a great day. The children were so well behaved and sang with all of their hearts. What a wonderful day to end the year.

Do You Want Class Pictures?

If you want to order some of the thousand pictures I took this year, please email me and I will email you the link to "snapfish." This is the only way I can think of to share all of the crazy photos I took of your beautiful children. It will be an album just for our class. I will have this available to you no later than Monday of next week. There are tons of pictures - so plan to have some time available to scroll through them all.

Class Party

Our class party and fun day will be on Wednesday. You do not need to send lunch for your child - it will be provided by our "class party parents." (Thank you Rishi's Mom, Cohan's Mom & Cannon's Mom.) Please pray for good weather as this will be our last fun day on the playground. Can you really believe it is the end of the year?

Show & Tell

Today was the big show & tell day for our class. There were lots of interesting things and we each did a great job presenting our special item. This was the day for each child to sit in my big chair and "present" it to their classmates. They did a really good job listening to each other and speaking respectfully to their friends. (I think some of us actually learned how hard it is to get our class to actually listen.) We had some special stuffed animals, toy cars, trophies and collectible dolls. There was also an 8 million year old whale fossil (not a bone - a fossil as I was corrected), a hermit crab and lots of other interesting things. We really did our homework learning facts about our items.

Our Class Picnic

Can you believe I forgot to take pictures during our class picnic? After the hundreds I have taken this year, I absolutely forgot to get my camera out. I am so sorry, but it was a wonderful time. Thank you so much for taking the time to make this gathering special for your child. They are very proud of their families and couldn't wait to share them with each other. I hope everyone got "playdates" scheduled for the summer. Each child is wonderful, unique, and full of God's love. We send our blessings and prayers with them as they get ready to make the transition from God's house to the "Big School."

The Class of 2009

Here we are, ready for graduation and kindergarten!

This Is The End Of The Year

Here it is, the end of the year. We have really had a great time. Just a few more pictures to share from this week.

Another Grandparent

We have really enjoyed grandparent visits this year and I tried to catch those that came to drop off or pick up. This is a grandparent that I somehow overlooked. Thanks grandparents for all that you do.

This Is The Way We Work & Play

This is the way we work and play in our classroom. Even this last full week of school - we are still learning & playing. It must still be fun - just look at these smiling faces.

Let's Just Play Outside

This weather is just too good to pass up. The temperature and breeze is perfect for playing on the playground - not to mention it is our last full week of school. I honestly don't believe the children understand that in just a few days that won't be coming to our classroom to see their friends. There is plenty of talk of summer vacation, swimming, and playing - but there is also talk about what they are going to play in "blocks and legos" next week. We are all ready for the summer break - but their momentum for learning is getting stronger. This being said - now it is all about playing on the playground and just having fun. (I have given permission for everyone to be five or almost five.)

Bible Heroes

Can you believe that this is our last full week of preschool? We are still working hard in our classroom learning about Bible heroes. On Monday we learned about Joseph and his coat of many colors. We learned that he had a forgiving heart even when his brothers needed food. It is hard for us to understand that forgiveness is what life is all about. This was a very serious kind of story to learn and most of us really still can't understand why Joseph's brothers would throw him the hole and sell him away to strangers. (Isn't childhood wonderful? When life is so innocent and everyone is good - I wish I didn't ever have to explain the serious side of things to these boys and girls.) We also learned about Jonah and how God put him in "time-out" in the whale's tummy. This was a little easier for the children to understand and we can all appreciate the value of a good time out to clear our head. The children could relate because we have been reading about "Skippyjon Jones" and his need to do some "serious thinking." Jonah took his three days to clear his head and make some better choices - another thing we can all relate to. Please spend some time talking to your children about Bible heroes and how they can be heroes too. Even in our classroom, we are still learning to treat others with respect and love.

We Still Have Our Strings

Some of us are still wearing our strings. If your child took their string off or it slipped off, that is fine (it can be easily replaced.) Don't forget God and remember something to thank him for when you see the string. As adults that is our daily mission - so if our children learn to do this now - all of the fears in life will be relieved. Thank you God for all that you do and bless us with each day.

