September 2021 News from All Saints School

September 2021

FROM THE DIRECTOR

The 2021-22 school year is finally here! Welcome to all of our new families, and welcome back to all of our returning families. We are so happy that you have chosen All Saints School!

We have a new face here this year. Welcome to Ms. Rachel (Pre-K)! Rachel graduated from UCF with a degree in Early Childhood Development and Education, and she has a passion for developmentally appropriate, play-based learning. She joined our team last Spring as a substitute teacher, and we are so excited to have her on board full-time!

We spent the last few weeks working hard to prepare for this school year. In addition to cleaning and setting up the classrooms, the staff spent a few days in development and training, which centered around our Developmentally Appropriate Practice theme for the year. As we navigate this school year, we are committed to providing developmentally appropriate, hands-on, authentic learning experiences for your children. This starts by forming trusting and loving relationships with your little ones that will lead to a successful year of learning and growth. We are inspired and ready to get busy with the important work of childhood…play!

Please make sure you are familiar with our COVID-19 FAQ, which details all of our updated health and safety measures. Our medical consultants will be meeting monthly, and parents will be notified via email whenever updates to our COVID-19 policies are made. I pray over our entire All Saints community daily, and I feel confident that we will come together for the common goal of keeping each other healthy and safe!

The school year is off to a great start! As I walk through the hallways and peek into classrooms, I see teachers on the floor playing, singing, reading, snuggling, building, and exploring with the children. These preschool days are so precious, and we are honored to be a part of your child’s journey. Please read below for information regarding our

Parent Q&A on September 21st and our Welcome Back Coffee later this month (new date coming soon). I hope to see you there!

With Love,

Emory Messeroff

FROM THE PTO PRESIDENT

Welcome back All Saints Families! I hope everyone had an incredible summer and is ready for a fresh new school year. I want to first thank Emory, Rosie, and the wonderful teachers and staff at All Saints School for all their hard work in keeping our Little Saints safe and healthy last year. Their efforts have not gone unnoticed and I'm so grateful for the research and thoughtfulness that has gone into those continued plans for this year.

As we settle into the first week back I also want to thank all the families who came to Open House, Meet the Teacher and Popsicles in Park! These events were a great way to kick-off our school year and learn more about what the PTO has to offer.

The PTO organizes several events throughout the year, and planning is already underway! To learn more about how you can become involved, please join us at the Welcome Back Coffee PTO meeting. New date coming soon.

We need our parents' involvement more than ever this year. After more than 20 years of use, we have a significant need to replace our entire playground – from the flooring on up to the equipment at an estimated cost of over $200,000. To support this effort, we are excited to be kicking off our major fundraiser to help replace the Cotten Education Center playground by the summer of 2022. For more information on how you can help, please visit – allsaintsbrickbybrick.org. We will also be hosting other various fundraiser opportunities throughout the year to help in this endeavor.

I am thrilled to be your PTO President this year and honored to have Carol Mertz by my side as Vice President. This school means so much to me and my family. I have loved every second of seeing my boys grow and play here. I hope everyone has a wonderful and healthy school year.

- Maggie Rhine

Mom to William (4) and Benjamin (1.5)

Mjohnson1126@gmail.com

NEW IDLING POLICY

Did you know that All Saints School has an Anti-Idling Policy? New this year, it is part of our commitment to creating a healthy and sustainable environment for our families, students, and staff. If everyone in the U.S. stopped idling for five minutes a day, it would be equivalent to taking five hundred thousand cars off the road!

All persons operating vehicles at the school should adhere to the following guidelines:

All drivers should turn off engines when they arrive at school and expect to be parked for more than 1 minute.

If idling is necessary for temperature control, please restrict it to no more than 5 minutes.

We encourage you to eliminate unnecessary idling not only at our school but anywhere you are waiting in your car. Thank you for your support!

EARLY BIRD AND AFTER CARE

Early Bird is available beginning Wednesday, September 1st and runs from 8:15-8:50 a.m. daily.

After Care is available beginning Wednesday, September 8th and runs from 2:10-3:30 p.m. daily.

A registration form for Early Bird and/or After Care was included in your Fall Welcome Packet. Contact the office if you did not receive one and would like to register.

Drop-off procedures for Early Bird and pick-up procedures for After Care will be emailed to families who register for these services.

PATRIOT DAY PARADE

Children are encouraged to wear red, white, and blue to school on Thursday, September 9th. Our classes will gather along Interlachen Avenue as the Winter Park Police and Fire Departments parade down the road. We will cheer for and thank our local first responders!

*Teachers will be sure to take lots of photos to share with parents.

BABY SAINTS 👼

Teagan Beerbower was born on May 25th and just started in the Infant class with Ms. Emily and Ms. Jill. We are so happy for big sister Maeve, in Young Twos with Ms. Courtney and Ms. Cathy, and the Beerbower Family!

The Boone Family has a new addition! Conrad Jones was born on June 15th to big brother Kettner, who graduated from All Saints School this past year. Conrad will join Ms. Emily and Ms. Jill in the Infant room in a few months.

Charleigh, in Threes with Ms. Christy and Ms. Caroline, is a big sister! The Carter-Williams Family welcomed Redd to the world on July 24th.

Congratulations to the Chasez Family, who welcomed Logan to the world on August 6th! We are so excited for big brother Brody, who is in Young Twos with Ms. Courtney and Ms. Cathy.

The Graves Family has a new addition! William Crenshaw Graves IV, also known as Bo, was born on April 16th to big sister Peyton in Older Ones with Ms. Cindy and Ms. Maureen.

Xander Houck was born on June 22nd to big sisters Charlotte and Harper, who graduated from All Saints School this past year! Xander will be joining Ms. Emily and Ms. Jill in the Infant room soon.

Ryder Ware, in Older Twos with Ms. Kinney and Ms. Toria, is a big brother! Ethan Camden was born on June 18th. Congratulations to the Freeman-Ware Family!

WELCOME FR JARED / PARENT Q&A

We are delighted to begin the school year with our new School Chaplain, Fr Jared L. Jones. As many of you know, Fr Jared joined the All Saints family as Associate Rector for Family Ministry this summer. In addition to leading Chapel each week, and his many duties with All Saints Church, Fr Jared has also focused his fellowship to support you, the parents.

Parenting is tough, and we can often wonder if we’re even doing the right thing. In order to help parents at All Saints Church and All Saints School, Fr Jared is hosting a speaking series this Fall designed specifically for young (and old!) parents. At each event we will bring in a local parenting or childhood development expert to speak to you, the parents, on a topic and take your questions! Our hope is that the information in these events is helpful to you as a parent and that we grow in our community with other parents. You’re not in this alone!

Parent Q&A will be held in the Mary Martha Parlor (near the Church parking lot) from 9:30-10:15 a.m., and will consist of a short talk by our speaker with some time for Q&A to follow up.

The first Parent Q&A event will be held on Thursday, September 21st featuring Dr. Dalena Dillman Taylor, PhD, LPC, LMHC, RPT.

Dr. Dalena Dillman Taylor is a licensed mental health counselor, and has a doctorate in Counseling, specializing in play therapy. She’s also an assistant professor at the University of Central Florida. Dr. Dillman Taylor will be speaking about how to effectively engage in discipline with children and young children.

Also, be on the look for an introduction directly from Fr Jared in your inbox soon!