February 2026

February Theme Study: Friendship, Hearts, Health

February Saint Study: St. Valentine

We're off to a fun start to February with tracing and measuring our shadows thanks to our groundhog friend! 

Tracing the shadow and matching our bodies

Shadow Shifting- Why did they move?

Fine motor skill work incorporating math counting and representation:

Clip the clothespins to match the number on the shirt

 

Friendship Bracelet patterns 

Friends Work & Play Together

Adding Friend drawings to our learning chart Building Friendship Forts  Ta-da!

Peek a Boo!

Friendship Ice cream: Friends listen, Take Turns, & Share

pour examineShake cream over ice

Enjoy! Yum!

Friendship Rocks: Giving to Others
Students decorated a rock to give to a friend in class as a surprise!

Decorating

   

Friendship counts- Meausuring hands and feet with blocks and candy hearts, then comparing them with our friends' measurements to see that frienndship comes in all shapes and sizes!

 

Friendships build bridges that can surprise us!

 

  

January 2026

Curriculum Study: Animal Adaptations, Ice, Moon

Saint Study: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton & St. Thomas Aquinas

Happy New Year Everyone! We have so many wonderful learning experiences planned for 2026 and hope you can join us for the hands-on, interactive, and meaningful learning happening at Beacon of Light Preschool! Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm for our program! Please enjoy the updates below for some of the events we've been blessed to have this month with our students. 

• January 6th- Ms. Linda from Greenfield Savings Bank visited us to share a story on individuality and the unique gifts we each have within us. We enjoyed snack & a craft to celebrate everyone.

• January 14 at 10:30 Tom Ricardi from the Massachusetts Birds of Prey Wildlife Rehab Facility in Conway brought 5 of his live birds to teach us about how we can help birds of prey in our area and the amazing ways they have learned to adapt to life around humans. 

We learned not to use rodenticide because it makes the birds sick when they eat a mouse or animal exposed to the poison. We also learned that throwing our food scraps out near roads, like the highway, attract birds of prey which is very dangerous because of the risk of birds being hit by a car. Lastly, if you find a bird that needs help, call a bird rehabilitator right away. 

The Western Massachusetts Bird Rehabilitator List can be found at: https://hampshirebirdclub.org/bird-rehabilitators-in-western-massachusetts 

Ostrich Egg vs Hummingbird Egg Barred Owl 

Bald Eagle Puppet

Golden EagleRed Tailed HawkThank You Mr. Ricardi!

• Jan 17 & 18 Bird Feeder Fundraiser- As a service project for our unit on how animals survive the winter, students made pinecone & bagel birdfeeders with sun butter and bird seed. Students were able to bring their own bird feeder home and extras were made for anyone interested in taking one home after masses on Saturday & Sunday. Even the string used to hang the feeders can be used by the birds for their nest! I'm sure a squirrel or two will also appreciate the special treat this winter! The fundraiser was a great success and proceeds go towards supporting the preschool in purchasing books and supplies to help our youngest learners have access to new, hands-on materials that provide the best foundation for a lifelong enthusiasm and love of learning.

It's Messy! Ready for the Animals! Step 1... Step 2... Step 3.... Thank you for donating!

• Preschool Pen Pals with In the Beginning Preschool- To celebrate St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. Thomas Aquinas, both patron saints of Catholic schools, we partnered with In The Beginning Catholic Preschool from Agawam to create drawings and messages for their preschool students. In the Beginning Preschool will be sending us letters back drawn/written by their students as a way to further develop community among Catholic schools.

• Other fun: Just of few photos of our learning in action!

Testing how light refracts as it goes through water Fine motor work to create colored lightening bolts Testing Objects: 
Transparent or Opaque?  Hand Painting Creating Simple Circuits 
to Light a Lightbulb The Circuit Worked!

Animals & Light: 

Nocturnal & Diurnal Sort

Testing Ice Water Building Igloos with Sugar Cubes

   Scissor Practice making paper igloosFine Motor, Engineering, 
& Counting Skills: Igloos

December 2025

Curriculum Study: Light, Holiday Celebrations, Snowflakes

Saint Study: St. Nicholas of Myra

• Dec 6th- St. Nicholas Feast Day Celebration - Students decorated and put together paper shoes to follow the tradition of Saint Nicholas of Myra leaving special treats such as gold coins or oranges. Teachers lead a prayer to Saint Nicholas to visit and students were thrilled to discover their shoes filled with chocolate gold coins and a clementine when they returned to school. This connects to this month's featured saint and Story Walk: Saint Nicolas the Gift Giver by Ned Bustard. Students also learned about how many of our Christmas traditions originated in Germany with a take home book for families!