Practicing For School Lunch

Today was the big day to start practicing with our trays. As the end of the year rapidly closes in, we are practicing skills needed for "big school." Walking with trays to prepare for lunch was #1 on our class index of questions. Although our trays are round and smaller, we did a wonderful job walking without spilling anything. Who could have imagined that these tiny wicker plate holders would be so popular. The children have requested to continue to use these until the end of the year. Hooray for our independence. Oh and our sandy beach cookie snack was delicious too.

Way Down Deep In The Deep Blue Sea

Today we had a great fire drill and I am so very proud of this class. They lined up in alphabetical order and walked so orderly out of the door. I cannot say enough how proud I was of their behavior. The real fire alarm was sounded and it was LOUD, but there was no panic, no disorder and no fear. Yeah for our children. But, after all of the fun of the big event, we returned to our ocean unit. We made jellyfish for our collage.

We also made snorkels for exploring the deep blue water of the ocean and had lots of fun pretending to take a deep sea dive.
These little masks proved to be great for our imaginations. They are laminated in the front, but have tiny holes punched throughout for safety. I don't know if they will make it in a bathtub, but they are completely covered in plastic. So - if they ask - I say let them explore and imagine their way to new ocean adventures.

Don't Forget Jesus

If you are wondering about the string on your child's wrist, we got this in chapel today. It is a reminder to never forget God. We talked about thinking about Jesus when we look at our bracelets or even remembering to say "thank you" for something special that has happened. During chapel we also talked about prayer hands and other things that serve as reminders of God. Since we are going to talk about Bible heroes next week, I asked the children to try and keep these bracelets on their wrist. They are perfectly safe and will eventually wear off, but it is a simple reminder not to forget God. Thank you Mrs. Gina for a simply wonderful chapel today.

An Edible Fishing Pole?

We had a fun snack today. It was an edible fishing pole made from a large pretzel rod and chocolate icing. This was the fishing pole and the icing helped us as we fished for Captain Crunch cereal. It was sugary and delicious. Fishing has never been so easy.

In The Beginning God Made The Seas...

This was ocean week and it was really fun. We learned so many amazing facts and are ready for summer vacations. (Watch out parents - there will be questions coming your way!) I am still amazed at your children's hunger for knowledge and facts. They are so smart and excited about learning. Ask your child to share what they know about salty water, what makes waves, and what beach sand is actually made of. They can also tell you how many oceans are on the earth and that there is more water than land. (Oh and don't forget sharks - they were a hot topic and we all understand that they when they bite a person - it is an accident. Actually, more people die of getting hit on the head with a coconut than by shark bites.)

Here we made a cool ocean collage. We used finger paint to create our cool ocean water and added many different types of sea life. It is quite the piece of art.
We also made an aquarium complete with fingerprint fish. The children can't wait to bring these home. It is very low maintenance and requires no water or fish food - just your adoring eyes at their art.
Happy Early Summer - this unit really gets us ready for summer. (PS - We had a long talk about swimming and I instructed the children to never go near water without a parent or adult. Several children shared that their parents gave them permission to swim without them being there - but I continued with my instructions. I apologize if I stepped on any one's toes - but I have experienced two separate occasions where children jumped in water with parent's permission and no supervision and also assisted in their rescue when the water was too deep. These were team sports parties and it wasn't my children. It can happen so fast - even if your child can swim, I felt it necessary to talk about water safety.) I also talked about swimming lessons and why children shouldn't be embarrassed to attend them. Again - more children tried to make comments about "swimming lessons being for babies" and I had to stand my ground. You can never be too safe.

Thank You End Of The Year Elves

We had two visitors in our class that helped with a special end of the year project. The children were so excited about these two young ladies that we had to say thanks!!!

This was a great opportunity for the children to meet some real live college students who provided some much needed help in our busy classroom. Thank you girls for your time and effort.