Open Arms Christian Child Development Center

We are kicking off Teacher Appreciation Week with a breakfast for our staff and a bunch of cute rocket cards on posters! It is fun to read why our children think their teacher is “out of this world!” We know that we have the most awesome teachers in the world, and it’s good to know that our kids think so too!

**If you did not get a chance to put your rocket card on your teachers poster yet, the posters will be up all week so there is plenty of time!**

This week is *Teacher Appreciation Week* and we are so excited show our teachers how much we love them! Check out the suggested ideas of things to do each day and participate if you wish.

On Monday, you will find signs outside the classroom doors with teachers’ names on them. Use the glue sticks under the signs to attach your “rocket cards” to the posters (see pictures). There are extra rocket cards under the signs and at the reception desks. The teachers will love reading about how they are “out of this world!”

Open Arms had a special treat today as retired astronaut and director of the U.S. Geological Survey, James Reilly, came to talk to some of our classes about his experience in space.

He told the children all about the preparation, boarding, take off, space-living, and rocket landing procedures that he experienced on his three space shuttle missions. The kids learn how he worked, ate, slept, and lived in space, and they asked him questions about how fast the rocket went (VERY fast) and why they used a parachute to land on the runway (to help the rocket slow down since they did not use brakes).

After his presentation, the Giraffes class (with his son Jacob) went outside to launch their own rockets. They jumped on empty soda bottles to push air through tubes that sent their paper rockets flying through the air. They had a blast! 🚀

Last week, our curriculum theme here at Open Arms was “caterpillars and butterflies.” Check out the beautiful artwork and fun activities our children did to learn more about these interesting insects. And, when you drop your kids off, be sure to check out the caterpillars in the classrooms. They have grown so big and they will be forming their cocoons soon to transfer into butterflies!

Look what just came in the mail! We are beginning our curriculum theme on caterpillars and butterflies, and our classes will receive a cup of caterpillars that will turn into cocoons and eventually emerge as butterflies. It is always a fun activity during the spring here at Open Arms! 🐛🦋 #openarmsccdc #metamorphosis

Before you know it, the end of the school year will be here and we will celebrate with our graduation and promotion ceremonies! We have made a few time changes to our events, so please check out the schedule for your child's day and time.

Happy Easter from all of us at Open Arms! #openarmsccdc

1, 2, 3...Jesus is alive! He died for you and me, but on DAY THREE—Jesus rose again; Jesus is alive! Happy Easter! #openarmsccdc #easter #jesusisalive

All of our Open Arms families are invited and encouraged to attend our Holy Week and Easter Sunday services! “Christ is Risen. He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!” #openarmsccdc #oswlc #holyweek #easter

Have a beautiful day! #openarmsccdc #goodmorning

Open Arms teachers are OUT OF THIS WORLD, and we are so excited to honor them during our upcoming Teacher Appreciation Week starting on May 6th!

Check out the small ways you can treat our teachers each day this week, and sign up to help with our "Out of this World" Pasta Bar Lunch on Wednesday, May 8th, by bringing something in: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090C4EA5A92BA5FE3-teacher

Thank you for your help in making this a BIG success for our amazing staff!

We are so excited about our Easter Event tomorrow, and our teachers and students have decorated their doors to encourage you to come. Our Easter Event starts at 10, and we hope to see you here! #openarmsccdc #easterevent

April showers may bring May flowers, but we have plenty of April flowers at Open Arms! (Along with a few April bugs too!) #openarmsccdc #springflowers

It’s baby animals (like chicks, bunnies, and birds) week at Open Arms as we peep, jump, and tweet right into spring! #openarmsccdc #spring

We’re not fooling around when we say Happy April! Hope you all enjoy this beautiful month. 😊🌸 #openarmsccdc #april

Our curriculum theme is “flowers and gardens” this week, and Open Arms students are enjoying bringing spring to their classrooms! #openarmsccdc #flowers #spring

Loudoun County Public Schools are closed Friday, March 29 and Monday, April 1 for teacher workdays. Therefore, our Half-Day Preschool classes and Owls Kindergarten Class will be closed as well. Hope you enjoy the long weekend!

