DONUTS WITH DAD

Join us Wednesday and Thursday this week for our annual Donuts with Dad for Toddler 1 - Pre-K classes from 9:00 - 9:45 AM.

No car lane that day.  Dads, report to your child's classroom.  If you have two children, you may want to take both children to your oldest child's classroom first.

If dad can't make it, please feel free to send another loved one, even mom.  The children love showing off their classroom and art work, and our teachers enjoy getting to know the families a little better.

We look forward to seeing you there!

FYI

FYI:

January 15th tuition (for February) is now due.  If not paid by January 25th, please add $15 for late fee.  Please check your records as we have some who have neither paid January nor February.  Notes will be going home Wednesday and Thursday for those who are now behind two months.

We collect used inkjet cartridges or toners to off-set some of our office/classroom expenses.  If you have some to donate, please drop them off at the bookcase in the foyer.  Thanks so much for helping us cut expenses where we can.

It looks like our summer program is a "go" for us.  We will be offering 8 weeks of Tues/Thurs care this summer.  We will only be able to accept 50 children, so it will be first-come, first-served.  Registration forms will go home the first of March.  See below for cost; we revamped a little and are still working out some of the details.  

Entire 8 weeks:  $60.00 per week/$480 - 1 child/$900 - 2 children/$1350 - 3 children

Monthly:  June $195.00
                     July $227.00
                     August $97.00

Weekly:  $70 per week 

If you opt to do weekly, reservation must be made at least a week before and will only be available if there is space.

Dates:  June 3 - August 8; no care weeks of June 17 (VBS) and July 1.

Children who are not current and/or Fall 2013 Shining Light students will have a $30 registration fee.

More information will be available mid-February!

Scholastic and Kroger

New Scholastic catalogues will be available on the front foyer desk.  Since we are a "Red Apple" member, we get free shipping anytime for any amount.  Therefore, we are going to place a Scholastic order each week.  That way you don't have to wait too long to get your books!  We also will have catalogues for older children (K-4) available in case you have elementary age children.  Thanks in advance for helping build our library with your purchases!  Scholastic code for Shining Light is GPTH7.

We also earned a $220 bonus check this month from Kroger!  Thank you so much!  If you haven't purchased a $5 Kroger gift card tied to Shining Light, please send in $5 to your teacher.  Every time you add $$ to the card, we receive a percentage.  We've only earned one bonus check so far this year, so any help you can give is greatly appreciated!  The money we raise is used to fund scholarships for our program.  So please go "Krogering"!

This n That

• The first set of confirmation letters for Fall 2013 went out.  Please don't stress if you haven't gotten yours yet.  It involves a lot of paperwork and double checking, so it is a time-consuming process.  More letters will go out at the beginning of the week.
• We noticed as we did the confirmation letters that some families had a different address on their registration form from what we had in the data base.  If you have moved or your physical address is different than the address on your checks, would you please make sure that your teachers are aware, and they will get the information to us?  Thanks!
• Pre-K had a kindergarten checklist sent home.  Please go over these with your child.  We, of course, are doing them in the classroom as well.  Believe it or not, some of your children only know you as "mommy" and "daddy", so there are little things that you can work on at home with them - like your "real" names!  The list came from area kindergarten teachers.  This is what they want the children to know BEFORE kindergarten.
• Donuts with Dad!  January 30, 31 for Toddler 1 - Pre-K.  We will start at 9:00 AM.  As a result there will be no car lane that day.  If dad can't come, please feel free to send another loved one - even mom!  Refreshments and fellowship will take place in your child's room.  If you have more than one child at Shining Light, you can divide your time or take the youngest one with you to the older child's class.  
• Because of the whole separation issue, we will not do Donuts with Dad in Nursery.  No worries - they will be old enough before you know it...or are ready for it :)
• Our Valentine Sock Hop will be February 13 and 14.  It will be a 50's theme day, so dress your child up in poodle skirts, leather jackets, rolled up jeans, ponytails or ducktails!  Ms. Maria will be teaching 50's dances in the chapel room, and we will be making ice cream sundaes for a special treat.
• Last item - we had a discussion about early dismissal from Williamson Co.  I apologize about last Tuesday.  We found out at 1:15 that Wms. Co. was dismissing at 1:30, so we began scrambling.  We will not do that anymore.  You will not be contacted unless dismissal occurs before lunch.  We plan to set up a group text to announce that school has been called out.  Please make sure that you leave a good cell number for your teacher to text an early dismissal to.

