We can do no great things, only small things with great love.
– Mother Teresa

Here are a few small things that you might be able to do for the UUEEC with great love.
• Collapsible Laundry Baskets
• New Brooms and Dustpans
• Spray Bottles
• Repair of wooden toys (hollow blocks, outdoor planks, etc)
• Read stories to the children
• Donate used cell phones, CapriSun and Honest Kids Juice Pouches for the children’s recycling project
• Gardening Supplies for our garden (watering cans, decorative containers, seedlings(as appropriate), potting soil
• Organic materials for composting
• Palm Wood Discs (we use these for woodworking because the wood is soft)
• Grocery Store Gift Cards (any stores, any amounts)
• Bottles or Cans of 100% Fruit Juice that can be stored in cupboards
• Arts and Crafts Supplies
There are bigger things you can do as well:
• Wood storage units for along the wall outside
• 3 shelf bookshelves for the library
• Nonprofit Membership to Local Arizona First ($75)
• Nonprofit Membership to the Greater Phoenix Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce ($75)
• Someone to develop a marketing plan
• Printing of collateral materials (brochures, educational materials, etc)

Cody is on staff at ANLC

Today ANLC’s on staff therapy dog, Cody came to visit the children. Cody spent the entire preschool day with the children helping them learn to introduce themselves correctly to dogs and how to use gentle hands on them. There was lots of love and petting had by all.

Today was the first meeting of the UUEEC Community Parenting Group. The topic was “What does it mean to be real to your children?” The group discussed what it means to be genuine and the importance of giving ourselves permission to make mistakes. We talked the fact that we shouldn’t feel guilty when we leave our children with their other parent because time with parents as individuals is important. Homework was to find something small to do for yourself.

Next month’s topic will be “What do you want to be when you grow up?” We will focus on how you’ve changed since having children and what your goals are for the future.

School is fully underway with both our classroom and extended day programs in full swing. We still have openings in our enrichment classes for currently enrolled 3′s and PreK students. Our first 2′s parent meeting was on Thursday and we have our 3′s and PreK parent meetings this week on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.  We also launched our community based parenting group Wednesday morning. This group is focused on the parent side of the parent/child equation and is open to UUEEC families and the general community. The group meets the 2nd Wednesday of each month from 9:30-11AM. Unfortunately due to space constraints we are unable to provide child care for this group.

We can now be reached at 602-840-8400 x 233

Please Update Your Records.

We’ll be having our first fire drill of the year on Wednesday morning. For some of your children this will be their first experience and we wanted to give you some resources to prepare them. Fire drills are an important part of the school experience necessary to ensure everyone’s safety.

This Friday the congregation hosted its annual Religious Education Open House. This is a time when families with children of all ages can meeting the staff and teachers involved in the Children’s Religious Education Program from the Nursery through High School. The preschool tries to be present for these events to meet the volunteers and families that share our classroom space and to be involved with the congregational community. I particularly like these events because, as a weekday program, we don’t often get a chance to see the children of the families involved with the UUCP because they are no longer preschool age. It is also a great opportunity to build strong relationships with the staff who share classrooms with us on Sundays.

Friday evening was a very nice potluck dinner. Several members of the ministry leadership team were present including Reverend Susan, Reverend Linda, our interim RE Director Jayann, myself and our church administrator Heidi. I enjoyed my dinner with the young college students who are active volunteers teaching a variety of ages on Sunday.

Last night was the Incoming 3′s dinner hosted by the Trujillo family. It was an opportunity for Teachers Kelly and Jane to share some insight into what parents could expect from their children this year. The began the evening with the question “What is your dream job?” The favorite response was “A Gentleman of Leisure”.

Teacher Jane then shared some of the books that would be used in the classroom this year. These were passed around for parents to look through.

It was a lovely evening with everyone getting a chance to know one another.

On Tuesday night the families in our PreK class gathered together at the Neilsen’s for the incoming PreK dinner. The evening began with a potluck dinner for both adults and children.

Teacher Kristen’s daughter and Director KellyAnn’s daughter were among the older children who came to entertain the children while parents gathered together to hear Teacher Kristen discuss the coming year.  There was the joyful noise of children at play throughout the evening.

Teacher Kristen shared a reading with the parents and then did check in. Her question was “Where would you like to go on a trip?”Teacher Kristen then outlined what the children would be doing this year emphasizing that PreK is a significant transitional year for both parents and children.

Incoming dinners are typically done in the Spring, so it was nice to connect with our PreK families before the start of the school year.

Tonight was the Incoming 2′s Parent Potluck Dinner. Thank you to our host family and all the families who attended. The evening began with Teachers Doug and Kelly gathering everyone together for a short informational session. Teacher Doug read two beautiful poems and then asked everyone to answer a few questions by way of introduction. Teacher Doug then talked about the fact that preschool is the result of two sets of expertise, the teachers who are experts in what is generically appropriate for an age range and the parents who are experts on each individual child. He then shared the books that influence his approach to education. Of course there were texts on Piaget and Gardner, he introduced families to Bev Boss and the NAEYC, and so much more. When he was done, everyone ate dinner and had good conversation. The evening ended with thoughts shifting to the all school work day on August 27.

Thank you to Teachers Doug and Kelly for all their hard work.