Simpsonville United Methodist Preschool & Kindergarten

I sent this via email but wanted to post it here as well just in case you did not receive the email.......

Hello friends and families,

I hope you all had a beautiful Christmas.

As you know, the Covid numbers have steadily increased over the last few weeks. Unfortunately, just this week, I’ve had a teacher and her husband diagnosed with Covid and last week another teacher’s husband was diagnosed with Covid as well. With this said, I am going to err on the side of caution and extend our break for an additional week. Instead of returning to school on the 4th, we are going to return on the 11th. I am so sorry for any inconvenience that this causes however, I would rather do this than return and have numerous cases throughout the school. I am praying this will help to avoid such.

Due to us losing a week in January, I am going to add a week to May. We were scheduled to be done with the school year on May 21st but we will go through May 28thinstead.

Friends, I know this year has been challenging to say the least but I feel incredibly blessed to have made it this far without incident within our preschool and kindergarten. Being cautious, being respectful of one another and taking the extra precautions that we have……I feel certain these things have helped that to be the case. I plan to go through May my friends. I plan to hold our mother’s day brunches and our end of the year programs and graduations. 2021 is upon us and it brings hope for better days. I believe there is light at the end of this tunnel.

So when we return on the 11th, it will be time to begin registration for the 21-22 school year. I will send home that information with every child. You guys will get first dibs on spots for the next school year. Registration for the 2021/2022 school year will be held for our currently enrolled families (you guys!) and our church members from Jan. 14th – 31st. On Feb. 1st, we will open to the public with any slots that we have left. I want to make sure you all have a spot at SUMC Preschool & Kindergarten if you want to leave your children with us (and I pray that you do!). Make sure you get that paperwork back to me!!

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me back. Again, I apologize for any inconvenience that our additional week closed causes. I pray it is minimal for all of you. My number one priority is the safety of your children and my staff. I believe with my whole heart that this is a sound decision and I hope you can understand and support our position.

Please have a safe and most certainly, a HAPPY New Year! I miss your little loves so much and cannot wait to see their sweet little faces back at SUMC on January 11th, 2021!!!!

Until then……

May the Lord bless you and keep you; May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you His peace.

(Numbers 6:24-26)

Much love,

Cindy Henderson

Director of SUMC’s Preschool & Kindergarten Ministries

Good afternoon friends and families! Just as a precaution I want to remind you of our school’s inclement weather policy. We follow decisions made by Greenville county schools. If they are on a two hour delay, that means we are as well. This opens our doors at 10:30 am. Dismissal would be later - 2:00 pm (if you so choose) and you would send in a nut free lunch! (We have microwaves and refrigerators so we can warm items if need be).
If Greenville County Schools close for the day, we would be closed as well.
Please feel free to email me or PM with any questions. You can also comment here.

Happy Tuesday friends!! The teachers and I are super excited to be back at it today. We are finishing up our cleaning and set up and can’t wait to to see you all at Meet the Teacher on Thursday and Friday of this week! If you have not signed up for a time please check your child’s class page or your email!
A few things to know:

1. If you are already signed up for Tuition Express, our draft program, from last year and nothing has changed, you are set. ❤️

2. With parents not coming inside the building, Tuition Express is an easy way to pay your monthly tuition. We draft each month on the 10th and you can pause it or start it at any time. You just need to let Kim or I know. Email me if you need a form to sign up. This draft is through your checking account. We are unable to take credit or debit cards. You can send a check or money order in with your child’s teacher. They will get them to me if you prefer not to do Tuition Express. We HIGHLY RECOMMEND TUITION EXPRESS. ❤️

3. Tuition is unfortunately not reduced on month’s that we are not in for the full month. We are NONPROFIT so we count on everyone’s tuition payment to pay our staff and expenses. This is how we are able to keep our rates so affordable.

