~ Bulletin Board ~
Events, opportunities and resources for our Garden community.
December 11-15!
Every day is Pajama Day the week before we go on winter break.
Children are invited to wear their cozy pjs to school. We will continue to outside for play so be sure boots and coats can be worn over pajamas.
Community Cornucopia
Donate to the Issaquah Food bank through our bi-monthly food drive.
Donation deadline is:
Friday, December 8
Get your Issaquah Food Bank requested item list for December and a green bag from the office.
Let us know if you’d like to be a “food fairy” and deliver our donations.
Winter Celebration!
Winter Celebration
Friday, December 8
6:30-7:30 pm
For details, directions and sign ups for helper elves, please visit our Winter Celebration page.
And the winner is…..
~ The Mousehole~
Oh, my goodness, how we love the holiday season here at The Garden! We had such a beautiful Harvest Feast and Gratitude season, including our wonderful gratitude leaves along the playground fence. We have been busy as little elves getting ready for our Winter Celebration next week with dances and a visit from Father Christmas and are having so much fun making and wrapping our holiday gifts for our families.
We would love to have any of our families join us during class time to share a family tradition, a holiday celebration or ritual that you do each year. In the past, we have had families share about Hannukah, Diwali, Christmas light touring, Caroling, New Year’s Fireworks, or Winter Solstice traditions. We love for our students to learn about all of the wonderful richness and beauty of this magical time of year and all throughout the year. Please check in with a staff member if you would like to share – and don’t be shy! Our staff can totally help you prepare a session of sharing about your tradition or holiday.
What an amazing turnout we had at our curriculum sessions this week! The teachers are thrilled to have so many participants interested in learning about what we do with these littles, and we truly appreciate your candid conversation and time spent during class time to hear about what we do here at The Children’s Garden.
Our classroom is busy this time of year, making beautiful family gifts and dancing the day away as we prepare for our winter celebration and our holiday break. Please let us know if you are not able to attend our winter celebration on December 8th evening, or if you are leaving for Holiday break early, so that we can make sure we have the correct number of dance partners and we get your holiday gifts to you before you head out of town.
One of our Crickets got some new pajamas and asked when we might be having Pajama Day! Last year, we had pajama week! – the last week of school in December – We’re bringing it back! From December 11-December 15, we invite our students to wear their cozy pajamas to school. The teachers wear long johns under their jammies and wear boots, because we still need to be warm enough when we play outside. We’re excited to snuggle up at circle in our cozy PJ/s.
One of our favorite Holiday books is called “Night Tree” about a family that has a tradition of decorating a tree for our sweet nature friends, the birds and critters. We are having fun carrying on that tradition here at The Garden, as we choose a tree up in Luna’s Forest in The Garden Next Door, and we are making peanut butter pine cones, popcorn and cranberry garland and dried fruit slices to decorate the tree for our little critter friends to feast on over the holiday season.
Here we go, into December! Please take some time to slow down, soak up all of the feels and spend some time just ‘being’ with your littles. It is so tempting to rush to get everything done and to do every single project that you have seen on TikTok or social media. The most important thing to do is to just take three deep breaths and breathe. Sit and read holiday stories, roast marshmallows over the fireplace, and bake cookies together. Let the kids put the stamps on your envelopes. Teach them to sew a button on a piece of felt or let them paint glitter on a star shaped piece of cardboard for the top of the tree. Drive around the neighborhood to look at light displays or take a gingerbread man or two to a neighbor. Nothing has to be perfect. Any memory is a memory and could be the start of a new tradition for their lives. Let them remember calm, love and warmth, over stress and cramming everything in. Take three deep breaths and just be.
We are so looking forward to our Winter Celebration a week from today!
~ Gratitude Corner~
Are you feeling festive? You can thank Cricket Cooper’s grandma Lisa the beautiful seasonal decor! We appreciate you Lisa for the many hours of decorating during some of our coldest weather!
Thank you Ali for an amazing job striping the parking lot. Through cold and rain, Ali has worked to make parking at The Garden visible and more efficient!
We are so appreciative of all the parents who joined us for our Curriculum Days! We are so grateful for your interest in our curriculum and starting off on the right foot by getting involved in your child’s education and taking an active role in the partnership of education for your kids.
~ Office Notes~
The 2023-2024 Garden Directory is here!
Stop by the office to get your 2023-2024 Garden Directory!
Garden Family Map
All our current Garden families and staff have a pin on our Garden Family Map. Get to know who lives near where you live and work. Please stop by the office, grab a cup of tea and explore!
~ Calendar~
Please mark your calendar with these important dates.
December
December 8: Community Cornucopia Food Drive donations due in office
December 8: Winter Celebration 6:30-7:30pm Issaquah Middle School
December 11-15: Pajama Days!
December 18-January 1: Winter Break
January
January 2: First day back from Winter Break
January 15: no school for Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance
January 19: 12:30pm Open House for new families interested in enrollment
Daily Class Schedule
Ladybugs
Tuesday and Thursday 8:15 – 10:45 am
Crickets
Monday, Wednesday and Friday 8:15 – 11:15 am
Honeybees
Monday-Thursday 12:15 – 3:15 pm
~ Poems~
School Poems
Part of our daily routine at The Garden is singing or saying a few of our traditional poems.
Find a printable version to our Closing Circle Song, and the poem “We Light This Candle” at the following links.