• Preschoolers as Gift Givers- We learned Saint Nicholas acts as a gift giver and now it was our turn! We donated clothes, toys, hats, gloves, scarves, and draw string bags to anyone in need that visited the Food Pantry located inside of the Parish Center.

• Dec 9th- Visit to Blessed Sacrament Church- Students visited the church to practice some church skills such as making the Sign of the Cross with Holy Water, genuflecting, and how to sit in a church pew. Each student also was able to see our large advent wreath, light the candles, and name the candles (Hope, Peace, Joy, & Love). We were also able to observe the stained glass windows and name the shapes and colors we saw!

• Dec 16- Cocoa & Craft Family Event- Students & families were invited to join altogether in a relaxed get together to celebrate the holiday season. We enjoyed homemade pumpkin bread and cocoa together with delicious toppings chosen by students including marshmallows, sprinkles, cinnamon, and whipped cream! Participants were invited to create several types of ornaments including popsicle stick snowflakes, a nativity scene, a snowman, and decorate important words of the advent season such as hope and love. We wrapped up our fun with a reading of Who's Coming to the House and Hot Cocoa Calm. 

• Dec 17- Meteorologist Alexa Bianco from 22News visits! After learning about Wilson Bentley, the person who studied snowflakes and figured out how to magnify and photography them, we were excited to learn more about snow. Ms. Alexa visited the classroom and discussed where she worked, what she does in her job, and some of the tools she uses to help predict the weather. We enjoyed her reading a nonfiction book about winter weather and Ms. Alexa even gifted our students a surprise book, Wacky Weather by Dr. Seuss! We all had a great time participating in a few snowflake crafts that had us practicing our fine motor skills while decorating and designing with painters tape, glitter, and pattern blocks!

 

Here's a few more pictures from our fun in December!

Christmas Bow Counting & Graphing

Dancing Jingle Bell Jar

Snow Volcano

Fizzing Cookie Cutter Shapes

Counting & Number Tracing

Letter Identification in a Snow globe

Sensory Bin

Secret Message Snow Flakes with Water Colors

Life Cycle of a Snowflake

Snowflake Designs with Marshmallows and Toothpicks

November 2025

Curriculum Study: Voting, Transportation, Family, Turkey

Saint Study: St. Elizabeth of Hungary

• Fr. John Williams and Deacon George Nolan visited the preschool to lead a blessing of candles with the students after learning about All Saints Day (Nov 1st) & All Souls Day (Nov 2nd). These candles and bottles of holy water were sent home with the student's families as a way to pray for those loved ones who have passed away. The entire month of November is dedicated to the departed and praying for their souls to be welcomed into heaven for eternal peace and love with God.

Students receiving their candle & holy water take home bags 

Deacon George Nolan Sprinkling Holy Water During the Blessing

• Nov 4th-Voting Day! Students participated in their own voting day at school with a voting booth made by Ms. Anita. Preschoolers voted for their candidate choice of dog, cat, or bunny. New vocabulary learned and practiced included candidate, ballot, and democracy.

The Ballot Box

Time to Vote!

Making Their vote Count!

• Nov. 6th- Greenfield Mayor Desorgher visited the preschool to read a story about voting to students. Children learned about what a precinct is (Greenfield has 9!) and where people go to vote in Greenfield. We used precinct maps of Greenfield to locate the preschool as well as other common landmarks in Greenfield and determine the precinct number of those locations. Mayor Desorgher also participated in our very own class vote with the following candidates: cat, dog, and rabbit. The results are in and you can see the clear winner! Some new vocabulary students have been practicing in action include democracy, candidates, ballot, and polling. 
  Reading "I Voted: Making A Choice Makes A Difference" by Mark Shulman
  
  Meeting the Mayor
  
  Exploring Precinct Maps
  
  The Mayor Casts Her Vote!
  
  Our Class Voting Booth
  
  
• Nov 9: Freedom 5K Outside of Blessed Sacrament Church- Fr. John Williams planned this important event to help celebrate and show our support for the Veterans in our community. More than 120 registered participants joined in support through running or walking. Some of our youngest participants were pulled in wagons or pushed in strollers to join alongside their families in learning the values of respect, sacrifice, honor, and service that is exemplified in our Veterans. This event was free for all participants and we hope to see it grow steadily each year! We thank all Veterans, including our own Fr. John Williams, for their service in protecting the freedoms we hold dear in our country. 

