Building Preschool Relationships

 Hello CCP Families,

"Discipline is like the 'slow-slow, quick-quick' of a country western two-step.  The 'slow-slow' is building the relationship.  It does not happen overnight but slowly over time.  The 'quick-quick' is the specific skill set we need to handle the upset and conflicts that arise within the relationship."  ~from Dr. Becky Bailey’s Baby Doll Circle Time, p. 32

We have been in preschool almost 3 weeks now building our relationships (the slow-slow part of the two-step.) Each class is continuing to become a school family that truly cares for one another. It is a joy to observe your children at play with their preschool friends! And when a friend is absent, the children so earnestly “put the friend in the heart” and send them love and well wishes. It’s a beautiful, caring gesture of connection. We are thankful that you have chosen CCP to be your preschool home. So glad you’re part of the family!

SPIRIT WEAR

Our Spirit Wear fundraiser is closed. Thank you kindly for your generosity, you all rocked it! Also this fall, after everyone’s shirts have arrived, we will have a Spirit Day at preschool. 😁

YOU WILL PROBABLY WANT TO GRAB YOUR CALENDAR FOR THE NEXT ITEMS…..

You are invited to a Preschool Family Coffee on Wed or Thurs, Sept 24 & 25 right after drop-off. Parents, grandparents, nannies….Just come to Ascension Hall and have a cup of coffee or cider and chat with other families and me. You can ask questions and get to know some new friends!

Looking ahead…. We will have individual photos taken on October 21 & 22. The photos will be outdoors under the bell tower. We handle it all at school - you don’t have to be present. You will be sent a link to view the photos and to purchase them (optional.) The photographer, David Gellatly, will also offer family photos on Saturday, October 25. I sent an email with more details & a link for you to sign up for family photos, but you can also see the sign up here

Pastor Lee led Chapel this week (Wed & Thurs) for the Ladybugs, Duck and Whales. (Frogs will join Chapel in January.) Pastor Lee talked about how listening to Jesus made Paul a happier person. We prayed together, sang, and had fun. Dr Dan played “This Little Light of Mine” while we sang too!

Pastor Lee says, “catch the light and take it back to your classrooms!”.

Ms. Vicki led us in our first Music and Movement classes this week (also Wed & Thurs.) She took out a cooperative stretchy band that everyone got to hold on to and some scarves that could be moved to music. The children danced and sang and played musical instruments. There were lots of smiles!

Duck and Whale friends will enjoy their first lunch bunch next week on Monday and Wednesday, 9/22 & 9/24. We will use the same guidelines for lunch that we do for snack. (Please remember we are a NUT-FREE & SESAME-FREE school.) We will either eat outside, in the classroom, or in the fellowship hall. Ms Sue and Ms Missy will send you details. Lunch day pick-up is 1:00 Be aware that your child may be super tired on the longer lunch days!

CCP Closed - 10/2 & 10/3 for Fall Break

Are you a mom of young children who has been wishing for some more mom friends / a community of other supportive moms? A MomCo (Mom Community) meet-up is coming to CUMC! Please consider joining this group on most 2nd & 4th Mondays of the month, beginning October 27th, from 9:30 - 11 am in Building 105 (CUMC’s office building) to get to know other local moms, discuss relevant parenting topics, and support one another as you journey together through motherhood. Childcare is provided. Please RSVP here so that we can ensure we have appropriate childcare help and space: http://bit.ly/4lYTBSK

Contact Abby Kennedy for additional information (abbymay93@gmail.com 919-360-9436).

Please know that my door is always open! Come in when you need questions answered, encouragement, a smile, or prayer. I’m never too busy for you.

Peace,

Shelly

Bonus Tibets:

Don’t fear sadness, as it tends to sit right next to love. ❤️

CCP - Spirit wear and news

Hello CCP Families,

I am so proud of the children and how they have adapted to preschool! A few have tears at drop off, but usually they disappear quickly. Remember, the first 4-6 weeks of preschool is our time to build a safe learning community that we call our “school family.”

While we’re on the topic of safety, I’d like to remind you to discourage your little ones from running down the hill out near the back door. We are really trying hard during our school day to “train” them to hold the railing and take the steps when we go down to the playground and if you reinforce this, it helps us tremendously.

WE ARE ALMOST THERE!

Please remember to order your spirit wear using the information you were given at Orientation. There are also some sheets above the cubbies with the QR code. As soon as the shirts are delivered, we will have some Spirit Days where everyone can wear their new school shirts! You may not realize, but all schools have to fund-raise. Our method is a tax-deductible donation. You may make a donation on the shirt website using your credit/debit card. This donation IS our fundraiser for this year. Many families say they prefer this to selling or collecting. Thank you kindly for your generosity.