4. Tuition payments are due on the 1st and late after the 10th (except this month, you have til Sept. 18th to pay with no late fee). *Your registration fee that you paid to guarantee/hold your child’s spot is separate from tuition. It did not cover your first month.

5. Late stay is not available just YET. We are hoping to get to that soon but it involves mingling of classes & students. We are working on coming up with a plan. We will let you know ASAP. ❤️

6. You can bring supplies and your parent waiver forms to either Meet the Teacher or the 1st day of school. The parent waivers are REQUIRED for your child to attend.
I do know Lysol and Clorox Wipes are coveted items and are hard to find. Don’t fret, just bring them as you can. ❤️ We are incredibly appreciative of any and all that you find. We are in the hunt as well.

7. Please keep us posted on any health issues within your family and please keep your littles home when they are not 100%. This is how we will keep all of us well and healthy.

8. Finally.......know that we will be making sure that your child is safe and happy while at school. We believe in person school is so important for these littles! We are so thrilled to have them with us and with all of us working together, we will have a wonderful school year. Thank you for entrusting us with your sweet babies. ❤️❤️❤️

Feel free to email me with any questions. [email protected]

Much love,
Mrs. Cindy Henderson
Director of SUMC’s Preschool and Kindergarten Ministries

Happy Friday! Just saying that at 11:30 pm last night I finished emailing packets. If you did not receive one, please email me at [email protected]. It could be we don’t have your email or we could have it entered wrong. Lol.
I cannot wait to see all of our little friends back in their classrooms!! ❤️💙🏫

Hello friends and families! I hope this post finds you all well and safe.
I know so many of you have questions as to what our plan is for the 2020-2021 school year so I wanted to let you know what our thoughts are as of now.
We DEFINITELY plan to return. We have set a very tentative start date and it is Tuesday, Sept. 8th which is the Tuesday after Labor Day. That is actually a week later than we normally start but we want to make sure that we have time to set up and thoroughly clean and sanitize our classrooms and building. I say this date is TENTATIVE. We have almost two months from now but as you all know, our state is one of the worst for COVID numbers. I take the health and safety of every single child very seriously. I also have to consider the health and safety of my staff and their families. If it is safe to return on Sept. 8th, then that is our plan. If it is still iffy, we may bump it up to the beginning of October. I pray that that is not necessary so as of now, our tentative start date is Tuesday, Sept. 8th. I promise to notify you all as soon as I know if that is to change.
We do plan to have a staggered Meet the Teacher that will spread over several days so that we limit the number of people in our building at one time and so that we allow for social distancing. I am making a list of the provisions that will be crucial for ALL OF US to follow diligently once we open. When I am done typing those up along with our school calendar, I will get those mailed out in our beginning of the school year packets.
Trust me, my staff and I are as ready as you all are for life to resume and for a sense of normalcy. I know we are all so desperate to have that. The health and safety of all of our babies as well as my staff weighs heavy on my heart and mind. I covet your prayers as I make decisions with our church staff and with our Weekday School Board for our school.
I appreciate the fact that you all trust us to care for your littles. They mean so incredibly much to me and I will do all within my power to protect them while in my care.
Much love to you all my friends. I miss your faces so much and I look forward to the day that we see each other again.
In His Service,
Cindy Henderson
Director of SUMC’s Preschool and Kindergarten Ministries

Hello sweet friends and families! I told you I would update you by the week’s end our decision on summer camp. Well we have chosen to forego it this year. Our church is not having groups meet in the classrooms as of yet. We feel that it is best to not run the risk for just 12 half days which is all summer camp is - 3 half days for 4 weeks.
This was a heartbreaking decision for me. Selfishly I miss your babies so much and want them back in our halls however, this is about protecting our most vulnerable. Our elderly and our children and those with underlying health issues.
I hope you can understand and respect our decision and I pray you will plan to bring them back for the fall and/or next summer.
In the meantime, my staff and I will be praying for you all to stay safe and well. We will be training and at some point, cleaning and sanitizing our classrooms to be ready for fall 2020!!
I love you all and I hope to see our 2019/2020 class friends at our Happy Summer/End of school year drive thru this week!!

