AFUMC Weekday Preschool News

What a great beginning to our school year together! Your children are such gifts and brighten our hallways with smiles and laughter. We are so glad they are with us! We have watched your children make friends, learn new routines, and grow in so many ways in three short weeks. One of my favorite parts of the day is greeting children as they come through the Galleria area on their way to their classrooms. I hear great stories, receive the occasional high five, and lots of smiles. So many friends are walking all by themselves with confidence to their rooms.

This is the first parent newsletter of the year. I will share this by email on the first of the month. This newsletter will also be posted to our preschool website for your reference.

Each month, our newsletter that will include upcoming events, our focus in Chapel, updates from Lunch Bunch, and any of our special classes like Music (Joyful Noise) and Movement (Happy Feet). General information for parents about school procedures and important dates for your calendar will also be found here. There will be times I include AFUMC family events that may be of interest to you.

Be sure you also read your child's classroom newsletter each week for more specific information about activities in your child's class.

Being a part of our preschool family means we partner together for one goal: to ensure that we work together to provide what's best for kids. At preschool, that means an environment that is warm and welcoming, meeting children where they are and sharing what God's love looks like as we model kindness, respect, and compassion. Thanks to each of you for walking with us on this journey. We love your children and can't wait for more days of fun and learning in the weeks to come.

Blessings,

Mrs. Kay

Our chapel theme for September is knowing the Bible helps us to learn what is good. Our verse is from John 17:17, "Hear the word of God and obey it."

Monthly bible verses like this are a focus in chapel but also in our classrooms. Your child may sing a song, learn some motions, or even create crafts or artwork about this verse to help them become familiar with God's word.

We will learn that God's special book is the Bible. The Bible says to obey. We will learn other good things the Bible says and we will practice obedience at home, school, and play.

We will ask God to help us to obey and do what He says is kind and right.

I'll be sure to share any stories we read or activities that we do together.

Our bible verse for August was Acts 17:24, "God made the world and everything in it." Some classes chanted the verse, others used rhythm sticks as they said the words and others sang a song to remember God's gift of our beautiful world. We read stories of how God created the world, all of the things he made and about his greatest creation, people. We learned that God created each of us to be special.

Chapel always end in a time of prayer where we talk to God. This month, we thanked God for making a beautiful world for us to enjoy and we thanked him for making each of us in a special way.

The Storybook Bible by Sally-Lloyd Jones and the Jesus Calling My First Storybook Bible by Sarah Young, are two great age-appropriate additions to your home library that we use in Chapel most weeks to introduce bible stories.

Ask your child about our Days of Creation Scavenger Hunt, the song we sang (God made Me), and the stories we read.

• Near by Sally-Lloyd Jones
• Who Sang the First Song? by Ellie Holcombe
• In the Beginning by Rachel Elliot

Hi y’all!
I am excited to be back leading your sweet littles in Happy Feet once again this year. While I have seen a lot of familiar faces in my classes, I’m thrilled to have made some new friends, and I thought this would be a great time to introduce myself.

My name is Alisha Boone, aka Ms. Alisha or Ms. Happy Feet. 😊 This is my second year at AFUMC Preschool as the Happy Feet teacher. I have a background in elementary education and taught kindergarten and first grade for a total of 12 years before taking time off to be a SAHM to my little guy, Wilkes (2.5). Although my degree is in Early Childhood Education from UGA, my first love (and declared major) was dance. Thus, the Happy Feet program is the perfect blend of my passions, and I consider it an absolute blessing that God has led me to this wonderful community!

The class is structured so that each month we practice the same opening and closing song/dance, but the activities and songs in between are focused on a particular theme for the week. In August, those themes were based on building new friendships and maintaining personal space. The following link is a way to share our Happy Feet playlist for you to listen at home: https://tinyurl.com/Happy-Feet-Hits. I will add to this playlist each week; by the end of the year, you will have access to a mega collection of music to help your littles get some of that extra energy out.

