Children’s Center Chronicle
Arroyo Grande United Methodist Children's Center www.agumcc.com June 2024
AGUMCC Staff Wish List
Gallon jugs of Water
Gallon bottles of Bubbles
5 oz drinking cups
AGUMCC Promotion Program
is Thurs. June 20 at Noon
in the First United Methodist Church.
Come celebrate with use. Each class will sign us a
special song. A social will follow in Criswell Hall
Message from Maddy
As summer approaches, we're preparing for fun outdoor activities! To ensure your child's safety, we kindly ask
you to bring a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, and comfortable shoes. Please note that flip-flops are not considered
safe for school due to their potential to cause slips and falls during active play. We're also planning water play in
the coming days and months, so it's important to check your child’s cubby and ensure an extra change of clothes is
available. In the event that your child doesn't have a change of clothing, we'll contact you to bring one as soon as
possible, understanding that this may not always be convenient.
The Spring Family Survey Results for 2024 are in. All the families who participated in the survey were either
very satisfied (50%) or satisfied (40%). 100% of families felt their child enjoys participating in the program, the
program promoted their child’s learning and development, and the staff meets their child's individual needs. Some
comments received were: “We love you guys so much! Watching our child grow, develop, and flourish with you has
been an amazing experience. We are grateful.” “It’s a great program with caring staff.” “We love the program and
our daughter has developed so much since joining.” “We are glad our daughter is participating next year.” Sugges-
tion on how to improve our program were: “Staying open later would be helpful.” “Extending your hours of opera-
tion would be helpful.” To read the complete Spring Survey see the attached summary.
Don't forget to mark your calendar for Thursday, June 20th. This day is not to be missed! School will close at
12 to host the Promotion Program for all the children. This event, held in the Sanctuary, is a significant milestone
for our children and their families. It will be followed by a Social in Criswell Hall. Look for the Sign-Up Sheet to
donate items for the social and help with set up or clean up. Also, remember the 'Visiting Days' from June 17-20.
During this time, children will get a chance to visit their new classrooms from 9 –10 am, which will help them pre-
pare for the new school year starting Monday, July 1, 2024.
The school will be closed for Summer Break from June 24 to June 28, 2024.
We're immensely grateful to the families who have been our ambassadors, sharing their positive experiences of
our program. Your word of mouth is the most powerful form of advertisement, and we truly appreciate your sup-
port. As we prepare for our next session, we still have openings in the Preschool and TK Classes. If you know some-
one who could benefit from our quality childcare, we encourage you to share about our program. We take pride in
our low child-to-teacher ratio and our dedicated, educated staff who are passionate about teaching and caring for
children.
DATES TO REMEMBER
• Friday, June 7- STAFF DEVELOPMENT School closes at
3:30
• Sunday, June 16—Fathers Day
• Thursday, June 20– Last Day of School. School closes at
noon.
• Thursday, June 20—Promotion Program at noon
• Friday, June 21- School is Closed for Staff Development.
• June 24— June 28—School is Closed for Summer Break
• Monday, July 1- First Day of School for 2023-2024
• Thursday July 4—Independence Day
BIBLE STORY TIME
& GOODIE BEAR
9:00 AM ON WED. JUNE 5TH & THURS.
JUNE 6TH IN THE SANCTUARY.
Story: “Mary and Martha”, Luke 10:38
“Fruit of the Spirit”: is “Self Control”.
The bible verse is “For the grace of
God...teaches us … to live self-
controlled, upright and a Godly live.”
~ Titus 2:11-12
Ms. Elvia’s TK
First of all, I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother’s
Day! As the word “MOM” upside down spells “WOW,”
which all of you mothers are truly amazing! Time sure
is flying. During May, the children learned about the
lifecycle of butterflies and the body parts of a but-
terfly. So, ask your children about the four stages of
a butterfly cycle. We learned butterflies taste with
their feet, and the children were shocked. Many chil-
dren said, "That's funny. What if we tasted with our
feet?” In connection, the children created their own
hungry caterpillars and painted symmetrical butter-
flies.
Children also learned about plants' life cycle, the
parts of the plants, and how plants give us fruits and
vegetables. The children will get to plant a seed and
observe how things change and grow over time. More-
over, children have been enjoying the various areas in
the classroom, like the sensory bin, which has kinetic
sand, insects, flowers, and stumps. They named and
matched the insects to an insect chart above the sen-
sory bin. Children are also engaged in the science ar-
ea in which they enjoy working with a frog, bee, and
butterfly life cycle.
