Bearly Ready Christmas Program 2017

Dear, Dear Parents,

I am filled to the brim as I breathe in a big satisfied sigh of what your children did on stage today… so well behaved! So spot on! So perfect in all their executions and songs with no meltdowns, no fits and no terrified bolts from the stage! Awesome! All our work in class certainly had its reward. I dearly love your children and I am so very proud of them and all they accomplished today.

For many, this was their first experience of singing and dancing, costume changing and performing on stage for over an hour. I wanted to hug each one of them and say, “Way to go, Idaho! Great job! I knew you could do that!” And that perfect Santa! 

My only regret was that my microphone batteries died before I got the chance to present Miss Julie and Miss Jessica their gifts and publicly express my gratitude for all they have done in preschool for the last several months. I love them and we will all dearly miss them as they move on to new adventures in their lives. Miss Jessica has been laboring long to acquire a teaching degree with experience in our school these past few months. She, like Miss Julie, has been invaluable. Thank you so much for all of your tireless efforts. We can hardly bear our losses.

Thank you for so many wonderful treats to enjoy and help with the food, hats and props, and a special thank you to Madden’s sweet dad, Randall, for helping my healing husband put away the stage, fix the chairs and load everything up. I so appreciate willing and capable strong men! They are my favorite!

We spent one little day on Letter M. We examined an m&m and found the small letter m on it. Then, we examined the package and noticed the m letters as we sucked on the melting chocolate while rubbing our tummies, “Mmmmm!” Mmmonkey! Mmmittens! Mmmickey Mmmouse! Mmmrs. MmmcClure! Ha!

I had just a few reports that I saved to tell you about, now that all of the Christmas surprises are in sight. When we were decorating the angels with glue and then glitter, Kohl was surprised at the outcome, “Woah! It shows! How did it do that? That’s amazing!” I love how these first childhood experiences can turn us into magicians!

As we were loading Dani into her car, we were discussing the elf that was watching to see if she was being good. Her reply has made us giggle all week, “I’m so nervous!”

Miles W. came in sad on Monday, wiping tears from his eyes. I quickly told him, “Christmas in one week away. You better watch out! You better not cry!” Like the flip of a switch, he broke into a beaming smile! Like I said, “Magic!”

Lastly, thank you to so many for your sweet and generous tokens of love and gratitude. Miss Julie and I feel so spoiled and so appreciate your support and love. I will cherish all of those beautiful family photos and Christmas cards, the ones I have fallen in love with.

We hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and enjoys their family time together into the New Year. It is such a beautiful time. May I boldly say how very grateful I am for the amazing gift that we, the world, have received in the babe of Bethlehem, our dear Lord and Savior, even Jesus Christ? How incredibly grateful I am, that He was sent from above to bless and to save us all. Glory to the newborn King!

Merry Christmas! See you back on Monday, January 8^th.

Mrs. McClure

Miss Julie, too.

December Recap

Letter {Ss} Week

Letter Ss Week was ssso saturated with Ss words, Sssanta, Ssssleigh, Sssnowman, Ssstar, Sssinging Sssilly Sssongs, and Sssewing Ssstockings! And that was just the Ssstart! Ha ha! 

We sang our flag-prep song, changing all the first letters to S. Sut sor sight sand son sor sart. (Put your right hand on your heart if you’re smart) and then, we saw who was smart. Soston was smart. Sendrix was smart. It was fun. Avery became Savory! Fox changed into Socks! Clyde slipped into Slide! Madden was so Sadden. Lincoln was totally Sinkin’! Kohl found Soul! Que became Sue! And Lilly, well, she was just Silly! If Ryder hadn’t been absent, we could have had cider! Ha!

Monday, we started singing Christmas songs. Oh my goodness, how the children love these songs! Singing them together has been a joy! We also did some secret Santa surprises, sewed our stockings and assigned solos. Sienna was funny. Her mom said she was afraid to sing a solo because she didn’t want to “go to the microwave!” When Dani was sewing her stocking she said, “Hey! I’m in trouble with my sewing! That’s the awkward part!” Ha! 

We had a great discussion about Santa and the chimney. I wish I had recorded some to their sayings. “We don’t have a chimney!” “Santa is magic!” “If you’re not good, you’ll get a lump of coal!” The children are so excited for what is to come this month. 

Thursday, the children had fun creating a “Countdown To Christmas Snowman”. The snowman’s carrot nose should be pointing towards #23 today, signifying 23 more days ‘til Christmas. It will be at #1 before we can turn around!!! Ahhh!

Lincoln’s mom brought home a cute little brother for him play with. Congratulations. Becky and baby Miles are doing great and Lincoln is a sweet, helpful big brother.

We lost our cute little Paisley with a move. We hope the best for her and her family in a new place. We loved her! Todd Torgesen will be joining us in her place. We are anxious to have Todd come. We look forward to having everyone get to know him. Chance will be moving after Christmas. We are sad at the thoughts of losing him, too. Oh, how we love our Chance! These sweet children carve a permanent place in our hearts forever. They will be sorely missed! 

