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Preschool News
Hello!
Thank you for checking out Concordia Lutheran Preschool! We are a ministry of Concordia Lutheran Church. The mission of the preschool is to nurture vibrant, active and growing children – spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, socially and physically through a well trained and dedicated Christian staff and Lutheran curriculum. The mission of Concordia Lutheran Church is to give glory to the Triune God and to present His loving message of grace to each other, the community and the world.
Concordia Lutheran Preschool believes that God has created children uniquely, each in his/her own special way. We believe that children learn through play and hands on experiences. We believe that faith in Jesus Christ permeates every aspect of learning. Our goal is to provide experiences to meet each preschooler’s individual needs in the areas of physical, social, emotional, creative, intellectual and spiritual nurture. We allow children to explore all areas of learning in his/her own creative way. We believe in providing a Christ centered, safe, nurturing learning environment where children feel safe to explore and learn. We believe we can best minister to children by also ministering to their families.
We are currently enrolling students for the 2008-2009 school year. Enrollment is first come, first serve until all openings are filled.
In the parent handbook you will find information that should answer most of your questions about CLP. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 509-332-2830 or by email at abkrantz@gmail.com.
In Christ,
Becky Krantz
Director/Teacher
2008-2009 School Year Calendar
| September 3 | 1st Day of Preschool |
| November 24-28 | No Preschool – Thanksgiving Break |
| December 22-January 2 | No Preschool- Christmas Break |
| January 5 | Back to Preschool |
| January 19 | No Preschool – Martin Luther King Jr. Day |
| February 16 | No Preschool – President’s Day |
| March 30-April 3 | No Preschool – Spring Break |
| April 22, 24 | No Preschool -- Parent Teacher Conferences |
| May 25 | No Preschool – Memorial Day |
| May 29 | Last Day of Preschool |
Music for the Preschool at Concordia Lutheran
Our weekly music times have been lots of fun for the children and myself (and teachers, too!). Singing, moving, listening and playing instruments are included in our time together.
Our opening song has been "The Lord is Great, Everybody Sing Alleluia". We are taking turns playing the metalophone to accompany everyone. Next, we have a song or chant that affirms each child by name. Some of the songs we sing are simple, like Twinkle, Twinkle and Jesus Loves Me. The simplest songs help us internalize basic melodic intervals. We make up new verses to some of our songs when each child is given the opportunity to change a word or movement. Some of the songs have lots of words and we will be working on them on and off all year such as: My Favorite Things, This Land is Your Land, etc. We are gaining a big vocal repertoire.
Young children learn through movement and moving to music is a happy time as we use hand motions to illustrate a poem or dance like falling leaves with our colorful scarves. We experience the beat as we clap, tap, dance and march and at the same time, the children build coordination, flexibility and agility. Concepts of up and down, in and out, through, over and under are experience with movement. We will be doing circle dances and the children will experience the joy, socialization and stimulation of collective movement.
We have listening opportunities in class: the sounds of birds, musical instruments, the sounds of weather. These experiences heighten our awareness of everyday experiences in our world and fill us with wonder.
We will be playing a variety of instruments--mostly percussion. Use of the sticks, bells and resonator bars help us experience the beat with large muscle skills. We use drums to set the tempo when we march, walk, trot, run, tiptoe and gallop.
I suppose the most important factor in music at this stage is that it be joyful. I want the children to have a positive association with music and to see themselves as music makers (as opposed to only music consumers). In our lessons, they are gaining skills that give them a foundation for success with later musical pursuits.
May we give thanks to God for the gifts of our children and for the gift of music.
Marsha Olsen,
Music teacher
Becky Krantz, Director/Lead Teacher
Becky received her BA in Christian Education with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education from Trinity Lutheran College. She has been working with children for over 10 years. She is married to Aaron and has two children. Hannah is 3 and Isaac is 1. She finds immense joy working with young children and enjoys the challenge of meeting each child’s individual needs.
Danielle Fudge, Assisant Teacher
Danielle is an energetic and enthusiastic teacher with a strong compassion for children. She is currently working on her college degree. She is married to Zach and has two children. Brianna is 4 and Dylan is 3.
