Chapel – February 2021

February Chapel is always a great time to talk about love and specifically, God’s love.

For this chapel we read 1 John 4:7-13, which discusses how much God loves us and the role we play in sharing God’s love with the world.

Image result for 1 John 4:8

Our focus song was G.O.D. is L.O.V.E. based on 1 John 4:8 & 16 and we learned how to spell it out using American sign language.

We also enjoyed reading the book Because God Loves Me! Below you will find the link to Mr. Tim’s YouTube version of the story.

We concluded chapel by brainstorming how we can show love at the preschool. The most popular answers across all the classrooms were…share, give hugs, say “hi”, and give cards.

We are so grateful for the love of God and the ability to share that love with the world.

2021 News and Reminders

We love the month of love and are looking forward to all the exciting things that will happen over the next four weeks!

Snow Days – Thurs., Feb. 4th & Fri., Feb. 5th

We are so excited to announce that our Snow Days are back on the schedule!

Starting on Thursday, February 4th, we are turning the back end of the preschool parking lot into our very own winter wonderland with actual snow! The snow will be provided by an outside company, Arctic Glacier, who specializes in snow/ice events. Each classroom will have an opportunity to explore the frosty fun as an extension of their classroom’s yard time.

We recommend bundling up your little ones on those days and sending snow appropriate clothes and footwear plus sending extra clothes to change into after the event. Each classroom will have a half hour window of time to play in the snow on both Thursday and Friday.

*This event will be postponed if the forecast calls for rain on either of our planned days.

Valentine’s Day Parties – Wed., Feb. 10th & Thurs., Feb 11th

Each classroom will be celebrating the holiday with special festivities in their classrooms on both Wednesday, February 10th and Thursday, February 11th. Please be sure to keep a look out for classroom specific details about what they’ll be doing. This includes how each classroom will handle Valentine’s Day favors.

Here are a few quick suggestions…

Avoid edible treats. Instead, themed pencils, crayons, erasers, stickers, or other small items would be a great gift idea.

Simple and small is always best.

On the cards, sign – To: My Friend         From: Your Child’s Name

Due to flux schedules, not all the kids know each other but it makes it easier to give to everyone vs. figuring out who comes which day. The classrooms will provide a total head count for each room.

Please avoid the “Boy”/”Girl” Valentine trap. Allow your child to select a Valentine’s they wish to give vs. worrying about who is a boy and who is a girl. The kids get more out of reflected diversity of their peers’ interests rather than specific “gender themed” cards.

There is no obligation to give out Valentine’s card/treats but you are welcome to participate as you see fit.

Teacher In-service Day – Fri., Feb. 12th – PRESCHOOL CLOSED

Teacher In-service Days are crucial and provided us the much needed time for training, planning, preparation, and cleaning that can’t be achieved while the children are on campus. We are grateful for these opportunities to grow and improve all that we do in service of the children and families.

Presidents’ Day – Mon., Feb. 15th – PRESCHOOL CLOSED

While we don’t typically do a deep study of American history or civics as a part of the preschool experience, we are happy to celebrate two of our nation’s most influential leaders and the role presidents play in shaping and guiding our country.

Let us raise standard to which the wise and honest can repair; the rest is in the hands of God. – George Washington

My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right. – Abraham Lincoln

Handprint Fundraiser – February

We are excited to share that we still have a few tiles available for this school year’s Handprint fundraiser. 2020 will live large in our memories for many reasons but one of the prime reasons, for the preschool, is marking the 20th anniversary of serving our PCS community. You still have a chance to be a part of the amazing legacy of families that comprise our Handprint wall. Leaving an indelible mark on our preschool during a challenging but also truly remarkable year.

All the proceeds of our Handprints go towards offsetting the costs of special events such as our Farm and Snow Days. If you are interested in adding to our wall, please click the link below to see our flyer and Handprint payment form (hard copies available in the preschool office upon request).

If you already participated in the Handprint fundraiser at the beginning of the school year, we wanted to let you now that those tiles have been created, are in process, and soon to be added to the wall.

Chapel – January 2021

We are so excited to be back together at the preschool and to have our very first Chapel of 2021!

Today we discussed what we remembered about the Christmas Story and the birth of Jesus. Where he was born and who Jesus’ first visitors were. Then we learned about the Wise Men from the East and read Matthew 2:1-12 as well as the Rhyme Bible. We learned how the Wise Men (Magi) followed the star from far away to find the new born king (Messiah). The children had a wonderful time learning the first two verses of We Three Kings and discussing the three gifts that the Wise Men brought. It was a fantastic way to start a new year together.

We three kings | Christmas songs lyrics, We three kings, Christmas carols  lyrics
Those gifts from the three wise men have health, wealth benefits - New York  Daily News
Top: Myrrh Middle: Gold Bottom: Frankincense

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.

John 3:16a

Sand in Your Shoes

Every day at preschool you can find our children excavating, heaping, heaving, sifting, pouring, and learning though the magic of large/fine motor sand exploration and play. Whether it’s digging out a trench to fill with water or heaping a mound for a volcano experiment, the children relish the dusty, dirty, gritty experience of the sand. Over twenty years, our sand has received much love and attention from not only our own children but even the local wild life and a few neighborhood cats. With all that affection and use, it was time for a change and refresh.

Through the help of a grant provided to us by Options for Learning, a free, low cost high quality child care and early learning services program, through the state of California, we were able to completely replace the sand in our large central sandbox together with the sand in our smaller younger pod box. As you can imagine, this was no mean feat in both cost and effort. We are very appreciative of the Options for Learning program and their continued support of early childhood programs, especially during these trying times.

