Thankful at PCA North

We have so much to be thankful for at PCA North!  It was wonderful seeing each class celebrate Thanksgiving.  I'll show a few of our individual classroom activities before the highlight of our Thanksgiving - our school-wide feast!  

Spanish

Students made turkeys with each feather representing something they are thankful for.  Of course, all was words were written in Spanish!

Library

In library, students also made turkeys, but on the feathers, students wrote the books they are thankful for.  

 

 

PreK 3

PreK 3 did a lot of Thanksgiving crafts and writing activities.  Here is a picture of one of my favorite crafts - turkey hats!

PreK 4

In PreK 4, students completed a fun activity that used the skill of following directions.  Students were given paint and paper, but had no idea what they were about to create.  As Mrs. McAdams gave a direction, such as "draw a brown oval below the brown circle, " students had fun guessing what they were creating.  Before long, it was obvious they were creating turkeys!  

 

 

2nd Grade 

Second grade celebrated in a big way with Native American Day!  The entire day was filled with meaningful learning, while students wore Native American dress and did a lot of their classwork underneath their life size teepee.  

 

 

 

School-wide Celebration

Students and staff came dressed as Pilgrims and Native Americans for our very special school-wide Thanksgiving celebration!

 

 

 

We culminated our Thanksgiving celebration with a school-wide feast!  Students first gathered and were divided into "family" groups.  Each group had the surname of a family who was on the Mayflower.  Our families had a mix of grade levels, allowing the older students to help the younger students.  One of my FAVORITE things about our North campus is seeing the sweet interaction between all of our students.  The way the older students help the younger students is heartwarming!

 

Each family moved to the cafeteria where parents were waiting to serve our feast!  Students sat in family groups.  We focused on manners making sure boys stood while girls were seated.  Then, the oldest boy in the family offered a prayer of thanksgiving. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We do pause today and every day to say, "Thank you, God, for the blessing of our new campus!" 

Here's What's Been Happening in Chapel!

There is something so special about our students coming together for the sole purpose of worship!  

Enjoy some highlights of the past few chapels:


Growing As Christians

Meghann Head, the Children's Minister at Prestonwood North, spoke a few weeks ago.  She gave a great illustration on how we grow as Christians, using plants real life examples the students could relate to.  Students were reminded they need prayer and God's Word in order to grow into mature followers of Christ. 

 

 

 

Courage

Our own PreK 3 teacher, Kristin Dysart, was was our chapel speaker!  She told the students about being brave!   As Mrs. Dysart said, "Courage is doing what is right when it isn't easy."  Students read Joshua 1:9 "Have I not told you to be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified.  Do not be discouraged for The Lord your God will be with you."  

Students were able to dress as superheroes to illustrate courage and were able to make the connection that we don't need a cape or superpowers because we have the Holy Spirit and God's Word to guide us as we need courage.  

 

 

 

 

Students received bracelets as they left chapel to remind them what they had just learned about courage. 

Red Ribbon Week Chapel

Mrs. Lainie Montgomery, our Campus Ministry Team Coordinator, came to speak to us about Red Ribbon Week!  She used something we all love - LEGOS - to illustrate how a hammer can smash something beautiful, reminding us to take care of things that are precious to us. We discussed many ways we can use our words or actions to harm ourselves or others.  

Our third and fourth grade students performed songs to encourage us to say "NO" to things harmful to us. 

 

 

 

Authority of Scripture

Pastor Kouba was our speaker when we discussed "authority of Scripture."  He had great examples, primarily illustrating how we can trust our parents because they love us and want our best.  Likewise, we can trust God and His authority in our lives.  

In the picture below, Dr. Kouba had blindfolded his daughters and gave them directions to lead them through a maze.  While he was giving them directions, he asked the students to shout out conflicting messages.  It was easy to see the analogy:  God has a clear voice giving us direction, while others want to confuse us and take our focus off of our Father.  

 

 

 

 

Kicking off Operation Christmas Child

Yvonne Valasek, Lower School Assistant Principal at PCA Plano, was our speaker to help kick off Operation Christmas Child.  Students heard several stories - all showing God's sovereignty and illustrating how children receive the box intended for them.  We heard about a little girl who received a box, but looked sad.  As it turns out, her twin sister was home sick that day and didn't get a Christmas box.  When the little girl opened up her box, she had two dolls - and two of everything!   Students also heard that each child receives the Gospel message in his/her native language.  Our PCA North students have a goal of collecting 50 boxes!  We will celebrate with a "reward" of having "50's Day," yet our students know that the true reward is sharing the love of Jesus with children around the world.  

Our first and second graders performed in both English and Spanish.   

 

As you can see, we have been blessed with great chapel speakers and our students have learned a lot!

Native American Day

Don't we all wish we had a second grade teacher who worked tirelessly to create a life size teepee?  Our second graders had a great day of hands-on learning about Native Americans.  Students spent a large portion of their day doing their classwork work inside the teepee.  I am continuously amazed by the excellence displayed by the PCA North teachers! They work beyond their "required" hours to make learning fun, engaging, and full of depth.  

Not only did students do a variety of activities, but each was filled with meaningful learning.  For example: As students chose their Native American name, they discussed using adjectives beyond "nice" and "big."  They were encouraged to expand their vocabulary.  

I was also in the classroom when Miss Clark and the class discussed the various Native American tribes and regions.  Miss Clark reminding students that not all Native Americans live in teepees!  

I love that the sweetheart pictured below worked on her own costume - researching Native American symbols.  

 

  

Students learned more about Native Americans by watching Brain Pop!

Could I be in second grade again?