Sept Notes

Hello and Welcome Back to Oaks and Acorns for the Autumn Term.

If you have been with us for a while, most things will be familiar, if not please feel free to ask any of the staff – normally in burgundy polo shirts and we will gladly help wherever we can. We are all a friendly bunch and a cup of tea or coffee – and a chat with staff or other Mums, Dads or Carers who are going through similar situations can be an enormous help. As a group, we would welcome any feedback you have – whether good or bad – we constantly look for ways to improve. Please speak directly to Rhianne or Pat if there is anything you would like to raise.

We are run with a Christian ethos and beliefs. We are supported by the Church and it’s leadership. One of our aims is to show you the love of God in a practical way each week. We also pray generally for the group and it’s attendees on a regular basis, if there is something particular you would like us to remember in prayer, please see either Elsie or Joyce or fill in one of our prayer request forms. We would love to share our faith with you or answer any questions you may have.

You are also all warmly invited to any of the services here at the Elim Christian Centre – our Sunday Services are as follows:

First Morning Service 09:15 am - 10:30 am
Discoverers (Ages 0 - 11): 09:15 am - 10:30 am
Coffee 10:30 am - 11:15 am
Second Morning Service 11:15 am - 12:30 pm
Discoverers (Ages 0 - 11): 11:15 am - 12:30 pm
Deep Impact Youth Church (Ages 11 - 18) : 11:15 am - 12:30 pm
Evening Service : 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

For more info see http://www.elim.org/

We hope you enjoy the changes to the environment that have happened over the summer. Our rooms have been decorated, we have new tables and sofas. The old snooker table has been removed so we have more room to play.

Teddy Bear’s Picnic – last 22nd July
This was a great success, thoroughly enjoyed by all. Special Thanks to Val and her Lifegroup who organised a lovely afternoon for us all. Hopefully, we will have some pictures up on display for you in September, if anybody would like copies, please see Rhianne.

Birthdays
We try to celebrate these on the first session of each month. If your child has a birthday this month, please let us know as you register in so we can be all prepared at Music Time - Thanks





New babies
Welcome to the world to little Erin Bayley and any others that have joined us over the summer months. We pray for you and your families to be blessed with health, wisdom and quiet nights!

Sept 2006 - How the morning runs . . .

How the morning runs . . .
Just in case you are not sure or need reminding

10:00am – Doors open – Oaks and Acorns ready to go
We would recommend you arrive as early as possible – we have a maximum number of 55 adults and children at which point we have to close the doors.
Please collapse your buggies and store in the main church.
Please register in at the desk in Oaks and Acorns main room as you come in and pay your subs(correct change if possible)

10:00am to 11:00am
Free play – enjoy the playdough, craft, books, dressing up, big toys, baby corner (12 months and under only please), trains, cars and anything else we have out. Have a drink and a biscuit (cakes if we have a special week!). Please keep hot drinks in the lounge where the sofas are. If biscuits get dropped on floor please try to clear up – dustpan & brush are kept behind the counter in the kitchen –or alert a member of staff. It can be a lot harder to clear up once 55 people have trodden it in!!

11:00am to 11:05am
Last orders for drinks or finish up any craft you are working on.

11:05 to 11:30
Music Time – this happens in the lounge and everyone joins in! We know you may feel a little silly singing ‘Dingle dangle Scarecrow’ and doing the actions but
1) your kids will love it even more if you do it
2) it is a great stress reliever – honest! (though we don’t recommend doing it whilst driving – okay maybe singing but not with actions!!!
We use Music Time to give you any notices and let you know of anything coming up. We also celebrate birthdays during this time – usually with a card and a treat. Please make sure you let us know if you have a birthday in the current month as and when you register in so we don’t miss anyone out.

11:30am – GoodbyeThat’s All Folks – Unless any of you have a burning desire to stay and clear up!

Sept 2006 - Library Books and First Timers

Library books
We have a fresh supply of Library books this term. Pat takes extra care to ensure these are appropriate for the children as well as being fun and educational as well. These have a ‘P’ sticker on them – we hope you enjoy introducing your children to the joy of reading. We will also try to incorporate a ‘story time’ into Music Time – please feel free to bring along any favourites for us to share at this time.

First Timers

We are re-starting our waiting list with immediate effect. This is to keep numbers at a workable level – our maximum in any one session is 55 adults and children (not including staff). People often ask how long they will be on the waiting list – unfortunately this a little like asking “How long is a piece of string?”. Initially, we ask you to come for a first visit and to put your name on the list, you will then need to wait for us to allocate you a regular space. We allocate such spaces in chronological order (longest waiting first) once our numbers are under 50 for two consecutive weeks. I believe the shortest wait on record was three weeks and the longest was three months. If you had your name down in last term, you should now be aware that you have a regular space. If you have any queries please see Rhianne or email Rhianne@leecm2.fsnet.co.uk .

Sept 2006 - Pause for Thought . . .

Beauty Tips
written by Sam Levenson

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone.

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anybody.

Remember, If you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.

It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years -only grows!

Subs
Remains at £1.00 for up to 3 people in a family additional 50p per person thereafter.

Heath and Safety notes
We have attached a copy of the Health and Safety Rules of Oaks and Acorns. Most of these are common sense but please take time, either this morning or at a later point to ensure you are familiar with these.

Sept 2006 - Shoebox Collections

We will be collecting again this year for Operation Christmas Child – shoebox appeal. Please start bringing in empty shoeboxes as soon as possible – we will also need any leftover Christmas Wrapping Paper you may have under the bed from last year.

Each week from 18th on we will be collecting small change which will go towards the postage costs and then we will have a specific item to bring along each week. We will remind you of this but it should be as follows:


Do Not Include:Used or damaged items; war-related items such as toy guns, knives or military figures; chocolate or food; liquids or lotions; medications or vitamins; breakable items such as snowglobes or glass containers; aerosol cans

For full information on this Project please see
http://www.samaritanspurse.org/

Sept 2006 Notes - Misc

Sponsored Trundle
Please note we will be doing this in the Spring Term.

Dates for your Diary

23rd October – No Oaks and Acorns – Half Term
6th November - Photo Morning
11th December (yes we have to think that far!!) Christmas Party

Harvest for the Hungry
The Church is supporting this project – full details at http://www.harvestforthehungry.co.uk/
If you would like to donate, please bring in any of the following sugar, plain flour rice or pasta.

September 2006 - Just for Fun

Just for Fun

GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:
1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats.
2) When your Mum is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food.
6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
10) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandpa's lap.

GREAT TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED:
1) Raising teenagers is like nailing jelly to a tree.
2) Wrinkles don't hurt.
3) Families are like fudge...mostly sweet, with a few nuts.
4) Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
5) Laughing is good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside.
6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fibre, not the toy.

Thank you for being with us.
Rhianne (Leader)
Joyce, Pat, Elsie, Jenny, Diana, Val Weeks, Val Harding,
Jean and Heidi.