Church of the Apostles

Apostles Day School Update

Your parish day school is having a tremendous year! Currently we are at capacity with 48 students and four on the waiting list. There are currently eight employees, who are working together in a spirit of cooperation and support.

In November, Christian Montessori Fellowship presented an all day seminar on the importance of integrating our Christian faith in the classroom. Edward and Barbara Fedellow, CMF founders, came up from San Antonio and two other schools joined us. We found there were many things we were doing right and a few things we needed to improve. All of us came away with a renewed spirit of what we are called to do in God’s Kingdom.

Our Extended Care program is reaching a whole new group of families with children arriving as early as 6:45 a.m. and staying until 6:00 p.m. We also have a dedicated Coppell resident, Annette Thompson, teaching ballet and tap dance. The teachers have taken on teaching Spanish in the classroom. Phonics Moms are teaching each child weekly. Following Montessori tradition, teachers in the Primary Classes often have the children take their Montessori materials out into the hallways to work. As we walk down the hallway, our compliments and encouragement are greatly appreciated by the hard working children.

On Wednesdays, Fr. Rob joins me for two worship services, one in the Introductory Class and the other with the older children. This is such a joy for us. Fr. Rob leads the children in singing and I present a Bible story. In Advent the children are learning new songs about the coming of baby Jesus.

Earlier this year, we received a grant from the Episcopal Foundation of Dallas for the expansion of our Introductory Class. This class is the growing edge of our school. During the Christmas holiday, the wall between the Introductory Class and the library will be taken down. Both the Vestry and ADS Board have approved the hiring of a contractor to complete this task. This will give this younger class space to grow and make their teacher very happy.

Each year we present Breakfast with Santa. This year our ADS parents put on the breakfast with additional help from parishioners. Thank you to all who set and cook for this event. There were so many at the breakfast that we had to set up three extra tables. Nate and Kim Bostian came and shared their holiday cheer as Mr. & Mrs. Santa. Pictures were taken and downloaded on Snapefish.com for people to order.

Our teachers are the reason for this successful year. Joining Leanne Baskin in the Introductory Class is Miss Flo Ossai who also takes on the extended care after school. Flo has a fourteen year old daughter, Elizabeth who often joins her mother after school. By the way, Miss Flo lives just up the street from the church and is a great asset with her positive attitude.

In the younger Primary Class, Shalini Mansukhani is the lead teacher having completed her Montessori certification just this year. She worked up from library mom to lead teacher. Anna Ganapathy, also Montessori certified, is her assisting teacher. Miss Shalini has her classroom parents working together to support her class in the many projects they do.

Ronda Gonzales came back this year as lead teacher in our older Primary Class. Ronda has a talent for bringing out the best in children. Some of her older students are reading and doing advanced work. Aleta Wise is assisting her and she comes from Georgia where she was a high school reading teacher. Aleta enjoys working with the younger set of children before adolescence sets in.

The last but a very important person in our school is Denise Yates. Denise has two children and also lives near the church. She often attends Saturday service with her two girls. Denise has taken on the early morning extended care. She is here at 6:30 a.m. with her two children to welcome students. Her positive attitude makes all the difference in this class.

Our extended care will continue through the holiday season. Outside young children are welcome to attend with the completion of an enrollment form including an immunization record. The cost will be $20 a day or $5 an hour. This is a great opportunity for parents to have a little extra time.

This year our Board has been very down to business and supportive. Our new chairperson is Scott Switzer, whose children went to our school. He brings lots of ideas and history to our meetings. The board and our prayer partners pray for the school. Each morning the teachers and director join together in praying for the needs and concerns of ADS. Please join us in praying for the families, students and teachers of our school as we endeavor with God’s help to be an outreach ministry of this church in the Coppell community.

