Ms. Elizabeth also loved John's (from Ms. Dawn's class) sense of perspective using thoughtful layering when he made his Picasso inspired art!

Way to go John!

Dear WDS Families,

We had a delightful time this morning and were delighted to chat over coffee with about a dozen different families who attended our Coffee & Chat time of fellowship before Chapel!  I really enjoyed putting together faces and families to match the children!  It was nice to have several of the families stay for our Chapel and join the children in learning the story of how God created the universe!

Part of our job as human beings is to help take care of God's Creation.  Westhampton UMC and our congregation would like to invite all WDS Families to join us for our Westhampton Workday at Shalom Farms in Goochland on Saturday, October 5.  Just grab some work gloves and your family and friends and join us out at the farm from 9am-Noon.  The more the merrier!  Please see the attached document for more details and feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Blessings,

Pastor Christy

Westhampton United Methodist Church | Christy Haga Turner | Pastor

6100 Patterson Ave. Richmond, VA 23226 | P: 804.288.4903 | F: 804.282.2929
Email: chturner@westhamptonumc.org | Web: www.westhamptonumc.org

Artsy Finds

Pablo Picasso created and explored various ways of presenting a sense of three dimensions within the flat, two-dimensional structure of a painting. Picasso's Cubist collages used different materials, such as commercial prints, drawings and found papers such as newspaper to create a sense of depth through the actual layering of materials. Leigh (one of our Pre-K students) observed this and created a sophisticated collage in response to Picasso's Bowl with Fruit, Violin and Glass, 1913

Great Job Leigh!

Accreditation Update!

We are excited to announce that we have been given our two week window for a review by the National Accreditation Committee: October 7th - 18th, 2013!

We will be hard at work reviewing documents and preparing our rooms for visitors!

During this two week window, we cannot have additional activities planned. Our Make and Take Night (originally scheduled for Tuesday, October 8th) will be rescheduled for Tuesday, November 5th from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Our Rainbow Treasure Chest

Take a look at our new treasure chest! Designed and painted by our own art teacher, Ms. Elizabeth!

Students who work their way through the positive behavior rainbow, get to pick a rainbow treasure!

A BIG thank you to Ms. Elizabeth!

Meet Our New Staff Members!

Hello.  We hope that everyone is ready to begin our first full week of the school year!  I know that Alex provided you with information about our 2013 Fall Extracurricular Activities.  We are excited to get these rolling and try out some new programs.  We will be anxious to hear your feedback!

Last week was a week spent tweaking and adjusting schedules as we ensured that we had more than ample coverage for each age group throughout all portions of our school day.  You will be seeing some new faces around, especially in our afternoon hours.

Marsha Bond has joined our two year old team, and will be working from 10:00-6:00.  A morning floater, she will help as needed in all rooms and with resources during the morning hours, and will be with the students throughout their afternoons.  Ms. Marsha has her BS in Psychology and a Masters in Rehabilitation counseling from VCU.  Her prior experiences include working as a case manager in a transitional day program for individuals with traumatic brain injury and as a Crisis Counselor for children with mental retardation and autism.

Meghan Carey is joining in with our three year olds from 3:00-6:00 daily.  She is a Special Education teacher at Manchester High School.  With her Masters in Education from Liberty University, Megan is looking forward to spending some time with our younger students and getting to have some fun with our afternoon enrichments!

George Piazza is going to be working with our after school and Kindergarten students from 2:00-6:00 daily.  George is a recent graduate at VA Tech, with a BA in Political Science.  He has worked as a volunteer with three and four year olds at St. Mary’s, and is hoping to gain experiences that will help as he pursues a career in education.  With George on board, Mr. Travis will continue to work in after school, and will also assist with our Preschool students from 4:30-6:00.

WDS has also worked to expand our sub list to provide coverage that meets the high standards we hold for our educators.  Eli Dickinson is currently working on her Masters in Accounting at VCU, and Elizabeth Webber is a UR student working on her degree in International Studies and Spanish, who also helps out with Volley Tots!  John Garland holds an English degree from VA Tech, and worked as a Chaplain intern at Shrine Mont Camps, and Ruby Kratzert is a UVA grad who was awarded the Virginia Teacher of Promise Award in 2013.  We are very excited to have these recent college graduates and students on our sub list as they work to gain knowledge and experience and further their journeys into the professional world of education.

