❤️ ❤️ ❤️

Before I share what an incredible week it has been, we want to share how full our hearts are after such a thoughtful Teacher Appreciation Week. Thank you all so much for the kind words, sweet notes, and generous gestures — they truly mean more than can ever be fully expressed.

We feel incredibly lucky to do a job that we love so deeply. Being part of your children’s lives, watching them grow, learn, and shine in their own unique ways, is something we never take for granted. The trust you place in us each day, and the gift of sharing your amazing kiddos with us, is something we hold so close to our hearts.

There truly aren’t enough words to thank you for the appreciation and support you show — not just this week, but all year long. It fills our cups in ways that go far beyond the classroom, and we are so grateful to be part of such a special community.

Thank you for making what we do feel so meaningful every single day.

❤️ ❤️ ❤️

This week we had so much fun celebrating celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, magical leprechauns, and rainbows! Although our week was cut a bit short, we still managed to fit in so many fun activities and fun stories together.

The classroom welcomed the children with festive St. Patrick’s Day banners, touches of green everywhere, and an exciting collection of new books.

Our bookshelf was filled with stories centered around colors, rainbows, and a bit of leprechaun mischief. We enjoyed reading The Itsy Bitsy Leprechaun, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rainbow, Silly McGilly, and How to Catch a Leprechaun. Each story brought lots of laughter and imagination — whether it was the silly antics of a leprechaun, the chaos of swallowing a rainbow, or the clever (and not-so-clever!) ways to try and catch a mischievous sprite.

Because it was St. Patrick’s Day, we had to try and catch a sneaky leprechaun of our own! The children worked so hard designing and building creative traps, but somehow, he still managed to escape. When we returned, the room was a mess — tiny footprints covered the floor, the door, and even the traps! The children were both shocked and amazed. Even though he got away, he did leave behind a few magical coins, which brought so much excitement and wonder.

In our sensory bin this week, we had a magical time sorting, scooping, and exploring Lucky Charms. It was not only fun, but also a wonderful opportunity to practice impulse control. To help take away the temptation of eating from the bin, each child was given a tiny cup for tasting — and they did an amazing job! We even added an extra challenge by using glass jars as scoops. At three years old, their curiosity is high, and it’s such a great time to begin learning how to handle materials with care. It is truly amazing to watch their growth!

We also explored a new painting medium this week — green peppers! When cut in half, they resemble shamrocks. The children stamped, smeared, and painted, creating lots of green (and a lot of mess!). It was hands-on creative, and full of joy — messy at its best!

Our new magnet blocks continued to be a big hit! The children built towers, rainbows, and large cubes, all while naturally practicing their counting skills as they stacked and created.

And although we didn’t catch the sneaky leprechaun earlier in the week, we discovered that one special little sprite decided to stay and enjoy the week with us! At first, he watched from above, but soon his curiosity got the best of him and he came down to visit. He created a beautiful rainbow on our light table using magnet tiles and even left each child a special rainbow of their own. The light table quickly became a favorite spot for building, and the children also used our large blocks to design traps, hoping to convince him to stay a little longer. In the end, we think he had to return home to Ireland — which must be why he left those magical rainbows behind!

This week, we also managed to explore a little bit of science magic by creating our own rainbow wheel using Skittles and warm water. Skittles were carefully arranged in a circle around a plate, and as the warm water was poured, the colors slowly dissolved and spread. This created a beautiful rainbow pattern. It was such a fun and engaging way to explore color mixing and observe how things change, and their excitement and wonder made it even more special.

Even without a photo of our calendar this week, I have to share how impressive the children were. We tried to “trick” them by changing the pattern — adding two rainbow pictures followed by a shamrock instead of our usual alternating pattern — but they caught on right away. They are so observant and smart!

During chapel this week, we heard a story from the Bible about Samuel and how he became a “team captain” for God. Samuel was sent to find a new king and visited a man named Jesse, who had seven sons. One by one, the sons were presented, but none were the one God had chosen. Finally, David, who had been out in the field, was called in. Even though he was the youngest, God chose David to be king. This story reminded us that God doesn’t look at the outside, but at our hearts, and that each of us is special and chosen in our own way.

In music and movement, we sang our hearts out while moving our bodies to the beat! We have been busy practicing for our Spring Music Program, which will take place on April 22nd and 23rd in Ascension Hall. The program will last about 20-30 minutes, and you won’t want to miss it!

Next week, we are so excited to begin learning all about Easter! It’s such a sweet and meaningful theme, and we can’t wait to see the children’s excitement as we learn, create, and celebrate together!

REMINDERS/UPCOMING EVENTS:

March 18th - March 22nd - CCP SCHOOL SPIRIT - Let’s have lunch or dinner at AL’S BURGERS! Al’s Burgers is excited to support our school this spring. Instead of a “Spirit Night,” they are proposing a “Spirit Week” fundraising opportunity. From 3/18-3/22, a customer can bring in a coupon, donate $5 to the school, and receive a “free” burger. The coupons will be in the cubbies on Monday/Tuesday of next week (one per order). Thank you for your support!
March 29 - Palm/Passion Sunday Cantata at 9:00am and 11:00am in the Sanctuary.
March 29 - Easter Egg Hunt and Cookout starting at 4:00pm in the lower parking lot. The cookout to follow at 5:00pm.
March 30th - April 6th - SPRING BREAK
April 5 - Easter Sunrise Service at 7:00am on the Southern Village Green. Acoustic Easter Service will be in the Sanctuary at 9:00am. At 10am, there will be an Easter on the Green Service (on the Southern Village Green). At 11am, the Traditional Easter Service will take place in the Sanctuary.
April 22nd and 23rd - Casual music programs in the fellowship hall. Shortly after drop-off on this Wednesday and Thursday, your child will sing a few songs with their class and Ms. Vicki for an audience of parents and special loved ones in Ascension Hall. More details to come…
April 15th and 16th - Spring picture days! We will have both individual and class photos done!
June 2nd - June 5th - SUMMER CAMP - Please remember to register your Ladybug! There are just 4 spaces left. We would like to know who is coming by the end of March so we can order supplies.