 

 

• Nov 13th & 17th: Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Celebration- Baking Bread to donate to the Community Meals program. Each student baked their own loaf of bread to donate to those in need, just as St. Elizabeth did. Students learned about and practiced using common kitchen tools such as measuring cups, measuring spoons, and thermometers. We explored fractions, compared water temperatures, and problemed solved how to change the water temperature. Preschoolers used language to describe and compare the feeling of flour versus sugar and enthusiastically joined in the sensory experience of kneading dough! This also provided hands on learning in character development of hard work, patience, compassion, and generosity! Please click the link Community Meals to learn more about this program.

Sense of Touch

  

Measuring the Water Temperature

Set the Timer!

Kathy Melnik Prepping the Community Meal with our bread!

• November 20th- Beacon of Light Preschool Thanks Giving! All staff, students, and families gathered together to enjoy a turkey luncheon with all the traditional sides. A special feature to the menu was the homemade bread and cranberry sauce made by the students! Students also helped set the table, complete with their own thankful placemat for families to take home. Fr. John kicked off the celebration with a prayer of gratitude and thankfulness for all we are fortunate to have in our lives. The celebration continued with lunch, a read aloud of God Gave Us Thankful Hearts, and a performance by students of two songs: "He's Got the Whole World In His Hands" and "All I Really Need." Students and families also wrote some things they are thankful for in their lives to add to our thankful tree. We were also able to donate 7 Thanksgiving dinner plates to people in need after finishing the celebration. It was a wonderful celebration of gratitude and togetherness. We are incredibly thankful for all of your continued support and encouragement for Beacon of Light Preschool as our program continues to grow!
  Cranberry Mousse Dessert
   

Story Time

• November 25- Kuzmeskus Bus Visit with Ms. Brittney- To celebrate our unit on transportation unit this month, students learned bus safety rules from Ms. Brittney and enjoyed nonfiction read alouds about school buses and school bus drivers. To the excitement of all students, they were able to board the school bus and explore many of the buttons and switches used in operating the school bus safely, while practicing the passenger safety rules they learned about in class. A favorite activity was sitting in the driver's seat and beeping the horn for the office staff! Students were gifted take home materials to share with their families to continue the education and open discussions about safety on the school bus.

  

Learning the Controls

 

Beep! Beep!

• November 25- Beacon of Light Preschool was thrilled to welcome City Council Member,William Perry, from Greenfield's own precinct 7. Mr. Perry read the students a book titled "If I Ran for President" by Catherine Stier to discuss the voting process, which mirrored his own inauguration into office. While students enjoyed snack time, Mr. Perry shared his own experiences working with a variety of people to help meet the needs of Greenfield's townspeople. In a surprise twist of their own, students welcomed Mr. Perry to participate in their own class election: What Is Your Favorite Dessert? The ballot choices included cake, cookies, pie, or ice cream. After going to the class election booth, the class counted the ballots, and graphed the results. It was a close race!

Mr. William "Wid" Perry

Voting at the Booth!

• Nov 26- The Northfield Police Department donated 6 new helmets to Beacon of Light Preschool for our recess area which includes a walkway/tricycle raceway for our youngest learners! We are so thankful for the generosity of the Northfield Police Department in helping keep the community safe and serve those in need.  A special thank you to Officer Cowan for coordinating with Beacon of Light Preschool for this wonderful donation to ensure our riders stay safe while having fun!

Officer Cowan

October 2025

Curriculum Study: Pumpkins, Leaves, Signs of Fall, Fire Safety

Saint Study: Pope St. John Paul II

• The Beacon of Light Preschool Apple Cider fundraiser after Saturday & Sunday masses raised over $500 for the St. Vincent de Paul Fund! The money directly benefits any person in Franklin County communities by supporting community meals and the food pantry, both of which do not have financial requirements and are open to all people. The Vincent De Paul Fund also helps support ministries and commissions within the parish including the Sick and Home Bound ministry.  

• Final Apple Cider Pressing Days: Oct. 1 & 2nd. Thank you to Deacon John & Jason Semaski & the Northfield Tool Lending Library for helping us transport and utilize the cider press at Beacon of Light Preschool! The students and staff were all able to experience the excitement and sweet reward of learning how to make your own apple cider.

