Dear Parents,
Life at Trinity is busy and full of rich experiences. One of the greatest perks of my position is the opportunity to make a personal connection with each child.
Each connection… each child… enriches my life and fills me with gratitude.
Gratitude is a very powerful feeling and an important concept to teach children.
As we enter the season of Thanksgiving I hope we all find the time to reflect on the joys and blessings in our lives. In that spirit I want to continue the tradition of publicly saying thank you to some very deserving people.
Thank you to the hard-working Nursery School Staff. I am continually impressed by your commitment, your energy, and your love for and devotion to “your” kids. I am proud to work among you.
Thank you to every member of the Parent Advisory Board for all your hard work and dedication. Your commitment to the success of our school is tremendous and inspiring. I am fortunate to have your wise advice and support.
Thank you to Pastor Brett Todd and the Church Staff for your support and guidance. I know we are partners with the same dream… to ensure that the children in our care flourish in body, mind and spirit.
Thank you to the entire parent body. Your kindness and support are very much appreciated. Thank you for helping us in the classroom, working on school projects, and most of all for sharing your treasured children with us. Your children reflect the goodness in each of you. We love being a part of their lives. You have been wonderful models for your children because they are extremely kind and generous with each other.
Finally, thank you to the children for all of your smiles, hugs, pictures, and happy thoughts. You are each very special to us and we are lucky to have you in our lives. You bring us joy and make us laugh each day. You keep us young. You allow us to check our worries at the door and enjoy the wonders of childhood.
As Thanksgiving approaches the teachers will be discussing the concept of being thankful with the children as well as the importance of expressing their gratitude.
Recognizing and acknowledging who and what they love is the first step to developing a sense of gratitude.
Feeling grateful is a blessing that will stay with them always. A grateful heart is a happy heart since it is not possible to feel grateful and unhappy at the same time. And... even as we face challenges… there is always, always, always something to be grateful for.
I wish all of our Trinity families a wonderful Thanksgiving season.
As always, if you have any comments or concerns, please call me at 847-251-0479 or email me at sue@trinitywilmette.org.
I need your feedback to make certain that our program is meeting everyone’s needs.
I look forward to your call.
With Gratitude,
Sue Gaertner
The CHAIR’s Corner
By Christine Quinn
More on Connections
Last month I wrote about making and keeping connections at TCNS.
Today, as I ponder “connections” I realize how important it is to say connected with our families, kids, friends, community, and maybe most importantly – ourselves.
With Thanksgiving approaching, I am so thankful for all these connections!
But first, let me follow up and talk a bit more about a TCNS connection I hope each and every family at TCNS takes advantage of – and that’s keeping in the loop about school information – electronically – through our new BLOG!
Did you know that you can sign up by going to http://tcns1024.blogspot.com scroll down to "follow us by email", type your email in the space provided -- and when you receive an email with a link asking you to confirm your sign-up, type "yes"!
Your e-mail will go NOWHERE ELSE -- except the TCNS Blog -- (your e-mail is not "sold" or "rented".)
And, you will receive your TCNS information in a fast, easy, mobile way!
Once you are signed up you will receive email alerts when there is new TCNS information posted.
It’s really GREAT! And, if we all get our information this way – soon we can go paperless (like all the middle/high schools do) and save money – save trees, and save us the hassle of looking for that sheet of paper with the next TCNS event detailed on it!
(Does anyone else loss their “stuff” on the paper trail…. or in the paper pile(s)!
One of our talented TCNS moms Marla Smith has created and is maintaining our awesome blog. Thank you Marla!
Now, back to connecting with ourselves!
I recently took a trip to Spain because a very good friend who lives there got married and I stood up in her wedding as a witness (a Spanish tradition – rather than having bridesmaids).
The trip kept me away from my husband and kids 7 whole days and while I have traveled a bit with my husband sans kids – this was a big trip for me. Far away from the kids. Gone for a whole week. The “what ifs” crept into my brain from time to time: “what if the plane crashes?” “What if something goes wrong at home while I am gone”… what if!
Well, because I chose a long time ago not to live in fear and the draw to show up for a very good friend won over, I booked my flight, packed my bag, and traveled solo back to another part of the world I used to visit in my “past pre kids” life.
I expected to have fun with my friends and other friends who traveled like me from other parts of the world and the US to be there. I expected to feel honored to be her “witness” for such an important event in her life. I expected to love being back in Spain.
And, I expected to miss my kids and husband (which I did!). What I didn’t expect was how refreshing and wonderful it felt to spend time with me!