Diana Smith, Director
972-393-0655



		Apostles Day School Update Your parish day school is having a tremendous year! Currently we are at capacity with 48 students and four on the waiting list. There are currently eight employees, who are working together in a spirit of cooperation and support. In November, Christian Montessori Fellowship presented an all day seminar on the importance of integrating our Christian faith in the classroom. Edward and Barbara Fedellow, CMF founders, came up from San Antonio and two other schools joined us. We found there were many things we were doing right and a few things we needed to improve. All of us came away with a renewed spirit of what we are called to do in God’s Kingdom. Our Extended Care program is reaching a whole new group of families with children arriving as early as 6:45 a.m. and staying until 6:00 p.m. We also have a dedicated Coppell resident, Annette Thompson, teaching ballet and tap dance. The teachers have taken on teaching Spanish in the classroom. Phonics Moms are teaching each child weekly. Following Montessori tradition, teachers in the Primary Classes often have the children take their Montessori materials out into the hallways to work. As we walk down the hallway, our compliments and encouragement are greatly appreciated by the hard working children. On Wednesdays, Fr. Rob joins me for two worship services, one in the Introductory Class and the other with the older children. This is such a joy for us. Fr. Rob leads the children in singing and I present a Bible story. In Advent the children are learning new songs about the coming of baby Jesus. Earlier this year, we received a grant from the Episcopal Foundation of Dallas for the expansion of our Introductory Class. This class is the growing edge of our school. During the Christmas holiday, the wall between the Introductory Class and the library will be taken down. Both the Vestry and ADS Board have approved the hiring of a contractor to complete this task. This will give this younger class space to grow and make their teacher very happy. Each year we present Breakfast with Santa. This year our ADS parents put on the breakfast with additional help from parishioners. Thank you to all who set and cook for this event. There were so many at the breakfast that we had to set up three extra tables. Nate and Kim Bostian came and shared their holiday cheer as Mr. & Mrs. Santa. Pictures were taken and downloaded on Snapefish.com for people to order. Our teachers are the reason for this successful year. Joining Leanne Baskin in the Introductory Class is Miss Flo Ossai who also takes on the extended care after school. Flo has a fourteen year old daughter, Elizabeth who often joins her mother after school. By the way, Miss Flo lives just up the street from the church and is a great asset with her positive attitude. In the younger Primary Class, Shalini Mansukhani is the lead teacher having completed her Montessori certification just this year. She worked up from library mom to lead teacher. Anna Ganapathy, also Montessori certified, is her assisting teacher. Miss Shalini has her classroom parents working together to support her class in the many projects they do. Ronda Gonzales came back this year as lead teacher in our older Primary Class. Ronda has a talent for bringing out the best in children. Some of her older students are reading and doing advanced work. Aleta Wise is assisting her and she comes from Georgia where she was a high school reading teacher. Aleta enjoys working with the younger set of children before adolescence sets in. The last but a very important person in our school is Denise Yates. Denise has two children and also lives near the church. She often attends Saturday service with her two girls. Denise has taken on the early morning extended care. She is here at 6:30 a.m. with her two children to welcome students. Her positive attitude makes all the difference in this class. Our extended care will continue through the holiday season. Outside young children are welcome to attend with the completion of an enrollment form including an immunization record. The cost will be $20 a day or $5 an hour. This is a great opportunity for parents to have a little extra time. This year our Board has been very down to business and supportive. Our new chairperson is Scott Switzer, whose children went to our school. He brings lots of ideas and history to our meetings. The board and our prayer partners pray for the school. Each morning the teachers and director join together in praying for the needs and concerns of ADS. Please join us in praying for the families, students and teachers of our school as we endeavor with God’s help to be an outreach ministry of this church in the Coppell community. Diana Smith, Director 972-393-0655 We are using more DVD’s in extended care. Family or G rated videos are greatly appreciated. Children’s books for our library. More active members for our board. Meetings are held the last Thursday of each month. Help in putting together our new Introductory Class by arranging furniture and setting up the classroom – teachers will give directions. Home \| Visitor Information \| Worship Services \| Apostles Day School \| Pastor's Letter \| Apostles News Online \| Calendar of Upcoming Events \| Youth Ministries \| Ministries / Programs \| Resources \| Archives \| Photos \| Prayer Request \| Contact Us Site Design by PCA Web Design & Hosting Site Hosting by RGB Interactive Church of the Apostles Webmaster ©Copyright 2001