LOWER SCHOOL NEWS
Friday, November 18th, 2005

As the holiday season is upon us, I am thankful for the comfort of tradition. I recall one Thanksgiving when I was expecting a crowd for dinner and almost reverted to holiday paper plates. My grown son was aghast that I had considered not using china. I was surprised that it made a difference to him and was struck by how important the little things had meant through the years. Needless to say, we stretched the china to meet the need. I have repeatedly seen how small things have made a large impact on children. As your family prepares for the holidays ahead, I encourage you to step back and take time to nurture the things that really matter. Embrace old traditions and create new memories, all the while, keeping to the forefront the purpose for celebration. This paper is not sufficient to hold the blessings for which we are thankful, as a school and in our personal lives. When you truly start to name those blessings, they just keep flowing. Jesus said, 'I have come that they might have life, and have it to the fullest.' When you stop to count, even the poorest among us can claim the fullness of His riches. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Wishing you and your family a blessed Thanksgiving season in Christ Jesus.

Kathy Neely
Lower School Administrator

SFCS Kindergarten Celebrates Thanksgiving

The Kindergarten classes at SFCS will give thanks in a special Thanksgiving
Feast to be held on Tuesday, November 22, from 11:00 a.m. to 12 noon in
the Shannon Forest Presbyterian Church Gymnasium. All parents and
siblings of Kindergarten students are invited to attend.

Lower School Art Adorns SFCS Christmas Tree

Lower School Art students in PK3 through 5th Grade recently completed
beautiful ornaments that will adorn SFCS' 14-foot tree to be displayed in the
annual Festival of Trees at the downtown Hyatt Hotel. The tree will be
decorated on Sunday, November 27, at 5:00 p.m. If you would like to help
decorate, please email Reida Pearson at rpearson@shannonforest.com.
Festival of Trees runs from Friday, December 2, through Tuesday,
December 27, and is coordinated by the St. Francis Foundation.

PK3- K5 Students to Spread Christmas Joy

The PK3 through K5 students at SFCS will celebrate the joy of the
Christmas season in a special program called Christmas Joy. The children
will perform twice - first in a Christmas chapel on Wednesday,
November 30, at 9:00 a.m. and again on Thursday, December 1, at 7:00
p.m. The program will include a selection of Christmas hymns, songs and
Scripture verses and will be held in the Shannon Forest Presbyterian
Church Sanctuary.

Kindergarten Students Celebrate Native American Cultures

The Kindergarten students of Debbie Patterson recently completed a unit study on Native Americans and celebrated with a Native American Pow Wow. The children designed and created five different villages - a pueblo, long house, wigwam, teepees and igloos. They also made Native American costumes including a tunic with Native American symbols, a headdress or headband, moccasins and a necklace. Students also enjoyed Apache and Comanche Indian games, made Indian bread and ate Native American food.

AR News

Accelerated Reader (AR) is a reading program utilized by Shannon Forest that improves comprehension. The program is handled through the computer lab, and is available and encouraged by the classroom teacher.

Here's how it works: Students check out AR books which are designated with a yellow tag on the spine and a sticker on the inside of the front cover. The sticker tells the reading level of the book and the possible point value. The child reads the book and then takes a computer-generated quiz. The students earn points based on the number of questions answered correctly. They must answer at least 60% of the questions to pass the test and earn points.

Each time your child reaches a new level in Accelerated Reader they will receive a prize for that level. Our theme this year is "Buggy for Books!" Your child's "bug" will be placed on our flower garden (located in the hall outside the computer lab) to indicate the level they have achieved.

I look forward to a wonderful year of reading. If you have any questions please feel free to come see me in the computer lab, email me at swhiting@shannonforest.com , or give me a call at 678-5186.

In His service,

Sandra Whiting

AR Information

AR Points

AR books by Author

AR books by Title

AR books by Grade Level

If you have a CDL and are available during the school day, please contact the
Lower School Office at 678-5119. SFCS would like to compile a list of people
who can drive our school bus for special events.

Hymn Of The Month Returns

Students in 2nd through the 5th Grades will once again be learning a hymn of
the month during their weekly music classes. Our little singers will be encouraged, not required, to sing a solo of the first verse of each hymn during class. Children may choose to sing more than one verse. The hymns for the year are as follows:

November: Leaning On The Everlasting Arms
January: Jesus Is All The World To Me
February: Faith of Our Fathers
March: Joyful, Joyful
April: ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus

The words and music for these hymns may be found at
www.cyberhymnal.org.

To listen to them on you computer, click on search,
type the name of the hymn in the search box, then click on the hymn title.

Lower School Music Performance Days

Music students in 1st through the 5th Grades will have a new opportunity to
shine during music performance days! Each month a special day will be set
aside for students to perform during class. All music must be memorized and
performances are open to all students training on any instrument, including
piano or who would like to share a vocal performance. If you have any
questions, please contact Karen Waddell at kwaddell@shannonforest.com or by calling 678-5161.

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