Please make sure you take the time to introduce yourself if you see one of these new faces!  WDS is excited, because we have extra hands in place this year as we strive to continue to grow!  As always, if you have any questions, please give me a call or share by email.

Fall Enrichment Details & Times

This week, our afternoon enrichments will be starting (Two-Year-Olds will do their enrichments in the morning). Below you will find the detailed times for each day/class! This schedule does not include the WDS resources already offered: Physical Education, Music, Art, and Spanish Classes!

But first, a little about our new enrichments!

Pop, Hop, & Rock is a creative movement and gross motor skill building enrichment!

Project Wild is a science curriculum that is developed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation!

Fun Bus is a treat that each class gets to participate in once a month! It's fitness fun on wheels!

Drama Kids is a unique and fun filled drama program!

Picture Book Odyssey - a fun way for children to explore books! Crafts, games, and much more is included for each book!

Volley Tots introducing volleyball skills while incorporating lite volleyballs, beach balls, balloons, bean bags, and more!

MONDAY

Two's - Pop, Hop, & Rock

9:20 - 9:40 Ms. Donnie's Class

9:40 - 10:00 Ms. Simone's Class

10:00 - 10:20 Ms. Finis & Ms. Heather's Class

Three's - Project Wild

Done in each individual class by teacher's throughout the day!

Pre-Kindergarten - Pop, Hop, & Rock

3:00 - 3:20 Ms. Caroline's Class

3:20 - 3:40 Ms. Megan's Class

3:40 - 4:00 Ms. Brigid's Class

4:00 - 4:20 Ms. Liz's Class

Kindergarten - Pop, Hop, & Rock

2:30 - 3:00 Mrs. Hodges' Class

TUESDAY

Three's - Pop, Hop, & Rock

3:20 - 3:40 Ms. Jeanne's Class

3:40 - 4:00 Ms. Timberly & Ms. Stephanie's Class

4:00 - 4:20 Ms. Dawn's Class

Pre-Kindergarten - Drama Kids

3:00 - 3:30 Ms. Caroline's Class

3:30 - 4:00 Ms. Megan's Class

4:00 - 4:30 Ms. Brigid's Class

4:30 - 5:00 Ms. Liz's Class

Kindergarten - Project Wild

Done by Mrs. Hodges' throughout the day!

WEDNESDAY

Two's - Fun Bus or Picture Book Odyssey

Fun Bus - 1st Wednesday of each month

Three's - Fun Bus or Picture Book Odyssey

Fun Bus - 2nd Wednesday of each month

Pre-Kindergarten - Fun Bus or Picture Book Odyssey

Fun Bus - 3rd Wednesday of each month

Kindergarten - Fun Bus or Picture Book Odyssey

Fun Bus - 4th Wednesday of each month

After School - Karate

THURSDAY

Two's - Volley Tots

10:30 - 10:50 Ms. Donnie's Classs

10:50 - 11:10 Ms. Finis & Ms. Heather's Class

11:10 - 11:30 Ms. Simone's Class

Three's - Drama Kids

3:30 - 4:00 Ms. Jeanne's Class

4:00 - 4:30 Ms. Dawn's Class

4:30 - 5:00 Ms. Timberly & Ms. Stephanie's Class

Pre-Kindergarten - Project Wild

Done in each individual class by teacher's throughout the day!

Kindergarten - Drama Kids

3:00 - 3:30 Mrs. Hodges' Class

FRIDAY

Three's - Volley Tots

4:10 - 4:30 Ms. Timberly & Ms. Stephanie's Class

4:30 - 4:50 Ms. Dawn's Class

4:50 - 5:10 Ms. Jeanne's Class

Pre-Kindergarten - Volley Tots

2:50 - 3:10 Ms. Caroline's Class

3:10 - 3:30 Ms. Megan's Class

3:30 - 3:50 Ms. Brigid's Class

3:50 - 4:10 Ms. Liz's Class

Kindergarten - Volley Tots

2:30 - 2:50