Nursery

Founded in 1970, St. John's Nursery School is a non-sectarian school providing morning classes for three, four, and five year olds. St. John’s Nursery School is currently preparing for our 2007-08 school year. This will be our 39^th year and we continue to improve and strengthen our program. For the 2008-09 school year, we will be offering the following classes:

Classes are limited to 20 children and are staffed by a certified Elementary or Early Childhood Teacher and a Teacher's Assistant. Children must be independent with bathroom needs and three years old by September first of the school year.

St. John's Nursery School provides a positive, friendly atmosphere in which children can feel secure and at ease with themselves and others. Children learn the social skills necessary to function in a group setting such as they will encounter in elementary school. The children are involved in group activities, arts and crafts, music, games, story time, field trips, and many other activities.

We believe it is appropriate to teach young children Christian faith by example. To this end, we provide a loving atmosphere which promotes sharing and caring for others. While Nursery School is an educational outreach ministry of St. John's Church and does provide Christian values and tolerance, it is not intended to be a religious educational program. Parents desiring formal religious education for their children are encouraged to explore Sunday church school programs.

It is our purpose to provide an organized environment for children in which they will learn and grow physically, academically and socially. This experience will help them to develop various skills important in their development as a whole child. Our curriculum focuses on all aspects of early childhood development and is coordinated with and compliments the kindergarten program of the Chambersburg Area School District.

If you are interested in enrolling your child in our program, fill out a registration form and return it along with a non-refundable registration fee of $35 made payable to ST. JOHN’S NURSERY SCHOOL and mail to:

Please indicate your class preference at the top of the registration form. Your child will be placed in the appropriate age class. If you have further questions, please feel free to call . Please return promptly to assure your child’s placement in our program!

Nursery School registration is open for the 2008 – 09 school year. The Nursery School offers a pre-school experience for three-, four-, and five-year-old children. A three-year-old must be three by September 1. Class options include two-, three-, and five-day sessions. Registration forms are available in the Nursery School hallway. For registration information, please contact the Nursery School at 264-8224. Classes are filling up quickly and are on a first come-first served basis.

Zoo America, an outreach educational program from Hershey, PA, visited the Nursery School on March 26 and 27. To the delight of the children, the program presented a discussion and demonstration with live animals. This fantastic educational opportunity was funded through last fall’s cookie dough sales. Thanks so much to the Congregation for their support of the fund-raiser. Keep the Nursery School in mind as we will be selling the cookie dough again in the fall of 2008!

Parents’ Night Out: The Nursery School Ministry and Nursery School Staff offered evening educational workshops for the parents of the students. Sessions included:

St. John’s Nursery School continues to collect and recycle empty ink cartridges from various types of printers including inkjets and laser/toners. We are also collecting old cell phones. This fund-raising project benefits our school and supports our efforts to be good conservationists. To avoid spills, place your used ink cartridge in its original box or in a ziploc bag. Cartridges and cell phones can then be brought to the Church and placed in boxes that are located in both lobbies. To date we have received $37.25 for our efforts. These extra funds can be used to support Nursery School initiatives. Thank you for your continued support with this important project. Mrs. Cindy Sharrar, Nursery School teacher of 4-year-olds, is the Project Coordinator. Thank you to Mrs. Sharrar.

Successful Fund-raiser:

Thanks to the students, parents, friends and the St. John’s Congregation, the Nursery School cookie sale fund-raiser was a grand success. The Nursery School’s profits are welcomed funds that are used to support various initiatives. To date, we have purchased pumpkins for all the students, a Santa suit, digital cameras for the staff to capture cherished moments, and funding professional development for the staff. Future options for the 2007-08 school year include educational manipulatives, books for the classrooms, special assemblies and funding the end-of-year student fun days. Thank you for your support.

Guest Reader Program:

The Congregation continues to participate in the classroom Guest Reader program. This activity involves adults reading to the children in each of the classes. Selecting a book is never a problem, as the classroom teachers have books ready for readers. If you love reading and children as we do, this opportunity may be just for you! Call Sue Powell at 352-7985 to ask questions, to arrange a time and to join the team.

The Nursery School is excited as it moves into another school year. We have expanded our class options by adding two additional four year old classes, including an extended day option in which the children stay for two extra hours each Wednesday. This option proved to be very popular with the parents. Presently there are a total of ninety-two students enrolled in the program. We have only ten slots remaining. Share the good news of this engaging program with someone you know.

The 2007-08 Nursery School Staff Include:

Lisa Etter, Head Teacher and teacher of both a two-day and the three-day extended day section of four-year-olds.
- Stacy McAfee, Assistant
Cindy Sharrar, teacher of both a two-day and a three-day section of four-year-olds

o Lori Wetzel, Assistant

Stacy Prochaska, teacher of the five-day class for four-year-olds

o Joanne Minnich, Assistant

Jill Hazelton, teacher of the three-day class for three-year-olds

o Vasilia McKenzie, Assistant

Angie Leedy, teacher of the two-day class for three-year-olds

o Vasilia McKenzie, Assistant

GUEST READERS: An on going initiative of the Nursery School Ministry is to invite members of St. John’s into the classrooms as guest readers. If you would like to hear more about this exciting opportunity awaiting you in the Nursery School, contact the school directly at (717) 264-8224.

ST. JOHN’S NURSERY SCHOOL MINISTRY

St. John’s U.C.C. Nursery School Ministry - St. John’s started a Nursery School outreach ministry 37 years ago. The Nursery School Ministry oversees the operation of St. John’s Nursery School through a joint working relationship with the Nursery school teaching staff.

In summary, the council is dedicated to working with our teachers to create an atmosphere of fun and learning for all the children.