Enjoy, and Go Dawgs! ❤️🐾

Hello Preschool Friends! We have had a super fun start this year in Joyful Noise, our music classes for 2’s, 3’s and 4’s! I hope your children have come home with some new songs to sing and move to! This month, we have been singing a song to learn our friends names called “Hicklety Picklety Bumble Bee.” We keep a beat on our laps while we sing the song. Try it at home with your little one to name family, friends, even toys!

Hicklety Picklety Bumble Bee

Will you say your name for me?

What’s your name? (Sarah)

Let’s say it. (Sarah). Let’s whisper it (Sarah). Let’s sing it (Saaaaraaaahh!)

We’re so glad you’re here! Yes, we’re so glad you’re here!

I have loved getting to visit with both returning and new preschool friends. We are going to have so much fun this year making music together!

-Ms. Erin

Want to listen to Joyful Noise songs at home? Spotify Playlist

We are thrilled that Lunch Bunch will begin on Monday, Sept. 11th. Make sure that your child has a healthy lunch and beverage each day. We are happy to refill water bottles. Single container lunchboxes are great for ease of opening and seeing what you want your child to eat. There are many brands out there that are amazing and safe for little ones. Bento boxes, Gladware, and others are fantastic. Baggies tend to get messy and can leak so keep these to a minimum, if possible. Please provide utensils needed for your child’s lunch. We cannot reheat or refrigerate any student meals or beverages.

Be sure to send food items that are NUT-FREE! We do have children who have major nut allergies so please read all labels. Nut alternatives are great but please send a little descriptive note, if you don’t mind, so that we are positive that it is safe for our friends. Sun butter, soy butter, and coconut butter are all great substitutes but can be hard to tell apart from peanut butter so a little note will help us identify what is in your child’s lunch. Read the labels of breakfast bars as well. Make sure that babysitters, nannies, grandparents, and dads are aware of this safety rule at school. We truly appreciate your help with this. We want everyone to be safe!

Remind all parents, sitters, grandparents, and friends that pick up is NO LATER THAN 1:00! We all need to plan for traffic (especially on football Fridays!), parking, and walking to the playground or the inside gym. Please use the Hancock Street parking lot or street parking for Lunch Bunch. We will be on the playground unless it is rainy or too hot to be outside. If we are using the gym inside, the Hancock Street doors will be open. Each child must be signed out with one of our Lunch Bunch staff. If there is a last-minute change regarding who is to pick up, please text or call me. I do not stay every day, but I will let my staff know of the change. The sooner you can let me know, the better! We will ask for the ID of someone that is new to the pickup list. Keep us posted on any car pickup changes or additions.

Thank you for supporting our Lunch Bunch Program! It is going to be a BLAST!

Mrs. Libby

Lunch Bunch Coordinator

(706)540-9827 /Lhcmom62@yahoo.com

Thanks to everyone for their patience as we are transitioning to a new payment and registration system. The church made this move last spring and as a ministry area of the church, we use the tools and systems they provide. Realm is a great tool and offers some functionality we have not had access to in the past, including payment discounts and the ability for families to see a running balance of accounts as the year progresses. You can also generate an end-of-year statement for tax purposes.

Brett Iley, here at the church, is the main point of contact for Realm. He is working closely with me to provide some training and tech support for some things that are unique to the preschool. At times it is a tangled web, but we are working through things, family by family as often cases are unique. Thank you again for understanding.

One of the most helpful things you can do when in Realm is set up a profile rather than register or continue to use "guest access". If you are prompted to create a profile, please follow the prompts to do so. This will also allow you to include all your children under one profile which makes payments much easier.

Tuition is due on the 1st of each month. Paying online through the preschool website (Payments tile) is preferred but you may also send a check with your child for your payment. Remember there are 10 tuition payments over the year. August was the first, and September is the second payment.

