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September 4, 2016
Issue No. 1
Bethany Lutheran Preschool Newsletter

Bethany Lutheran Preschool exists:  "To provide quality Christian early childhood education in a safe, loving and caring atmosphere; daily teaching God's forgiveness and love through our Savior, Jesus Christ."
In This Issue
Come and Worship with Us
 
At Bethany, worship is a celebration of what God has done for us in His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior-His initiative in our life, His saving events throughout history. Worship is a remembrance, a reenactment-if-you-will, of God's redemptive acts for all people throughout history; it is also a joyful reception through faith, by God's people now, who live to proclaim His redeeming grace to all the world. The Lutheran understanding of "Gottesdienst" or "God's service to us" and "our service to God" are foundational to all that we do in worship. God first comes to us, and we respond in confession, joyful praise, prayer and humble faith.

Worship Service times are: 
 Sunday at 8:00AM, 9:30AM and 10:55AM (convergent/blended style) 
Dear Parents,

We enjoyed our first week getting to know the children and your family.  Later this week we will be adding all of our first day photos to our Connected in Christ wall just outside Miss Mandy's classroom.  We will also be featuring artists in our art gallery located in the preschool hallway above the 2 year old cubbies and outside the preschool under the classroom windows.


Our school theme this year is Rock Solid based on Isaiah 26:4 "Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal."

 

Remember that we will be closed on Monday as we celebrate Labor Day.  

Tuesday we will have our first chapel in church.  Chapel offerings this year will go to benefit Mission Alaska, Mission India and Corazones Para Guatemala.  The first Tuesday of the month we will celebrate Baptism birthdays in chapel.  If you have not already done so, please return your Baptism birthday form to your teacher. 

Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. we will be hosting a New Parent Orientation Night in our Choir Room located just behind the preschool.  This is a great opportunity to meet other parents and ask any questions that you may have regarding the Preschool.

On Thursday, we will have a chance to preview Soccer Shots.  On Monday, September 12 the students will also have a chance to preview Play Sports and Webby Dance.  Webby Dance will be offering dance this year on Monday morning and gymnastics on Thursday morning.

Just a quick reminder that if you are picking up or dropping off between 8:30-8:45 a.m. and/or 3-3:30 p.m. our parking lot is one way.  This means that you will enter on Clark and when you leave, you will need to exit onto Arbor.  We thank you for your assistance in keeping our children and other parents safe.
  

In His Service,

Mary Wolfinbarger
Bethany Lutheran Preschool
562-429-7335 
Dates for Your Calendar
September 5 - Preschool will be closed for the Labor Day holiday
September 6 - First preschool chapel
September 7 - New Parent Orientation in the Choir Room at 6 p.m.
September 8 - Soccer Shots Preview Day
September 9 - Bethany Bears PTL Bonfire at Bolsa Chica Beach
September 12 - Play Sports  and Webby Dance Preview Day
September 14 - Room Parent Meeting in the Library 6:30 p.m.
This Week in Jesus Circle

Creation is God's Gift for Us to Enjoy - God Made the World (Genesis 1)
Discovery Points
Law:  Sometimes we don't take care of God's world.
Gospel:  Our wise and powerful God loves and forgives us in Jesus.
Sanctification:  Through the power of the Holy Spirit, enjoy, appreciate, and care for God's creation!

Dear Family,
Talk to your child about God and His creation.  Explain that long ago, except for God, there was only emptiness.  God made creation out of nothing.  God said, "Let there be light," and there was light; "Let there be water," and there was water; and "Let there be dry ground," and there was dry ground.  All things God made were good!  Continue by explaining that God said the Word and filled the earth with plants.  These provided food and made a beautiful home for the many animals and the people that He created next.  God is so good!  Read pages 21-25 in The Story Bible.  (Excerpt from One in Christ, Preschool B 2013 CPH.)

Chapel will begin on Tuesday, September 6 at 9:15 a.m.  We welcome you to join us in church.  Chapel money will be collected this year to benefit Mission India, Mission Alaska, and Corazones Para Guatemala (Hearts for Guatemala).  
This Month in the Classroom
Scope and Sequence
 

Themes of the Month:  God Blesses Me and My World, apples, families, all about me, rules and routines
 

Portfolio

self-portrait, name recognition, 1st day of school photo, story about me, measurements, handprints, footprints, body parts, school prayers

 

Each week, the children explore, express and create through the use of centers within each classroom. Each teacher posts lesson plans in the classroom that show the activities for the week.  Below is our scope and sequence for each age level for the month from which the lesson plans and activities are developed.

