Our preschool board—chair Jessica Stephens, secretary Kala Loptien, Council liaison Jo Fredin, director Kandy Wise, Joyce Hart and Tom Miles—works hard to support and build up Open Arms Christian Preschool. Thanks to their efforts and all the work of our dedicated preschool staff—Kandy with aids Jean DeLaney and Sarah McHugh—the preschool has been growing and parents are thrilled with the program we offer.

This summer, the board asked current parents as well as former parents and Council to fill out a survey about the preschool. They sought information on how the preschool was perceived and the words and phrases our supporters would use to describe the preschool. We got back some fantastic responses!

Based on this feedback, the board decided to do some rebranding of Open Arms. The group’s first decision was whether to consider a name change. Given the responses, they felt that “Open Arms” was still an apt description of what the preschool is and wants to be. We welcome our children with outstretched arms and provide a safe, loving community for them and their parents.

Mission Statement

The board did decide to develop a new mission statement and logo. They wanted the mission statement to reflect not only the religious focus Open Arms Christian Preschool, but also the academic work the school does preparing children for Kindergarten and the loving environment the children experience under the tutelage of our wonderful staff. After lots of discussion and wordsmithing, the board, with the help of Pastor Nettleton, approved and received Council approval of the following:

Building character, school readiness and community awareness in a nurturing Christian classroom.

Logo

A professionally-designed logo would be based on the themes the board saw in the surveys and be a more recognizable mark in Fort Collins, something that could be proudly displayed in the school’s advertising and signage. Kala Loptien pulled together the information from the survey and combined it with the new mission statement to prepare a creative brief that was sent to a graphic designer in Denver. The designer provided the board with many custom logo ideas, and the board worked through several iterations to arrive at the final product. The church council approved it December, and the board is happy to unveil it to you now:

A few notes on the design:

• The swoop of the “O” with an gap at the top are our “open arms.”
• The yellow cross is at the heart of those open arms, showing that we are Christian school with hearts that are Christ-focused.
• The squiggly font of the top line is playful while still being legible and timeless (that is, not overly-trendy and subject to looking dated).
• The overall shape and look of the logo, as well as the dark and light blues, match the logo of Saint John’s.

Party!

The preschool board will “officially” roll out the new logo and mission statement at a party for the congregation during the fellowship time on January 22. Please come downstairs for cake and to see the new banners, brochures and more.

2017–2018 Registration

Please help the board promote the preschool program to parents of young children who might be interested in attending. Registration is now open for the 2017–2018 school year, and we’re looking for three- and four-year-old students (age cutoff September 15) for the new year!

Tom Miles is the Parish Administrator at Saint John’s. You can reach him at the church office Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to Noon and 1:00 to 4:00 pm, at 482-5316 or at miles@StJohnsFC.org.