Also, a supply fee for each child in the amount of $100.00 is due each year. This helps us cover the cost of classroom supplies, sanitation and disinfecting supplies, and classroom toys, equipment, and furniture. This fee was due on August 16. If you have not yet paid your supply fee, please make that payment online or by check as soon as you can. We use these funds throughout the year as we are continually purchasing items used in classrooms.

Because of the newness with Realm, no late fees will be applied until we have everyone set. :)

If you have any questions about your preschool account, please contact Ms. Kay @kay@athensfirstumc.org.

When your child does not feel well or is unable to participate in regular activities (including outside time), we ask that you keep him/her home from school. This allows your child time to rest and get well and reduces the chance that your child might spread an illness to friends in his or her class.

Let us know within 24 hours if your child has been exposed to or contracts a CONTAGIOUS or COMMUNICABLE disease (such as COVID-19, flu, chicken pox, strep, pink eye, lice, pin worms, viral infections, mumps, measles, scarlet fever, or fifth’s disease) and we will notify other parents, as necessary. The preschool makes every effort to protect the health and safety of the children in our care. Watch for these signs of colds or other illnesses. A child who has any of the following symptoms should not attend school:

• Severe cold
• Red or sore eyes
• Persistent cough
• Green discharge from nose or eyes
• Fever
• Sore throat
• Nausea or vomiting Swollen glands
• Diarrhea
• Earache
• Rashes

Your child must be symptom-free without the aid/use of medicine for 24 hours before returning to school. Thank you for helping us all stay healthy during the school year.

Things have gone well during arrival and dismissal during these early weeks of the school year. Thank you for paying such close attention to our process and procedures as we ensure the safety of our children during these busy times. Here are a few reminders that will continue to help.

1. School begins at 9:00 AM each morning. Teachers begin classroom routines and activities at that time. Being here on time helps to begin your child's day in a positive and unhurried manner.

2. If you are using the carpool line in the morning, please remain IN your car. Our staff will help your child get out of his or her car seat and the car.

3. In the afternoon, please step OUT of your car and stand by the orange cone. Our staff will bring your child to you so that you may place them in the car and buckle them in their seat.

4. Please leave your car rider tag in your window until your child is in the car. We have lots of cars coming through the line each day. This helps us, particularly if someone different is picking up your child like a grandparent or a sitter.

As a member of the AFUMC Weekday Preschool family, you are also a part of the larger AFUMC community. Our church offers lots of fun and engaging opportunities for children and adults of all ages. At times, I will include some of those events and programs here. Whether you are a member of our congregation, worship somewhere else, or do not have a church home, you are always welcome to join any activity that is of interest. There are opportunities for worship on Sundays. Wednesday Nights are filled with food, music, and fun, and other special events are scheduled throughout the week and month. If you have any questions or would like more information about programming for children or adults, I will be happy to connect you with the Director for a particular ministry area.

Join us for a family-friendly evening of exciting and spooky music for Halloween! Show off your costumes and enjoy the fun as AFUMC musicians, Dance FX Athens, Athena Sound & Production, and special guests team-up to present this ghostly show at the console of the mighty Quimby organ. Featuring creepy movie capers, Broadway favorites, and of course—Bach’s famous Toccata in D-minor! Bring the whole family: it’s going to be spooktacular!

Sunday, October 29 @ 6:00 PM

AFUMC Sanctuary

Wednesday, September 1 Tuition Due

Monday, September 4 Labor Day Holiday for students and staff

Monday, September 11 Lunch Bunch begins

Friday, September 29 PreK Field Trip to Washington Farms ( more info to come from your child's teacher)

Saturday, October 1 Tuition Due

Friday, October 6 Holiday for students and staff

Monday, October 9 Holiday for students and staff

Tuesday, October 17 Fall Pictures (more info to come from your child's teacher)

Wednesday, October 18 Fall Pictures (more info to come from your child's teacher)

Sunday, October 29 Not-So-Spooky Organ Concert