 

Social/Emotional Development Ages 4-5:  Identifies body parts and functions.  Identifies a variety of feelings.  Understands the roll of teachers and caregivers.

  

Social Studies Development Ages 4-5:  Identifies traits of a good citizen (honesty, cooperation).  Identifies models of good citizenship (Jesus).

 

Physical Education Development Ages 4-5:  Uses materials appropriately.  Practices emergency drills.  Builds and constructs with a variety of materials.  Uses dominant hand most of the time which is___.  Demonstrates ability to balance.  Pours from containers.

  

Fine Art Development Ages 4-5:  Names common art materials.

  

Language Arts Development Ages 4-5:  Recognizes own name.  Draws pictures to represent writing.  Letter recognition, phonemics and writing for letters L,F,E,H.  Speech (articulation) is understood by peers.   Speech (articulation) is understood by adults.

 

Science Development Ages 4-5:  Identifies common physical properties of objects (size, color, shape, etc.).

 

Mathematics Development Ages 4-5: Counts from 1-30.  Understands the relationship between numbers and quantity.  Identifies the number of objects in a group, using one-to-one correspondence.  Demonstrates concepts of time (morning, lunchtime, nighttime, etc.).  Describes the relative positions of objects (above, below, etc.).

 

Social/Emotional Development Ages 2-3:  Identifies body parts and functions.  Identifies a variety of feelings.  Understands the roll of teachers and caregivers.

 

Social Studies Development Ages 2-3: Identifies traits of a good citizen (honesty, cooperation) (3 year olds).  Identifies models of good citizenship (Jesus)(3 year olds).

  

Physical Education Development Ages 2-3:  Uses materials appropriately.  Practices emergency drills.  Builds and constructs with a variety of materials.  Uses dominant hand most of the time which is___.  Demonstrates ability to balance (3 year olds).  Pours from containers.

 

Fine Art Development Ages 2-3:  Names common art materials.

 

Language Arts Development Ages 2-3:  

Recognizes own name.  Draws pictures to represent writing (3 year olds).  Speech (articulation) is understood by peers. Speech (articulation) is understood by adults.

 

Science Development Ages 2-3:  Identifies common physical properties of objects (size, color, shape, etc.)

  

Mathematics Development Ages 2-3:  Counts from 1-10.  Understands the relationship between numbers and quantity (3 year olds).  Identifies the number of objects in a group, using one-to-one correspondence (3 year olds).  Describes the relative positions of objects (above, below, etc.)
Snacks this Week

Tuesday: a.m. water, blueberries & Chex Mix
  p.m. water, egg & Saltines
 
Wednesday: a.m.- water, carrots, ranch &Town Crackers
p.m. water, pears & Provolone Cheese
 
Thursday: a.m.- Cheerios & milk
p.m. water, Tofu, syrup & banana
 
Friday: a.m. - water & chicken nuggets
p.m. water, oranges & Cheez-Its

Snack Prayer this Month:  Oh, the Lord is good to me, and so I thank the Lord for giving me the things I need the sun, and the rain, and the apple seed. The Lord is good to me. Amen. Amen. Amen.
Staff in the Spotlight
Jessica Zuniga - TK Assistant
 
Hello, my name is Jessica and I am extremely excited to begin my journey at Bethany Lutheran Preschool as a Teacher Assistant. I am originally from Lancaster, CA which is where I received my education in Early Childhood Education. I had the wonderful opportunity to work at the Child Development Center located at Antelope Valley College for 2 years, which made me realize my love for working with children. I moved to Long Beach to further my education at California State University of Long Beach, where I am majoring in Speech-Language Pathology. My ultimate goal is to become a Speech Therapist for children of all ages while focusing my practice in the school systems. Some of my hobbies include hanging out with my friends & family, hiking, crafts, concerts, and spending quality time with my dogs. I am truly blessed to have the opportunity to work at such a wonderful preschool and I am looking forward to a fun and exciting school year! 

