Monthly News 2024
October 2024
Greetings SLCC Families,
We had a busy month in September with all of our grade levels adapting to routines and structure,
managing anxieties, making connections, and focusing on planned activities. It has been fun
observing the children learn about themselves and their friends. Now that we have fallen into
October, a fun time of the year, we will have a school wide investigation with pumpkins, fall, and
fire safety. Our infants and toddlers have begun their exploration of materials with a focus on fall
colors and what changes they see, fall art projects, and preparing for the storybook character
parade. Our two-year-olds are exploring materials with purpose and intent creating and
representing ideas with crafts and projects, also identifying shapes and numbers. Their fun
continues with farms, nature walks, mixing paint to explore what colors they can create. Our three-
year-olds will discover fall changes on their nature walks, learn all about pumpkins, triangles, and
the letters U-C-O-Q. Our four-year-olds planned different literature for each week in October,
with a review and questions to follow. They will also focus on numbers and letters for the month,
farms, Columbus Day, National Character Counts, and a social focus on structure and routines.
Our teachers are capturing your child in action through photographs and language samples to
make their learning visible.
Pink It Up Wednesday: Every Wednesday of October we will wear pink in honor Breast Cancer
Awareness.
Pumpkin Patch: On Wednesday, October 30th, and Thursday, October 31st, the children will have
the opportunity to explore texture, shape, and size as they hold and touch the pumpkins. Each
child will take a pumpkin back to their classroom to extend their explorations for the rest of the
week, then take them home. Our FIG group will be working hard to plan and organize this event.
Be on the lookout for parent support information.
Parent Conferences: SLCC parent conference time is here! We will hold parent conferences for
our older classes on the following dates. Be on the lookout for conference sign-up information and
location.
October 8th: Ladybugs and Frogs
October 9th: Dogs and Dragonflies
October 10th: Owls
Summerville Fire Dept: The children will explore the fire truck while the fire men answer
questions and share helpful information.
Storybook Character Parade: SLCC will have a Storybook Character Parade on October 25th at
10AM. Each class will pick a favorite book and character to represent, and we will have fun
making our costumes at school. Stay tuned as your teacher may ask for certain items to help with
the creation of the costumes.
Wishing you well,
Sharon Ancrum, Director
Reminders:
Parent Engagement App- By now all families will have received an email invite to set up and sign in. ProCare is the software we will use for daily reports and communication. Please be sure to sign up and let us know If you are experiencing any issues.
Drop off/Pick up– If your child is in the Parish building, (Peeps, Cats, Bunnies, Tigers, Fish, Ducks), drop off and pick up will be at the classroom doors inside the building. Dragonflies will drop off in the Owls classroom if your child arrives before 9:00 a.m. The Dragonflies and Owls will combine at 4:00 p.m. and pick up will be in the Owls classroom. Frogs, Dogs, and Ladybugs will drop off and pick up at the classroom door inside the building. Drop off before 8:00 a.m. will be in the Dogs classroom. Lions and Turtles will drop off and pick up in the classroom, using the door inside the building (please do not use the outside doors). Early arrival before 8:00 a.m. will be in the Lions classroom. Lions will combine with the turtles at 4:00 p.m. In the afternoon some classes will combine with their age group, but we will be as consistent as possible. We know how important it is to know where your child is located, so we will have teachers put class transfer information into ProCare.
Medication Form and illnesses– Medication forms are available in the front office, so please complete as
needed. New medication forms are required for all students, as we update our files. All medication, including sunscreen and bug spray does require a completed form. All prescribed medication must have the original label with correct name, dose, time, and date. When children are sick, we strongly urge
you to keep them home, to avoid the spread of germs to staff and other children.
Labeling- Please remember to label your child’s personal belongings: bottles (daily), water cups, food containers, utensils, clothing (inside), blankets, etc.
Healthy Foods- We encourage all parents to provide a healthy lunch daily. As children grow and develop, they need important nutrients to make them strong and healthy. Also, refer to our policy in the Parent handbook for information on foods that could be a choking hazard.
Safety- It is important to keep all children safe, so please refrain from letting them run through the building and parking lot and remember to secure the door after you enter. Your children are our number one priority so it is important for us to correlate school family. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
The History of St. Luke’s Children’s Center
St. Luke’s Children’s Center was first established as a ministry of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in 1973. During that first year, our teachers excitedly set out with 2 classes and 35 students. Their first directors, Joyce Dubis and Elizabeth Snyder, wrote, “Our goal is the development of the whole child – mentally, physically, and spiritually, allowing opportunity for individual attention so that each child can progress according to their own ability and develop a good self concept. Our curriculum for our children includes an open classroom situation with opportunities to grow through art, music, language experiences, field trips, health, safety, home-living and dramatic play, interest in books, math readiness, physical education, active outdoor play, sciences, and a special time for snacks and relaxation.”
Although many years have gone by since we began, and our center has grown a lot over the years, St. Luke’s goals and curriculum are not too different today than they were back at the the beginning. We are still committed to the development of the whole child – mentally, physically, and spiritually, and we allow our children continual opportunities for learning and growth as they create, build, investigate, and set out to discover the world around them.
