Church of the Foothills

Preschool and Child Care Center

October 2008 Newsletter

Monthly Theme: Faith

It is a beautiful time of the year. It is always so amazing to see the changes as we begin a new season. It is truly awesome to observe God's work and His power through the incredible changes in nature.

*" He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted." Job 5:9

Back to School Night We had a great turnout for our Back to School Night on September 15. It was great to see all of the parents who were able to attend and listen to the teachers' goals for the children this year. The staff is very excited to partner with you as we are laying a solid foundation for the children as they learn and grow.

Letters and Numbers Our classes will be introduced to the letters C, D, F and T along with the numbers 3 - 5; the triangle shape; and the concepts of Big/Small and counting objects.

Preschool Prayer Time Each morning after our flag salute, the children and staff hold a prayer time as a school. Many of the children share their requests with the teacher in class before they arrive at flag circle. Some of the prayer requests are as simple as healing for their owies. Many of the children pray for their friends and family members. It is always exciting to see the children and the parents response when God has been faithful and answered their prayer requests. If there is something that you would like us to lift up in prayer, please let us know. We would be happy to partner with you.

Weekly Devotions Beginning next week, our preschool will hold a devotion time with the children immediately following the flag circle every Wednesday and Thursday. During the devotion time, we will be presenting a short lesson to the children about the Bible verse or expanding on the weekly Bible lesson. We will also be teaching the children praise and worship songs. Once a month, one of our wonderful pastors will come and share this time with the children. These weekly devotions are treasured by the children and staff. On Wednesday and Thursday mornings, our flag circle and devotion time will begin in the Worship Center at 8:50 AM.

Walkathon The children in our preschool will be receiving a packet explaining our annual walkathon that will be held on Wednesday, October 15 and Thursday, October 16. The children can collect pledges from family members and friends. The pledges can be for minutes walked or for a flat dollar amount. Our goal this year is to purchase new walkie talkies for the staff to use to call for assistance; new sand for the playground; and adding to our shade structure fund. The entire family is welcome to join us for this fun event.

Parent Volunteer Council Our first parent volunteer council meeting will be held on Monday, September 29 at 4:30 in Room 101. Our parent volunteer council has been an active committee who have helped our preschool in many ways over the past years. If you would like more information, please see Marci in the office or email her at marci@cotf.org. We would love to have you take part in this program.

Raleys/Bel Air Quality of Life Cards Our preschool participates in the Raleys/Bel Air Quality of Life Program. If you shop at Raleys or Bel Air, please stop by the preschool office and pick up a Quality of Life Card; activate your card online; everytime you shop, be sure to hand your card to the cashier to scan prior to your order being totaled. Our school will receive a check at the end of each quarter for a percentage of your purchases. Thank you to all of the parents and church members who have signed up and are using your cards to help our preschool.

Preschool Harvest Festival The preschool harvest festival will be held on Thursday, October 30 for the TTh classes and Friday, October 31 for the MWF classes. There will be many fun activities planned for the children to take part in. We are asking that the children do not wear costumes to school. We have had problems in the past when the children have needed to go to the bathroom and during some of the activities. This also allows you to keep their costumes in good shape for the evening activities. We are looking for parent volunteers to help us during this event. We are requesting that you make other arrangements for siblings as we will not be able to accommodate them.

Pre-K Evaluations During the month of October, the children who are old enough to attend Kindergarten in the 2009/2010 school year will be evaluated by their teachers. This is to show the teachers and the parents their current levels in the areas of academics; fine and gross motor skills; along with social and emotional skills. The children will be re-evaluated in January to see their progress. Copies of the evaluations will be sent home by November 1.

New Baby Blessings Congratulations to the Reidel Family. Hudson Glenn Reidel was born to the family of Chris, Jeanine and Brodi Reidel on August 25. May God bless this beautiful new life.

Happy October Birthdays The following children will be celebrating their birthdays in the month of October.

*Gaia Brooks 10/1*Joe Callaway 10/11* Sam Lebeck 10/14*Skylar Downey 10/20*Casidy Parsons 10/20*Miranda Garver 10/22*Nicholas Tjaden 10/27*

May God bless each of you with a special day!!

Thought for the Day To be a child is to know the joy of living. To love a child is to know the beauty of life.

Important Dates to Remember

*Wednesday, October 15 and Thursday, October 16 - Family Walkathon

*Thursday, October 30 and Friday, October 31 - Preschool Harvest Festival

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