Check in and Pick up Process

If your child is in Butterflies, Frogs, or Toucans you will use the left side of the Registration Desk.  If your child is in Hippos, Monkeys, or Tiger Cubs you will use the right side of the Registration Desk.  Please take note of their new classroom on their name tag.

Worried About Children Being Upset

If you’re concerned about your children becoming upset when you leave them, the caregivers will work with you to find the best way to comfort them. In most cases, crying stops a few moments after parents leave and fussing becomes less common with regular attendance. If a child continues to cry after five or ten minutes, we contact the parents using their cellphone. Please be sure to always carry your cell phone with you.

Belongings

Please be sure to label all diaper bags and backpacks with your child’s name on it. You should label bottles, water bottles, and any other personal items. There is a labeling station provided for you in the Nursery lobby. Please take the time to label your child’s items every time to eliminate any confusion.

Snack

We only offer Cheerios for snack in the Nursery along with water.  In the Butterfly Classroom, your child will not be given any food other than what you have provided. If your child has an allergy, please let us know so we can mark it on their name tag.

We are excited for another year of growing in Awesome Adventure! Please feel free to email Christy Kauffman (ckauffman@westshorefree.org) if you have any questions about Awesome Adventure Nursery.

If your child turns 2 years old by September 1st, they will transition from the nursery into the preschool area. Here is what you can expect:

Check in process

You can check your child in at any of the Awesome Adventure kiosks, just as you did in the nursery. Your child will be given a squirt of hand sanitizer as they enter the half door on the right side of the registration desk before being escorted to their classroom. If your child is sad or distressed, we will contact you via your cell phone. Please be sure to always carry your cell phone with you and be sure it is turned on.

Pick up process

Enter the preschool lobby and come to one of the Preschool Registration Desk ministry partners who will be waiting at the phones. Say your child’s first and last name and the name of your child’s class. They will call back to the appropriate classroom and have your child sent to the registration desk to exit the half door on the left side of our secure area. Present your child’s pick-up tag. We will match your security tag number to the number on your child’s tag and release your child to you.

Belongings

If your child wants to bring a backpack or bag to church, please be sure it has your child’s name on it. We realize many children are potty training, and we encourage you to bring a change of clothes in a Ziploc bag with your child’s name clearly labeled. We have child-sized toilets in all our preschool classrooms and take bathroom breaks regularly. Tell us of any needs your child may have with toilet training, and we will inform his/her teacher. We ask that children leave special items like toys or blankets at home, so they do not get lost or misplaced.

Classroom Progression

• If your child was a Giraffe, he will move up to the Elephant room, and then to the Gazelle room.
• If your child was a Zebra, she will move up to the Ostrich room, and then to the Cheetah room.

We are excited to welcome your family to Awesome Adventure! Please feel free to email Kristin Pepper (kpepper@westshorefree.org) if you have any questions about Awesome Adventure preschool! 

 

Here is some additional information about extra opportunities for elementary age children:

Kidz4Him Children’s Choir (1st – 6th Graders) 
Begins Sept. 8 @9am in Room 147 | Performance Sun, Dec. 8 both services  

Children lead the congregation in worship through preparing and presenting a Christmas musical in December. All choir members are expected to attend a Bible class, Quest class, or the main worship service at 10:45. 

Register  

Worship Adventure (1st – 6th Graders)
Begins Sept. 8 in Room 147
10:15-10:45am 

Corporate worship is a vital ingredient in every child’s faith development. This is a 30-minute time for kids to gather in song with their peers, led by a live band and bolstered with intentional teaching to help them grow in their worship of God. Whether your child stays for one or two services, they can participate in Worship Adventure. Classroom teachers take children to and from Worship Adventure, so you still pick up your children from their Bible class.  

Quest: Worldview Elective
Begins Sept. 8 in Room 132 
Grades 1-3 @9am
Grades 4-6 @10:45am  

Quest classes equip children with a biblical worldview. First to third graders will discover how everything we find in the world around us aligns with the worldview presented in Scripture. Fourth to six graders will be exposed to the basic beliefs of competing worldviews and compare them with Christianity. 

After you check your children in, take them to following areas to drop them off:  

• Under 2: Nursery Suite (upstairs)  

• Turned 2, 3 or 4 by Sept. 1: Preschool Suite (Upstairs adjacent to the Worship Center)  

• Turned 5 by Sept. 1: Elementary Hallway (By the Tiki Hut downstairs) 

• Kindergarten to 3rd Grade:  Elementary Hallway (By the Tiki Hut downstairs)  

• 4th Grade: Room 141 (Downstairs between the Tiki Hut & North Entrance)  

• 5th Grade: Room 143 (Downstairs between the Tiki Hut & North Entrance) 

• 6th Grade: Gym (Downstairs by the North Entrance)  

We’re so glad you asked! We invite you to visit your child’s classroom and say hello to meet their new teachers for the first few weeks. 

• NURSERY: Infants learn about God through simple books and the care they receive from loving adults. Beginning when children are approximately 18 months old, we teach them about God through simple interactive Bible lessons using a monthly theme designed to give them a foundational understanding of important truths they can build on as they grow. Learn more: https://westshorefree.org/children/nursery/. 
• PRESCHOOL & ELEMENTARY: We use a curriculum called The Gospel Project by Lifeway, which presents the Bible chronologically over a three-year cycle, showing kids how the whole Bible works together to tell a single story: God’s plan to redeem His people through His Son, Jesus Christ, compelling kids to join the mission of God.  All children ages two to sixth-grade study the same Bible story each week, so if you have kids in multiple grades, you can review, discuss and apply the same lessons in daily life with your family.  

1. Sixth graders do not need a parent to pick them up after class; they are permitted to leave on their own.
    
2. They can come to Faz6! 
   Faz6 is offered twice a month on Wednesday evenings just for 6th graders. It includes large group games, time with friends, a topical Bible study, and small group discussion. It is a great setting for inviting friends who don’t know Jesus yet.
   Learn more and sign up: https://westshorefree.org/event/faz6/  

• Send in snacks! Goldfish, animal crackers, name brand Cheerios, and single-serve gluten-free items are always needed. You can drop off donations at the registration desk in your child’s area or have them shipped directly to the church, attention of Lisa Dunlap. 
•  Sign up to serve! We can’t offer weekly Bible classes for your kids without your involvement! Learn more about various opportunities to serve on Sunday mornings: https://westshorefree.org/serve/church/