Use the form on the right to contact us.
You can edit the text in this area, and change where the contact form on the right submits to, by entering edit mode using the modes on the bottom right.
106 E. Church St.
Orlando, FL 32801
407-996-5864
Weekday School is a Christian preschool serving children ages 2 1/2 to 5 years. Our school is known for its committed teaching staff, play-based learning environment, and personalized focus on each child. Small class sizes and a strong network of parent volunteers ensure that the Weekday School is an ideal place for young children to grow and learn.
A wise parent has appropriate expectations for mealtimes (even on Turkey Day). A wise parent also has some supportive strategies in mind to let young children MOVE or change things up while adults are finishing their meal. Want more information? Here are some great links...
Fun things for preschoolers to do at the Thanksgiving table.
Thanksgiving is one of our favorite times of year at school. Turkey crafts abound. Children share the sweet and funny things they thank God for. We look forward to being with you all TOMORROW for our annual Thanksgiving Coffee and Worship Service. Here are the highlights:
Come to the coffee before the service for parents, grandparents and family friends in King Parlor (9:15-10:30 am). It’s a lovely, kid-free opportunity for adults to visit and connect.
At the beginning of the service, children enter the sanctuary with an item of canned food as our thanksgiving offering for a local food bank.
Each class sings a song. Then our guest speaker, Steve Eastwood, will share a preschool-friendly thanksgiving message. Steve is the Director of Student Ministry at FPCO. But he’s famous at WDS for being Crosby’s dad (Mrs. Muhart’s class).
Best of all, we video the morning and make a copy of the service available so you can sit back and soak it all in.
While I’m on the topic of special events, I want to highlight two December dates. First, The Cup of Christmas Tea is a morning event (December 6) for moms, grandmothers, aunts, and friends. Lindsey Staton, life coach, blogger, wife, mom and the owner of Lindsey Staton Life Coaching, will be sharing a heartfelt message to help us prepare for the true meaning of Christmas.
Then, the classroom nativity and parties are the BEST. I’ll say more about those next month, but make sure the date of your child’s party is on the calendar. (2day: Dec 18, 3Day: Dec. 19, 4Day: Dec. 18)
Even though the Thanksgiving holiday is a set day on our nation’s calendar, as believers, giving thanks to God is a daily practice. I am thankful to God for your children. God created them in wonderful ways. I am thankful for the high-fives, hugs and giggles. And I am thankful to God for each one of you too. It is a blessing to be a part of your family’s preschool years.
“I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.” Psalm 9:1
With a thankful heart,
My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king;
my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer. Psalm 45:1
I love holidays and Thanksgiving is one of my favorites. But we parents know that it often has a little too much rushing and not so much quietly reflecting on a long list of things to be grateful for. Real talk - there are many important things to do! Cleaning for the out-of-town guests, the gluten-free, dairy-free, GMO approved treats that need to be baked, and the hand-lettered place cards (to learn how) to make for the table settings. With a to-do list that seems to multiply by the minute, there is little time to stop and ponder what I am even grateful for. While none of us can actually stop time nor can we ignore the to do list. Now is a great time to write a list of prayer notes. Even five minutes of quiet time is a great reminder! (even if you're in a season of feeling less than thankful) Whether you want to deck the halls or run for the hills, perhaps you'll find comfort in the following tips.
My top two tips:
Be still. Spend time with Him, long enough to change your countenance. Make space to listen.
Ask for Step by Step instruction. Ask him what he wants you to do next. Let him know you want his opinion and then, wait and repeat the listen step.
Another helpful tool is a notebook or journal. I like to record prayer requests and date them. You can look back at how God answered your prayers. This will build your belief in prayer. It will also remind you of requests that need more intercession. Then also write answers to your prayers. It is awesome to see chronologically how God answered prayer requests. It is a testimony of God’s goodness. Journals are great to see progress you are making in your spiritual life. It helps me so much to see spiritual progress in my life and how God is working. Also, list what God is saying to you. Ask yourself, “How is God personally revealing Himself to me?” Write out key verses that speak to you during times of prayer. God will guide and help you in important times of decision making by using Scripture.
Prayer journaling will help you to see real growth in your life because you are bringing to God the things that concern you. Through journaling, you will see your life more clearly through God’s eyes. He has so much to say when we give Him time and seek His face. It’s important to write it down and not miss out on the wisdom He wants to share with us.
Gratitude is merely turning our attention to God and saying, “Thank you” for all the good things that He has already done for us— the big stuff, the little things, and everything in between. When we focus our attention on God— giving Him our adoration (our worship and praise), it’s hard to stop. And that’s how it should be at Thanksgiving.