Our 2016-17 Staff

2 Year Old Teacher       Mrs. Stacey Ewart
2 ½ Year Old Teacher   Mrs. Lauren Joanes
3 Year Old Teacher       Mrs. Mandy Gunsolus
3 ½ Year Old Teacher   Mrs. Belinda Padias
Pre-K Teacher               Mrs. Angela Bardeleben
Transitional K Teacher   Mrs. Jennifer DeJongh
Classroom Aides           Mrs. Alicia Lagana, Miss Leticia Perez, Mrs. Kara Bowman, Miss Jessica Zuniga, Miss Eileen Luna, Mrs. Donna Forney (Not photographed), Christina Schilb, Miss Vannessa Contreras (not photographed)
Director                        Mrs. Mary Wolfinbarger
From Our Handbook
Welcome

We welcome you and your children to Bethany Lutheran Preschool, and we pray that our Lord and Savior will bless our efforts as we work together for the spiritual, emotional, cognitive, social, and physical growth of your children.
We thank you for selecting our preschool and we pledge to you our support and cooperation. We are aware of our great responsibility: we are dealing with the souls, minds, and bodies of children; people precious to you, to us, and especially to our Savior.
The purpose of this handbook is to familiarize you with our purposes, objectives, policies, and regulations. In addition to this handbook, we are regular in our communication with parents through newsletters and other means, and we attempt to keep our online version of this handbook up-to-date. You may view this on our website: www.bethanylutheran.org. Please read all information carefully.


 Parent Handbook
Extracurricular Activities

Bethany Lutheran Preschool offers Webby Dance on Mondays at 8:45 a.m. with a preview day on September 12; Soccer Shots on Thursdays from 10:50-11:30 a.m. (preview day September 8); and Play Sports on Mondays from 10-11:30 with a preview day on September 12; and Webby Gymnastics on Thursdays at 10:15 a.m.  For more information, please see the sign up forms in the preschool hallway.
Conscious Discipline
Weekly Tip
What should I do when my preschooler clings on to me when I drop him off at preschool?
 
Your preschooler's body is telling you important information about his feelings. Provide empathy for his upset, focus on safety and provide a connection before you leave. Say, "Your body tells me you might be feeling scared about staying at preschool while I go to work. You are safe at preschool. Mrs. Kendall will keep you safe." Breathe together using an active calming technique like the S.T.A.R. (Stop.  Take a deep breath and Relax.) Establish a connection ritual that you do together every morning at goodbye time. Involve Mrs. Kendall in the ritual if possible. After the ritual, it is time for you to leave. Breathe deeply and assertively state, "I'll be back after naptime. Mrs. Kendall will keep you safe. You can handle it," and pass your child off into Mrs. Kendall's waiting hands. As you leave, envision your child as capable and strong, instead of feeling bad about leaving or upset about the disruption. Turn and walk away, breathing and wishing him well.
It's also helpful to know that during a certain developmental stage from 18 months to 2 ½ years, leaving Mom is more difficult for your child. If possible, you might ask your significant other to drop the child off.

*All of our staff are trained on Conscious Discipline and can teach you the breathing techniques that we use in the classroom including the drain and the balloon.

  
  
Bethany Lutheran School News

Bethany Lutheran School follows a similar calendar year to Bethany Lutheran Church Preschool.  Keep up with our elementary and middle school students in our Bear Facts publication.  Download the new Bethany app from the App Store or Google Play.
Parent Teacher League
Thank you to our PTL for hosting our first Beach Bonfire on Friday, September 9 at Bolsa Chica Beach.  

