St. Mary Preschool

10/16/2026

📚✨ Little learners, BIG adventures! 💛

Our littlest preschoolers had the sweetest time visiting the Alma Public Library! 🚌📖 From enjoying story time to exploring the library on a special tour and playing in the children’s area, there was so much to discover!

It’s never too early to fall in love with books, spark a little curiosity, and discover the magic of reading. 🥰📚 We are so thankful for our local Alma Public Library and the wonderful experiences that help make learning fun, both inside and outside the classroom!

Little hands, curious minds, and a whole world of stories waiting to be explored! 🌟❤️

10/14/2026

🍎A bushel of fun at Apple Barrel C***r Mill! 🍎

Little hands, big smiles, and a whole lot of APPLE-solutely amazing memories! ❤️ Our morning preschoolers got to see how apple c***r is made, enjoy delicious donuts, sip fresh apple c***r, wander through the pumpkins and take a spin on the apple-and-worm ride inspired by the classic children’s book character Lowly Worm! 🍩🍎🐛📖
There’s something special about supporting the small businesses that make our community so wonderful!
Thank you for welcoming us in Apple Barrel C***r Mill and letting us spend a fun-filled morning with you! ✨

10/07/2026

🍎🐻✨ What a month it has been in our preschool world! ✨🚌🔬

From crunchy apples and curious bears to showing our homecoming spirit and climbing aboard the STEM Science Bus, our little learners have been busy exploring, creating, discovering, and having SO much fun!

September reminded us that learning really can happen anywhere, anytime, and in the most unexpected ways.

09/18/2026

🎉 FUN FRIDAY! 🎉

A little peek at some of the fun we’ve been having in preschool! 💕 Over the past month, we’ve been learning all about “Me,” our families, and getting to know both our old and new friends!

🎩 Hat Day was definitely a favorite! So many fun hats, big smiles, and lots of personality! 🧢👒🎓

Mrs. Morell brought in popsicles for our all day & Y5 friends in honor of Lymphoma Awareness Day and to honor her brave son, Bryson. 💚
We enjoyed a sweet treat while taking a moment to remember Bryson’s strength and courage, as well as all the children and families who have faced the difficult journey of childhood cancer.

Happy Friday from our preschool crew!
Have a wonderful weekend, families! 🌈☀️

Reminder:
Please bring an apple to school with your child next week as we introduce the letter A and have some fun learning all about apples! 🍎❤️

🍎 A is for Apple! 🍎

MWF: Yellow apple💛
T/TH: Green apple🍏
All day& Y5's: Red apple 🍎

We can’t wait for our apple-filled week! 😊

09/17/2026

A little food for thought as we navigate this beautiful, sometimes messy, and incredibly important season of raising little ones…

Your baby’s brain is building connections every single day.

Long before children can regulate themselves, they depend on us for connection, safety, and co-regulation.

And brain development doesn’t require fancy toys or flashcards.

❤️ Hold them.
📚 Read to them…even as infants.
🎶 Sing and rhyme.
💬 Talk back and forth.
🌿 Take them outside.
👐 Let them move, touch, and explore.
👀 Respond to their cues.

Reading with a child isn’t just about words. They’re hearing language, watching your face, touching the pages, sharing attention, and experiencing the security of being close to you.

And it goes beyond the book.

Every cuddle. Every conversation. Every song. Every walk outside. Every playful interaction.

These ordinary moments are doing extraordinary work…building brains through relationships.

Connection first. Play always. Childhood matters. 🌱❤️

09/14/2026

🌿✨ OUR OUTDOOR SENSORY CLASSROOM IS OPEN! ✨🌿

We’re so excited to share something we’ve been working on all summer! Mrs. Atchinson and Mrs. Morell spent many hours dreaming, planning, creating, and preparing our new Outdoor Sensory Classroom. 🤎

We created a special space where our preschoolers and enrichment Y5's can touch, explore, imagine, create, problem-solve, and learn through play while experiencing the beauty of God’s creation. 🌱🪵🌸💦

Our outdoor classroom extends our indoor learning environment, offering hands-on experiences with plants, weather, soil, water, and natural materials. These experiences engage the senses while helping children develop independence, focus, confidence, and self-regulation.

