Saint Clement Episcopal School Parent Connection

Dear Parents,

It seems our extended autumn has ended—the cold winds and short days let us know that it is finally winter. Inside, we are beginning our preparations for Christmas. In this busy season, time just seems to fly by. The children are learning Christmas songs, preparing secret surprises for you, and thrilling with anticipation.

Christmas is such a wonderful part of childhood, full of anticipation and wonder. We will have a visit from the jolly old elf himself-- Santa will come to our classrooms! He will visit with the class, not with individuals; it can be a bit intimidating for young children to meet with him! We’re pretty sure he’ll bring a gift to each classroom for the children to enjoy.

We are grateful that in this season of giving, our children and families have been so generous. Many thanks to all who contributed coats, hats, scarves, mittens or gloves to the Green Room “Gently Used” outerwear drive. Children understand what it feels like when they are cold, so they can relate easily to the concept of giving clothes to help keep other people warm. It is very appropriate, in this season when so many children simply receive gifts, that we are able to have our children give gifts. Compassion and generosity are skills that are learned, and it is very gratifying to see how generous our school families are.

The children are busy preparing for the Holiday Program, to be held in the church Sanctuary on Dec. 16th, at 9:30 am. Children should come to school at their usual times. Remember, parking can be problematic when we have a whole school function, and you may wish to plan accordingly. Convergence across the street has very graciously welcomed us to use their parking lot, which should help everyone find space. School closes for the year immediately after the reception (approximately 11:00 am).

As you go about your preparations for the holiday season, if you find yourself in need of a Christmas tree, you may have noticed that a large number of them have appeared at Saint Clement! The church offers Christmas trees for sale, evenings from 6-9 and on weekends.

Again, please take a moment to put your child’s name or initials on their hats, mittens, and coats. It is nearly impossible for us to match errant outerwear with the children without that, and we want to be sure that everything gets home appropriately.

Thank you to all the parents who volunteered to help out with the Thanksgiving Lunch. We are thankful for the opportunity to work with your children. We had a wonderful time, and managed to seat the entire school at one long table! The children (with the “assistance” of Ms. Lee!) prepared all the food—chicken, pumpkin muffins, veggies and dip, and pumpkin pudding. Delicious, and so much fun. We had Native Americans, Pilgrims, and even turkeys at our feast! Now we are looking forward to the Feast of St. Clement, our school namesake. With all the children in their togas seated on the floor, Father John in his “Clementine” colored vestments, and beautiful mosaics made by the children decorating Marshall-Rutter Hall, it is always a lot of fun. The children will have a wonderful feast of 1st century Egyptian foods, including cucumbers, grapes, hummus, pita bread, honey, and meatballs (all right, the meatballs are marginally historically accurate, but it works for our little ones!), and of course, clementines. Ask your child what “clement” means! We can still use extra hands to help us get the food served, if you are available to help out between 11:30 and 12:30, or set up at 11:15.

If you are planning on requesting a letter of recommendation for private school for your child, please be sure to turn it in promptly, with a stamped, addressed envelope so that we can fill it out thoughtfully and in a timely manner. Just a brief reminder that returning to school in January can sometimes be very difficult for young children. They have spent a number of weeks in the company of their families, eating special holiday foods, getting gifts, and enjoying a vacation. It can be very hard to give that up! Don’t be surprised, or alarmed, if your child has difficulty separating from you when school resumes. Reassure your child that you will return as usual, give them a quick hug and kiss, and head off knowing that the staff will help your child through the transition.

Looking ahead, remember to put Feb. 25th on your calendar—the Silent Auction is coming! It’s a wonderful social evening to enjoy with members of our community, as well as guests that you might like to invite. This year, we will celebrate

The recent chilly weather is a reminder that all parents should be aware of the school inclement weather policy, and make plans for alternate care in case school is closed and parents have work commitments. Now is a great time to check in with classmates and friends to see if a shared care arrangement can be made, with different parents alternating taking one or two children. Remember, we follow the City of Alexandria weather closings and/or delays.

The end of the year is also brings us a farewell and a welcome—Henry and his family have moved to Iowa for an exciting new position; we’ll miss them and hope they make it back to visit from time to time. Happily, though, we welcome James and his family to the Green Room.

The PTO is offering St. Clement hooded sweatshirts for sale. If you are interested in purchasing one, please be in touch with Nancy BY Friday Dec. 2 for ordering information. The sweatshirts are warm and comfortable, and the children seem to enjoy wearing them.

Library
We continued our study of Fall. We read about weather, plant changes, and also characteristic animal behavior in preparation for winter. With the coming of Thanksgiving, we made turkeys, Indian corn, turkey “legs”, acorns, “fertilizer fish”, and more turkeys! We read books about the origin of the first Thanksgiving and the significance of the help of the Native Americans for the Pilgrims’ survival. We talked about what we are thankful for and family traditions in preparation for our school feast.

Cooking
The children worked very hard on preparing a large part of our Thanksgiving feast—the older classes made the shake and bake chicken, and the younger children made either the pumpkin muffins or the pumpkin pudding. We have enjoyed making many fall treats—our corn fritters were a great favorite!

Music
We have leaped from Thanksgiving songs into Christmas songs! We have three weeks to prepare for our Christmas program, and the children are doing a great job learning their songs. Our theme for the Christmas program is “’Twas the Night Before Christmas”.

Upcoming Events
Dec. 5 The Feast of St. Clement No lunch needed
Dec. 16 Holiday Program, 9:30 am.; school closes immed. after the program
Jan. 2 School resumes
Jan. 13 School Movie Night
Jan. 16 Martin Luther King Jr. Day, No School
Jan. 23 In-House Registration begins for 2012-2013


Dory Herman-Sample
Director