Morrill Hall Field Trip is Monday February 21 at 10:00. Westminster Preschool will be closed for the day.

Families will meet at the museum, see map with directions and parking information (PDF download).

Cost:
Ages 4 and under – Free
Ages 5 and up- $2.00
Adults- $4.00
All payments need to be dropped off at the school by Friday, February 18. To ensure our group rates, we will be paying the museum in one payment.

If you would like to stay for lunch, the Student Union just south of Morrill Hall has Runza, Planet Sub, Sbarro, Imperial Pallace….Or you could bring a picnic lunch!

We hope to see all of our families there!!!!

Registration forms for the summer session and the 2011-2012 school year went out early this week. I am sure many of you noticed the change in how we will charge for our programs. We are going to a Semester Billing System and the tuition is calculated for each semester.

The first semester, Fall/Winter, runs from August 16 through December 23.

The second semester, Winter/Spring, runs from January 9 through May 24.

With the changes in Lincoln Public Schools calendar, we will have fewer breaks next year. That means children will be in preschool more often! If you have any questions about how the fee structure works, please let me know.
Register early as classes do fill up!

Summer session starts May 31, and is sure to be a great time by all who attend!! Last year we had visits from the Omaha Zoo outreach program, Paint Yourself Silly, Chris Short Puppeteer, The Salt Dogs, and so many other great visitors. We partnered with the Lincoln City Libraries and actually hosted their summer reading adventures right here at Westminster Presbyterian!

March 2 is Read Across America Day, we will celebrate by having guest readers come and read to the children. If you or someone you know would like to be a guest reader, please let me know. Follow the link for more information.

We will have Holiday Programs for Parents on Sunday, January 9.  All families are invited to attend—we will use the sanctuary, so we will have plenty of seating for grandparents and other family and friends.

All families are encouraged to bring a snack item to share as we will have a small reception for the children and families immediately following the show.

The Schedule for singing is as follows:

MWF AM & PM Preschool : 2:30 PM

TTH AM & PM Preschool : 4:00 pm

Pre-K : 1:00 pm

We follow LPS schedule for school closings. Please watch the news for SNOW DAY CLOSINGS.

January 3, 6:00 PM — Parent Advisory Meeting

January 7 — Miss Makaela’s last day — Good luck in Chicago!

January 8 — Westminster Woman’s Retreat “Relax, Renew and Rejoice” (see details)

January 9 — Holiday Programs (see details)

January 14 and 17 — NO Preschool — Adventure Camp is available for $20/$30 (higher rate applies for more than 5 hours)

January 20 — Share Day (T/Th Preschool)

January 27 & 28 — Share Day (Pre-K)

February 8 and 9 — Dentist to visit

Miss Jean’s family has established a scholarship for the Preschool in her name.  If you would like to donate to the scholarship, please let us know. We miss her everyday.

RELAX, RENEW, REJOICE!!

The Westminster Women‘s Retreat will be held on January 8. This will be a wonderful way to unwind after the holidays and celebrate the new year.

Opportunities for workshops include: Guided Imagery, Journaling, Pilates, Moving to the Psalms, “Ask the Dr.”, Book suggestions, Hearing about faith journeys from other women, Gardening, Bible study on Relaxing, Prayer, and caring for our families, among others. There will also be a Quiet Room for individual meditation and reflection. Women can design their own retreat by choosing the option that interests them during each session. This retreat is designed for women of ALL ages and interests.

Childcare is available, and the cost is $7.50, which includes lunch. The day will include other activities which will be fun and inspirational. Call the church at 475-6702 to register, and bring a friend!

Take twelve whole months.

Clean them thoroughly of all bitterness, hate, and jealousy.

Make them just as fresh and clean as possible. Cut each one into equal parts.

Prepare it one day at a time out of these ingredients.

Mix well into each day one part of faith, one part of patience, one part of courage, and one part of work. Add to each day one part of hope, faithfulness, generosity, and kindness. Blend with one part prayer, one part meditation, and one good deed. Season the whole with a dash of good spirits, a sprinkle of fun, a pinch of play, and a cupful of good humor. Pour all of this into a vessel of love.

Cook thoroughly over radiant joy, garnish with a smile, and serve with quietness, unselfishness,
and cheerfulness.

You’re bound to have a happy new year.

~ Author Unknown ~

• Holiday of Trees – Don’t forget to stop by and see your child’s ornament on our Preschool tree at the Holiday of Trees display in Fellowship Hall on Thursday and Friday, December 2nd and 3rd. There is a $1.00 entry fee which is donated to a charity in Lincoln. Food is also available for an additional charge.
• We will be selling Village Inn Pie Certificates through December 3 for $11.00
• We follow Lincoln Public Schools schedule for school closings. Please watch the news or check the LPS website for snow day closings.
• Parent Advisory Meeting on Monday, December 6 at 6:00 PM – come and join us!
• There will be NO preschool December 23 through January 2.  We will be closed for the Holidays.
• Westminster Presbyterian Church Christmas Eve services on Friday, December 24 at 3, 5, 7, and 9 PM
• Holiday Programs for Parents take place on Sunday, January 9th.  All families are invited to attend—we will use the sanctuary so we will have plenty of seating for grandparents and other family and friends. All families are encouraged to bring a snack item to share as we will have a small reception for the children and families immediately following the show.
  • Pre-K : 1:00 pm
  • MWF am & pm Preschool : 2:30 pm
  • TTH am & pm Preschool: 4:00 pm

What a fast November!! We were so busy it just seemed to fly by. We talked about Opposites, Pets, Community Helpers, Thanksgiving, and Tools and Machines. One of the highlights during November was making baked apples. We hollowed out the core of the apples and filled with measured amounts of butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. The teachers baked the apples for almost an hour, finally, we got to either eat them for snack or take them home to share with our families.

Our website is up and running so we hope that all families find it to be a useful tool when checking on the dates we are closed, the preschool policies and guidelines and we will even have our newsletter and calendar of activities posted each month. There are some really cute pictures of some of the kids—be sure to check it out!

We will have our Holiday Programs after the holidays in January — see this post for more information. The songs the children will sing have been sent home if you would like to practice with the children at home.

As we continue to pray for Ms. Jean and her family, I will send any updates via e-mail. Please feel free to call me with any questions. I will be stopping by the hospital regularly to deliver cards to her family and will let you know when she can have visitors at the hospital.

God Bless, Suzanne Schneider