• Deacon John Leary Deacon Candidate, Jason Semaski
  
  

• THANK YOU to Dan & Lori Arsenolt for donating two sand tables and tricycles to the preschool! Our students have enjoyed tricycle races and relays as well as a standing sand table at our outdoor recess and exploratory times. 
                                  

•  Fall Parent Conferences Friday, Oct. 10th

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• Thank you to the Greenfield Fire Department for visiting our students on Oct 14th & 23rd! Students were able to meet several firefighters and learn about the equipment they use to help others and stay safe themselves. We had the exciting opportunity to climb aboard the fire truck to explore what it's like in the driver's seat as well as touch some of the tools and gear the firefighters use. Most importantly, students were shown how the firefighters look when all their gear is on and that it's still our friendly firefighter underneath it all. We never have to be afraid and NEVER HIDE if a firefighter comes to help us when all their gear is on. 

    

• Preschoolers enjoy their first visit to Blessed Sacrament Church to participate in the Pope Saint John Paul II story walk posted in the back stairwell entrance. Students learned Pope Saint John Paul II was from Poland. With some of our students sharing Polish heritage, we were able to make connections to our families as well as foster discussions about other family ancestry.
  
  

•  Family Hike to Poet’s Seat October 22nd open to all families in preschool and the parish to celebrate Pope Saint John Paul II feast day.

• Springfield Diocese Professional Development Training for all Teachers- Springfield, Oct. 24th. Staff participated in a Diocese-wide gathering of all Catholic school educators with workshops in classroom management, encouraging executive functioning skill building with students, sensory integration, and curriculum planning.

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• Thank you Greenfield Police Department for visiting with Comfort Dog Officer Frank on Oct 30th. Officer Frank enjoyed many pats and belly rubs! Officer Llewelyn, Officer Carmichael, and Captain Haughey also toured our space, assessed our emergency procedures, and provided valuable insight into how best to ensure the highest level of safety and protection of our students and staff.

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• WE ARE NOW ACCEPTING VOUCHERS (financial aid) through Seven Hills for those who qualify! Please see more information about the voucher process on our side bar navigation tab under "Voucher Information."

Volcano Pumpkins!

Sorting Leaves by Color & Size

Sink or Float?

Leaves Are Falling All Around

Pumpkins for Sale at the Farmer's Market

Snack & Story: The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

Spider Counting

September 2025: We are OFFICIALLY OPEN!

What an exciting month it has been! Here are some of the preschool events we've enjoyed in our first month:

Curriculum Study: Family, Community, & Apples

Saint Study: St. Vincent de Paul

• First Day of School Sept 2nd: WELCOME FAMILES!
  
  

• Franklin County Fair Parade Float Sept 4th- This year's parade float was supported by Sugarloaf Gardens in Sunderland who generously lent us beautiful plants to showcase beautiful blooms and vibrant colors on the float! Our preschoolers, staff, and volunteers were dressed in bee themed shirts to complete the flowers, designed and donated by the talented staff at Silver Screen Design located on Wells St in Greenfield. Aren't they BEE-utiful?! A big thank you to Mark & Missy Penfield for driving our float and R G Penfield and Sons Inc. for allowing us to borrow a trailer to make a float for this year's parade!
       
  

• Open House Sept 8th: We welcomed preschool families and anyone in the community to come join us in celebration to meet our teachers, tour our classroom space, and enjoy refreshments together!

• Grandparent Story Time Sept 16th- Grandparent's Day was Sept. 7th, but Beacon of Light Preschool is celebrating families all month long! Thank you to all grandparents who were able to volunteer to read a story to the preschoolers!

         

                               

• Live Caterpillars into Butterflies Sept 17- We welcomed new classroom guests from Magic Wings in Deerfield! We watched in wonder and delight as 5 painted lady caterpillars ate, transferred to their hanging chrysalis stage, and finally emerge as beautiful butterflies! Students learned about the life cycle of the butterfly and how the label each stage of the caterpillars' metamorphosis. 
   

• Greenfield Librarian Visit & Story Sept 18th & Sept 23rd- Thank you to Ms. Ellen who visited our classroom to talk about her job at the Greenfield Library, share a story together, and lead a fun apple craft! Preschoolers have been learning about what a community is and the types of jobs people have in our local community, including being a librarian at the Greenfield Public Library! 

