At the beginning of May we will be focusing on preparing our Mother's Day surprises, so please don't ask your children what they are working on. We will end the week with our special time with our moms and grandmas. Our Mother's Day Tea will be on Thursday, May 10th, from 10:00 to 11:00 am.

Our last day of school will be Wednesday, May 16th. We are asking both the 3-year-old and the 4-year-old classes to come to school at 8:30 am that day so that they can practice together for graduation. At 9:30 am we will walk the children to Bates Park, where we ask parents to meet us with a picnic lunch for the family. The picnic should last until about 11:00 am (weather permitting).

We will celebrate our preschool graduation on Wednesday, May 16th, at 6:00 pm in the chapel. The children will sing special songs, and we will have a slideshow from our year together. All children will receive special certificates. We will end in the gymn with refreshments. It is a special night to share memories of the year we have spent together before we end for the summer.

The theme for April will be spring. We will discuss the changes during the season and how they affect plants, animals, and the weather.

The 3-year-old class will be spend the final weeks of scholl working on nursery rhymes, along with some spring activities. We will talk about weather changes during spring while making a special weather mobile.

Dads, Grandpas, Uncles, or Special Guy: On Saturday, April 14th, from 9:00 to 10:00 am, you are invited to an hour of fun with your preschooler. We will be having doughnuts, as well as making a special craft together. We will also be celebrating summer birthdays. Anyone who has a summer birthday is welcome to bring in a special treat on the day we pick to celebrate his or her birthday.

In March, we will be talking about dinosaurs as we get ready for our Open House; our theme for this year's Open House is "Dino-mite!" The 3-year-old class will focus on the numbers 1 through 5 while talking about dinosaurs. Toward the end of the month we will start working on different nursery rhymes as we move into Spring.

On March 19th we will have a special "in-house field trip" — the McHenry County Conservation Department will put on a special animal presentation for the children. The 3-year-old class is welcome to join the 4-year-old class for this special presentation.

In February, the 3-year-old class will focus on the same oval, diamond, and heart. This will conclude the shapes theme. At the end of the month, we will review all the shapes we have learned and do some special projects using these shapes.

On February 14th, the class will have a party to celebrate Valentine's Day. During our party, we will be having a special ice cream sundae snack. For the party the children may bring valentines for each friend at school; we will be making special holders to carry home the valentines.

In January, our 3-year-old class will concentrate on learning different shapes. Each week we will focus on a different shapes while using that shape in our projects.

During the month of December, the students in our 3-year-old class will review their colors by making their own special color book. We will be learning about the true meaning of Christmas, and will be working on many Christmas projects, along with some surprises. We will also be talking about trains, since we will be going on the Polar Express field trip. We will also spend a great deal of time during the first two weeks of the month practicing for our December 13th Christmas program; the children always look forward to this special night.

In November, the 3-year-old class will be focusing on the colors green, purple, and brown. Each week is focused on a new color, and at the end of the month the children will review all of their colors. They will do many activities for each color and they will prepare for their Thanksgiving Feast.

We will be combining both of our classes for a Thanksgiving feast on Wednesday, November 23. The feast will start at 10:00 am, and both classes will sing a few songs. At the conclusion of the songs, our families will be invited to share our feast with their children.

Throughout the month we will also be working on making ornaments for the Christmas tree we will set up at the Opera House. This year we picked the theme "Polar Express" so it will go along with our December 9 field trip. We will make a variety of ornaments to correspond with the story, and the tree will be displayed at the Opera House beginning November 25 at the lighting of the Square.

In October, the Red Room will focus on the colors blue, yellow, orange, and black. Each week we will learn a different color; parents will be asked to dress the children in something of that color. We will also be talking about the changes we see in the weather and about what happens in fall.

On October 27th, the Red Room will celebrate "Falloween." The children will be allowed to wear their Halloween costumes to school that day; they will trick-or-treat around the church building, play games, make crafts, and participate in a special snack.