DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST,
We have so much for which to be thankful. Four new preschoolers have enrolled. Several of our families have been worshipping with us and have expressed appreciation for the warm welcome they have received. A beautiful new sanctuary is nearing completion. The preschoolers excitedly watch the progress from the playground fence.
Kristen Beyer, our director of Christian Outreach intern, is a special blessing. The parents appreciate their weekly coffee, served with a friendly smile and an open opportunity to visit. The children respond well to Kristen’s chapel messages. Her passion for outreach is inspiring. The Prayer Partner Program that she initiated is helping many families as they remember to rely on God. Thanks to each of you who are faithfully praying for a specific family.
This month the children will learn of God’s protection, provision and His answer to prayer. They will hear the Biblical accounts of Moses leading God’s people out of Egypt and of Hannah’s prayers for her son, Samuel. Even in the most difficult times and situations, God has blessed His people and continues to bless us.
Thank you to all of you who has registered for eScrip. Through this program your ordinary shopping can provide additional income for our church and school and costs you nothing extra. Just go to www.escrip.com. and sign up using our group ID #: 166441151 or just put in the name Community Lutheran Preschool. A portion of your purchases will automatically be deposited into our bank account. Please also continue to use your Albertson’s Partners Card and bring in Major Market receipts and Campbell product labels.
Friendly Reminder: The Preschool will be closed Tues., Nov. 11th, for Veteran’s Day and Wed., Thurs., and Friday, Nov. 26th, 27th, & 28th for Thanksgiving.
As you celebrate Thanksgiving this year, remember that the most valuable resource we have is prayer. Thank God for His perfect answers.
In His Service,
Sharon Boyer, Preschool Director

November 2008

__________________________________________________________

ESCRIPS  Like everyone else, the economy has affected our preschool.  However, there are many ways in which your regular purchases can benefit our church and preschool without costing you anything extra.  Here is a list of programs: 

• Office Depot - returns 5% to our school, just mention ID#70200589. Campbell 's Labels - bring the UPC's to school, we are saving for a new playground structure.  

• Register your Ralphs Club number for our school at Ralphs.com and all of your Campbell 's purchases will automatically be credited to us.

•  Albertsons -just give #4 90001 09568 4 along with your Albertsons’ Preferred card next time you shop and a percentage of your purchases will be sent to us quarterly.  You only need to show this number once to link our school to your card. 

• Major Market - just bring us all your receipts.  We turn them in for cash. Vons - bring your "10% Back to Schools" awards to us before October 13.  You should begin receiving these certificates on September 12. 

• E-scrip - Vons is one of the e-scrip participants.  Just go to escrip.com.  Register your store loyalty cards, credit and debit cards.  

E-scrip - includes hundreds of merchants, including automotive, restaurants, grocery stores (Vons is one of the e-scrip participants,) retail, photo, and travel, both online and in-store purchases.  Please sign up.  Every purchase counts and costs you nothing additional.  A portion of the sales is automatically deposited into our church bank account.  Just go to www.escrip.com Our group ID# is 166441151.  Register your store loyalty cards, credit and debit cards.    Each time you make a purchase from a participating merchant using your registered card, a portion of the purchase will be deposited directly into the church bank account.

