Trinity Church Nursery School: 2011

Dear Parents,

When I was a little girl I loved the month of December and all the seasonal excitement.

I can still remember standing around the dining room table singing songs.

I loved the smell of the food my mother made for the holiday.

I loved the parties and the guests and the beautiful things that came out of storage to decorate our home for a few short weeks.

In other words, I loved the family time and the traditions.

I still love the family time and traditions.

Regardless of your religious background, the month of December is most likely a time filled with laughter and love, tradition, and most of all, family.

We are far more alike than we are different.

Our classrooms are starting to reflect that seasonal excitement.
We are sharing information about the joyous festivals of Christmas and Hanukkah.

We will celebrate the season through books, music, art, and cooking as we learn about different customs and share our family traditions with each other.

We hope the children will learn to understand and appreciate the diversity in our culture as we celebrate our similarities as people of the world during the holiday season.

We welcome and invite your participation.
If you have something to send or share or read with us please tell you child’s teacher.

On behalf of the teachers, I wish all of our Trinity families a wonderful Holiday Season and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

I hope everyone has plenty of time to share special moments with those you love.
And remember, it is the simplest of things that create the warmest memories.

With Love,
Sue

The CHAIR’s Corner
By Christine Quinn

December --- Tis the Season
A very happy holidays to all of you and your families!

December is always such a special time – with the trees bare and their branches ready to pile on snow, decorations springing up all over town, and the cold wind howling outside - tis the season!

While it can be a busy time for all of us (in my family, we celebrate 6 birthdays and Christmas!) – I like to do things that get my family and I into the spirit of the season – both physically and mentally – what I like to call Sole to Soul – keep our feet moving and our spirits grooving!

But, not just moving and grooving in a busy sort of way – but intentionally moving and grooving so we stay in the moment – and that time has not just passed by.

Eckhart Tolle calls this the Power of Now.

We, in Wilmette – are so fortunate to have so many places to do this -- slow down – get into the spirit and just be (and not just in the month of December but all year around).

The tree lighting ceremony in town kicked off the magic of the season -- for family and I– followed by the Holiday parade.

Thanks to everyone who showed their TCNS spirit and marched!

I will never forget my 4-year-old Veronica running to the truck that drove Santa into downtown Wilmette at the end of the parade, as she yelled “SANTA, SANTA, SANTA!!!”

You could see the magic in her eyes and the excitement in her face as she stared at him with such wonderment.

What an honor to be in the presence of such joy.
And, when I put her to bed that night she said to me,
“you know mom, that Santa, today, at the parade, that was the REAL Santa!”

And, at our wonderful nursery school – TCNS – our kids get the opportunity all year to keep their feet moving and grooving in Valerie Dashiell’s music and movement classes.

I know my Veronica (who loves to dance and move – well she really never stops moving), learns so much from Valerie’s classes.

At our family dance parties after dinner each night, Veronica shows us her new moves – and they are good!!!!

And, if I show her an exercise stretch, she stops me to say,
“no, no, no, look at this one – I learned with Mrs. Dashiell!”

We also get into the spirit at TCNS with our kids at the cookie parties – where we decorate cookies and hear what the kids are learning about the season’s celebrations.

Another favorite “must visit” during December for my kids is the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Wonderland Express – where we check out the miniature train and the miniature Chicago-area landmark display, do a craft, and listen to the awesome carolers sing Holidays songs. (And, the display is really wonderful!).

And, if you are looking for a place for you to slow down and reflect – 2 favorite places of mine are:

Full Bloomed Lotus (in Wilmette) and Heaven Meets Earth (in Evanston).

Both places are gems in our community – offering yoga, and numerous classes to bring spirit and comfort to us.

They also offer family yoga, which we can do with our kids – it’s really fun!

Happy and “slow down” holidays to you and your families!!!!!

May your season be filled with love, hope, peace, and many opportunities to slow down - sole to soul!
Christine Quinn

Ready-TWO-Grow

Byrd Rhyne, Betsy Segal & Laurie James

November brought sharing to the Ready Two Grow class.

We took a nature walk to see the fall foliage and learned about fall by creating a mural we made from items we collected.

We also made a birdfeeder to share with our furry friends.
The children enjoyed smearing pinecones with marshmallow cream and then licking their fingers!

We used the leaves we collected and leaf-printed them on brown paper bags.

We then had the children make their own trail mix, having them make an extra bag to share with someone special.

