We have an awsome God!!!!!!!! He has a birthday and blesses us! We pray that all of you are able to enjoy this blessed time of the year as we prepare for His birthday! December is a busy month at OBCA. We will be celebrating Jesus' birthday with many activities. Here is a brief summary of our plans (a note will be sent home this week): -On Thursday December 17 we will have our music program.K-4 children should arrive at 6:30 PM. -On Friday December 18 we will have a birthday party for Jesus. All children are invited to attend school on this day (even the ones who normally attend only Mon. through Fri.). We will be singing "Jingle Bells" for the school in Chapel that day. We will have a Christmas Card exchange that morning (name list will be enclosed in your letter this week). We will be purchasing chicken nugget meals for lunch from Chick-Fil-A. The cost will be $3 per child. Money (cash only) will be due by the morning of Wednesday, December 16. Please give all money directly to the teachers. We will also have a book exchange. We will draw names (details to come in your letter this week) of a friend to buy a Christian book. Please do not spend any more than $5. Wrapped and tagged books will be due in class by the morning of Wednesday, December 16. -Friday, December 18 School closes @ 1 PM During the week of December 14 - 18, we will study c,C,and number 20. Letters c and k share the five vowels when they form blends. We will cover c and k blends when we learn letter k. We will continue to study Christ's birth. F.Y.I.***** Your child will be bringing home two gifts which were made in class. One is intended for mom and the other for dad. Please feel free to substitute any other loved one where necessary! Some parents are making the mistake of telling their children about the Parent Helpful Hint in making the blend sounds. We have children adding a t to the blends. We can not stress to you enough that children in Pre-K are not able to think backward yet. They are not able to subtract the t sound. This will totally interupt your child's concept of blends if you share it with him or her. I will be sppeaking to individual parents next week about this serious issue. The hint is intended to assist parents only with phonics which may have been forgotten over time. We are also beginning to work on reading with a purpose. We are exploring how to read a story and figure out the "Who, what, where, when, why and how," of the story. This will sharpen comprehension skills. It will get the children thinking in terms of sequencing a story. It will help them begin to be able to create their own stories. Please be courteous and remember that our hours of operation are from 8:15 to 3:15. If you do not pick up your child by 3:15 we have the right to either place your child in our after care program for which you will have to pay, or we could charge you one dollar for every minute that you do not arrive. It is your responsibility to be on time. Repeat offenders will be charged!