While it might seem like a minor change, sand for sand. In reality it is huge with regards to the health, safety, and wellbeing of our students and staff. We are infinitely grateful for the generosity of the Options for Learning program as well as the hard work of our own Pasadena Christian School Environmental Services team. Mr. Dave Ekstrand and his crew spent three days eliminating the old sand and replacing it with the 36 tons of new sand.

The children were elated to find a fresh sandy landscape awaiting them upon our return from the Christmas break. They have wasted no time fully immersing themselves by digging right in. After all, what would a day at preschool be without some sand in your shoe?

2021 News and Reminders

Happy New Year! We are so happy to be back together at preschool in 2021. Here are a few quick reminders about what we will be looking forward to this month.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day – Mon., Jan. 18th – PRESCHOOL CLOSED

We will be celebrating the life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., along with the rest of the nation, by taking the day to remember and reflect on his service and sacrifice. At the preschool, we approach the concept of social justice at an age appropriate level by acknowledging the meaningful contributions of historical figures such as MLK but more specifically by reflecting on the love and nature of God. God teaches us that we are all created in His image (Gen. 1:26), that we are all one in Christ Jesus (Eph. 5:21),  that we are called to stand for others (Prob. 31:8-9), and most importantly to love God and each other. (Matt. 22:37-39, Jhn. 15:12).

Snow Days – Thurs., Jan. 28th & Fri., Jan. 29th

We wanted to let you know that we have postponed our Snow Days due to the high possibility of rain on both Thursday & Friday this week. Currently, we are hoping to reschedule for next Thursday & Friday, February 4th & 5th. We are praying that the weather improves for us next week as well as that Arctic Glacier, the company providing the snow, will be able to accommodate our new dates. As soon as we have confirmed those new days, we will let everyone know. UPDATED 01/25/2021

We are so excited to announce an on-site field trip for this winter, Snow Days! Starting on Thursday, January 28th, we are turning the back end of the preschool parking lot into our very own winter wonderland with actual snow! The snow will be provided by an outside company, Arctic Glacier, who specializes in snow/ice events. Each classroom will have an opportunity to explore the frosty fun as an extension of their classroom’s yard time.

We recommend bundling up your little ones on those days and sending snow appropriate clothes and footwear plus sending extra clothes to change into after the event. Each classroom will have a half hour window of time to play in the snow on both Thursday and Friday.

*This event will be postponed if the forecast calls for rain on either of our planned days.

A Christmas Gift from the Art Studio!

Hello preschool artist! I wanted to share this package filled with art projects, stories and songs you can do and explore over winter break. Wishing you a safe and wonderful Merry Christmas. I can’t wait to see you in the New Year 2021.  –Ms. Monica

“Art is something that makes you breathe with a different kind of happiness.”

Anni Albers

2020 News & Reminders

Christmas Time is here!!! We are very excited for all that will happen over the three weeks we are together in December. Here are a few quick reminders about what we will be looking forward too.

Grandparent’s Day – December 11th – FULL DAY of PRESCHOOL

This year we aren’t able to celebrate our grandparents as we normally would be inviting them to visit us on campus but we will be working on a special surprise to share with them. Since our esteemed elders won’t be on campus to visit and take the children with them, we have opted to extend our day to a normal full day of preschool. Next year, Lord willing, we will return to the customary minimum day that permits grandparents to visit and take students as well as allow staff to setup for Happy Birthday Jesus the following day.

Happy Birthday Jesus! – Wednesday, December 9th & Thursday, December 10th

We will be celebrating Happy Birthday Jesus with student only school festivities this season. As always, each classroom has selected a couple of holiday songs to present but this year we will be sharing them by means of virtual performance. The children will perform their songs here at the preschool, we will record each classroom, and share their special Christmas jingles via the Preschool Blog.

It is our prayer that by this time next year, we will all be together again for our usual Saturday, full family, event.

PJs and Hot Cocoa Days – Thursday, December 17th & Friday, December 18th

One of our favorite Christmas traditions at preschool are our PJs and Hot Cocoa Days! We love getting cozy and watching a classic Christmas short such as How the Grinch Stole Christmas or Charlie Brown’s Christmas Special. Add a little popcorn, a warm cup of cocoa, and a class full of friends and it makes for a wonderful time together.

Preschool Christmas Chapel – Friday, December 18th

On our last day together prior to the Christmas break, we will celebrate the reason for the season in our traditional preschool Christmas chapel. The classes will each enjoy an individual chapel time with me, Mr. Tim.

Friday, December 18th – MINIMUM DAY – NOON DISMISSAL

Monday, December 21st through Monday, January 4th

From our preschool family to yours…

We wish you a bright and merry Christmas break, may your time away be blessed and full of seasonal family fun! We can’t wait to see everyone again in the New Year.

Tuesday, January 5th – Preschool Resumes

Preschool’s Thanksgiving Break 2020

Thanksgiving Day Transparent Images Png - Happy Thanksgiving , Free  Transparent Clipart - ClipartKey

Dear Friends and Families,

This year has brought challenges like we have never seen before but even in the midst of them, we give thanks. We are thankful for everyone who calls Pasadena Christian Preschool home. We are thankful for being able to be together within our individual classrooms. We are thankful for traditions like Stone Soup Days. We are thankful for God’s continued blessings and protection. Above all though, we are thankful for God’s presence on our campus. 

We pray that however your family celebrates this Thanksgiving, that you would be blessed with love, comfort, and protection now and in the year to come. Thank you for being a part of our Pasadena Christian Preschool family. Have a fantastic Thanksgiving Break and we can’t wait to see everyone on Monday, November 30th! 

Blessings,

Mr. Tim

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. 

Psalms 118:1

Preschool Thanksgiving Break

Monday, Nov. 23rd to Friday, Nov. 27th

Best Thanksgiving Poems | Thanksgiving poems, Thanksgiving prayers for  family, Thanksgiving quotes