Friends - my heart is heavy to share but for the health and safety of everyone, SUMC Preschool & Kindergarten will be closed through the end of the month. My staff and I encourage you to stay home with your children as much as you possibly can. Social distancing is key to preventing the spreading of this illness. If we all work together to do so, hopefully we will be together again soon. We love each and every one of you so very much and will be praying for all of our families and for our state, country and world.

Just a reminder that tonight is our annual Family Fun & Spirit Night from 5:30 til 8:00 pm. From 5:30 til 6:20 some special characters will be here to greet your children, sign autographs and take pictures. We will start our special viewing of the original Toy Story at 6:30 sharp in the gym. We will have a concession stand where you can purchase hot dogs, pizza by the slice, nachos with cheese, popcorn and drinks!! (Please bring cash or checks for this. No debit/credit cards).
So bring your family a blanket and pillows so you can get comfy and snuggle up as we all enjoy a family movie night on the big screens in the gym! 🎥 🍿 🌭 🍕 🥤
Can’t wait to see you all there!!! 🎉🎉🎉

Friends and families - PLEASE READ:
As you know we have children who are immune compromised (with cancer and cardiac illnesses) in our program so it is critical that we watch for everything at all times - the coronavirus, the flu, all of it. We work incredibly hard and use the same cleaners that the hospitals use. Bleach will also be our best friend per the CDC’s suggestion for sanitizing. I MUST reiterate to all of you parents that if your child has cold symptoms or any other signs of illness, they will not be allowed at school. I know this may seem extreme but I feel it is necessary.
Please know that we will be incredibly diligent as always. The health and safety of these littles is our number one priority. ❤️
Feel free to email, message or come by to see me if you have any questions.
In His Service,
Mrs. Cindy Henderson
Director of SUMC’s Preschool and Kindergarten Ministries

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/symptoms.html

We will be holding two Ash Wednesday services at SUMC. 12:15 & 7:00 pm. Feel free to join us for either.
After the 12:15 service today, we will hold a light lunch in the fellowship hall. For the next 5 weeks we will hold a Lenten devotion (led by one of SUMC’s pastors) and a lunch every Wednesday (March 4th through April 1st) in the fellowship hall as well. You are always welcome. ❤️

Come out tonight and have Brinner with us at Simpsonville United Methodist Church!!!

Friends - please feel free to join me at Simpsonville United Methodist Church on this Sunday, Feb. 23rd. It’s a wonderful place to be. ❤️🙏🏻

Hello friends and families! SUMC Preschool and Kindergarten follows decisions made by Greenville County Schools however, per our handbook, if GCS opt for a 3 hour delay, we will be closed so there will be no school tomorrow, Friday, Feb. 21st. Enjoy your weekend and we will see you all on Monday!! ❤️❤️❤️ ❄️ ⛄️

Save the Date! Summer camp 2020 “Noble Knights & Fair Ladies of Kingdom SUMC”
June 16th through July 9th. Held on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings from 8:45 am until 1:00 pm. You can send your child all 4 weeks or pick and choose your weeks!
Camp is available to children from 6 months old through Rising 6th graders. Registration packets will be available on March 26th & 27th.
Castles & shields, grand feast and fire breathing dragons! A most magical summer awaits!

Roads must be bad as Greenville County Schools have closed therefore SUMC Preschool and Kindergarten is closed today as well. So sorry friends. Have a wonderful weekend and we will see you all on Monday.

