MAGIC SCHOOL NEWS
We welcome newcomers Megan and Olivia to our Magic School!
In January, the pre-school and kindergarten class talked about gentleness and encouragement. They also enjoyed being the recipients of a kind act — kids in Year I of Magic School gave them home-made playdough during a cauldron chemistry class. Members of this class also pitched in and painted signs for the social justice committee to use at their fundraising concerts.
Kids in Year I of Magic School made herb boxes with kitchen culinary herbs for herbology class, enjoyed making healthy soda, playdough and bird-seed wreaths during cauldron chemistry, and participated in two transformation classes: transforming enemies to friends, and competition to cooperation.
Kids in Year II of Magic School made peace shields, participated in the already described cauldron chemistry class, and discussed nonviolent conflict resolution.

SNEAK PREVIEW: COMING SOON TO A MAGIC SCHOOL NEAR YOU
Feb 5: Interdependent Webweavers: tentatively scheduled: a visit from puppies who are being trained to be service dogs.
Feb. 12: Years I and II: Transformation classes
Feb 19: Cauldron Chemistry featuring homemade finger paints to be given to the pre-school/kindergarten class.
Feb 26: TBA

THE FUTURE OF MAGIC
Over the next few months, I will be working with the religious education committee to create a vision for the future of our religious education program. If you would like to be included in these conversations, please let me know! Your input will be very welcome.

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE
Thank you to Alan for teaching herbology, to Barbara for her work teaching transformation to Year I students, to Jennifer for serving as an assistant on many occasions, to Erica, Lauren and Carolyn for leading cauldron chemistry projects, to Tricia, and especially Kathleen for assisting with the Magic of Kindness class and giving them a hands-on experience of a baby, to Ted for leading a doll-washing lesson on gentleness, to Wendy and Jen for teaching the Magic of Kindness class, to all of the kids in the Magic of Kindness class for helping to create signs for the social action committees fundraising concerts, to Casey, Rebecca and Lilly for lighting the chalice, and to Leonor and Karen for serving as assistants.

ONGOING MAGIC
We continue to collect mini-gems in a tube in our Sanctuary. Gems represent all magical acts performed by the kids in our program at church, home, or school. The gems are color-coded to match the virtues emphasized at our school: red for love, blue for imagination, yellow for courage, and silver for persistence. Please feel free to be a tattle tale and tell Alice about any magical acts you witness.