It was funny how no one seemed to like dried pineapples yet everyone wanted to scoop them in their bag!
These children are adventuresome!

We also taught the children what it means to be thankful.
We asked the children what they were thankful for and their responses were all different and so very sweet!

My mom, my dad, strawberries, Halloween, pancakes everyone had much to say.

Alum day was such a treat to have lots of big bothers and sisters share in our day!

The students were so proud to show off their siblings and to have them take part in all the activities they enjoying doing.

The children are discovering that there are so many ways to share.
Best of all, we are thankful you are sharing your child with us!
Ms. Byrd, Ms. Betsy and Ms. Laurie

News from the TERRIFIC THREE’s
Byrd Rhyne, Sue Gaertner, Luanne Hampton, & Laurie James

We are not sure what our favorite part of November was.
Getting ready for the Thanksgiving Feast and discussing what we are thankful for is a sweet time.

Making our own butter (easy as can be! – fill a baby food jar half way with heavy whipping cream and shake!! It never fails and it tastes GREAT!!), and having our families come to share treats with us was a thrill.

But, perhaps nothing can compare with Sibling Day!!
Watching an alum reading to a small group of kids is a beautiful sight!

Just today Emily Koplow said to me that when Lexi is in school she and Jamie will come to school for the day!

Yes... it’s so fun to be the younger sibling in class and it’s great fun to come as the older sibling!

So now... the stockings are hung on our chimney with care... it must be December!!

The year is flying by and your kids are growing by leaps and bounds!!

Our room is noisy, but not with the noise of chaos.
It’s the sound of imaginative, social play!
It’s also the sound of excitement as we decorate our room in preparation for our Cookie Party!

Parents are invited the last hour of class on December 14th to share cookies and make memories.

Sending Warm Wishes of
PEACE * LOVE * JOY

Miss Byrd, Miss Laurie, Mrs. Hampton,
& Miss Sue

from the FABULOUS FOUR’s
Happy Baird, Ginny Lezama & Luanne Hampton

In November, our focus was on Native Americans and their thoughtful use of nature for food, clothing and shelter.

For our feast, we prepared and ate cornbread and pumpkin pudding along with other traditional side dishes.

Thank you to those of you who contributed apples, raisins, corn and cranberry relish.

We were pleased so many parents and/or grandparents were able to observe us sharing at our banquet table and seeing from our “thankful” list, that family means the world to the children.

Speaking of family, what fun it was to have alumni and siblings visiting us.
Emma and Tom Shannon, Colin Roderick, Ben and Nick Schulz, Olivia Tussing, Alex Rose Todd, and Katie Bielinski joined us in the afternoon class.

Thank you, Katie, for reading the story for Maggie’s birthday.

Our morning class welcomed William Cesaretti, Beckham Lee, Ginny Peterson, Audrey and Greta Pelzak, Will and Jack Colvin, Spencer Lyons, and Ruby Barnett.
We were glad to see Sydney Goldman when Deana came in and read for Gracie’s birthday earlier in the month.

John and Molly Sullivan came in and Molly read for Lauren’s birthday, also.

Now – can you believe it – we’re into December!
We will continue our theme of thankfulness and giving as we ready our room for the holidays with handmade decorations.

We’ll fill the air with beautiful music and the mouthwatering aromas of cookies baking.
Our emphasis will be on family, sharing and fun in the spirit of Christmas and Hanukkah.

And you are so lucky.

We’re giving you a party!
This is a much anticipated event and we look forward to dressing in holiday apparel and celebrating with you at our cookie party.

The children will proudly present their gifts to you and throughout the new year we hope to help them appreciate the pleasure of giving the gifts of kindness and friendship to their Trinity classmates and family.

We loved getting to know Ben Shannon’s brother and sister better.
Tom, in his wonderful Australian accent, told us he likes to bustle about in the back yard playing rugby.

As Ben was getting his coat on today, he commented that he could do the Trinity flip, and added, as he stood on one foot, “I can also do the Trinity balance!”

We wish you all a joyous holiday season.

We are excited to share happy and special times with your children in 2012!
Happy Baird, Ginny Lezama &
Luanne Hampton

KINDERGARTEN Enrichment
Valerie Dashiell, Joyce Ladin, & Byrd Rhyne
From the Desk of Miss Byrd

Welcome to the Holiday Season!!

Every month as I sit down to write this article I marvel at how fast time goes!