Good evening friends. SUMC Preschool and Kindergarten follow weather decisions made by Greenville County Schools. They announced that they will be on a 2 hour delay tomorrow morning. This means we will as well this opening our doors at 10:30. So because we are delayed in opening, we will extend our school hours until 2:00. There will be no additional late stay and there is no charge for this. You will however need to send your children a lunch - NUT FREE. So to clarify - school hours tomorrow, Friday, Feb. 7th will be 10:30 until 2:00 for all classes.
**NOTE: If Greenville County decides to close for the day, they will make their decision by 7:00 am. We will close if they do.
***ALSO NOTE: There will be no pizza late stay tomorrow as there is no late stay. All children will need a nut free lunch and a drink.
Dismissal will be at 2:00 pm sharp as our teachers will have children to pick up at 2:30 as well so please help us by being prompt.
AND FINALLY - there will be no carline. Please come in to drop your child off at 10:30. ❤️

Happy 2020!! SUMC Preschool & Kindergarten will be opening registration to the public on Friday, Jan. 31st at 8:30 am for the 2020/2021 school year that kicks off late August of 2020. We offer tours on Tuesday through Friday anytime between 9:30 and 11:15 am. An appointment is not necessary.
Registration for currently enrolled and active members of Simpsonville United Methodist Church will be held from Jan. 16th through Jan. 30th. On the morning of the 31st, all slots left are first come, first serve for everyone whether you are currently enrolled or coming in new to our program.
**If you are interested in our private, certified kindergarten program, we will be holding a Kindergarten Preview Night on Thursday, Jan. 9th from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. We will share information about our Kindergarten including curriculum, hours, attendance policies, student to teacher ratios and tuition rates. We will also have all 4 teachers there for a question and answer session.
If you have questions, feel free to email me at [email protected]
Have a wonderful day!
Cindy Gunnells Henderson
Director of SUMC’s Preschool and Kindergarten Ministries

Information on Sunday’s services, Christmas Eve services & announcements from SUMC......

Friday, December 20, 2019

Opportunities for Worship this Sunday!

8:40am Traditional Worship
Sanctuary
10:55am Contemporary Worship
Gym
11:05am Traditional worship
Sanctuary
9:55am Sunday School for all ages
Christmas Eve Services

Christmas Eve services on Dec 24th -
Carols & Communion
12:00 Noon
Children, Family & Communion
6:00 PM
Contemporary Carols & Communion
8:00 PM
Carols, Candles & Communion
11:00 PM
The Rev. Dr. Mike Smith & The Rev. Bob Horowitz will be at all services ❤️

**The Church Office will be closed from
December 24 through December 27**

Journey to the Manger announcement:

Thank you to all who volunteered for Journey to the Manger. Although we only had one night this year, it was a great night. The village was full and the community came out to see it (435 cars and 1566 people came through)!!

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Good morning friends and families!! I have just a few reminders and things to share.......
- #1 - The RSV virus is running through the little learners & younger children of the preschool. If your child is congested, coughing with a lot of junk behind it, feeling lethargic and has junk coming from the eyes or nose, PLEASE KEEP THEM HOME. It is a highly contagious virus. We want to protect all of our baby bears who do not have it and the ones that do need lots of rest.
#2 - Christmas programs are this Wednesday and Thursday evening at 6:00 in the sanctuary of SUMC. Please have your child dropped off in their classroom by 5:40/5:45. Dress them in their Christmas attire or in their fancy church clothes. 🎄🎅🏻🎁
#3 - SUMC has several Christmas Eve services and you and your family are more than welcome to join us!! There is a 12:00 (noon) service, two services at 6:00 pm (sanctuary is a children’s service and is very family friendly and there is a contemporary service in the gym) then there is an 11:00 pm service.
#4 - School will resume from Christmas break on Monday, Jan. 6th. Registration for the 20/21 school year will begin Jan. 16th & 17th. Packets will come home with your child on the 14th and 15th.
#5 - We will hold a Kindergarten Open House/Preview Night on Thursday, Jan. 9th for those who are interested in sending their child to our private, certified kindergarten program. My niece, nephew and granddaughter have all 3 attended and my youngest granddaughter will attend next year. It is an amazing and wonderful experience! Come check it out!
#6 - Finally - My staff and I want to wish you all the MERRIEST CHRISTMAS! May you and yours enjoy your time together and be ever mindful of how blessed we all are and may Christ bless your heart and be in the center of your Christmas.
Much love to you all - Mrs. Cindy Henderson