Thank you for your patience with the key fob system this year. We are working with the administrator on that system and hopefully, it will be working smoothly soon.

Please mark your calendar for our Fall Getting to Know You Parent Coffee. Pop by the fellowship hall on Wed or Thurs, Sept 24/25 right after drop-off. We will have some coffee, hot cider, and a little treat for you. You can visit with other parents, grandparents, nannies that bring CCP students to school. You may stay the whole hour or grab some treats and go! We just want to honor our families.

Near the end of the month, we will practice our first fire drill. It will be very low key and non-threatening. First the teachers will read a little book that we wrote about fire drills at CCP. Then, I ring a little bell in the hallway for our first practice. Typically, it’s not a big deal. We clap and praise the children’s efforts at knowing how to be safe.

Next week the Ladybugs, Whales, and Ducks will have their first Chapel times with Pastor Lee. He will keep this experience short, positive, and age-appropriate. Usually in Chapel we hear a Bible story, say a prayer, and sing some songs.

Next week we will also have our first music & movement classes with Ms. Vicki. All ages can participate in music from the very beginning. Ms. Vicki will invite children to sing, dance, and play musical instruments.

The Preschool Advisory Committee “PAC” will meet on Sept. 22 at 9:15am in Ascension Hall.

CCP has an Instagram account! Check it out, it’s ccpchapelhillnc. It will post general pictures and information about CCP to protect our tiniest people 😁.

Finally, I’ll share a Conscious Discipline moment - “Empathy asks us to be willing to give up our thoughts and feelings temporarily in order to more accurately understand those of others. It asks us to quiet our own minds so we can listen from our hearts instead of our heads.” ~ Dr. Becky Baily in Creating the School Family p. 305

Enjoy the weekend!

Peace,

Shelly

Bonus Tidbits:

Each week if you make it to the bottom of the blog, you will see one of “40 Things I Wish I Had Known 10 Years Ago”

Treat your body like a house you have to live in for another 70 years. (Truer words have never been spoken)

And...We're Off!

Hello CCP Families,

Welcome to Christ Church Preschool! We are so glad you have chosen to join our little family. I will send you information about preschool events and reminders in my blog post. Every Thursday at 7:00pm you will receive an email notice that I’ve posted new info for you. Please take a few minutes to read it and mark your calendars.

From the emailed notification, you can click into the website using the password you received at parent orientation. Be sure to take this extra step because you will be able to see photos of classroom activities. Please remember, if you pull a photo from the website, please do NOT post it on any social media or any public space. These are only for families, so you can enjoy seeing your child at preschool.

In my blog, I will also share tidbits from Dr. Becky Bailey’s Conscious Discipline. We use Conscious Discipline strategies and techniques to help our students learn self-regulation. I shared some of this at Orientation and will continue to share more each week.

All classes have now experienced their first days of preschool for 2025-26!  There were a few tears, but I anticipate these won’t last long.  Adults, you handled the "good-byes" very well - positive, short, and sweet!  Thank you for the trust you place in us! You have precious children and we feel very fortunate to have you as part of our school family.  Each day will get easier!

The teachers know their students already, which is wonderful! Please give me a little grace to learn everyone’s names! I have 6 classes of students to learn and it may take me a while. Thanks!

Anyone else feel me on this one?

      We are missing a few forms.  (We are required to collect new forms each year.) We will be in touch if you’re missing one of the following: health form, emergency contact form, or a photo permission form.  Also, please make sure you have a weather-appropriate change of clothes at preschool.  And thanks for bringing a water bottle and nut-free and sesame-free snack each day! Just be sure your child’s name is on everything you send to preschool.

FOBS

We have had some issues with fobs this week, but we think the problem is remedied (thank you for your patience and grace!). Remember if you ever forget your fob, just ring the bell to the right of the door and one of us will let you in. Here’s the fob schedule:

Classes begin at 9:00 you may arrive between 8:50-9:10

Dismissal is at noon (key fobs will work from 11:50 - 12:10)

Lunch days dismissal is at 1:00 (key fobs will work from 12:50-1:10)

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I’d like to leave you with this quote, “A teacher plants the seeds of knowledge, sprinkles them with love, and patiently nurtures their growth.” – Unknown

Here’s to a year of watching this take place!

Peace,

Ms. Shelly