Before kids – I traveled a lot – for business and pleasure, in the US and also in Europe, both when I was single and after I married with my husband. So, going on this trip was a bit of a rendezvous – with, me.
Even on my way home in the European airports, when I felt very tired, I stood there and took it all in – the travelers – speaking all kinds of languages, wearing all kinds of different clothes.
With no little one tugging on me or asking me something for the 100th time – I could just be – reflect and be! And, with that – I remembered how important it is for us parents (busy as we are) to take time to just be with ourselves – no one else with us – and with nothing to do! I’ll call it the “just be me” time!
I’d love to hear what you do for your “just be me” time – drop me a note cvquinn60614@yahoo.com or if you are looking for ideas of what to do – I have an idea or two for you. And, no it won’t involve traveling to Spain. …Or maybe….
P.S. Happy Thanksgiving everyone – to you and your families!
Christine Quinn
Ready-TWO-Grow
Byrd Rhyne, Betsy Segal & Laurie James
The Ready Two Grow children have happily settled into the routine of our room!
This month we explored the world of color.
We used Q tips to paint red apples on a tree.
We finger painted a hand yellow then shook hands with a friend who had a blue hand and we got green!
We then made a mural of all our green handprints!
We also made chocolate pudding and then finger painted with it, although most kids decided it was more fun to eat!
We talked about the three primary colors and then what to mix together to create all the other wonderful colors!
We got to take a walk to the pumpkin patch which was perfect for orange day.
The kids got to pick the pumpkin of their choice.
We loved the scarecrows and all the decorations that were set up!
Along the way we have been singing and dancing and learning all our friends names!
The kids love to sing about what they are wearing and each one gets a turn to stand up and say what they want to sing about, no one is shy with this one!
We took our new found knowledge of colors one step further and played the “Hookey Spooky” using orange crepe paper on one hand and black crepe paper on the other!
They loved shaking their hands all about!
Jobs have become an important part of the room and the light helpers love to turn the lights off and on and then yell freeze!
The job chart also gets us starting to talk about letters and sounds in the alphabet and name recognition.
The kids really enjoy each other!
One Thursday on the playground one child started running all around and the next minute all the kids wanted to join in the fun and they were all running around and laughing!
It was this fun game and everyone wanted to participate!
Our Halloween Party was a huge success!
The kids enjoyed seeing their friends dressed up.
For snack they made their treat by spreading fluff on an apple slice and adding raisins for a face, creating a pumpkin! We could not tell if they had more fun making or eating the snack.
We are having a great time with your children and love how they share, listen so nicely and are ready to try anything!
Thank you again for letting us spend the day with them!
News from the TERRIFIC THREE’s
Byrd Rhyne, Sue Gaertner, Luanne Hampton, & Laurie James
As I write this our morning class is happily marching through the hall to go Trick or Treating in the church offices.
They will return to their class to make orange frosting using red and yellow food coloring.
Then they will frost their own cookies.
The topping will be when the teacher helps them write the first letter of their name in black gel.
Need less to say… our day is packed with fun!!
The Helper Chart is a big part of our program.
Not only do the kids love to see if they have a job, but we use the helper chart as a tool to teach letters and letter sound association.
Your children are all very attentive during this time and we are thrilled with how interested they are in this activity!
Looking ahead… we will talk about the people and things in our lives that we love as an introduction to the concept of gratitude.
We will write Thankful stories and share them in a class book.
November will be filled with turkeys galore… in art, songs, drama, literature, and MORE!
Our Thanksgiving festivities will culminate with our Feast, which will be held on Wednesday, November 16.
Parents are invited the last 30 minutes of class to share a treat. Siblings are welcome too!
Speaking of siblings… November 21 is Alumni / Sibling Day!
We love our alums!!!
They are welcome to stay the entire day with us.
Wishing you a month ahead filled with happy moments!!
Byrd, Luanne, Laurie, Sue
News from the FABULOUS FOUR’s
Happy Baird, Ginny Lezama & Luanne Hampton
Yikes! How did it get to be November already!
Now it’s time to mark your calendars for Trinity Alumni day on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.
Alums are invited to come to class and help be a teacher for the day.
It was a wonderful treat to have Emma Mae Lichter come and spend the morning with us recently.
Emma is now in 8th grade at the British School.
She is poised and lovely!
Just as we expected!
She is currently learning Spanish, French and Hebrew and was impressed that the children are learning Spanish.
She also liked that we have an Emma and a Mae in our class!
November is also the time we’ll be discovering facts about native North American Indian tribes through exploration of their culture, music and art.