In the dramatic play area the children pretend to be
cashiers and customers selling ice cream and order
their favorite flavor. In the science area, we had a
dragonfly, and children observe it using a magnifying
glass. As they observed the dragonfly’s wings they
said, “They look beautiful, shiny, sparkly.” Some said,
“It looked scary.”
For June, we will be learning about seashells and the
ocean. The bible story and Goody Bear will focus on
“Self- Control” and the story of “Mary and Martha.”
We will review numbers, shapes, and letters, such as
number recognition and writing out the numbers, iden-
tifying shapes and sides/ corners, identifying letters/
sounds, and writing the letters. We will also practice
our promotion songs to sing at the Promotion Program
on June 20th. This will be a special day for all the TK
children who will be transitioning to kindergarten.
This will be an exciting time!
Ms. Swati’s and Ms. Liz Preschool Class
In May, we worked on the letters X,Y, and Z, the Oc-
tagon shape, secondary colors, and number 10. Thank
you to all the families for spoiling us with wonderful
gifts, cards, plants, and special notes for Teacher Ap-
preciation Week. It made my heart melt, and I felt
greatly appreciated.
This month, we are getting ready for the big Promo-
tion Celebration. Children will be practicing songs to
sing during the event. We have been discussing the
upcoming changes where children will transition into
Ms. Elvia's classroom. During welcome week, children
will visit their new classroom and familiarize them-
selves with the new environment.
Juniper’s mom, Sara, and Moxie Mom Jenna will be
helping the children tie-dye their shirts that they will
wear for the Promotion. It will also be a wonderful
keepsake for the children to have and remember the
event.
It has been an incredible year, and it's hard to believe
the school year is ending. Our children are all unique
and ready to embark on their Pre-K journey. Some of
them will move on to the Transitional Kindergarten
with the district. I have cherished and enjoyed every
one of them. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to
all the families for their unwavering support in every
aspect. I also wish all the dads, grandpas, and uncles
a fantastic Father’s Day! "Dads are every child’s first
superhero in disguise."
Ms. Shirley and Cindy Bo’s Toddler Class
We hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day
weekend and look forward to our last month together.
Though our sunny days were not as abun-
dant as we’d hoped, during May, the tod-
dlers still gravitated toward water fun ac-
tivities. They asked daily to help water our
backyard garden and use the spray bottles
in the courtyard. They discovered the
cause and effect of their actions as water filled emp-
ty spaces they sprayed into or dripped from the flow-
ers they were spraying. They also observed that their
water spray changed the color of a cardboard box or
aided the wind in turning a pinwheel. There was such
joy expressed in these simple discoveries.
The toddlers have been engaging in a lot of coopera-
tive play and have even called on each other to help or
join in play. It has also been a time to learn how to
negotiate conflicts as they continue developing their
social interactive skills. We have been helping them to
communicate things like “I’m using it,” “I would like a
turn,” “When I’m done,” and “I want it back,” etc., as
an alternative to grabbing, hitting, etc. Rather than
asking them to say, “I’m sorry,” we ask them to notice
the effects of their actions, then ask how they can
help, and agree to play safely and respectfully so they
can continue to play together.
It is hard to believe that this is our last month with
many of our toddlers and with Miss Shirley as a pri-
mary toddler teacher. We have shared a lot of memo-
rable moments together. Miss Shirley and I truly ap-
preciate the uniqueness of each child in our group and
the special relationships we have developed with them
and their families. All of you will be greatly missed in
the toddler room. I would also like to acknowledge the
blessing of having Miss Shirley as a team teacher
these past few years. Thank you for being such a kind
and gifted co-worker! Miss Shirley will continue to
work at the school in a Floater position, so there will
be lots of opportunities to say “hi” or offer a hug in
passing. Most of the toddlers will be transitioning to
the preschool room. We will enjoy visiting our alums
from the courtyard window. The children have formed
special friendships, and visits to their new classroom
during the “Week of Welcome” will help them transi-
tion to the new classroom. We will miss Liam and his
family as Liam will leave AGUMCC to attend school
with his older brother. We wish Liam and his family
well.
Thank you for allowing us the privilege of partnering
with you in your child’s care and learning.
Many blessings always! Cindy Bo