2012 is looming and the progress in reading in these kindergartners is zooming!

We had a blast in F week with fishes and Florida!
We discussed the animal group of fish, looked at how their body design helps them swim and how some of us like to eat them and some of us do not!

We made a 3D model of a fish too!
We also wrote our own story about taking a class trip to Florida!
The book is in our classroom library.

G week was spent on the two different sounds made by that tricky letter!
Our G Giraffe is up in the classroom with all of our G words!

We spent some time before Thanksgiving making our Thankful trees!
I hope the kids found a great spot to display them at your home!

I’m thankful to be able to play a part in your child’s development, share lunch with them and hear their laughter and imaginative play in action!
They are wonderful!
Happy Holidays!

Ms. Laurie and Ms. Byrd

Mark Your Calendars

Dec. 8 TCNS Gives Back
Dec. 12—Jan. 2 No Lunch Bunch
Dec. 12 Parent Tot Cookie Party
Dec. 13 Ready To Grow Cookie Party
Dec. 14 3’s Cookie Party
Dec. 15 4’s Cookie Party
Dec. 19—Jan. 2 Winter Break
Jan. 3 School Resumes

Cookie Parties
You are invited to join us for our magical cookie parties!

Please plan to join us for cookies, music, laughter, and love on this special occasion.

In anticipation of this special day the children will be learning songs and decorating the room.

The teachers will perform their special holiday play and there will even be a surprise for you!

Since this will be a special time for you to share with your nursery school child we must ask that you make other childcare arrangements for siblings during the party.

Space constraints make this request necessary also.

If you cannot attend please arrange for someone else to be at school so that every child will have someone in attendance.

Kindly tell the teachers who that would be.

We do hope that you will be able to join us.
It truly is a wonderful day!

The cookie party days and times are as follows:
Ready Two Grow: Dec. 13th 10:45 – 11:15
3 Year AM:            Dec. 14th 10:30 – 11:30
3 Year PM:          Dec. 14th 2:00 – 3:00
4 Year AM:           Dec. 15th 10:30 – 11:30
4 Year PM:           Dec. 15th 2:00 – 3:00

TCNS Gives Back!!
Create A Gingerbread Town!!

On December 8th from 4:15 to 5:15 we will use little hands to create a grand gingerbread village to warm the hearts of the residents in a local nursing home.

Reservations are required and a fee of $15 per family will purchase a gingerbread house and related supplies.

RSVP to sue@trinitywilmette.org by
December 5th.

A Message From Your Fundraising Team

Fundraising is a crucial and significant part of the TCNS budget.
Tuition alone does not meet our operating expenses.

However, the annual Benefit is also a tremendous party, filled with fun and surprises.

We are working hard to put the FUN in FUNdraising, but never lose sight of the importance of reaching our financial goal. Toward that end, we need YOU!
A Million Thanks!

Thank you for your generous donations of food during our food drive.

The pantry shelves are full and the selection of food in the pantry is wonderful.
Please be aware that donations of food are accepted all year long. There is a basket in the first floor hallway outside the classroom and donations may be dropped at any time.
Thank you again for your generosity!

Hola from Camp Amigos!

Applications for Camp Amigos will be delivered via the cubbies this month.
Watch for YOURS!!

We know that TCNS families are amazing and generous and helpful!!
We are asking for help in securing donations for our silent auction and ad book.

And, we KNOW that lots of donations will come in...
so please get them in sooner than later!

If you wait until the deadline to submit your donation we will be a bunch of Zombies at the party, and we were hoping more for a Sex In The City look!!

So, if you plan to donate a certificate to your favorite restaurant, a toy for the kiddos, a bottle of wine, or something else...please help us out by getting the donation in early.

Thank you!!!
Your FUNdraising Team

Trinity UMC Youth Fundraiser

PARENTS NIGHT OUT

Kids have a blast while parents have a break!!
Saturday Dec. 10, 2011
from 3:30 to 7:30pm

Babies and children thru 4th grade come for 1-4 hours to enjoy games, crafts, stories, dinner and fun while parents enjoy free time. $5 per child per hour.
Space limited.

To register email: Miss Catherine @ cath@trinitywilmette.org
for a registration form.
Thanks!

There will be no Lunch Bunch the week of December 12th

Nursery School Registration for
2012-2013
It’s time to register for fall Nursery School! Applications will soon arrive to your e-mail inbox!
Spread the word and send Betsy Crosswhite the e-mail addresses of your friends!!
Betsy Crosswhite can be reached at thecrosswhites@yahoo.com.