             

• Apple Cider Press Sept 22nd-26th: One learning theme this month includes apples! How to describe apples, the parts of an apple, and the life cycle of an apple/apple tree are just some of our learning and exploration into the world of apples. We even included students in learning how apple cider is made using a cider press! Students helped load the apples into the press, turn the grinding wheel to make apple mush, and turn the press to squeeze the cider out and into our pitcher to enjoy. Yum! Apples were generously donated by Clarkdale Orchard and Pine Hill Orchard! Beacon of Light Preschool will have an Apple Cider Fundraiser to benefit the St. Vincent De Paul fund which helps support the Pastoral Ministry to the Sick and Homebound, Food Pantry, and Community Meals. This directly ties into our study of St. Vincent de Paul and his works of charity and helping others in need.

Load the apples.

Turn the wheel to chop the apples!See the apple mush!

Press the mush to squeeze out the juices.See the apple cider fill up our pitcher!                                                                 Delicious! 

August 2025: Grand Opening Ceremony

We celebrated our Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on August 26th. Some of our guests included His Excellence Bishop William Byrne, Very Reverend Michael Pierz, Honorable Mayor Virginia Desorgher, and Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Springfield, Maria Wagner. We also welcomed first responders from the Greenfield Fire and Police Departments, Councilor Bottomley, Councilor Perry, Community Liason Maria Burge, Greenfield Mayor's Communication Director Jonathan Weber, and school committee candidate Pamela Goodwin. In addition, we welcomed several of our parishioners and members of the community who have continually encouraged and supported this effort from the very beginning. We have all eagerly awaited this moment and are honored by your presence. Thank you!
 
 




His Excellence Bishop William Byrne blessing the Beacon of Light Preschool classroom with Very Reverend Michael Pierz and Parochial Vicar Reverend John Williams.     

Our youngest learners eager to enter Beacon of Light Preschool.

July 2025

We are accepting enrollment for the upcoming fall school year! Please spread the word and register today on our "Registration" link on the left sidebar or on https://blessedtrinitygreenfield.org/registration.


Thank you to everyone who visited us during the Pre-Fireworks Party on Blessed Sacrament's campus! We had a great time with music, hot dogs, popcorn, snow cones, face painting, arts & crafts, bubbles, and playground equipment. 

A big THANK YOU to Kerry Semaski for securing the items needed for supplying everyone with water, delicious hot dogs, and popcorn. Thank you to Kerry's team who also included Lauren Semaski, John Semaski, Jason Semaski, Ann Dillon, Kathy & Steve Melnik,Laura DeNofrio, Maria Burge, & Mike Motissi, who helped oversee and serve hot dogs and popcorn. They served over 400 hot dogs! Thank you to the Knights of Columbus in their generous donation to help purchase food items for this event to be enjoyed by the public for free! Thank you to Amanda Edson for coordinating supply orders for our glow stick and bubble give aways. Virginia Christi, Charlene Henchey, Olivia Baronas, for helping volunteer at the glitter tattoo, snow cone, and arts & crafts stations throughout the event. Thank you to Mark Penfield & Penfield & Sons for letting us borrow extension cords to help keep the fun going in several area in our large campus area. Thank you to Taylor Rental for our wonderful snow cone machine to help keep everyone cool during all the fun. Thank you to Michelle from The Happy Face Painter for creating such beautiful and professional designs on children and those young at heart! Thank you to Fr. Pierz, Fr. Williams, and Deacon George for approving our plans along the way and lending a helping hand both in-person at the event and through remote building support!

A final thank you to all of the people who visited us on our campus. We loved seeing you and appreciate your support and positivity during these community events. We hope you had just as great of a time as we did and welcome your feedback for what you'd like to see next year. Please email Catherine Cuff at [email protected] to share your thoughts and ideas. 

We'd love to see you more! Come visit us again during any of our worship times and join our parish community!

Volunteer Opportunity Coming Up: Franklin County Fair Float Parade! Come help us brainstorm ideas, create our float, ride on the float, and/or walk in the parade with us!

May 2025

Happy Mother's Day to all of our parishioners and families! We are thrilled to announce we have been issued our EEC licensure for Beacon of Light Preschool! This has been a long and rigorous process to ensure the highest safety and quality standards for our program. The preschool will initially open with one classroom of 9 students with the prospect of opening a second classroom of 9 additional preschool students ages 2 years 9 months up to kindergarten. Our future possibilities include an after school program as well as an additional room for children younger than 2 years 9 months, depending on the financial feasibility and sustainability of these options. Below are images of our state licensor conducting our site visit walk through.  Inspecting our outdoor playground areaInspecting our indoor classroom environment
 Our Many Thanks...