Thank you for entrusting us with 

your beautiful children!

Warm Clothes!

Just a reminder that if you still have summer clothes in your child's tote bag for that extra change of clothes, now is definitely the time to change them to warmer ones!

Also, some of you are not bringing jackets or coats with your child.  While we would not go out in the weather like it was today, we do go out even when it's cool.  The children usually need a little outside break during the day, and sometimes we just go for a walk along the sidewalks and creek if it's damp on the playground.  So please, please pack your child's coat in his/her tote bag, so the class feels free to go outside with everyone.

Thanks for helping us with this!

Weather Closings

It's that time of year to discuss school closings or delays due to weather.  Last year we managed to avoid any closings, but I can't tell yet whether that's going to be the case this year.

We will follow Williamson County Schools.  You can check Channel 3 if you have Comcast or the local news stations.  Generally, Channel 3 announces it first.  I will also always put it on the blog.

If Wms. Co has a one hour delay, we will begin at 10:00 AM.  (No car lane)

If Wms. Co has a two hour delay, we will begin at 11:00 AM (no car lane)

With delays, please still pack a lunch for your child.

If Wms. Co. is closed, we will be also.

Early Dismissal from Wms. Co. - for those of you with children in the school system, you generally receive calls or texts.  For those of you with only preschool children, you will need to check your e-mail, radio, or TV on those days that the weather seems "iffy".  We would like to ask that you pick your preschool child up before you pick up any school age children.  We have teachers who live in Chapel Hill and Spring Hill who will need to leave to pick up their own children.  Our plan will be to dismiss those teachers as soon as we can and move the children to the chapel room while we wait for parents.

And yes, for those of you new to Williamson County, we get a little crazy in bad weather around here.  We are not equipped for slick roads, and since most can't seem to even drive in the rain, we really lose it when it snows/ices.  I can say that because I've lived here for 28 years (and seen buses get stuck and children stranded at schools for 10 hours)!  So if you are from the north, you will wonder why schools are called off when only one snowflake has fallen.  We've also been called out for excessive rain; the rivers flood and roads get blocked.  The good news is that it doesn't do it too often, and some years not at all.

PRE-K PARENTS

Pre-K parents - a letter went home in folders today and will go home on Monday for M/W families.  Please read!  It concerns what we are doing for kindergarten preparation.  Thank you so much!

FYI

FYI:

There are registration forms for Fall 2013 on the front foyer desk.  I received an e-mail this morning from another director who told me that the legislative session will have the new PDO bill in front of them this week or next, so it is moving forward.  Pray for quick positive resolution!

It's cold and flu season.  Please do not bring your child to Shining Light if he/she has a fever, diarrhea, steady green snotty nose, foaming at the mouth, etc.  Here is how it could possibly work:

• You bring your sick child to school.  He/She infects the other children in the class, also manages to infect one of the teachers
• The other children infect their siblings and/or parents.  The siblings infect the children in their classroom and their teacher.
• Our teachers infect each other.  They need to be out with either their own illness or one of their children who goes to Shining Light.
• We have a limited number of substitutes.  If we have an excessive number of teachers who cannot come in, there is a possibility of closing.  I know of a preschool in Nolensville that had to do that last year!

So please help us stay healthy!  Wash hands frequently and keep your child at home if ill.  Thank you for your cooperation!

Information

Information:

1.  The state of Tennessee has changed the age requirements for kindergarten beginning in 2013.  Your child will now have to be five by 8/31/13 rather than the end of September which it has been in the past.

2.  Because we try to keep the number of days somewhat equal for both programs, we are not returning until January 9th although Wms. Co. begins January 8th.  We try very hard to ensure that both programs are afforded the same days of care for the money spent.

3. Please be sure that you are filling out an updated registration form (2013-14).  It is now on the church website:  www.franklinchristianchurch.com.  

4.  Upcoming events:

1/21/13 - MLK Day - no school
1/30/13 - Donuts with Dad - 9:00 AM (Team Jersey Day)
1/31/13 - Donuts with Dad - 9:00 AM ( Team Jersey Day)

2/13/13 - Valentine Sock Hop - 50's Day
2/14/13 - Valentine Sock Hop - 50's Day
2/18/13 - President's Day - no school

5.  Curriculum for this month:  Zoo Animals