A WONDERful Opportunity!!!
Psst! Do you recognize one of the 3PM students above?

From December 5 to December 11, WONDER! will donate 10% of your purchase to Trinity!!
Just mention Trinity at checkout!! And if you spend $100 or more, you’ll receive a $10 gift card for future purchases!

WONDER! is located at
250 South Waukegan Rd., Deerfield

In-Sync Parenting Workshop Recap
Sue Gaertner

On November 9th, Dr. Michael Maniacci shared his wisdom, humor, and insights with us on how to parent as partners.

The workshop began with a discussion of the 3 parenting styles:
Authoritarian – What I say goes!
Democratic – Let’s discuss this
Permissive – Do whatever you want.

The worst parenting style (Guess My Mood) is a combination of all 3 that varies throughout the day depending on your mood.

Decisions regarding parenting can be divided into 3 baskets:
Health and Safety – These issues and the decisions related to them are non-negotiable.
Parents can and should use an authoritarian style when dealing with issues in Basket #1.
There is no wiggle room when it comes to a child’s health and safety.

Core Family Values – Things (such as religion, education, music and cultural events, healthy eating....) that are important to the family unit.

Maniacci recommends a democratic style regarding these issues and decisions in Basket #2.
(Ex – Parents value music and want to instill this value in their child, but let child choose the instrument they will pursue.)

Everything Else That Doesn’t Matter And Has No Consequence – Parents can be permissive with Basket #3.
Let’s kids feel in control because you know that these things don’t really matter.
Kids need to feel empowered.
Do not pick battles with items that are not part of your core values or health and safety,
Dr. Maniacci strongly recommends weekly family meetings starting when the kids are very young.

Take turns speaking and listening and talk about things that went well as well as things that need improvement.
Make behavioral contracts with discipline actions with the kids. Plan one fun family thing to look forward to for that week. Keep it up!! People tend to stop when family dynamics improve, but keep it going.

Other random thoughts that arose during the question/answer session:
The parent that sees “it” first should discipline the child. The other parent supports.
The child cannot ask Mom if Dad said no, and vice-versa.
There should be a consequence for asking after the first parent said no.

Do not disagree with the other parent’s decision in front of the kids.
Talk about it later, in private.
Do not put your co-parent in a situation that damages their pride.

And... my personal favorite gem of the evening....
"Perfect parents raise neurotic kids!!”

HOLIDAY SONGS WE ARE SINGING

Over the River and Through the Woods
Over the river and through the woods,
To Grandmother’s house we go,
The horse knows the way
to carry the sleigh,
Through the white and drifted snow,

Over the river and through the woods,
Oh how the wind does blow,
It stings the toes and bites the nose,
As over the ground we go.

I Have a Little Dreidel
I have a little dreidel
I made it out of clay
And when it's dry and ready
Then, dreidel I shall play.
Oh, dreidel, dreidel, dreidel
I made it out of clay
Oh, dreidel, dreidel, dreidel
Now dreidel we shall play.

Silver Bells
City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style.
In the air there's a feeling of Christmas.

Children laughing people passing, meeting smile after smile.
And on every street corner you'll hear...

Silver bells, silver bells.
It's Christmas time in the city.

Ring-a-ling, hear them sing, soon it will be Christmas day!

Special Guest Morning Coming in January!
Mark the date on your 2012 calendar now!

It’s a fun morning at TCNS with your son or daughter that you won’t want to miss.

You will have an opportunity to make a special project with your child to take home, experience our famous playdough, build with blocks, play games, read books, have a pretend cup of tea in the housekeeping area, and learn all about our school day. Clean up will astound you, and snack will fortify you as we end our time with songs, fingerplays, and a story.

Hope to see YOU!

Parent Tot            Saturday, Jan. 7            9:00 –10:00
Ready Two Grow        Saturday, Jan. 7            10:30 – 11:30
3 Year Old AM        Saturday, Jan 21            9:00 – 10:15
3 Year Old PM        Saturday, Jan 21            10:30 – 11:45
4 Year Old AM        Saturday, Jan 21            9:00 – 10:15
4 Year Old PM        Saturday, Jan 21            10:30 – 11:45

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Behind the Classroom Doors December 16th

Monday, December 12, 2011

Behind the Classroom Doors...

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

December 2011 Newsletter