Good morning friends and families! Are you on the countdown for school to start? I know we are!! So looking forward to a fresh new school year! To start our school year off just right, SimpsonvilleSimpsonville United Methodist Church is holding a Blessing of the Backpacks and Blessing over the Teachers Service this coming Sunday, August 18th. We offer 3 services and would LOVE to have you join us at any one of them. 8:45 is our bright and early service in the sanctuary, 10:55 is our Joyful Connections Service, a more contemporary service held in our gymnasium, and we offer an 11:05 am traditional service in our sanctuary. The preschool teachers and I will be in the Joyful Connections service and would LOVE to have you join us! Just have your child bring their backpacks. We will pray over them and their backpacks for a safe and successful school year. What better way to start their year!
That evening in the side field by our picnic shelter we will be having a Block Party! Feel free to join us for that as well. There will be inflatables, a dunk tank, food, games and fun!!

Hello friends and families! If you are a parent or grandparent that has a child that will be joining our school for the 2019/2020 school year, please join our closed group entitled SUMC Preschool Teachers and Parents. You will need to answer the questions and request to join. As long as I can confirm you are an enrolled family for the upcoming school year, we will approve your request.

It’s time!!! Summer Camp kicks off tomorrow, June 18th, if you are signed up for Week 1. We are so excited to see all of our sweet friends!
Arrival is anytime between 8:45 and 9:00 am. Our days for Week 1, Week 2 and Week 4 are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Week 3, which is July 4th week, will be held on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Pick up is at 1:00 every day.
Please pack your child a lunch that is 100% nut free.
At drop off, Mrs. Kim Scribner Hubbard, Mrs. Toby Miklinski, Mrs. Kathryn Taylor Stephens and I will be in the entrance breezeway to help send you to your child’s classroom. Once you find your child’s classroom, that will be their class the entire time. You will drop off and pick up at that classroom every day.
*If your child has any medical or developmental conditions or has medications such as an inhaler or an epipen, please be sure your child’s teacher knows and that the preschool office staff (Kim and I) are aware also. Your child’s safety is most important and we want to make sure we all communicate effectively. ❤️ Thank you!!

See you tomorrow!!

Just a quick reminder that students do NOT have class today, Friday, May 3rd as it is Parent Teacher Conferences. Childcare will be available for during conferences (for your focusing pleasure, haha). Babies and 2’s can go to the Little Learners room and the olders can go to the gym. 2’s may also go to the gym if they prefer. ❤️
Have a wonderful weekend and we will see you on Monday!
Please be sure to get those Mother’s Day RSVP’s in ASAP.

World Down Syndrome Day is coming up and to help raise awareness we are going to ROCK OUR SOCKS 🧦!! Silly socks, mismatched socks, tall socks, short socks - SOCKS! We will do this on both Wednesday and Thursday. You can also wear blue and yellow. Please help us raise awareness and join in on the fun!!

Good morning friends and families!! Just a quick reminder that tonight is our Family Fun and Literacy Night!! It will be held from 5:30 until 7:30. We will have a hot dog supper, inflatables, Musical Chairs, Parachute Play, reading rooms, a Parent-Child Yoga room and many other wonderful activities for you to do WITH your children. Please make plans to join us. Supper will be served from 5:30 until 7:00. Also, look for a schedule of how it works to come home today in your child’s backpack. You can also pick one in any classroom tonight. All will take place in the gym end of our building. Hope to see you tonight!!
And today is Team Spirit day! Show off your favorite team’s colors!!

