May 16, 2011 Knowing Jesus, Growing in Faith, Serving God’s Children
Dear Parents,

Can you believe this is the last full week?! The year has just flown by and during that time your little ones have really begun to grow! They all love learning about God’s Word, how to read and write, and especially to be curious and self confident about their talents. Please keep them very busy this summer using those new talents! We’ll finish a calendar this week that will have something fun to do each day of the summer. Hopefully this will remind you to have them sit down for 15 to 30 minutes a day and use their school skills. Mrs. Frerking will also have things to do on the first grade page on our website. Be sure you check that out after school is out. I’ll have things for those entering Kindergarten. Find everyday tasks that require reading and writing – making a list, a postcard to grandma, adding up the change in your pocket, etc. They’re bringing home their spiral notebook journal. We didn’t use all of the pages so have them continue to write in it most days. Make it a routine! That way they won’t lose any of their skills. It can make all the difference in how the first weeks of next year go.

This Friday is our second annual End-of-the-Year Spring school dance. We’ll have a DJ and a Hawaiian theme, with lots of fun group dances to learn as a family! It is from 7PM-9PM so come shake a leg with me!
Our Bible lessons this week are about Timothy! We’ll learn how Timothy was faithful in the Lord. There were three major things that were important to his spiritual development: being taught the Holy Scriptures, the influence of his mother and grandmother demonstrating their faith from day-to-day, and learning from teachers like Paul of the grace and salvation we have in Jesus Christ. We’ll end the year with one last Bible verse, from Matthew 28:20 “…and surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Make sure all book buddies, library books, math binders, and little reading books are rounded up and sent back right away!! I am still reading with small groups, but won’t send anything home anymore. Send an empty backpack as we will be cleaning things up and sending things home. Be sure to watch for their poetry books. They’ve illustrated some of our favorite poems over the year and can read many of them to you now. So have fun!

Next Wednesday morning we will begin with chapel at 8:30AM, followed by our Preschool and Kindergarten graduation. Please join us! Have them wear dress up clothes. They will be presented with their diplomas and Bibles and report cards. They can bring these Bibles back to first grade if they are coming back! They have fun finding and reading their highlighted verses since they have hidden so many of God’s Words in their hearts! Afterwards we will have cake together, and then they can go home, or come back to the room with me until 11:15 when everyone dismisses. If you need to leave after the graduation you can take your child with you at that time.

Left over milks and lunches will be carried over to next fall unless you would like to be reimbursed now. Just let the lunch ladies know or myself! Report cards will go home the last day of school. Be sure to pay any overdue lunch money or tuition!

I hope you enjoyed the track meet as much as I did! Even the cold couldn’t keep us from having fun “running around” and being a team.

Don’t forget Vacation Bible School from June 6 to the 10th.

God’s blessings,

Roxi Withee