Marylhurst Early Childhood Center

Archive for the ‘Director’s Message’ Category

It is that time of year at Marylhurst when we open the windows, turn on the hoses, splatter paint outside, inhale the smells of spring, and look to our classes next year.

Teachers always have a look of wonder when they see the number of families who have turned in enrollment request forms for their children next year.  It is so wonderful to see the names of children who have been with us since they were two, and they are now entering the fours or kindergarten.  We feel privileged to be given the opportunity to watch them grow and change.  It is also exhilarating to see the name of a child new to our school and wonder about the qualities this child will have to offer our community.

As our classes fill, we begin to look at our space availability and class schedules, and I have long discussions with teachers regarding their vision for next year.  These discussions and decisions are to insure what is best for your children and the Marylhurst program.  We are so fortunate to have the incredibly dedicated faculty that we do.

You will receive a letter in the next few weeks stating the program your child will be in, and also the days of the week their class will be held.  After these letters are sent out the teachers will begin meeting to discuss groupings of children to assure the most balanced classes.  The classes will be assembled and you will receive a letter on July 1st, 2010 stating your child’s classroom and teachers.

Again, we fell honored to have your children with us at Marylhurst.  We look forward to next year but we will savor our last few months together with our families this year.

Sheila Walker,  Director

On March 6th many of us gathered at the Abernethy Center to enjoy our annual fund raising auction. What a gathering it was! I would, again, like to offer a heartfelt thank you to our Auction Chair and hostess for the evening, Cherisse Reilly, and her co-chairs Stephanie Moore, Carrie Thompson and Teresa Mihalik. These four women were the ultimate dream team. Every detail was attended to and the evening was exceptional. The silent auction offered a wonderful selection of items and the walk across the street, on a BEAUTIFUL evening, offered us all a breath of fresh air and prepared us for a delicious meal and an action-packed oral auction.

There were so many high points in the evening – from the warm feeling we all got watching the faces of your children on the video, to watching Teacher Gail cunningly take a chocolate cake from a guest at the auction, during the dessert dash. For me, the highest point of the evening was the Paddle Raise for our playground. Your support of this effort, not only in dollars, but also the generous donation of your service hours for next year, was truly overwhelming. It is this spirit of coming together that defines us as a community. It was amazingly clear that evening where our hearts and our commitment are when it comes to your children.

We will give you updates in each newsletter as to where we are in the playground process. This is something we have wanted for a very long time and good things take time, so we will keep you in the loop as we move forward.

Thank you again for your extreme generosity at the “Enchanted Garden.”

–Sheila Walker,  director

On Saturday, March 6th Marylhurst will host its annual fundraising auction, at the Abernethy Center in Oregon City. There is much more information in this newsletter regarding the auction, but it is here that I will thank our incredible Auction Committee. Read the rest of this entry »

Each month, Amy Stoeber – our wonderful board president – begins our meeting with “gratitudes.”  This is such a refreshing way to begin a meeting – thanking a group of people who are working so hard for our school, Read the rest of this entry »