Dear Lord, help me remember what a difference it makes when I make time with You a priority in my morning. Awaken me in body and spirit each day with a desire to meet with You and to hear You speak words of affirmation, assurance and wisdom over my heart as I prepare to go into my day. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Roberta Smith, Faith and Family Coordinator
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. 2 Peter 3:18
Do you ever look ahead 30 years and wonder what life will look like? What will your kids be like? Who will they marry? Where will they attend college? What sort of inheritance would you like to leave for your children? In today’s society, we wrongly view success in terms of “likes”, wealth, power, or fame. I’m guilty of idolizing the wrong things at times. My priorities can fall all out of whack! You say, “Wait a minute, we are Christians and we don’t worship false gods!” Here is a quote from John Calvin: “Man’s nature so to speak is a perpetual factory of idols.” First John (5:21) ends with the warning, “Little children, guard yourselves from idols.” We’re in danger, Girl! Hello, College Game Day…
But God views success in terms of the heart. Moses says (Deut. 6:5-6), “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.” The idea of “heart, soul, and might” is total-person love for God. Every part of our being must be consumed with and subservient to this great quest of loving God. I need these reminders often. How can I move this paradigm? Let’s change the eyes of the world? Big prayers? How can I offer my family the best of me and loving relationships? Yes, as parents, we are called to protect our kids but Deuteronomy 6:2 teaches us not only how to raise up godly children, but also godly grandchildren. So our goal and prayer should be that our godly children raise godly children who in turn raise godly children. Well, that sounds daunting!
First, how do I create a godly legacy? Be the example. I have to ask myself what does my daughter see? Am I “growing in grace” as I was instructed in 2 Peter 3:18? We grow in grace by reading God’s Word. The Scriptures contain all the knowledge we will ever need to learn of God, His Son, and His Spirit. And we should teach them diligently. Deuteronomy 6:7 “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.” “Teach diligently” in Hebrew means literally to sharpen or whet. Your teaching should penetrate your child deeply so that it has an effect on him (the NIV translates it “impress”).
Also, be consistent. Don’t be afraid to live your faith in front of your kids – all the great, exciting, difficult, and messy parts. They’ll see our faith is relevant. Share the stories that tell of God’s activity around you and of His faithfulness to you and your family. let’s start with ourselves – the best way to prove to your children the value and relevance of faith in Christ is to be a living demonstration of that truth. If we compartmentalize our faith or allow our priorities to get out of whack, they’ll “learn” that Christ really isn’t all that important. But if we make Christ central in our lives, if we diligently foster our relationship with Him and imbed God’s Word in our hearts, & “grow in grace” they’ll learn that life is all about Jesus.
So let’s constantly ask ourselves, what kind of legacy are you building? What things in your life need to be re-prioritized so that you can focus more strategically on training your children? Are you striving for earthly position? When you are gone and your children and their children look back at your life, what kind of priorities will they see?
Lord, We praise you as the authority over all people. Keep us from shrinking back from the challenges and opportunities you have placed before us. Strengthen us to boldly share our faith with the children you’ve entrusted to us. We know you are faithful to your word. Help us to create a spiritual inheritance for all of the coming generations.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.
“but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.” Exodus 20:6 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Roberta Smith, Faith and Family Coordinator
At Open House, I talked about starting with WHY. Why are you doing what you are doing as a parent? I proposed that if we are going to be intentional as parents we have to be mindful of our “why” and then make “how” and “what” decisions based on that criteria.
Your preschooler can help you remember to start with why because “Why?” is their favorite question to ask. Though this constant questioning can be maddening at times, it’s helpful to remember that this is typical for this age.
Thank you for contributing to our September Outreach initiative to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Central Florida. I want to share WHY we do Outreach projects at Weekday School. We believe that every good thing we have been given, including our material blessings, are gifts from God (James 1:17). We also believe that God blesses us for a distinct purpose - so that we can bless the people around us (Genesis 12:2). We care about the needs of ALL the children and families in our community, not just the ones that drive through our carpool line. Outreach projects give us a tangible way to practice blessing others.
Our next Outreach Project will coincide with our Thanksgiving Coffee & Worship Service on Wednesday, November 14th. We’re asking children to bring canned food to class starting in November. The teachers will be talking about giving, why we give, how we give, as well as talking children in our community who do not a pantry full of food like so many of us do. The children will bring the canned food (or boxed cereal, etc) with them to the Thanksgiving Worship service and place them on a table at the front of the sanctuary as an offering. Then they sing songs - and it’s just so fantastic! Grandparents and family friends are welcome to attend. A flyer will be coming home in school bags in a week or so.
Two more quick reminders!
We passed out our Health Policy at Open House. It’s in our parent handbook but I’m linking it here as well: WDS Health Policy. Our accreditation standards require that we inform you regularly about this policy. One great challenge of preschoolers is that there are very generous with their germs, especially since they touch everything and have their fingers in mouths on a regular basis. Thank you for keeping your child home if he/she is sick.
FUN FAIR! It’s time to purchase your tickets before the price increases. If you are unable to attend the actual event, please know there are lots of ways to participate and contribute. Why do we Fun Fair? Because the money raised helps us do things above and beyond what tuition dollars cover - like keep class sizes small, introduce new curriculum & training for our teachers, and support scholarships as well. THANK YOU for what you are already doing to make this a great event.
Happy October!