We’ll learn about the Cheyenne, Creek and Nootka boys and girls by making totem poles with animal characters, decorating tepees with nature symbols, and reading and illustrating with water color, The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush by Tomi DePaolo.
Thank you, Mae Barnett for doing your homework so well.
Mae’s grandfather raises honeybees and we asked her find out why there are no honeybees this season.
We got quite a detailed answer from “Mr. Bee”!
Mae, you get an A+!
Speaking of honeybees, Mrs. Hampton kept singing the “Buzz, Buzz” bee song and said
“I can’t stop singing this song.
I’ll be singing it in my sleep!”,
to which Neil responded
“You’ll be singing in your sleep so your mom won’t hear?”!
The children make rug time the best!
One day, Ryan told us that he went to China 10 years ago when he was 8!
Another day, Connor told us that his cat, Maddy, is 100 years old; can’t hear; has a runny nose and that his cat likes him.
“A cat meows, purrs or shakes hands if trained. He purrs with me” he said. Gussie, his dog, harasses Maddy.
At that point Maggie added, “Cats are born blind”.
Connor thought for a second and said
“Not always, only if they’re born in a shelter”.
That, and so much more, are the reasons why Happy, Luanne and I adore our jobs!
As Thanksgiving approaches, we will prepare corn bread and pumpkin pudding for our feast and remember all we are thankful for.
Happy Baird, Ginny Lezama and Luanne Hampton
KINDERGARTEN Enrichment
Valerie Dashiell, Joyce Ladin, & Byrd Rhyne
From the Desk of Miss Byrd
Wow! Hard to believe November is here!!
We have been very busy in KE!
“A” week brought us to Africa!
We studied the countries there, different topography and people and just how large it is!
Our unit of study for “B” week was Bugs!
We went on a hunt for them with our bug catchers around Trinity and caught a lot!
We learned they have three body parts and six legs.
It was large cats for “C” week!
Everyone had a different favorite – cheetahs, leopards or tiger! They are all very beautiful and great hunters!
“D” week was very special and it started with our field trip to the Wilmette Pet Store and Lawrence Dean Bakery!
Sheila, our friend at the pet store, showed us rabbits, ferrets, cats, dogs, lizards and birds!!!!
Mrs. Sterrett was kind enough to join us and it was great to see all of these animals and then top it off with a treat from Lawrence Dean!
We culminated “D” week with a visit from our Dads!!
They joined us for lunch and it was a real treat!
We truly enjoy every day with this group.
They are inquisitive, fun and full of great energy!
We are so thankful for our time together!
Thanks for sharing your wonderful children!
Ms. Laurie and Ms. Byrd
From the Desk of Mrs. Dashiell
Our children had so much fun preparing for our “Halloween Music Around the World” talent show.
Thank you to all our parents and caregivers for coming!
Our room was decorated with haunted houses with windows lit from behind and filled with bats, witches, ghosts and pumpkins.
The children also created their own jack-o-lanterns, each with unique faces.
The children dictated “A Halloween Spooky Adventure” story.
Each child added their own ideas about where we would go and what we would see!
At our Halloween party, we acted out the story, surprising Miss Libby by telling her there was a lion on her chair.
The children were very excited to visit Mrs. Gaertner twice and read in the story that not only was there a shark on her bookshelf, but also a bug on her computer, tapping on her keys.
Our Friday children went on their first field trip to the pet store, bakery, and library, where we chose a book about our favorite animals.
Thank you, Ms. Karen – you are the best!
They are also learning to read and act out the characters of a beginning reading book that Mrs. Gaertner read to her own children.
We love you, Mrs. Gaertner!
For letter “E” week, in science, we learned about Ears and how we hear.
We heard invisible sound waves. The children made a musical instrument using glasses and colored water to create the musical notes, A, B, C, D and F.
Then we played the song, “I Love the Flowers.”
In November, we will create an “Over the River and Through the Wood” theme for Thanksgiving.
In honor of the letter “E,” we feel your children are Energetic, Empathetic, Enchanting, Engaging, Enthralling, Enthusiastic, Exciting, Expressive, Extraordinary, and Extremely Enjoyable!
Love, Mrs. Dashiell & Mrs. Ladin
Nov. 9 Board Meeting
Nov. 9 Parent Workshop
Nov. 10 TCNS Gives Back
Nov. 12 Lunch Bunch Application Deadline
Nov. 14 & 15 Photo Days
Nov. 16 3’s Feasts
Nov. 17 4’s Feasts
Nov. 21 Session 1 Lunch Bunch Ends
Nov. 21 & 22 Alumni Sibling Days
Nov 23 & 25 Thanksgiving Break
Nov 28 Session 2 Lunch Bunch Begins
Trinity Presents:
“A Night at the Oscars”
Book your babysitter now for our annual benefit which will be held at Michigan Shores on February 25th!
