"C" is for Camping!

Last week, Mrs. Melinda's and Mrs. Laura's classes studied the letter "C".  As part of that study, these classes went "camping"!  They ate s'mores in a tent, and read a story around a "campfire"!

What a start!

We have had a great start to the new school year!  At this time, we'd like to highlight some of our new teachers at the ELC.

 Mrs. Debra Pounds is our new Computer teacher.  We love and miss Mrs. Tiffany (and if you have any botanical needs, call her at Southern Botanical), but we are very excited to have Mrs. Deb working with us.  The children already love her!
 

 

Mrs. Elizabeth Noble is working with the smallest babies at the ELC, until the birth of her newest son in November.  She is married to the Children's Minister at Shades Mountain Baptist, Shaun Noble.  She moved to Birmingham from Texas in 2012.

 

Mrs. Nicole Martinez works with Mrs. Elizabeth with the youngest babies.  Her children have attended the ELC in previous years, so we have known Mrs. Nicole for a long time, and we are happy to have her here!

Mrs. Rachel Edwards works with our younger preschoolers.  She hails from Chicago, so we are teaching her to say "y'all"!

 

Mrs. Susan Johnston works with Mrs. Rachel.  She has been a substitute at the ELC for 2 years, and is very familiar with our school.  She also works for UA, so you will never see her in orange and blue!

 

 

 Mrs. Traci Walter teaches one of our 2 day/week 2-year-old classes.  She used to teach teachers, so she is a huge asset to our program!  She's also a HUGE Tide fan!

 

 

Mrs. Samantha Burgess began the year at the ELC as Miss Samantha, but she recently got married!  Mrs. Samantha moved to Birmingham from Kentucky as a college student.

 

 

Mrs. Rebecca Owen is teaching one of our 5-day 4-year-old classes.  Mrs. Rebecca has taught kindergarten in public schools for several years.  We were thrilled to have her join our team!

 

 

Mrs. Corrie Powell joins us this year as a 5-day 4-year-old teacher.  Mrs. Corrie has 15 years of experience teaching preschoolers.  She is a such joy to have around!

 

We have been so blessed with these new teachers.  We have an excellent team at the ELC, the best around!







Teacher Appreciation Day

Today, we celebrated Teacher Appreciation Day!  Parents sent in an abundance of delicious food for brunch for our wonderful teachers!

The teachers, in turn, appreciate the food and the break provided!  Thank you to the moms who coordinated this (Jennifer Dowis and Becky Strickland) and the moms who stayed throughout the day to make sure everything was replenished (Jennifer Dowis and Brandi Davis).  Thank you, parents, for your thoughtfulness!  And, finally, thank you, ELC teachers, for all your hard work!  It doesn't go unnoticed!

Important Dates

As we wind down our 2012-2013 school year, please make note on your calendars of some important upcoming dates:

• April 18th - Spring Sing, 12pm in the Conference Center:  Ever wonder what happens in Thursday Chapel?  Come find out, and hear your children lead worship! 
• April 15th, 16th or 17th - Spring class group pictures:  A note was sent home with your child's specific day
• May 9th - Art Show, come and go between 12 and 1pm in your child's classroom:  see your child's art work from all year long
• May 14th - End of Year Bash:  a great time of outdoor fun and celebration, during regular school hours.  Lunch is from Chick-Fil-A; send $3.00
• May 16th - ELC Graduation for 4K, 6pm in the Conference Center

If you have any questions about these dates/events, please call us at (205)823-0550.

Meet Mrs. Stacey

For this week's post, we will highlight our own Stacey Puckett.  If you don't know her, we can assure you that your children do!  She is well-loved by our ELC kids, and she loves them right back!

Stacey began as a substitute for the ELC.  Last year, she became our Music and Spanish teacher and Wiggles helper.  In addition to these responsibilities, Stacey also leads the music for our Thursday chapel (have your child tell you what she always wears for chapel).  Stacey is always updating her music curriculum with fresh, upbeat songs.  She also uses an immersive technique of teaching Spanish: she speaks Spanish to them from the moment they walk into her room until they leave.

Stacey grew up as an Air Force "brat", moving all over the country.  She attended the University of Alabama, where she majored in English and minored in Spanish.  She and her husband, David, have two children:  Kaitlin, age 16, and Caleb, age 14.  She currently teaches Sunday School for 10th grade girls.

Another thing you should know about Stacey is that she prays for each and every one of our ELC children.  She is such a blessing to the ELC!  Let her know how much you love her!

100 Days of School!

Recently, our 4-year-old classes celebrated the 100th day of school!  The classes decorated some "glasses":

They created a gumball picture, counting out 10 of each color gumball using a grid:

Finally, the classes celebrated with 100 snacks (counting out 100 items):



James Spann visits the ELC

Today the ELC had a very special guest: James Spann, the weatherman from ABC33/40!

Our 3- and 4-year-olds got to listen to Mr. James talk about types of weather, how he measures wind, what is in clouds, and lots of interesting information!  Our students were exceptionally well-behaved, and listened to everything.

One friend actually got to use the Kid-Cam and video all of our friends for TV!

 We are so thankful that Mr. James took the time to come and see us, and hope he comes back again!



Be sure to watch for us on the news at 5pm on ABC33/40 on Friday, February 22, 2013!

ELC TOT!

On Saturday, February 9, 2013, some ELC who participate in Teams of Tomorrow, or TOT, performed at half-time at the Samford Lady Bulldogs game.  These students have been working hard on their skills, and were able to showcase them for family and friends!

The TOT program at the ELC is taught by Paula Heath.  TOT is a creative and unique way for a student to learn, experience and master all sorts of ball handling tricks!  TOT teachers model, encourage, and inspire children to be the very best that they can be!    Children attain many new skills that instill a drive and motivation that will carry over into all areas of their lives. 

ELC TOT is held on Tuesdays from 12:45-1:45. To get more information on the program, email Paula Heath at paulabheath@yahoo.com

Teacher Appreciation

This week at the ELC we celebrated our teachers with a luncheon.  We love and appreciate them so much, and a lunch is a very small way to show it.

Do you appreciate your teacher(s)?  If so, why not take a minute (with your child) to pick a flower from the yard, write a note or make a card, or bake a cookie?  Something from the heart is so much more meaningful!  You could also find out your teacher's favorite lunch and drink and bring them lunch one day!

Pre-reading Groups!

The four-year-old classes started something very exciting this week:  pre-reading groups!  The children were divided into four groups, different from their classes, and began some exercises to help get them ready to read!

Mrs. Jamye's group started with flashcards, for letter recognition.

Mrs. Kate's group learned to sound out letters and put them together into words.

Mrs. Emily's and Mrs. Sara's groups played a game, drawing letters from a can and identifying them, as well as coming up with a word beginning the the letter drawn.

We think our 4's will be great future readers!