__________________________________________________________

DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST,
Mark your calendars for Friday, October 24th, at 6:30 p.m. This is the evening of our annual Open House. All our classrooms will be set up for school and beautifully decorated with the children’s work. Bring your family to meet our staff and experience some typical preschool activities.
You and your children are always welcome to attend our weekly chapel at 9:30 a.m., alternating between Wednesdays and Thursdays. Please call the Preschool office for the schedule. Another special event is Lil’ Angels photos on Thursday, Oct. 30 and Fri. Oct. 31. The photographers come to our school with dress up outfits for the children to wear over their clothing. This activity is fun for the children, and the finished pictures make irresistible gifts. Photographers will arrive at 7:30 a.m., and take individual pictures throughout the morning. Please call us for a time if you would like to participate.
Our children are learning that God created us and that He cares about everything we do. They are hearing the Old Testament Bible stories how God protected His people in amazing circumstances. Jacob, Joseph and Moses all trusted God. The children know that they can talk to God through prayer at any time.
Our greatest resource is prayer. Please pray with us for more children to take advantage of the excellent Christ-centered education that we offer. Tell your friends about us. It is truly a blessing to be able to share daily from God’s Word.
Like everyone else, the economy has affected our preschool. However, there are many ways in which your regular purchases can benefit our church and preschool without costing you anything extra. Here is a list of programs: Office Depot – returns 5% to our school, just mention ID#70200589. Campbell’s Labels – bring the UPC’s to school, we are saving for a new playground structure. Register your Ralphs Club number for our school at Ralphs.com and all of your Campbell’s purchases will automatically be credited to us. Albertsons – just give #4 90001 09568 4 along with your Albersons Preferred card next time you shop and a percentage of your purchases will be sent to us quarterly. You only need to show this number once to link our school to your card. Major Market – just bring us all your receipts. We turn them in for cash. Vons – bring your “10% Back to Schools” awards to us before October 13. You should begin receiving these certificates on September 12. E-scrip – Vons is one of the e-scrip participants. Just go to escrip.com. Register your store loyalty cards, credit and debit cards. Each time you make a purchase from a participating merchant using your registered card, a portion of the purchase will be deposited directly into the church bank account. A wide variety of retailers participate, i.e., department stores, restaurants, cruise lines and airlines. If you have any questions or you hear of other promotions for schools, please let us know, call (760) 739-8649 or preschool@clcesc.org.
Thank you for your support for our preschool ministry.
In His Service, Sharon Boyer, Preschool Director

August 2008

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Preschool will be closed August 25 to 29, for Teacher
In-Service, and Monday, September 1, for Labor Day.
During the In-Service we will be renewing our CPR and
First Aid certificates as well as preparing rooms for the
new school year. Now is the time to register for fall!
Here are some more of the “Terrific Ways to Have Fun
with Your Child this Summer”:
GSet buckets on different steps on your stairway. Stand at
the top of the steps and try tossing a ball into the buckets
from the top down. Then stand at the bottom and toss a
ball from the bottom up. Assign points to each bucket and
play with a friend!
GVisit a nursing home or assisted-living community. Make
tray decorations and practice a song or two to sing. Call
ahead for restrictions and information.
GPour a spoonful of rice into a 10 inch balloon. Blow up
the balloon and tie it off. Cut a sturdy rubber band and tie
one end to the balloon. You have a punching balloon to
bounce back and forth. Rice makes it a fun noise maker.
Turn on some music and dance along with your balloon.
GCheck your local library for books about cooking with
children. Try several books and test different recipes.
When you find a book you really like, buy it at the
bookstore and keep cooking with your kids!
GHelp your child make funny hats by cutting a head-sized
hole in paper plates or empty cereal boxes.
GSprinkle sandbox sand with water and give your child a
collection of cookie cutters to use in it.
GTake an unhurried walk together. Do it with the intention
of stopping to look or play wherever your child wants to.
GGo Green! Get a large bag and walk around your
neighborhood with your child, picking up trash along the
way. Be ambitious – walk in the park too!
GMovie Night is a great way for the entire family to spend
the evening together. Rent a family movie, make some
popcorn and have everyone watch the movie together.
GMake certain your child knows his name, address and
phone number. Pick a day (i.e. the first Monday of the
month) and practice with them.
GTell your child how much you love him or her. Say it for
no other reason than because it’s true!
In His Service,
Sharon Boyer, Preschool Director

July 2008

DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST, Summertime brings with it the joys and the challenges of more unscheduled time with children. The Children’s Ministry Department of LCMS provides many resources and curriculum ideas throughout the year. This month we received 50 Ways To Have Fun With Your Child This Summer. They are all easy to do and cost little or nothing. I am sharing some of them with you this month. The full list is available in the preschool office.
♦ Announce “today is BLUE day!”  Wear blue clothes, find blue objects in your home and eat blue food!    
♦ Go bowling, ice skating or rollerblading as a family.
♦ Take a trip to the library every 2 weeks. Talk to your child about what they are interested in and help them find related books. Check with your local branch for summer reading programs, story hours and special play groups.
♦ Worship with your family each week. Make it a habit.
♦ A children’s museum is most interesting! Art and historical museums often house special children’s exhibits. Visit a planetarium and learn about the solar system.
♦ Set an inflated balloon in the middle of a table. Friends stand on opposite sides of the table and try to blow the balloon off.
♦ Collect a few objects, such as a wooden block, a spoon, an apple, a stick, a crayon, and some pebbles or stones. Fill a bucket or shallow pool with water and play, “Will It Float?” (Remember to never leave a child unattended around water.)
♦ Play a simple counting game. How many feet are in this room? How many noses? Ears? Hands?
♦ Find out which is hotter on a sunny day. A leaf? The sidewalk? A plastic toy?
♦ Have a “circle prayer” before dinner. Join hands and let everyone have a turn to pray.
♦ Pretend together. If you were an ant…a bird…a squirrel…Where would you go? What would you do at night? What would you eat for breakfast?