Miss Julie is getting a nice computerized long arm machine this month to begin a quilting business and her husband was able to get a new nice job. We are very sad to announce that she will be leaving us after the Christmas break, as well. Miss Julie has been our biggest bubble of joy, greeting moms warmly and sweetly welcoming children in and sending them off with a kind smile, much more than anyone we have ever had. This is a big jolt for us and for the children. Oh, how we will miss our beloved Miss Julie. She has been invaluable to us with all the things she has done in our school.  I have loved having her come. Oh, how we will miss her. But, she loves to quilt and is an expert at it. We wish for her the very best with her new adventures in the quilting business. Miss Walters has agreed to come help us to the end of May. We are grateful for that.

Monday, we will be making candy houses. It will be a very fun day. We crank up the music and sing our hearts out while decorating every side. We will also be painting horns, so plan for a very messy day. We are excited.

We love this time of year. The children come in with raised brows and big smiles anticipating the fun projects that greet them. “Ooooh! My mom is gunna love this!” “This is so pretty!” 

Have a great weekend. See everyone back on Monday.

Letter {Dd} Week

Oh, my Goodness! Our Christmas Program is almost here! We are so excited! The children have been working hard, singing their little hearts out, and being so patient with me, as I have been making last minute changes on a few songs and props. Thank heavens they adapt so much more easily than an adult ever could. They are quick learners and completely amiable! I happened upon some last minute things at the store, and I could not resist! It’s going to be great! I cannot wait for you to see what they can do! I hope you noticed the letter we sent in your child’s backpack this week, along with a January calendar and treat schedule. Here is a recap of the letter. The children need to arrive at the church building at the corner of Harris and Bates, just North of McKellips, at 9:00. We need to have a chance to work with the children on stage for the first time, as we combine the 2 classes together. The Program will begin at 10:00 sharp. Santa will arrive at 11:00, so we must keep a tight schedule. Please be prompt, as we do not have the luxury of waiting for everyone to arrive at will. Please have your child wear their preschool t-shirt, and pants or skirt. We have several things to work out before the actual program.

Please refrain from any bows, ponytails, or pigtails in hairdos. We have many hat and headband changes, and we have designed for them fit exact. Please arrive early for best seating. Your child has a set spot tagged onstage. Should you arrive and wonder which side would be best for you to watch from, you can check out the names on stage.

Letter D was almost ditched this week, as we continued to work on our Christmas surprises. Kohl stepped into a classroom setup one morning to exclaim, “What’s all this?” and then, “My mommy’s gunna be so happy!” Joseph has also been vocal about his feelings and keeps reminding us, “I love Christmas!”  So cute!

We did manage to do the letter D Dance and find lots of Dd words, dad, dog, dance, don’t dance! We also turned our footprints into dog drawings! Doggone adorable!

We want to express our congratulations to Trig, who received a new brother this past week. We are thrilled that his mom, Natalie and little Tuff are doing well. We wish the best for her recovery. Good job, mom!

All this excitement has been a bit diminished at the thought of losing our Miss Julie in January. We are so sad! We will also miss Eva and Rustin, her grandchildren, who were able to attend because of her traveling accommodations, making it possible for them to come. We love them and will miss all of them most cruelly! Ahhh! Like a dagger to my heart! But, Miss Julie got her amazing new machine in this week, and can hardly think of anything else! So exciting! We wish her the best! 

We will have two openings in the afternoon class, should anyone know of anyone interested.

We look forward to our last day on Monday before the program and winter break. The program will be on Wednesday, the 20^th, and we will resume school on Monday, the 8^th of January. We hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

{Ss} Week

Dear Parents,

Letter Ss Week was ssso saturated with Ss words, Sssanta, Ssssleigh, Sssnowman, Ssstar, Sssinging Sssilly Sssongs, and Sssewing Ssstockings! And that was just the Ssstart! Ha ha! 

We sang our flag-prep song, changing all the first letters to S. Sut sor sight sand son sor sart. (Put your right hand on your heart if you’re smart) and then, we saw who was smart. Soston was smart. Sendrix was smart. It was fun. Avery became Savory! Fox changed into Socks! Clyde slipped into Slide! Madden was so Sadden. Lincoln was totally Sinkin’! Kohl found Soul! Que became Sue! And Lilly, well, she was just Silly! If Ryder hadn’t been absent, we could have had cider! Ha!

Monday, we started singing Christmas songs. Oh my goodness, how the children love these songs! Singing them together has been a joy! We also did some secret Santa surprises, sewed our stockings and assigned solos. Sienna was funny. Her mom said she was afraid to sing a solo because she didn’t want to “go to the microwave!” When Dani was sewing her stocking she said, “Hey! I’m in trouble with my sewing! That’s the awkward part!” Ha! 

We had a great discussion about Santa and the chimney. I wish I had recorded some to their sayings. “We don’t have a chimney!” “Santa is magic!” “If you’re not good, you’ll get a lump of coal!” The children are so excited for what is to come this month. 

Thursday, the children had fun creating a “Countdown To Christmas Snowman”. The snowman’s carrot nose should be pointing towards #23 today, signifying 23 more days ‘til Christmas. It will be at #1 before we can turn around!!! Ahhh!

Monday, we will be making candy houses. It will be a very fun day. We crank up the music and sing our hearts out while decorating every side. We will also be painting horns, so plan for a very messy day. We are excited.

We love this time of year. The children come in with raised brows and big smiles anticipating the fun projects that greet them. “Ooooh! My mom is gunna love this!” “This is so pretty!” 

Have a great weekend. See everyone back on Monday.

Much love and devotion.

Mrs. McClure

And Miss Julie, too!