Fundraising is a necessary part of our budget, since tuition alone does not cover operating expenses.
Our hardworking committee is trying to put the FUN in FUNdraising and this event will not disappoint!
But we need YOUR HELP to reach our financial goal.
Please consider how you can help.
Donations are not the only things we need.
Please consider selling an add for our bid book.
Ask your gardener, banker, dentist, doctor…….. anyone.
E-mail your committee (Dina Levine, Laurie Morton, Karen Fisher, Michelle) at trinityoscarnight@gmail.com to ask for ideas on how you can help.
Food Drive
Dear Trinity Family,
As part of our Thanksgiving studies, the classes will be talking about gratitude and the things in their lives that they are thankful for. We will talk about people who need help and how we can help others. As an extension of this topic we will hold a food drive. Non-perishable food will be collected in the classrooms from now to Thanksgiving break. It will be donated to the Wilmette Food Pantry in Trinity Church. The pantry is a major source of food for low income residents, especially senior citizens, many of which have special dietary needs.
Following is a list of the most needed items:
Canned meats & fish – low sodium preferred
Canned fruits – low sugar preferred
Canned vegetables – low sodium preferred
Soups
Cereals
Single serving sizes – assorted foods
Beans and pasta
Thank you for supporting this important project!
Its Date Night!
Parent Workshop November 9th
Book your babysitters and come down for dinner, chatting with other parents, and a Parenting Workshop!!
November 9th 6:45 – 8:45 at Trinity Church.
Cost - $10 per person.
We will serve DINNER and learn about "In Sync" parenting and other pearls of wisdom from Dr. Michael Maniaci.
Then we can stay and chat over desserts and coffee.
Please place your money in an envelope with your name(s) on it in the basket in your child’s room to reserve your spots by November 7th.
Or email Kelsey Davies at Kelsey.davies@sbcglobal.net
School Photos
The photographer from PMI is coming to capture your child’s precious smile on Monday, November 14 and Tuesday, November 15.
All photos must be prepaid.
If you need another order form, just ask your teacher.
Photos will be back in time for Christmas!!
TCNS Gives Back!
November 10th 4:15 – 5:15
Children learn what they live.
They learn the joys of generosity by giving to others.
They learn that even little hands can make a big difference in the world.
Gives Back Days provide these opportunities.
On November 10th we will be decorating pumpkins and making a Thanksgiving craft, which will be donated to a local nursing home. Friends of Trinity are welcome to this FREE event!!
Seeking Your Fresh Values Card Number!!
TCNS will earn money every time you shop at Dominick’s!
And the money will add UP!
We will spend the money on enrichment activities for YOUR CHILDREN!!
Email your Fresh Values Card Number to aat33@yahoo.com or to Sue at sue@trinitywilmette.org.
Or look for the sheets at the sign in book in your classroom.
Thank you!!!
The weather has suddenly changed.
Please send your child with the appropriate outdoor clothing.
For 3’s and Ready Two Grow – please make certain that the extra change of clothing that you sent to school is appropriate for winter weather. (Did you send shorts???)
Please remember to sign your child in and out each day.
Please be sure to check the snack calendar for your turn.
If you should forget snack on your assigned day please send a replacement snack to school.
There is absolutely NO parking ever in the alley by the classroom door.
Please send your child with their school bag or backpack on Lunch Bunch days.
When you arrive for drop off or pick up, please pull all the way forward and leave your flashers on.
Trinity UMC Youth Fundraiser
Saturday Dec. 10, 2011 from 3:30 to 7:30pm
Kids have a blast while parents have a break!!
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 at cath@trinitywilmette.org
Lunch Bunch News
Session 1 of Lunch Bunch ends November 21st.
Applications for session 2 of Lunch Bunch are going out early November and the postmark deadline to return is November 12. Watch for YOURS!!
Holiday Parade 2011
Saturday, November 19th
Trinity Nursery School will be participating in the Wilmette Chamber of Commerce's Holiday Parade on Saturday, November 19th.
Bundle up, wear your blue and white and join other Trinity families as we welcome in the holiday season.
Bikes and scooters are allowed in this parade and we will provide candy to pass out and noisemakers!
We are hoping for a good turnout, as this is an excellent way to show the community what a great school Trinity is!
If you would like to march in the Holiday Parade with us, please meet at the CTA parking lot at 4th and Linden by 10:10am.
The parade steps off promptly at 10:30.
