From the Director’s Desk…
Dear Parents and Families,
It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas! As we rush to shop, decorate, and bake, it is important to try and maintain our children’s schedules as much as possible, to minimize their stress.
All of the excitement can be very overwhelming for children: company in town, lots of shopping, anticipation, etc. It is so important that we remember the true meaning of this holiday and embrace the family time!
We would like to thank our volunteers for the wonderful Thanksgiving Feast! Whether you coordinated, cooked, or helped out on the day of the event, we truly appreciate your kindness.
It is the involvement of all of our wonderful parents that truly sets our program apart from so many other ECCs. Please take a moment and go to our website www.StLukeEcc.com to look at all of the pictures of the Feast as well as the wonderful response to our Food Drive collection.
We are excited about our upcoming “Breakfast with St. Nick”. We look forward to seeing you on Saturday December 12th from 8:30-11:30. A pancake breakfast will be served from
8:30-11:00 in the Assembly room and there will even be a visit from St. Nick from 9:00-11:00. So sign-up now and bring your cameras! There will also be crafts for the children, story time, and a
Scholastic Book Fair. Remember books make great Christmas presents!
We would like to thank the Coble and Dunmire families for their Adopt-A-Class Donations.
The Coble’s donation has been used to purchase a new sofa for Miss Rickey and Miss Claudia’s Class.
The Dunmire’s adopted Miss Diane and Miss Susan’s class and they are actively looking for new manipulatives to scaffold the children’s skills based on their interest areas.
Save the Date, our One Enchanted Evening Event is scheduled for February 5th from
6:30pm-9:30pm. This event is for the whole family. Your children will be entertained by their teachers as you participate in Casino-style fun! Please find included in this newsletter a sponsor letter to share with your employer or local business that might be interested in helping to sponsor this event. We would like each family to find one sponsor for this event whether it is a gift certificate for a day at the spa, a basket of pet grooming supplies, a certificate for a 2 night stay at a beachfront resort, manicure/pedicure, beer or sangria for the event, etc. If each family finds one donation we will have wonderful items for our silent auction.
The entire staff of St. Luke Early Childhood Center wishes you and your family a relaxing family Christmas.
May the Blessings of this Holy Season fill you with the love of our Savior,
Kathie Mitchell
Caption describing picture or graphic.
Dates to Remember
Dec.-14-15th Class Pictures
December 9-12th Scholastic Book Fair
December 12th Breakfast with St. Nick and Book Fair
Dec. 16th 2’s and 3’s Christmas Program
Dec. 17th Pre-K Christmas Program and 2-day Two’s Christmas Program
Dec. 21st- Jan. 1st School Closed - Christmas Break
January 4th Welcome Back

Jan. 13th PALS Meeting
Jan 19th Registration begins for 2016/2017
Jan. 25th-29th Catholic Schools Week
February 5th One Enchanted Evening
Need some Christmas gift ideas?
Our Scholastic Book Fair
December 9-12th
Is a great place to shop for books for all of the preschool and early elementary children on your list.
We still have Chick-fil-A Calendars available for purchase @ $7.00 ea. in the school office.
This fun gift provides a treat each month for a whole year!
Approx. 40% of the proceeds goes to our school.
Little Saint’s Herald Volume 29, Issue 4
December 2015
Volume 29, Issue 4
December 2015
Little Saint’s Herald

NO SCHOOL
Please mark your calendars! Our Center will be closed from Monday, December 21st through Friday, January 1st for Christmas Break. We will reopen on Monday, January 4th.
St. Luke ECC presents
A Family Evening of fun, food & fellowship
Friday, February 5, 2016
6:30-9:30pm
Casino Tables, dancing, refreshments and more • Separate Children’s Entertainment •
More details to follow ……..
Sponsorship Levels:

Glow Level
Sparkle Level
Shine Level
Star Level
$10.00
$25.00
$50.00
$75.00
Dazzle Level $100.00
Casino Table Sponsor $300.00
All sponsor’s names will be displayed at the event and published in the school
Newsletter and Church Bulletin.
Volume 29, Issue 4 Little Saint’s Herald
December 2015
“Every good and perfect gift is from God. It comes down from the Father. (James 1:17)
December 6th is the Feast of St. Nicholas! On the 4th we will celebrate with a school-wide service in the
Children’s Prayer Garden. Based on tradition, the children will all then put a shoe out in the hallway in anticipation that St. Nick will stop by and leave them a treat!
Christmastime is such a special time within our church and our families. The children are so excited getting ready for the holiday: spending time with family and friends, and of course receiving gifts. It is important to remind them of the true meaning of Christmas – the birth of Jesus Christ.
Christmas season begins with Advent. Advent is a time of preparation that is filled with anticipation and hope. It is a period of time which invites us all to prepare patiently and quietly for the coming of Jesus Christ. During the month we talk about preparing for and looking forward to the celebration of Jesus.
This month our two year olds will be talking about and expressing their love for Jesus. They will also talk about family and sharing the true meaning of Christmas. Their classroom will be filled with singing and laughter as they prepare for the upcoming holiday.
Our three year olds will talk about Advent. They will get ready for Christmas by making decorations to use at home to remind them that Christmas is coming. They will pray to God and ask Him to help them be kind to others each day. Through-out the month they will talk about and learn the story of the birth of Jesus Christ.
The Pre-K classes will be reading about the birth of Jesus and will visit the church. They are also beginning to learn the “Hail Mary”.
All of our classes look forward to Breakfast with St. Nick on Saturday Dec. 12th. Please join us. The children always enjoy seeing their classmates at this fun event.
Merry Christmas,
The Religion Committee

The mission of St. Luke Early Childhood Center is to provide the foundation for a lifelong love of learning by nurturing the whole child through exploration and creativity in a Catholic spirit.
Inside this Issue
PALS Letter
Breakfast with St. Nick
Holiday Lunch Idea
Christmas Program Schedule
Religion Corner
One Enchanted Evening
ABC/LB Activities
Adopt-A-Class
December Birthdays
TEACHERS
CHRISTMAS PROGRAMS SCHEDULE 
DAY DATE TIME/PLACE
2’s Christine/Michelle MWF Class
2’s Christine/Michelle T/Th Class
ALL 3’s Classes
Wednesday 12/16 11:00
Assembly Room
Thursday 12/17 11:00
Classroom
ALL PreK Classes
Wednesday 12/16 11:00
Assembly Room
Thursday 12/17 11:00
Church
Happy Birthday!!
Alina Bradshaw (12/7)
Ethan Bradshaw (12/7)
Lauren Olson (12/8)
Cayla Reyes (12/14)
Caleigh Sears (12/22)
Harper Witaconis (12/25)

“Jesus” (12/25)
NEW EMAIL ADDRESS:
Stlecc@gmail.com
Letter from the Board .....
Hammy Rudolph
A great way to spread a little Christmas cheer into your child's lunch this month, Hammy
Rudolph look-alike comes complete with a ham smile, hotdog or pretzel antlers, eyes made from hard boiled eggs and cheeks made from cheese, and let's not forget about the most important part -- a shining bright red strawberry nose!
Volume 29, Issue 4 www.StLukeECC.com 727-787-2914
December 2015

Sun Mon Tue Wed
1
ReindeerFun
2
Caroling
Thu Fri
3
Play DohFun
4
Snow FlakeArt
5
Sat
6
13
20
27
7 8
BuildingBlocks Sand Castles
9
StickerArt
10
ChristmasCard
Art
11
Hop Scotch
12
14
Dance to the
Music
15
Snow
MenBooks
16
Play DohFun
17
RelayRaces
18
StoryTime
19
21
School Closed
22
School Closed
23
School Closed
24
School Closed
25
MERRY
CHRISTMAS
26
28 29 30 31 1
School Closed School Closed School Closed School Closed School Closed
► Please go to www.StLukeECC.com for complete newsletter and photos!! ◄

