May Newsletter

Mother’s Day

In honor of Mother’s Day, we will have a “Muffins with Mom” on Monday, May 2^nd.  We will have breakfast in the morning.  Come a bit early before school starts and have breakfast with your little ones. 

Summer Enrollment

The summer session will start on June 13^th through August 10^th.  Tuition is $130 per child and will be due on June 13^th and then again on July 11^th.  We will be closed on July 4^th.

To enroll your family, fill out the Summer Enrollment form and send $20 PER CHILD for their summer supply fee.  There is no enrollment fee due for summer!

Memorial Day

We will be closed in observance of Memorial Day on Monday, May 30^th.

Snack time – Letter “P”

On Monday, May 23^rd, bring a snack to share with your class that starts with the letter Pp.  Some ideas include: popcorn, popsicles, pretzels, pineapple, pickles, pasta, pizza, pancakes.  Be creative and see if you can think of something other than what’s already listed.

Curriculum Highlights

May 2^nd and 4^th

Mother’s Day, Letter Mm

May 9^th and 11^th

Birds of a Feather, Letter Nn

May 16^th and 18^th

I’m Me!  I’m Fantastic!, Letter Ii

May 23^rd and 25^th

In a People House, Letter Pp

May 30^th – No School

June 1^st – Review        

School *P*A*R*T*Y*

To celebrate our last day of the Spring semester, we will be having a pizza party on June 1^st.  Please send $3 per child for pizza, fruit, dessert and drinks.

We also want to THANK YOU for being with us through our very first semester.  Through your prayers and support, this program will continue to grow in Christ’s name.

Dates to Remember:

·         Muffins with Mom 5/9

·         Tuition Due 5/10

·         Bring a snack that starts with “P” 5/23

·         PURPLE Day 5/25

·         NO SCHOOL 5/30

·         PAJAMA Day 6/1

·         Last Day of School 6/1

Kids Bowl FREE

Want some FREE summer fun?  Kids bowl free all summer long!  Click HERE for more information.  There are tons of locations all over the states. 

Shenaniganz in Rockwall is our local bowling alley offering Kids Bowl Free.  Our family participated at this location last summer and it was awesome!  They were so accommodating and accepting of our passes.  You will get your coupons emailed to you weekly.  All you do is print and take them with you.  You will just have to pay for shoe rentals for those participating.  Adults can purchase bowling shoes for around $20 and never have to pay for shoe rentals which makes this deal a little bit sweeter.

Happy Easter

Christ has died.  Christ has risen.  Christ will come again!

Happy Easter from Grace Christian Preschool to your family!

Good Friday

Good Friday is observed on the Friday before Easter Sunday. On this day Christians commemorate the passion, or suffering, and death on the cross of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Many Christians spend this day in fasting, prayer, repentance, and meditation on the agony and suffering of Christ on the cross.  It's also important to understand that Jesus clearly understood his mission on earth involved laying down his life as a sacrifice. In other words, Jesus knew it was His Father's will for him to die.
 

The biblical account of Jesus' death on the cross, or crucifixion, his burial and his resurrection, or raising from the dead, can be found in the following passages of Scripture: Matthew 27:27-28:8; Mark 15:16-16:19; Luke 23:26-24:35; and John 19:16-20:30.

Taken from: http://christianity.about.com/od/holidaytips/qt/whatisgoodfrida.htm

Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday is observed during Holy Week on the Thursday before Easter. Also referred to as "Holy Thursday" or "Great Thursday" in some Christian denominations, Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper when Jesus shared the Passover meal with his disciples on the night before he was crucified. In contrast to joyful Easter celebrations when Christians worship their resurrected Savior, Maundy Thursday services are typically more solemn occasions, marked by the shadow of Jesus' betrayal.

 
While different denominations observe Maundy Thursday in their own distinct ways, two important biblical events are the primary focus of Maundy Thursday solemnizations:
 
Before the Passover meal, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. By performing this lowly act of service, the Bible says in John 13:1 that Jesus "showed them the full extent of his love." By his example, Jesus demonstrated how Christians are to love one another through humble service. For this reason, many churches practice foot-washing ceremonies as a part of their Maundy Thursday services.

During the Passover meal, Jesus took bread and wine and asked his Father to bless it. He broke the bread into pieces, giving it to his disciples and said, "This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." Then he took the cup of wine, shared it with his disciples and said, "This wine is the token of God's new covenant to save you--an agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you." These events recorded in Luke 22:19-20 describe the Last Supper and form the biblical basis for the practice of Communion. For this reason, many churches hold special Communion services as a part of their Maundy Thursday celebrations. Likewise, many congregations observe a traditional Passover Seder meal.

What does "Maundy" mean?  Derived from the Latin word mandatum, meaning "commandment," Maundy refers to the commands Jesus gave his disciples at the Last Supper: to love with humility by serving one another and to remember his sacrifice.

Taken from http://christianity.about.com/od/easter/qt/maundythursday.htm.

Easter Party!

We celebrated today with an Easter egg hunt and an Easter lunch - ham, green beans, carrots, macaroni and cheese and bananas.  And of course juice and cookies as well!  We had SO MUCH FUN!  Here are just a few pictures.  To see them all, click HERE.

Homemade Resurrection Rolls

This is a simple way to share the message of the cross with your children and family and end up with a yummy treat! This recipe serves 24.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup warm water
1 large egg
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar
6 tbs butter
3 tbs dry milk
1 1/2 tsb yeast
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 tbs cinnamon
24 marshmallows

Combine first 8 ingredients. Let rise until double. Divide into 24 balls and flatten. Rolled dough represents the tomb.
Mix sugar and cinnamon together.