First and foremost, we want to thank YOU, our families and parishioners, for all of your support, encouragement, and donations you've generously provided to help get us to this point.  In addition, we extend our gratitude to Austin Design and the City of Greenfield in helping ensure our new building codes necessary for the preschool. Thank you to the swift and high quality work provided by Penfield and Sons for our new classroom door and lock installations. Some of our first supporters in this process were Greenfield Savings Bank and Greenfield Cooperative Bank who donated the funds necessary to purchase a portable sink necessary for our classroom(s). It is with deepest appreciation that we also thank our administrative team at the Pastoral Center for helping purchase supplies, coordinate meetings, develop a filing system for staff and students interested in joining our program, and develop an online preschool tuition payment system. Thank you to the Pastoral Council and Finance Councils helping guide and approve our work to help open the preschool successfully. Lastly, thank you to our Deacons and Fr. Pierz in continually supporting this evangelization effort through countless hours of discussions, meetings, and planning to bring this vision to life! Without all of you, we would not be successful in this crucial work to meet the needs of our families in the community. THANK YOU!Be sure to visit our new StoryWalk® celebrating our Holy Mother Mary. We will continue our Saint-of-the-Month through June. Be sure to give us feedback by contacting Catherine Cuff at [email protected]. We welcome your thoughts, suggestions, and insights for current and future StoryWalks®!

April 2025

This month is busy with readying the preschool for licensure and our much anticipated opening! What has been the delay? Unfortunately, we have personally felt the strains of the teacher shortage affecting our nation. Staffing the preschool requires candidates to complete specific training and obtain essential credentials before beginning work. See below for teacher requirements!

Assistant Teacher Requirements: (Cannot be unsupervised with children)

-First Aid & CPR certified
-Suitable Background Record Check including fingerprinting
-High School Diploma or Further Educational Degrees
-At least 18 years old
-12 hours of Early Education & Care Essentials Training
-Valid Physical
-Up to Date Vaccines
-2-4 hour On Site Orientation Training

Lead Teacher Requirements: (Can be unsupervised with children)

-First Aid & CPR certified
-Suitable Background Record Check including fingerprinting
-High School Diploma or Further Educational Degrees
-At least 21 years old
-12 hours of Early Education & Care Essentials Training
-Valid Physical
-Up to Date Vaccines
-2-4 hour On Site Orientation Training
-Several Months- 3 years of Supervised Work Experience
-12 credits or degree in Early Education 

These requirements are determined by The Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care and are subject to change. 

Please continue to help spread the word and share this news with friends and family. Any interested candidates should contact Catherine Cuff at [email protected].

Be sure to check out our new StoryWalk® in the back stairwell entrance of Blessed Sacrament Church! We wish you all a wonderfully blessed Easter!

March 2025

Spring has almost sprung! This month's StoryWalk® will feature our new saint of the month: Joseph! Please join us in learning part of Saint Joseph's journey. The StoryWalk® is featured in the Blessed Sacrament Church stairwell and begins at the top of the stairs for families to enjoy as they exit the church. Saint Joseph was chosen for this month to coincide with the liturgical calendar which celebrates Saint Joseph's feast day on March 19th. March 19th is thought to be the day Saint Joseph died and we therefore remember him on this important date. See below for activities to help celebrate Saint Joseph with your family!

* write your father a letter. Talk about what you love about him, the things you like to do together, something positive he's taught you, etc.. 
* say the Saint Joseph novena as a family https://dioceseofvenice.org/wp-content/uploads/Novena.pdf 
* color and cut out a toolbox for God (St. Joseph was a carpenter, a woodworker) https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3uNEVAAKowpd29lbWVINlJtaWs/view?resourcekey=0-ub4sD9lijpStprQb3IyEQA
* create a Saint Joseph shrine https://www.looktohimandberadiant.com/2015/03/quick-easy-saint-joseph-shrine.html?_ga=2.262095944.496489512.1738952858-1474265740.1738952858
* build a small wooden birdhouse to pay homage to Saint Joseph's profession as a carpenter and help the wildlife near your home
* celebrate Saint Joseph's feast day on March 19th by eating Italian food!
* Saint Joseph coloring page https://www.scribd.com/doc/28538944/St-Joseph-2
* watch a quick video to learn more about Saint Joseph traditions  https://youtu.be/Es8ZMXKTYpY

This month we also celebrate Ash Wednesday, March 5th, which marks the beginning of Lent. Here are some ways to celebrate Ash Wednesday with your family!