Happy Weekend friends!!! Just a heads up, next week is SUMC’s Preschool & Kindergarten‘s Dino-Mite Spirit Week. It is such a fun week for the kiddos and the teachers. I will be sending home further info but here are the things you need to know to prep for next week.....

Monday is wear your PJ’s to school day!!!
We will also collect for the Children’s Cancer Center at Greenville Memorial. If you can send in standard size character pillow cases, play dough or mini LEGO sets, we would love it! We will collect these items all week for them.

Tuesday is Hats off to Hero’s Day. Let your child wear a favorite hat. On this day, each class will be baking cookies, muffins, cupcakes or brownies with their teachers. We will deliver these goodies to local firemen and policemen. 🚒 👮‍♀️ 🚔

On Wednesday it is a FAVORITE. It is dress up as your fave storybook character day!
That day we will collect for the Humane Society. If you can, send in dog food, cat food, kitty litter, treats, paper towels and old blankets or towels.

Thursday is wear your fave sports team attire! We will collect for Blessings for Backpacks. We are collecting for children in our area schools who are in need. On Fridays these children are sent home with shelf stable food in their backpacks to make sure they are eating over the weekend. Things like individual Mac and cheese cups, cereal bars, packs of crackers, juice boxes, fruit cups or pouches, etc. We will collect all week for this.

On Friday it is wear green or camo day as we Salute our Soldiers. Each class will make cards or write letters and we will get these mailed out to soldiers. ❤️

Next Thursday night is our 2nd annual Family Fun & Literacy Night!! Info will be coming home in your child’s bag and I will post here as well. Please make plans to join us!

Enjoy your weekend my sweets and THANK YOU ALL for an amazing Teacher Appreciation Week. 😘😘😘❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Happy Sunday friends and families! Just a couple of reminders for this week. Tuesday is Shrove Tuesday (or Fat Tuesday) and Simpsonville United Methodist Church is holding our annual pancake supper. Please
feel free to join us! (Details below).
Also, this coming Wednesday is Ash Wednesday which begins the season of Lent in the church. We are offering two services - one at noon and one at 7:00 pm. Please feel free to join us for either service. Both will be held in the sanctuary.
And on NEXT Sunday, March 10th, we will celebrate our preschool and kindergarten ministry here at SUMC. The service will be in the sanctuary of SUMC at 11:00 am. We invite you to come and worship with us!! Any preschool children in attendance will be called down front during the service and they will perform two songs that they have been working on with Mrs. Katie. I know your hearts will be blessed by the children as well as by the service and Reverend Mike’s so please make plans to attend. SUMC is a wonderful place to be! ❤️

Hey there friends and families! Since summer camp registrations are starting to roll out I thought it wise to give you guys our dates. We will offer a 4 week summer camp from June 18th through July 11th. It will be held on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8:45 am until 1:00 pm. The only week that will be different is the week of July 4th and that week we will attend on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. You can pick and choose your weeks or you can do all 4. Registration for us will begin mid March and you will receive packets home in your child’s backpacks. Our summer camp is open to children from the ages of 6 months up through rising 6th grade so yes, your big kids can join us too!! We look forward to seeing our friends and hope they can all join us for some summer fun!! 🚀 🌙 👨‍🚀 ✨ 🌍 (Can you guess our theme by my clip art??)

Good morning friends and families! I just wanted to make sure that you all checked your child’s backpacks over the last two days as the 2019/2020 registration packets came home. Registration opens today for currently enrolled families as well as our church members who are not already enrolled. Registration opens to the public on Feb. 1st so be sure to get your information in ASAP. Spots fill up quickly so if you are hoping for a particular schedule, the quicker you turn it in, the better your chances will be. If you have questions or need help, feel free to come by the office to see Kim or I or you can email or message me.
Much love - Mrs. Cindy ❤️

I am soooo looking forward to seeing all of our sweet friends tomorrow and Tuesday!! I hope you have all had a wonderful break and are ready to get back into routine. I certainly am!! See you in the morning! ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Mrs. Cindy