The Weekly Update #4

I've always thought that the start of a new school year really should be a holiday instead of January 1st being our New Year's holiday. It seems a little odd to celebrate a "new year" in the middle of our school year! For those of us who have children attending school and/or are educators, the first days of school are a very big deal in our world and worth celebrating!

Why does it seem like all of the Back-to-School Nights for all the area schools fall on the same night?! When you have young children, you are managing so much at home and at school. You may even find yourself calming a meltdown while trying not to have one yourself because suddenly what you served for breakfast is indeed not what they want anymore!

Frustration is expected. Short tempers are expected. Exhaustion is definitely expected. New behaviors that you have never seen from your child before? Those are expected, too.Try to live in the moment and remember that this, too, shall pass.

Ms. Kristi, our assistant director, has a bracelet that says, "Be Here Now." I love this phrase. It is such a simple reminder to be present and live in the moment, even the rough ones.

It is okay to have the positive feelings, the negative feelings, and even the "will they ever outgrow this?" feelings that come during high-stress times like the start of a new school year. Give yourself permission to feel all of it.

One of the neatest things about childhood is that you get to watch your child transition and grow. The days when breakfast was a disaster eventually become the days when they try new foods, make their own breakfast, and, years later, maybe even make breakfast for you. Those challenging moments give us the opportunity to see growth and learning later on. Without the difficult moments, the positive ones simply wouldn't feel quite as sweet.

Parents, I want you to know that this has been one of the best starts to a school year I have seen in my eleven years here! The kids have been amazing! You are all doing an incredible job, even if it doesn't always feel that way. I get to see the proof of that every day at Little School.

You have a few months of calm before the holidays approach, so please take care of yourselves. Give yourself grace. Take a breath. Be here now.

Much Love,

Kelly Amadeo
Director and Principal

https://www.stlukeslittleschool.org/calendar.html

Click the link above, scroll down to where it says "Add to Google Calendar" and have this save to your own calendar. This is the best way to stay up-to-date on events!

September 10th: Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) meeting at 1:30 upstairs: Come in through the front doors. Email littleschool@stlukeshr.com if you want to join! All are welcome.

September 16th/17th: Chapel Days for your child:This month's theme is Creation and Pete the Cat

September 23rd/24th: Lunch with Loved Ones-check with your child's teacher for more information.

September 28th-October 1st: Individual School Pictures: See schedule below

• Monday 9/28: Katie Maldonado MWF, Chanda's MWF, Katie Matthews MWF, Jessica's MWF, Katie Devlin's MWF, Amy's MWF

• Tuesday 9/29: Katie Maldonado's TTh, Chanda's TTh, Mandi's TTh, Jessica's TTh, Katie Devlin's TTh

• Wednesday 9/30: Laura's MWF, Jenn's M-Th, Kathy's M-F, Kristi's M-Th, Dawn and Julie's M-F

• Thursday 10/1: Mrs. Goad, Mrs. Wolfe, Deon's TThF, Holly's TThF, Kenna's M-F

Fridays!

Don't forget late start Fridays! We start at 10:00am and end at 2:00pm. Beforecare is from 9:30am-10:00am and Aftercare is from 2:00pm-3:00pm (no rest time).

Ms. Nancy!

We are excited to welcome our Little School musicians back this year! A special welcome goes out to our new music teachers, Ms. Marisa and Ms. Siena, who have joined the music team. Yay!

There is lots of fun music, singing, dancing, and memory-making ahead!

We’ve jumped right in with back-to-school classics like “The Wheels on the Bus” and playful “getting to know you” songs like “Here We Are Together.” Ask your child if they can teach you “Put Your Bumper on the Circle,” sung to the tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It.

September will bring lots of songs and poems about “All About Me” and “I Am Special,” celebrating what makes each of us unique. “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” is our chapel song for the month.

We’ll also have some fun with our apple, farm, and fall songs! We’ll sing “Did You Ever See an Apple,” sung to the tune of Did You Ever See a Lassie, “I Know a Chicken” with our shaker eggs, and “Every Morning.”

Thank you for sharing your children with us at Little School. They are such a joy to have in music, and we love seeing their smiles and excitement each week. We’re looking forward to a great year together!

The Little School Music Team
Ms. Sheri • Ms. Marisa • Ms. Siena

Sept. 12th (SAT): PARENT'S MORNING OUT 9:00am-noon: RSVP to sam@stlukeshr.com. The cost is $30 per family. This is offered the second Saturday of every month.

Sept 13th (Sun): Wonderfest 5:00 - 7:00pm! Join us at Civic Green Park Highlands Ranch for music, games and fun. Bring a picnic. All are welcome!

Sept 16th (Wed): Pub Theology 6:00pm Sundial House in the BackCountry neighborhood. This month's theme is Edgewalking! Come learn about this spiritual topic and enjoy a beverage and food (available for purchase).

Thursdays in September ~ Gentle Yoga in the Chapel(smaller sanctuary upstairs) at 8:30am. The cost $15