I
hope all of you have had a chance to relax and spend some special
time with your family during the Christmas break! I truly recharged
my batteries, mostly by slowing down and hibernating with my husband
and two children. Even though life stood still for many weeks, the
year seems to have flown by. 2020 was an unprecedented year that we
will all remember for so many different reasons. We still have ways
to go before our lives regain a sense of “normal” but at least
there is “light at the end of the tunnel”!
LOOKING BACK
I
am just so very grateful that we were able to start classes in
September and did not have to rely on technology to provide a
learning environment for children.
We
were a bit anxious as to how our little ones would adjust to all the
safety measurements and regulations that we have had to follow to
keep everyone safe. Children truly are more resilient than we think.
Even masks didn't stop them from having fun and making new friends.
Besides a few “adjustment bumps” at the beginning of the school
year, it now feels as if preschool has become the second home for
most children. Our buckets are overflowing with joy when our students
greet us with a big smile every day.
LEARNING & RECONNECTING
THROUGH EXPLORATION
Outdoor
space has turned into our extended classroom! Playing in the park and
exploring the wonders of nature have provided so many creative and
stimulating teaching opportunities. We spent many hours, running up
and down the big hill, using our imagination by turning trees and
bushes into bear caves and shelter places for lady bugs and
dinosaurs.
We
used items in nature as math counters and sticks served as pencils.
Who would have thought that dirt and pinecones are a perfect (and
fun) tool to help print letters and numbers? Trust me, no flash card
or any worksheet can compete with that!
The
biggest gift for me was, to see the calming effect that nature play
has on children. With all the uncertainty, rapid changes and anxiety
causing effects that a pandemic can trigger, seeing children PLAY and
making friends felt like a natural “remedy”, not only for the
children but also for us as teachers.
FUNDRAISING
Mom’s Pantry Fundraiser
Thank
you to the families and friends that participated in the Mom’s
Pantry Fundraiser. Combined with monetary donations we raised $
618.05 for our preschool. We truly appreciate your efforts to support
Hansel & Gretel Preschool during a financially challenging year!
Thank you to Brianne Semenchuk for organizing this Fundraiser!
Scholastic Book Orders
Thank
you to all parents who are ordering books from Scholastic. Every
order helps our preschool to purchase educational material for the
classroom! Thank you to Miranda Lettrari for taking care of
Scholastic book orders each month!
THANK YOU’s
I
would like to say a special Thank You to all the people that help us
run this program smoothly!
Thank you to
our board of directors
for volunteering your time and supporting us with your input and
advice!
Thank you to
Wendy Schneider
who has volunteered her time in the T-Th class over the last 3
months! It helped us so much with the transitioning into a new
school year!
Thank you to
the staff of PCDC
day care for making the daily transition of your children so smooth.
Thank you to
Larissa Lorenz
for being the loving, caring and passionate teacher that you are!
Thanks for the countless extra hours that you spend in the classroom
with me cleaning and sanitizing to ensure that everyone is safe!
REGISTRATION
FOR 2021/22 SCHOOL YEAR
PRE – REGISTRATION: Jan 4th
– Jan 14th
Currently
enrolled students will have the opportunity to pre-register before
registration will be open to the public. Please let me know if your
child will be returning for a second year of preschool. We will hand
out registration packages on January 4th
and Jan 5th.
Please return your package, latest by January 14th!
ONLINE REGISTRATION for 20221-22
SCHOOL YEAR
On
January
19th
online
registration for the 2021-22 school year will open
to the public.
Please
spread the word to your friends and families who have children that
are eligible for preschool! Classes may fill up quickly!!!
Instead
of an Open House we created a beautiful virtual tour/slideshow that
has beautiful pictures that show what we are all about! Feel free to
visit our website/blogspot page or Facebook page and share the
virtual tour video with friends (https://youtu.be/YF7JmSs0U28).
OPENINGS in CURRENT T-TH CLASS
Due
to several of our families that have moved away, we now have 6
openings in our current T-Th class and are asking parents to pass on
this information to families that have children that are currently 3
to 4 years old and are interested in joining our program in January.
Thank
you again for all the support that we have received from you this
year! I promise you that we will do whatever it takes to ensure that
our preschool continues to be a safe and fun place for all children!
School
will resume after the Christmas Break on January 4th!
We
can’t wait to see our little ones again and are looking forward to
a New Year of FUN and LEARNING!
We
wish all our families a HAPPY and SAFE 2021! FROHES NEUES JAHR!
Kind
Regards,
Uli
Hecker and Larissa Lorenz