Let's Make a Joyful Noise

Playing and learning go hand in hand out on the ECC playground. In addition to opportunities to climb, run, garden and engage in dramatic play, our students are now also making a new joyful noise during their time outdoors. With generous donations from our ECC parents, the preschool has purchased three permanent, weatherproof outdoor musical instruments for the playground: a dragonfly chime (pictured), an alligator drum, and a Jamaican steel drum. These new acquisitions have added to the happy sounds emanating from our playground. Without a doubt, our ECC students will enjoy their new instruments for many years to come. 

We are All Precious in His Sight

Those who have joined the ECC family know that the preschool is committed to providing a safe, nurturing, faith-filled learning environment that prepares children for future learning and life experiences. Equally important to its mission, the ECC stresses its dedication to respecting and valuing each individual and family and the unique contributions they offer to our community. From the moment they cross the threshold of our school, day after day, our students know they are loved and valued, and that they are expected to treat each other with that same respect. Recently the 4-year-old Blue Tie Teddy class took the opportunity to honor the message of Dr. Martin Luther King. They discussed how people may look different on the outside, but how all are blessed with hearts and souls created and loved by God, our Father. The children made colorful ribbon sticks to represent all the different peoples of the world. “Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world,” they sang as they gathered in front of the welcoming wall in the church atrium. In addition to raising their voices in song, they offered prayers for brotherhood and peace. Our children offer us hope for a bright future. 

An Artist and Reader in the Making

Our two-year-old students at the ECC are creative and curious, and they take their work very seriously. It may look like scribbling to the uninformed, but this little fellow is exhibiting a milestone in his development. Scribbling is an early form of expression which will develop into drawing, painting, and eventually writing. His marks are becoming more orderly as he grows. He is well on his way to discovering that a drawn symbol can stand for a real thing in the environment. It won’t be long after that that he begins to understand that marks can represent letters and then words. So, what looks like fun coloring and drawing are really the first steps toward literacy and learning to read and write! How exciting it is to watch as our young students’ minds and abilities grow.

In the Children's Atrium

Pictured is one of our young ECC students at work in the “Children’s Atrium”, the unique classroom for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd faith formation program. All 4- and 5-year old classes visit this specially prepared space for an hour each week. The child in the photo is pondering the parable of the Good Shepherd; he is manipulating figures of the Shepherd and his beloved sheep as a teacher reads excerpts from this Scripture passage from John 10. The class meets first as a group where a lesson such as the parable of the Good Shepherd is presented. The teacher helps the children review the story and asks some leading questions for the children to ponder. Once the lesson is given, the child can revisit it throughout the year during the free choice work portion of the class. The children love this lesson and return to it again and again; soon they will know it all by heart. The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program gets its name from this lesson about God’s care and love for his sheep. We are praying that this program can grow here at St. Raphael’s to enrich the lives of even more children.

Happy New Year!

For some, the new year means simply changing the calendar.  For others, it represents a renewed hope for a better tomorrow.  The three-year-old Bunnies’ class celebrated the new year by decorating party hats and blowing noise makers.  They also made New Year’s resolutions. Some of these resolutions were about academics—“to learn to read,” “to learn to write.” Some concerned improved ways of behaving—“to clean my room,” “to eat more carrots,” “to play with my dog more.” Some were about becoming more proficient—“to become a fast runner,” “to get bigger.” And some were just about getting priorities right—“to eat more, drink hot chocolate and hang out by the fireplace.” The Bunnies look forward to growing and learning in 2012.