We’re grateful to give our little learners a place to wonder, discover, and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation. 🌎💚

We can’t wait to watch our preschoolers grow, explore, create, and make beautiful memories! 🌱🤎

Let the adventures begin! ✨

08/26/2026

First Day of Preschool! ✨🍎

And just like that… we’re off to a wonderful new school year! 🥰📚🎨

We are so excited to introduce the amazing team who will be loving, teaching, encouraging, and making memories with your little ones this year! 💕

Ms. Henry — 26 years of teaching and an incredible legacy of love, wisdom, and memories made with so many little learners. ❤️ We are especially grateful to have her with us for one more special year as she begins her retirement journey at the end of this school year! 🎉🌷

Mrs. Atchinson (aka Mrs. A) — 17 years of teaching, a heart full of dedication, and a passion for making learning fun! Her years of experience, creativity, and love for children bring so much joy to our classroom. 🎨📚💕

Miss Lila — 2 years of teaching and bringing lots of fresh energy, joy, and enthusiasm to our classroom! 🌸

Our Foster Grandma Maria — 7 wonderful years of being part of our preschool family! She is the sweetest extra set of loving hands, always ready with a hug, a smile, a helping hand, and so much love for our little ones. We are incredibly blessed to have Maria as part of our classroom family! 👵🏼

Together, we are so excited for a year filled with play, learning, creativity, friendship, laughter, and lots of little moments that matter. 🫶🏼

Thank you, parents, for trusting us with your precious little ones. We feel so blessed to be part of their preschool journey and can’t wait to see all the wonderful things this year will bring! 💗

Here’s to our first day and the beginning of a beautiful year! 🍎✨

07/21/2026

✨ Big things have been happening this summer at St. Mary Preschool… and we can’t wait to share them with you! ✨

Mrs. Atchinson, Ms. Henry and their incredible team have been hard at work creating an even more beautiful, faith-filled place for our little learners. We have two exciting improvements coming to our classroom this year, and today we’re thrilled to reveal the first one!

A heartfelt THANK YOU to the incredibly talented local artist and former preschool parent, Amanda Brady, for donating her time, creativity, and heart to paint the most beautiful, faith-inspired mural in our preschool classroom. 💚✨

Amanda took a simple wall and transformed it into a scene that reflects the beauty of God’s creation. Every tree, woodland creature, and tiny detail invites children to see God’s handiwork, dream, explore, create, and fall in love with learning.

We are beyond grateful for Amanda’s generosity and the lasting impact she has made on our preschool family. What she created is more than a mural, it is a place where imaginations will soar, friendships will grow, stories will come alive, and precious childhood memories will be made. This is a gift that will spark curiosity and joy in the hearts of our students for many years to come.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you, Amanda, for sharing your incredible God-given talent with us. Your kindness and generosity have helped create a classroom our little learners will never forget. ❤️

Stay tuned… because this is just the first of two exciting classroom improvements we have been working on this summer! We can’t wait to share what’s coming.
**Scroll through the comments to get a up close look at this masterpiece!**

07/14/2026

Congratulations to Miss Lila's beautiful daughter and former preschool student! 🫶🏽👸

Congratulations Lakelynn!

06/25/2026

📚Free Summer Activity Books!📚

We have some free Summer Activity Books courtesy of WCMU Public Media and Michigan Learning Channel! There are 3 different types of books available:

📚Early Learners: Preschool-Kindergarten
📚Lower Elementary: 1st-3rd grade
📚Upper Elementary: 4th-6th grade

These books are designed to keep kids engaged, learning, and to help prevent the Summer slide!

Books are first come first serve and are located on our Take Home Craft Kit Table in the Children's Area. You can also find digital printouts of the activity books on the Michigan Learning Channel's website.

Thank you to WCMU Public Media & Michigan Learning Channel for supporting learning all year long! 📚✨