Invites to Blog

Unfortunately, we can only have one e-mail address per family to access the blog. Blog rules only allow me 100 names, and I am at my limit with the new program. I will be going through the lists and making sure that each family has only one listing. So if you are suddenly dropped, please don't take it personally! I'm just making room for more! If no one in the family can access the blog, make sure you let me know so we can fix that. Sorry for the inconvenience. I really want the blog private if possible, so I will work to see how I can add more.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year! And welcome back to Mother's Day Out beginning Tuesday, January 4th. I hope you had a relaxing and enjoyable Christmas!

A few reminders:

• If you did not pay January's tuition on December 15, please do so on January 4th. Also, for those of you who only paid one semester supply fee, the second semester $25 is due also. If you are unsure, please ask as we have a notebook with payments logged in.
• This will be the month of "surprising" weather. Always follow whatever Williamson County Schools is doing in regards to closings or delayed openings.
• Change out that extra set of clothing in the tote bag with WARM clothes! Always include a jacket/coat too in case we get cabin fever during the day and need to go outside.
• Nursery - please pack enough diapers for the day. One is NOT enough!
• If your child received a book on December 16th, and you did not bring one for the book exchange, MDO purchased one for you. Please help us out by reimbursing us for $5.00. Thank you!

We welcome our new Wednesday parents to the Critterbuzz blog. At least for now they will share this space with Tuesday/Thursday, so you will sometimes see separate information for them. We are excited about the new program and its potential for growth. Some of you referred our Wednesday parents so please make sure to remind me again whom you referred so we can credit your account!

Enjoy your weekend! We will see you next week!

CHRISTMAS PROGRAM

I think it's looking promising that we will go tomorrow! A note was sent home about all the different scenarios in case of inclement weather. The one to make note of is that if we go two hours late, we will have the Christmas program at the end of the day and then go home. So that program would start at 12:45 (IF WE GO TWO HOURS LATE!)

Regular time - 9:30 - doors will open 9:15.

One hour late - 10:30 - doors will open 10:15

Two hours late - 12:45 - doors will open 12:30

Andrea Davis will have pictures ready for pick-up in the upstairs foyer before the program begins. If we should not go tomorrow, please e-mail her and arrange a time to meet her so you can get your photographs before Christmas. You can reach her at andrea@andreadavisphotography.com.

The program will take place in the upstairs sanctuary. Doors will be unlocked at the upstairs entrance or you may use the elevator downstairs. We plead with you to not set up cameras or video equipment that would block views or walk areas for parents and/or the children. Sanctuary doors will open fifteen minutes prior to the program. There are seats available in the foyer area to wait.

Reports are that the program is VERY cute! And I know your children are excited about getting to perform - well, almost all of them!

Tuesday, December 14

FCC MDO will be going two hours late tomorrow - Tuesday, December 14th (11:00 AM). There will not be car lane either in the morning or afternoon. Go ahead and plan to bring your child's lunch. We plan to practice the Christmas program upstairs tomorrow, so naps may not happen for Toddler 1 & 2. The Nursery will follow their regular schedule.

***Just in case Williamson County changes their game plan, please check closings again in the morning!

WEATHER POLICY

First of all, it was good to see several of you at the Family Visit to Bethlehem on Saturday despite the torrential downpour! I hope you had an enjoyable visit.

I guess we need to go over the weather policy since it doesn't look like it's going to cooperate this week.

• Follow Williamson County school closures or delays. If Williamson County Schools are out, we are also.
• If Wms. Co goes one hour late, we will begin at 10:00 AM. If they go two hours late, we will begin at 11:00 AM. Closing time will still be 2:00 PM unless schools are called early.
• We will not have car lane on those days that we go late since many of our teachers live in Spring Hill or further away.
• If Williamson County closes early, we will allow our teachers who live the farthest away to go home first. If possible, as soon as you hear a closure, come pick up your child, so we can allow our teachers to also pick up their children. Teachers without school-age children will remain at MDO until all children have left.

I will keep the blog updated over the next few days as we see what the situation will be. IF WE ARE OUT TOMORROW, WE WILL STILL PLAN ON HAVING THE CHRISTMAS PROGRAM AND PARTIES/BOOK EXCHANGE ON THURSDAY. Remember to wear blue MDO t-shirt and white turtleneck with jeans or khakis.

If teachers have special requests for Thursday, they will either e-mail you or post it on the blog, so please keep checking.

Stay warm! I've put my youngest off as long as I can. She started asking to go outside and play at 6:45 AM, and she has been as patient as she can possibly stand it any longer!

Family Walk Through Bethlehem

Our teachers worked yesterday morning helping to transform the downstairs area into Bethlehem. Please join us on Saturday as we celebrate the birth of Christ. There will be costumes, crafts, food and stories that help capture the feel of Bethlehem in Jesus' time. Festivities begin at 11:30 AM and go until 2:30 PM and will begin upstairs in our main foyer area where you will enter the "city gates".

Hope to see you there!

Scholastic and Other Things

Scholastic books are in. We will send them home tomorrow covered in a plastic bag in your child's tote unless you tell us otherwise - just in case some are Christmas presents!

Remember no school on Thursday, December 9th. We will be preparing the church for Family Walk Through Bethlehem. Please plan to join us for the festivities on Saturday, December 11th from 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM.

Thursday, December 16th at 9:30 AM we will have our Christmas program. Please have your child wear his/her navy MDO t-shirt and a white turtleneck with jeans or khakis. (Nursery - we plan to videotape tomorrow for their part of the program. We will show the video at the beginning of the Christmas program. We have found in the past that they get too upset to be on stage successfully and especially when they spy mom and dad in the audience! You may have them wear their t-shirts if you would like tomorrow.)

We will also do our book exchange on Thursday, December 16th. Please purchase a book ($5) for a boy, girl, or either. Wrap and label. We'll take care of the rest! Look in your child's folder for specifics about their class party. Each class may do something a little different.

STAY WARM!

This and That

Apologies for no car lane yesterday. Not only did we have four teachers out, but there was some kind of traffic incident coming in from Spring Hill, so at 9:00 AM yesterday, most of our classrooms only had one teacher. What we thought was going to be an "easy" Tuesday after Thanksgiving turned into anything but easy!

Christmas Program - Thursday, December 16th @ 9:30 AM. Please have your children wear their navy MDO t-shirts with a white turtleneck and jeans or khakis. They were decorating the sanctuary yesterday, and it is going to be beautiful in there, so bring your camera that day. Class parties will take place after the program. There will be a book gift exchange with the children. Please purchase a book (around $5) and wrap it. Label it for boy, girl, or either.

If you are in the shopping spirit for Christmas, MDO would love to have more baby dolls. Nothing expensive or elaborate but simply durable (think Toy Story 3...). We have several classrooms that would benefit from some baby dolls to play with. Thanks to Diane Schwartz (one of our grandmothers) who donated a tool workbench to MDO for our indoor recess room! The children will love playing with that!

Please pray for the health and well-being of our teachers and children. It is the season when everything is going around. Hope to see everyone tomorrow!