Preschool is open throughout the summer with a high quality, educational, Christ-centered curriculum.  Many activities will involve water. Try to think of Bible stories that include water – there are many.

Enjoy these ideas. Have fun with the children in your lives. Most importantly, don’t take a vacation from God’s Word. Community Lutheran Preschool doesn’t!
In His Service,
Sharon Boyer, Preschool Director

June 2008

DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST,

It’s graduation time again.  Please join us in the Sanctuary at 6:30 PM on Thursday, June 19 for a special celebration honoring our preschool graduates.  Many of these children have been with us since they were 2 years old.

Some are the youngest sibling of previous graduates.  We will miss all of the children, and especially miss seeing these families who have been faithful to our school for so many years.

Our 26 graduates will be attending Kindergarten at 17 different schools.  We pray that the faith in Jesus built during these early years will continue with the children, and that they will be strong witnesses for their friends.

While some children are leaving for Kindergarten, we are welcoming new 2-year-olds into our program.  It is exciting to watch these little ones grow so quickly, and a privilege to share God’s Word with each one.  Our classes are nearly full.

This year we will say good-bye to Mrs. Dana, one of our faithful Pre-K teachers, as she takes a leave of absence.  Dana has been with our school for ten years, and has done an incredible job of preparing these children for Kindergarten.  Though it is sad for us to see her leave, we rejoice in the blessings God has given to her.  Dana is the grandmother of newborn twins, Cash and Madilyn Coleman.  She will be using her childcare and teaching expertise to care for these precious babies.  Thank you, Dana, for your dedicated service to our preschool ministry.  We look forward to your return in the future.

Thank you for your participation in the 2nd annual Tile-Wall event.  We are looking forward to the addition of these beautiful tiles along the preschool courtyard walls.  Thank you also to Thrivent for their matching funds.

Chairs for Children starts June 22nd. The Board of Education is sponsoring a drive to replace mismatched and broken chairs in the Sunday School and Preschool classes. The cost is $25.00 per chair and our goal is 50 chairs.  Thrivent has already promised $400 toward this project. Look for our table on the patio beginning June 22nd

We are open all summer, providing a high-quality, age-appropriate Christian education in a safe nurturing environment.

In His Service,
Sharon Boyer, Preschool Director

April 2008

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

          Thank you for all the wonderful Easter donations.  Your gifts are much appreciated and are being distributed to classes, office and kitchen as they come.  I would like to thank you individually, but many gifts have come anonymously.  Our entire preschool staff is grateful for your support and thankful for such a hardworking, generous Board of Social Ministries.

     Preschool will be closed Friday, April 4 for the annual Lutheran Teaching Workshop, held this year at Grace Lutheran in Escondido.  The topic is “Challenging Behavior and Practical Intervention Strategies.”  The following day, Saturday, April 5, most of our staff will travel to Concordia University in Irvine for the Pacific Southwest District’s Early Childhood Educator’s Spring Conference.  The theme is “Talking About Jesus.”  There will be keynote speakers and a variety of workshops.  Though our teachers are experienced educators, it is uplifting to tour other schools, exchange ideas with other teachers and come back with new lesson plans, activities and techniques.  These staff development opportunities are valuable resources.

     April is an exceptionally busy month for our teachers as they prepare for parent-teacher conferences, to be held this year from April 21-25.  Teachers prepare a written evaluation and portfolio of work samples, art projects, and pictures for each child.  Parents sign up for an individual conference time to discuss their child’s progress with the teacher.  It is important that the children are well-prepared academically and socially for future success.  But our highest priority is the spiritual preparation.  We want each child to know Jesus as personal Lord and Savior.

     On Tuesday, April 29, the San Diego County Fair School Tours will present a program at our school.  They will bring a horse and talk to the children about horses in sports.  You are welcome to bring your children or grandchildren to this interesting presentation.  You may come at either 10:10 or 10:30 AM.

     Please visit preschool anytime to see the exciting learning experiences and faith building that take place every day.

In His Service, Sharon Boyer, Preschool Director