The “Little Saint’s Herald”, our monthly newsletter , is distributed to 150 families every month. You can place an ad several different ways:
•
Business Card Ad = $25/month or $50/3 months or $155/year
• Half Page Ad = $35/month or $70/3 months or $225/year
We need to have your ad by the 15 th of the month prior to the month published. Your advertising h elps defray the cost of printing the “Little Saint’s Herald.” Thank you to those businesses that continually support our efforts!
Hello Families,
Our PALS Board would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the volunteers for their help with the Thanksgiving Feast. We really appreciate everyone donating their time and favorite
Thanksgiving dishes for our Teacher and Student Feast. Everyone had a wonderful time andchildrengreat in their Thanksgiving costumes!
We are currently working on sponsors and donations for our One Enchanted Evening event that will be held in February . If you have any suggestions of businesses that may be interested in either donating items/services for our raffle or contributing as a table sponsor, please contact them or let us know in the office.
Don't forget to stop by thefaircheck out the amazing Scholastic books duringwith St. Nick, they make wonderful holiday gifts and every book you purchase earns our school free books and educational items!! We look forward to seeing you there! If you are available to help with the Book Fair please let the ECC office know, and they will notify Stefanie Duncan. the week the office staff will staff it, but during Breakfast with St. Nick it would be wonderful to have a few volunteers.
Please consider joining our PALS board. We would love to have a PALS President, however we at least need people who are willing to coordinate our remaining events this year:
One Enchanted Evening- February 5th
Teacher Appreciation Week- May 9th
Water Day- May 27th
Teacher Appreciation Luncheon- June 9th
Wishing all our wonderful families a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!From PALS
Cheesy Snowman
Most children enjoy making their very own pizza and what is more fun than a cheesy snowman!
Make the crust by cutting wheat tortillas with a snowman cookie cutter. Let your child top with their favorite sauce, veggies, and cheese; and bake in your toaster oven till brown.

th
This exciting evening with music, casino style games, appetizers, desserts, silent auctions and raffles, is the primary fundraiser for St. Luke Early Childhood Center.
For over 28 years, our center has provided the foundation for both spiritual and academic formation for nearly 100 children annually. Last year this event raised nearly $6,000, which was used for teacher continuing education and curriculum enhancement. We are hoping this year will be an even greater success allowing us to provide teacher continuing education and curriculum enhancement. All donations are tax deductible and the funds benefit our non-profit center. Please consider a donation to be used in our Silent Auction, Raffles, or a monetary donation. Some suggested items are: gym memberships, vacation get-a-ways, gift baskets, gift cards, food trays, wine, etc.
All sponsors and donors will be recognized in our newsletter, signage and church bulletin. The total distribution reaches over 2000 families. Additionally if you make a donation of $225 or more you or your business will be recognized on a casino table plaque.
Please send your donation in prior to January 15 th to be included in our written literature. Thank you for your thoughtful consideration.
Our tax exempt non-profit 501(c) (3) number is 51-0561749.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call the early childhood office at
727-787-2914.