This year, our annual "Spring Fling" is going to be a school/church combined event called: Rise Up with Jesus! Make sure to stop by on Saturday, April 13th from 10am-12pm as we explore the Easter story using games, activities, learning stations, give-away items, and more. Join us on this high-flying Easter adventure as we celebrate that Jesus is alive!

Spring has sprung at Open Arms! #openarmsccdc #preschool #spring

Today was our last day of Lutheran Schools Week, and our children wore their class T-shirts. Check out some of the cool shirts they created! Remember that everyone is invited to come to church on Sunday at 11am to sing “All and All.” Wear your new t-shirts, and we hope to see you there!

Today was mismatch Thursday, and we learned about REAL time in chapel. We learned that God is with us all the time and God is watching over us all the of time. He loves us that much!

“The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”
Psalm 121:8

All Open Arms children are invited to Our Saviors Way Lutheran Church this Sunday at 11:00am to sing “All in All,” a song they have practiced every day in chapel this week.

Here is a video of Ms. Jee leading this song in chapel this morning if you want to practice at home!

We hope to see you all here on Sunday, March 24 at 11. 😊

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It’s Superhero/Disney dress-up day for Lutheran Schools Week, and we learned that Jesus is our real superhero! Check out some of the fun costumes from our students and teachers. We are God’s people, and He loves us all!

Today was wacky hair and hat day for Lutheran Schools Week, and some folks at Open Arms (like Pastor Justin) went all out! In chapel, we explored the idea of “places” and where Jesus lives. We learned that Jesus lives at our church, at our school, and in our hearts. His love is all around us!

It’s our first day of Lutheran Schools week, and all of our classes made bright and beautiful signs to bring to our daily chapels. Today, Pastor Justin told the children about the most wonderful book ever written: the Bible! The Bible tells us about Jesus and how much He loves us. It’s the greatest story of all!

Next week at Open Arms, we are celebrating being part of the Lutheran Schools system with themed lessons, creative activities, daily chapels, and fun dress up days. Check out our dress up days schedule and please participate if you can! We are looking forward to a fun week ahead!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! 🍀

From the teachers, children, and leprechauns at Open Arms 😊

Our chapel message this week was about how God made the mountains, oceans, trees, animals, and stars...but the most creative thing he made was US! God‘s ability to make us shows how wonderfully creative He is. And He made us creative too-we can paint, build with legos, cook, and play music. We should appreciate and enjoy the creative talents God gave us and use it to glorify Him! #openarmsccdc #preschool #chapel #godmademe

Bring a blanket and join us for a special movie night in the Big Room to kick off Lutheran Schools Week. Pizza and refreshments will be available to purchase, and you can pre-order pizza at the reception desks until Thursday. This is always a fun family event, and we hope to see you here for The Peanuts Movie!

Hope you are enjoying this beautiful almost-spring day! #openarmsccdc #oswlc #march #spring

There are snowflakes at Open Arms! Happy Friday!! ❄️ #openarmsccdc #preschool #snow

It’s Read Across America Week, and our students are enjoying Dr. Seuss books and activities. Look at all of the cats, fish, socks, things, and green eggs & ham! I DO like them, Sam-I-Am!

All of our Open Arms families are invited and encouraged to attend our weekly Lent services. Family services begin at 5:30pm and are followed by dinner at 6. There will be singing, drama, devotions, and activities for children of all ages. We hope to see you there!