-go to church and get ashes as a family, bring friends
-set up a small lent alter at home with purple candles (6 make a cross) and light one candle each week as a visual countdown to Easter 
-have a bonfire and burn old palms from years past
-make a self-portrait and rub your thumb in pencil lead to put ashes on your drawing's forehead and display it in your home 
We also celebrate Saint Patrick and the Annunciation of the Lord in March! The Annunciation of the Lord celebrates the angel Gabriel coming to Mary to tell her she would conceive Jesus. This important day in the Catholic faith is celebrated on March 25th. We hope you enjoy trying some new ways to celebrate the saints and important dates of the Catholic faith in March with your family and friends!

February 2025

Hello! 

Starting this month we will feature our StoryWalk® inside the back stairwell in Blessed Sacrament Church. The StoryWalk® begins at the top of the stairs and continues as you go down the stairs to the back parking lot. We hope this will encourage more people to enjoy the stories during the cold months! This month's feature story is about Saint Bernadette of Lourdes, the patron saint of illness, poverty, and the patron saint of Lourdes, France. The story is a brief journey on her path to become a saint beginning with her visions of the Holy Mother Mary and joining the Sisters of Charity. 

We hope you enjoy learning about Saint Bernadette and are inspired to pray to her if the need arises. 

JANUARY 2025

Happy New Year! We continue to work with any potential candidate to help guide them through the necessary Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) requirements as a preschool classroom teacher. We are hopeful and eager this will bring new developments for us in the new year! 

This month's StoryWalk® is I Can Pray Anywhere by Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle. This book features entertaining rhymes and a bit of humor to show you really can pray anywhere- whether it's in your home in thanks for the blessings we have, in the car to ask for help in meeting the challenges we're faced with, or next to a loving pet simply talking to a friend- prayer can happen anywhere and any time. 

We invite you to stop by the fenced-in playground area located between the blue/grey Pastoral Center where the preschool is housed and Blessed Sacrament Church. We invite all families to stop by and enjoy the story while benefitting from some fresh New England air! 

The children's clothing drive during December proved to be very successful! We received a large donation of boy and girl toddler clothing at the end of November. After organizing items by size and gender, we first presented free children's coats, snow pants, shoes, and pajamas to anyone in need. The following half of the month we featured children's Christmas clothing, pants, shirts, and any left over footwear. Clothing was available any time Mon-Fri 10am-3:30pm or by appointment. In addition, two families outside of these times scheduled an appointment in order to receive items of need. Thank you to all involved in helping organize, spread the word, and give encouragement during this important endeavor!

December 2024

Hello and happy holiday season! As we enjoy this advent season and prepare for a joyous Christmas celebration, there are a few updates to share. We have had a few interested teacher candidates ask for more information about the Beacon of Light Preschool. While no candidate has come forward with the necessary EEC Lead Teacher certification yet, anyone who has expressed interest in becoming a teacher on staff has been given the information needed to move forward with obtaining the required certification, which can also be found at https://www.mass.gov/info-details/early-education-care-positions. The eligibility and application process for EEC certification can be found at https://www.mass.gov/how-to/eec-professional-certification. Our hope and excitement are further bolstered from these potential teacher candidates and the continued support and encouragement from the community to open as soon as possible. We look forward to an exciting new year with many blessings for our preschool, its staff and students, and the families we serve.

Another initiative we began to help serve the families in our community has been a free children's clothing table at the Pastoral Center. We ran a preliminary trial featuring outdoor winter apparel, pajamas, and shoes for children ranging in size from 12 months through 7 T (toddler). Because of the success of this first endeavor, we have expanded the items to children's pants, shirts, and holiday clothing for this month in boys and girls sizes ranging from 18 months through 7 T. Any one can come to browse clothing from Monday-Friday between 10am to 3pm or by appointment by contacting Catherine Cuff at [email protected]. We have received feedback from several individuals expressing thanks and interest in continuing this important work. The decision to continue a free children's clothing closet will be discussed in order to determine the feasibility of offering this service on a more routine basis.

During this advent season, we are reminded of the true meaning of Christmas in the featured StoryWalk® Away In A Manger illustrated by Thomas Kinkade. Please enjoy the beautiful illustrations depicting the sacred journey of Mary and Joseph welcoming Jesus to the world as you read or sing your way to each page. The story concludes with the full song on sheet music for you and your family to enjoy. Let our voices carry the songs of the season through the air and bring comfort to those around us. 


We wish you a wonderful Christmas season filled with peace and love!