Parents, you are ALL members of our Parent Teacher League (PTL), our amazing group of parent leadership and an important part of making Bethany such a special place.
Would you like to get involved in a PTL activity? There's a place for you! Just contact our PTL President, Jen Deeble: drdeeble@gmail.com                                      
Join Us
Opportunities to worship faithfully, form spiritually, serve passionately, give proportionately, and share intentionally
  • Follow Bethany on Twitter @RevKevBethany and www.facebook.com/Bethany.Long.Beach 
  • Renew your Ralphs Club cards each year after August 31 using our Bethany NPO # 83441.
  • Box tops for education is a program that allows our schools to get 10 cents for every box top turned in.  The money received from the program helps our schools buy needed equipment and supplies.  Clip the box tops and place them in the container on the sign-in shelf.
  • Labels for Education is a program where our school and church families can work together to earn "free stuff" for our schools.  Labels and caps can be placed in the collection container on the sign-in shelf.
  • Home Bible Study Groups are now forming.  Contact Pastor Seth, Pastor Kritzer, or Karl Fink for more information.
  • Lazy Acres contributes 4% to Bethany.  Make sure to show your Lazy Acres Community Card. 
  • Bethany 101 and Bethany 201 are courses that explore the key truths of the Christian faith from a Lutheran perspective and the process and purpose of membership at Bethany using the Bethany Blueprint as our design.   Attendance at 101 is required for those joining Bethany Lutheran Church. Bethany 201 is required for those joining Bethany Lutheran apart from the transferring of membership from another LCMS congregation. Those transferring membership are welcome to attend. Bethany 101 is a one session experience where we talk about the history of Bethany, our vision, structure and the Bethany blueprint. Bethany 201 covers the core basics of the Christian faith from a Lutheran perspective, in 4 sessions. We use discussion, instruction and video presentation in each session.  The next Bethany 101 sessions will be held on Sunday September 11th and Sunday October 9th. These sessions are held in the Parish Lounge and begin at 10:55, running approximately an hour to an hour and a half. Child-care is available with an RSVP.  The next Bethany 201 sessions begins on Sunday October 16 and concludes on Sunday November 6th. Once again sessions are held in the Parish Lounge, begin at 10:55, run approximately an hour to an hour and a half and offer Child-care with an RSVP.  Please RSVP your attendance with our church office 562 421-4711 or by emailing our Office Administrator Cindy Morrison at cmorrison@bethanylutheran.org
  • Rally Day is September 11 at 9:30 a.m. in the gym.  Come and hear stories from Mission Alaska and the National Youth Gathering this summer. 
  • Men's Breakfast and Bible Study will be Saturday, September 17 from 8-9:30 a.m. in the Parish Lounge.  Contact kfink@bethanylutheran.org for more info.
  • Women's Thursday Morning Bible Study resumes September 29 from 9:15-11 a.m. in the Parish Lounge reading Max Lucado's "Traveling Light." Call Meg at 562-426-4262 for more info.
  • September 24 from 9-1 we will be hosting Dr. Jeff Malinson from Concordia University to speak on Reframing the Conversation about Christianity - Talking about Christianity in our changing intellectual age and in our perplexing moral age.  Lunch is provided.  RSVP to smoorman@bethanylutheran.org.
  • Election forum presented by Craig Huey will be offered on Sunday, October 16 at 12:15 in the Choir Room.
  • Our annual Family Park and Pool Day will take place on Sunday, September 18 from 6-8:30 p.m. at Mayfair Park.  We will start with a picnic in the park and end the evening in the pool.  Cost is $5 per person or $20 per family.  RSVP to smoorman@bethanylutheran.org.
  • Our annual Men's Retreat will take place October 7-8 with guest speaker Dr. Scott Keith presenting on his book "Being Dad:  Father as a Picture of God's Grace."  rsvp to smoorman@bethanylutheran.org.
  • Our annual Raise a Glass Charity Event to support Student Success will be held Saturday, October 15 at Don the Beachcomber Restaurant in Huntington Beach.  Contact Jill at 562-307-6123 for more information.  Donations for silent auctions and opportunity drawings are also being accepted.  Contact Sheri at 714-863-5615.
  • Griefshare meets on Sundays at 1 p.m. in the Conference Room.  Contact kfink@bethanylutheran.org for more info.
Scrip Available

Are you purchasing SCRIP?  If not, you are passing up an easy way to help with your tuition payments and to help Bethany.  SCRIP is simply gift certificates.  You purchase them from us, and use them as you would any gift card.  Since Bethany is able to purchase the cards in bulk, the gift cards cost less than their face value; and the profit is divided between your tuition and funds for various groups at Bethany.  If you have any questions about the Scrip program contact Carol Grudt, 420-7783 x58 or cgrudt@bethanylutheran.org.
FISH Opportunities

We suggest opportunities that will help you fulfill your FISH commitments; while taking care of some of our needs.  We will post these needs/opportunities in the weekly newsletter, by email and in posters that will be put up on the parent board by the sign in sheet.     Opportunities currently available include:

 

  • donations of gently used toys for our classrooms

 

Once you have completed a FISH opportunity, you may complete a form located in the preschool hallway.
Helpful Websites for Parents and Kids
 
Preschool play websites:
  
Websites and links for parents:
 
Devotions:
 
Ideas you can use at home:
Pre-Writing ideas from Therapy Street for Kids
 
Healthy snacks for kids:
  
Birthdays in September
May Jesus bless you the whole year through
 

Ethan Attia

Joseph Ayala

Stella Drake

Nixon Szych

Sage DeFreitas

Jonah Murakami
In the Community
In Our Prayers
 
Thank you for your continued prayers for the loved ones connected to our center. If there is a need in your family and you would like to add someone to the prayer list, please let me know.  

In addition, we pray for the children and staff in our center (one a day), look for your child's name listed below throughout the year. 
 
+ Harper Lee, Alexandru Cuizon, and Dustin Nou
+  Please join the Board of Evangelism in praying for Concordia University Nebraska, Concordia University Texas, Concordia University Chicago, and the Pacific Southwest District Outdoor Ministry.
 

The Lord is my rock, my protection, my Savior. My God is my rock. I can run to Him for safety. He is my shield and my saving strength, my defender. Psalm 18:2 NCV