Dear ECC Parents,
St. Luke ECC is continuing its Adopt-a-class program this year! The Adopt-a-Class program partners individuals, families, business, industry, civic and church organizations with our school in both a financial and social function. Here’s how it works: An individual or group sponsors a class, or a project by giving a tax-deductible donation of $150.00 per scholarship to St. Luke Early Childhood Center. Please note families may combine resources as well. This is a great way to directly support your child’s learning environment.
In recent years, through this funding we have purchased cameras, iPods, and iPads for our classrooms; this year our teacher’s have classroom-specific ideas in mind, like new seating for their libraries, specific manipulatives and specialty curriculum materials. If you are interested in donating, simply complete the included form and send it in to the school office.
Additionally we are again encouraging Adopt-a-Class for our Kids Morning Out program, science program and library. Our KMO program not only serves our littlest angels, it is also available in the summer and during holiday camps for all of our students.
Please share one of the enclosed sponsorship forms with someone you believe would be interested in sponsoring a class or project at St. Luke ECC. Please note that this type of donation is eligible for matching gift monies through many of our sponsors’ places of employment.
Our goal is to have a quick turnaround so we can include these updates and projects during this school year.
If we can provide any further information about this worthwhile program, please contact Stephanie or Kathie in the office at (727) 787-2914.
Thank you for your generosity.
Your partner in education and faith,
Kathleen Mitchell
Director St. Luke Early Childhood Center
NAME OF SPONSOR: __________________________________________________________
CONTACT PERSON & PHONE#: _________________________________________________
ADDRESS: ___________________________________________________________________
What is your affiliation with the school? _____________________________________________________
CHOICE OF PROJECT OR CLASS
_____ Science Program
_____ School library
_____ Miss Christine and Miss Michelle – 2’s
_____ Miss Rickey and Miss Claudia – 3’s
_____ Miss Olga – 3’s
_____ Miss Diane and Miss Susan – Pre-K
_____ Mr. Ray and Miss Judy –Pre-K
_____ KMO- Miss Kristi, Miss Stacey, and Miss Morgan
Thank you for your donation of $150.00 per sponsorship. As a nonprofit organization, contributions to St. Luke
Early Childhood Center are tax deductible.
PLEASE MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO :
St. Luke Early Childhood Center (Adopt-a-Class).
MAIL TO:
St. Luke Early Childhood Center

Attention: Adopt-a-class Program
2757 Alderman Road, P.H., FL 34684
List of Corporations with Matching Funds Programs

Abbott Laboratories Gap Oracle Corporation
Adaptec, Inc
Adobe Systems
Advanced Micro Devices
Allied Signal Inc.
Alza Corporation
Amgen
American Express
Amerisure, Inc
Applied Material
Aspect
Autodesk
Bank of America
Bay Networks
BEA Systems
Cadence
Charles Schwab
Cisco Systems
Citigroup
Clorox
Ebay
Fifth Third Bank
Genentech
Google
Hewlett Packard
Honeywell
Hyperion
IBM
Intel
JDS Uniphase
Juniper Networks
Lam Research
Levi Strauss
Loral-Rolm Computer
Marcomedia
Mentor Graphics
Microsoft
Morgan Stanley
National Semiconductor
NEC
Networks Associates
New York Life Insurance
Novellus Systems Inc.
Owens Corning
Pfizer
Pitney Bowes
Quantum Corporation
Regions Financial
Rockwell Collins
SAP
SBC
Shaklee Corporation
Siemens
Silicon Graphics
Sony Corporation
Starbucks
Sun Microsystems
Symantec Corporation
Varian
Veritas Software Corporation
UBS Realty Investors
Wells Fargo Bank
Xilinx
Yahoo
St. Luke Early Childhood Center
2757 Alderman Road • Palm Harbor, Florida 34684
(727) 787-2914 • Fax: (727) 786-8648

StLukeEcc.com – stlecc@gmail.com
We Are Truly Blessed!
Santa lives at the North Pole;
Jesus is everywhere.
Santa rides in a sleigh;
Jesus rides on the wind and walks on water.
Santa comes but once a year;
Jesus is an ever present help.
Santa comes down your chimney;
Jesus stands at your door and knocks.
Santa makes you stand in line to see him;
Jesus is as close as the mention of His name.
Santa lets you sit on his lap;
Jesus lets your rest in His arms.
Santa asks, “Little boy, little girl, what is your name?”
Jesus knew our names before we did.
Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly;
Jesus has a heart full of love.
Santa offers “Ho, ho, ho”;
Jesus offers health, help, and hope.
Santa says “You better not cry”;
Jesus says, “Cast all your cares on me for I care for you.”
Santa’s little helpers make toys;
Jesus makes new lives, mends hearts, repairs broken homes.
Santa may make you chuckle;
Jesus gives you joy.
Santa puts gifts under your tree;
Jesus became our gift and died on the tree.
There’s really no comparison.
Jesus is the reason for the season.