Hello everyone! We hope the beginning of the holiday season is filled with peace and warmth for you. We have a new StoryWalk® posted within the Preschool playground on the Blessed Sacrament grounds. Please stop by to visit and enjoy the beautiful weather we've been having as you read God Gave Us Thankful Hearts. In this book, you'll follow our main character in a journey of discovering how to practice being thankful, even in things that at first appear to be unwanted. It takes some practice in finding things to be thankful for in hard times, but we're reminded that God is always with us. There is always something to be thankful for if you practice looking for the lessons and learning during times of struggle. Don't forget to sign our virtual guestbook to provide valuable feedback as we continue this important collaborative family literacy initiative!

We are still in search of teaching candidates for our highly anticipated opening of Beacon of Light Preschool. Below is a list of where we've advertised. If you have more ideas to add, please contact Catherine Cuff at [email protected] We would love to hear from you!

Greenfield Library

GCC

UMASS Amherst- Newman Center & Education Department

School Spring

Indeed

Working Fields Temp Agency 

Holy Family

Our Lady Częstochowa

Our Lady of Peace

St. Josephs

St Mary’s Church in Orange, Ma

St Patricks

Social Media 

Thomas Aquinas College

Diocese of Springfield

Springfield College

Bay Path University

STCC

HCC

Westfield State University

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Hello! While we're still searching for teacher candidates (please send any our way and keep praying!), we've set up a rudimentary StoryWalk® for any of our parish families and members of the community to enjoy along the preschool playground fence nearest the Pastoral Center. A StoryWalk® is a story broken up by pages and spread across an area at various stations you walk to in order to read a story. It's a way to incorporate literacy with exercise while you walk and enjoy the outdoors with your loved ones. The space for the StoryWalk® can be a short distance or a larger area, whichever suits the needs of the space available. To learn more about StoryWalk® please visit https://kellogghubbard.org/programs-events/storywalk/ Our StoryWalk® is currently short in order to assess the interest in this family friendly activity.

Be sure to sign our virtual guestbook accessed through an on-site QR code to provide valuable feedback to continue to improve and meet the needs and wants of families we serve.

Our first featured story is an abbreviated version of I Can Pray Anywhere written by Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle and illustrated by Jim Starr. Through wonderful rhyme and humor, the narrator provides examples of different places and times to pray throughout the day- in bed, in the car, crossing the street, anywhere! God is always listening to our prayers and this story reminds us all, we can pray anywhere! How many places will you pray today?

October 2024

We have officially obtained our Educational code for our building! What does this mean? It means that our building has been inspected and our classrooms and doors meet the necessary building code requirements to safely open a preschool at the Pastoral Center! Thank you to everyone who has been hard at work planning, implementing, and praying. We understand this has been a long process and we are continuing to learn and grow along this journey.  We are committed to ensuring we open successfully and can sustain our program for many years to come! 

The next steps to follow are to secure our teaching staff so that we can have the state assess our program and grant us our EEC preschool license. We have advertised on social media, posted our opening positions in local businesses, and formally uploaded job listings on School Spring and Indeed. Please spread the word for any interested licensed lead teachers or directors looking for a great opportunity to join us in a supportive, energetic environment with eager families and children. Any interested candidate should call 413-773-3311 for more information or email Catherine Cuff at [email protected]

September 18, 2024

Hello!

We're hard at work continuing to ready the preschool for opening! We have been working with the town building inspector to meet to requirements necessary for our building code to change. We were given guidance about some changes to our locks and switching out door handles to the classrooms. This wasn't something we had advance knowledge of, but we are moving forward to meet these important requirements. The reason behind the change is so that anyone with a disability as a student, guardian, or staff member will be able to access our facilities the same as any other person, thereby meeting ADA accessibility requirements. Because of this, we are changing our push/pull door handles to level handles. We thank you for your support, encouragement, and kindness during this last push towards the finish line of our opening. We are all very eager to open our doors and hearts to the families of our community! Below are some pictures of the work and progress that has happened behind the scenes. Please continue to pray for our successful opening as soon as possible and showcasing the kindness and strength that it means to live our Catholic faith each day. Installing new door locks on the double doors. They will allow preschoolers to exit, but lock off any public access. Our door handles being replaced. The Preschool classroom library and meeting circle area.
New cubbies with coat hooks!
 Our art center with plenty of Play-Doh, markers, crayons, glue, popsicle sticks, and paper to inspire our littlest learns to explore and create what they envision.
 Our imaginative play area set up as a grocery store.

Thank you to all who have generously sent in donations to help supply our preschool!