Don’t forget to come have dinner with us at Red Robin (near Panera and Chipotle) TONIGHT, Tuesday, March 5th any time from 4-9pm. Make sure to mention “Open Arms,” and a portion of the proceeds will go towards purchasing butterfly kits for our classrooms. If you do not have time to sit down for dinner, you do have the option to order online and pick up. Just make sure that you mention “Open Arms” when you pick up your food. What better way to celebrate Fat Tuesday! 😊

Happy Birthday to a perennial preschool favorite: Dr. Seuss! #openarmsccdc #preschool #drseuss #readacrossamerica

Looks like March might be coming in like a “lion!”

Because of the threat of winter weather this evening, Loudoun County Public Schools has announced a 2-hour delay for Friday, March 1st. Right now Full-Day classes are on time. If there are any changes, we will let you know as soon as possible.

The Half-Day program (animal classes) and Full-Day kindergarten (Owls) will follow the delay schedule below.

INCLEMENT WEATHER SCHEDULES

Half-Day Classes
8:50 am-11:50 am classes: 10:15 am-12:15 pm

9:00 am-12:00 pm classes: 10:30 am-12:30 pm

8:50 am-1:50 pm class: 10:15 am-1:50 pm

9:00 am-2:00 pm class: 10:15 am-2:00 pm

Full-Day Kindergarten
8:30 am-3:30 pm class: 10:15 am 3:30 pm

To see our inclement weather schedule, visit our website: https://openarms-ccdc.org/parent-resources

This is the last week of our Box Tops collection, so send them in tomorrow! Top classes get an ice cream sundae party, so help out your child’s class!! 🍨 Thank you for your donations!

The kids at Open Arms always love their weekly chapel time! Ms. Jee leads them in fun and interactive songs, and Pastor Justin gives a devotion based off of a Bible story. Last week, Pastor Justin dressed like a Roman soldier to tell the story of the centurion who trusted Jesus to heal his friend. The children learned that they can trust Jesus too, because He loves them so much. Jesus is our superhero! #openarmsccdc #preschool #oswlc #jesuslovesme #chapel

One of our Pastors at Our Savior’s Way picked up these beautiful flowers this weekend for our staff and families. They are under the roof to the left of our main entrance. Feel free to pick up some flowers as you pick up your children today!

Join us next Tuesday, March 5th, at Red Robin (near Panera and Chipotle in Ashburn) for dinner and a chance to support our school. Open Arms will receive 20% of proceeds, and the money will go towards funding our butterfly kits for the classrooms. It's a great way to kick off a beautiful spring season!

If you are looking for a fun and safe environment for your child this summer, join us here at Open Arms for Camp GLOW! Our camp descriptions and registration forms are now available on our website (www.openarms-ccdc.org) at the bottom of the “Programs” page. And, if you have questions or would like more information about Camp GLOW, please join us at our Open House on Tuesday, February 26, at 6:30pm. We are having a great time planning our Summer Camp, and we hope that your child will join us!

Happy Thursday! Hope you have a beautiful day!! ❄️😊 #openarmsccdc #oswlc #preschool #snow #thursday

LCPS has announced a closure for Thursday, 2/21. Therefore, the Half Day Preschool and Owls will also be closed. Drop-in care is available for Owls, Wildflowers, and School Age.

Hope you all enjoyed the snow day!

Loudoun County Public Schools has announced a 2-hour delay for Thursday, February 21st.

The Half-Day program (animal classes) and Full-Day kindergarten (Owls) will follow the delay schedule below.

INCLEMENT WEATHER SCHEDULES

Half-Day Classes
8:50 am-11:50 am classes: 10:15 am-12:15 pm

9:00 am-12:00 pm classes: 10:30 am-12:30 pm

8:50 am-1:50 pm class: 10:15 am-1:50 pm

9:00 am-2:00 pm class: 10:15 am-2:00 pm

Full-Day Kindergarten
8:30 am-3:30 pm class: 10:15 am 3:30 pm

If LCPS or the Federal Government change their status, we will update you.

To see our inclement weather schedule, visit our website: https://openarms-ccdc.org/parent-resources