Dear Parents-

               Many of you might be surprised to see how excited your children are to see their friends after Christmas Break. We love watching them reunite with the friends after a few days off.  Their excitement and delight are such a pleasure to observe.

             While friendships in early childhood are very different from that in adulthood and even in middle– and later-childhood, they are very important.  We spend a great deal of time working with the children to help them build their social  relationships and refine their social skills. Research has shown that as children are exposed to social situations earlier in life (through preschool and childcare) those early relationships are becoming increasingly important and often last into adulthood. Exposing children to social opportunities early in life provides them with    experiences that are not available through relationships with adults or siblings. With friends his or her own age, a child experiences opportunities to negotiate, compromise and problem solve. They are encouraged to express their opinions and ideas and respect others.  Interaction with and acceptance by peers can have long-term effects on a child’s life. Preschoolers develop social competence in three main areas: initiating interactions, maintaining ongoing relationships, and solving conflicts with other children.

             While some children easily join a group in play, others have more difficulty. We can help children learn social strategies for entering play groups  or for talking to other children about what they want. We need not be too concerned when children change friends or even say that a certain child is not their friend anymore. At this young age, friendships may only last for an afternoon of play.  Our main objective is to be sure that all of the children are creating relationships with other children and learning to respect the feelings of others. 

             You can help to increase your child’s positive experiences by asking them about their friends at school and inviting classmates over to play after-school and on weekends.  We are thrilled to have our little friends back from the holiday and look forward to watching their relationships grow and flourish. We are looking forward to a great New Year!

It is that time again!! Reenrollment will take place this month. Again this year, we would like to make reenrollment as easy as possible.  On January 6th, we will distribute enrollment surveys  to currently enrolled families. This survey should be returned to our office on or before January 16th with 1/2 of the enrolment fee.  If possible we will use this survey to place current students in classes, rather than having parents come up to enroll in person.  Confirmation will be sent to parents on January 21st. We will only do first-come-first-served basis if necessary due to interest.    Registration for church members will begin on January 26th and will be open to the public on January 27th.  

Information on pricing and programs offered may be found at: http://www.fumcplanoweekday.org/tuition09-10.shtml

We look forward to another year with your families. Please let us know if you have any  questions.

The Weekday Program Parent Teacher Connection’s 6^th annual Spaghetti with Santa that was held on November 30^th was a huge success! Over 400 people, young and old, assembled in the Gathering Area to have pictures taken by Kim Peichel with Santa and Mrs. Claus and enjoy a delicious dinner provided by Macaroni Grill.

This annual event was started in 2003 to raise funds for the Weekday Program Scholarship Fund and has been gaining momentum ever since. Funds are raised though ticket sales and a silent auction. The most popular auction items are always projects made by each of the classes: quilts, hand-painted ornaments, hand-decorated wreaths and Christmas trees were some of the favorites this year.

Children also brought hundreds of toys that were donated to Plano Santas. We were very lucky this year to have National Junior Honor Society student volunteers from Plano East and Jasper High School in addition to our parent volunteers. Another great addition this year was the bell choir, the band “Eden” and a Tuba/Euphonium quartet from Plano East and Williams High. It was a wonderful event!

We are looking forward to the 7^th Annual Spaghetti with Santa next year on December 11^th!