Dip rolls in melted margarine, then into sugar mixture. Wrap roll around a marshmallow, covering completely. Marshmallow represents Jesus’ body. Rolling each roll in butter and then in the sugar mix represents the oils and spices the body was anointed with upon burial.

Dip once more into butter, and again into sugar. Place rolls in a large greased pan and allow to rise till double (about 35 minutes). Rapping the tomb around the body and seal it tightly represents rolled a stone over the tomb to secure it.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until done. Rolls should be completely empty when cooled…like the empty tomb.  Jesus is ALIVE!

Homemade Resurrection Eggs

What a terrific way to share the Easter story of Jesus's resurrection with your children. You will need a dozen plastic Easter eggs, an egg carton, and the items listed to go along with the scripture. Each egg is to contain the item along with the paper describing the verse. When you are all done filling the eggs you can even decorate a the egg carton!

 PLEASE NOTE: Some of these items are very small and adult supervision is necessary for the little ones.

1. (Bread) Matthew 26:26
"While they were eating Jesus took a piece of bread,
gave a prayer of thanks, broke it, and gave it to His disciples.
'Take and eat it,' He said, 'This is My body.'"

2. (Coins) Matthew 26: 14-15
"Then  one of the twelve disciples, named Judas Iscariot, went to
the chief priests and asked, 'What will you give me if I betray
Jesus to you?'  They counted out thirty silver coins and gave 
them to him."

3.  (Purple cloth, representing a purple robe) Mark 15:17
"They put a purple robe on Jesus. . ."

4.  (Thorns) Matthew 27:29
"Then they made a crown out of thorny branches and placed it on
His head, and put a stick on His right hand; then they knelt
before Him and made fun of Him.  'Long live the King, of the 
Jews!' they said."

5. (Scourge-a small piece of rope or thick string)  Mark 15:15
"Pilate wanted to please the crowd, so he set Barabbas free for
them.  Then he had Jesus whipped and handed Him over to be
crucified."

6.  (Cross) John 19: 17-18a
"He went out, carrying His cross, and came to 'The Place of the
Skull,' as it is called.  (In Hebrew it is called "Galgotha.") There
they crucified Him."

7.  (Nails) John 20:25b
"Thomas said to them, 'Unless I see the scars of the nails in His
hands and put my finger on those scars and my hand in His
side, I will not believe.'"

8.  (Sign) Luke 23:38
"Above Him were written these words:  THIS IS THE KING OF 
THE JEWS."

9.  (Sponge) Matthew 27:48
"One of them ran up at once, took a sponge, soaked it in cheap
wine, put it on the end of a stick, and tried to make Him drink it."

10.  (Spear) John 19:34
"One of the soldiers plunged his spear into Jesus' side, and at
once blood and water poured out."

11.  (Rock) Matthew 27:59-60
"Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a new linen sheet, and
placed it in his own new tomb, which he had just recently dug
out of solid rock.  Then he rolled a large stone across the
entrance to the tomb and went away."

12.  (Empty) Matthew 28:6
"He is not here He has risen just as He said."

Easter Egg Hunt and Class Parties

To celebrate Easter, we will have our class Easter Egg Hunt on Monday, April 18^th.  Please bring 12 FILLED plastic eggs to school.  We will make an Easter Bag and they will return home with 12 eggs they found on their hunt.  Please make sure that the items in the plastic egg will not melt.  You may also send a camera to school and we will take their picture for you.  And of course you are always welcome to join us for our class parties.

We’ll also have a special lunch on this day.  Please send $3 per child to cover their special lunch – ham, turkey, cheese, fruit, veggies and juice.  We will cook this for them and all eat together in honor of Easter.

April Newsletter

Spring Pictures

Holly Reyna Photography will be here Wednesday, April 6^th to take the kids’ Spring pictures.  A price sheet will go home soon!  If you have multiple children, they can have their pictures taken together and/or individually.  You will need to make a check out to Grace Christian Preschool.  A portion of your child’s pictures will go back to the preschool; we thank you for taking your child’s pictures here at the school.

Holly Reyna Photography

214-577-0626

holly.reyna@hotmail.com

reynaphotos.blogspot.com

Fall Enrollment

Fall enrollment begins March 28^th for current GCP families.  Enrollment will open April 4^th for church members and April 11^th for new families.  Fill out the Fall Enrollment form and attach the $50 enrollment fee to reserve your child’s spot.  Refer your friends for discounted rates!!

Summer Enrollment

Summer Enrollment begins March 28^th.  There will be classes for infants through 5^th grade.  The summer session will be in progress from June 13^th through August 10^th.  Tuition is $130 per child and will be due on June 13^th and then again on July 11^th. 

To enroll your family, fill out the Summer Enrollment form and send $20 PER CHILD for their summer supply fee.  There is no enrollment fee due for summer!

Curriculum Highlights

April 4^th and 6^th

At the Zoo, Letter Zz

April 11^th and 13^th

A Rainbow of Colors, Letter Aa

April 18^th and 20^th

Happy Easter, Letter Ll

April 25^th and 27^th

Let’s Go Camping, Letter Gg

Easter Parties

To celebrate Easter, we will have our class Easter Egg Hunt on Monday, April 18^th.  Please bring 12 FILLED plastic eggs to school.  We will make an Easter Bag and they will return home with 12 eggs they found on their hunt.  Please make sure that the items in the plastic egg will not melt.  You may also send a camera to school and we will take their picture for you.  And of course you are always welcome to join us for our class parties.

We’ll also have a special lunch on this day.  Please send $3 per child to cover their special lunch – ham, turkey, cheese, fruit, veggies and juice.  We will cook this for them and all eat together in honor of Easter.

Dates to Remember:

·         PICTURE DAY!!  4/6

·         Tuition DUE 4/10