Thanks to our parent volunteers and teachers for making this past weekend's events successful.
We attended the 4th Annual Mothers and More Preschool Fair where we met lots of great kids and parents who will be hopefully joining the Coop soon.
Another team was at the school, hosting an Open House with the teachers. Thanks to them, we'll soon be welcoming a new family for the Spring Semester, as well as (hopefully) finding some families for the fall.
And a MIGHTY thank you to ALL families for their help with Winter clean-up. The school looks great!
Our Beloved Mrs. Lori has tendered her resignation from the Cooperative Playschool. We are sad to see her go, and wish her luck in her future endeavors.
This departure has opened up a great opportunity for a new teacher for the "Green Team", the 3-4 year old classroom. Follow the link below to the job posting, and apply today!
The 2009-10 Cooperative Playschool Board of Directors is hard at work, preparing the school for the new year. Shortly you will receive by post the 2009-10 Information Packet, containing valuable information about the upcoming year. Read it thoroughly, and save it for further reference.
In the meantime, join us on Wednesdays 10 to Noon for a playdate! It's a great way to meet other families and kids before the school year starts.
Also be on the lookout for upcoming news regarding painting the school and building our new storage shed for the kids. We are planning a work weekend in August. It will be a good opportunity for parents and kids to bond over purposeful work!
Rugrats Resale was a resounding success for the Co-op, and it was fun, too!
Thanks to all who donated, both Co-op folks and community members, and to the sale volunteers.
To those who helped with all that tagging: we were a small but dedicated crew, and we really appreciate your help.
A special thanks to Balfurd's for donating hangers for all those clothes!
This was so easy and fun that we have decided to do it again! The Fall sale is the second week of August. Keep a look out for dates as they are announced, and keep on saving your stuff! Want to get it out of your house NOW? Call Kate at 814-883-3174 and I'll store it for you.
“Please remember when you are a working parent that the teachers need you to post your activity or snack 2 weeks in advance of the work day.” We’ve been hearing this at least once a week, and maybe we, as parents, need some help in this area. With that in mind, I offer the following FAQ:
Q: Where do I sign up for an activity or snack?
A: Right on the sign-up calendar, on the line below your name. A very brief description will do, i.e. “play outside” or “make kites” or “clay table”. Or, in the case of snacks, “muffins” or “berries”.
Q: Then I just show up that day?
A: Not quite. We ask that a week or so before your working day, you briefly get with the lead teacher for your work week and check in. The teachers try to get with you, too, but if both sides try, you’ll be sure to connect. Remind the teacher of your plans. The teachers will often plan other activities around parent ideas, and this is a great way to get the whole team on the same page.
For example, once I did a craft where the kids colored their favorite kinds of ice cream, and made up new flavors. Mrs. Lori set up an ice cream stand that same day, so the kids “sold” the ice cream they had colored back and forth all morning. Another mom had planned to put on a puppet show, so the teachers made a big deal of the kids going to the show, and needing tickets, etc.
Q: Help! How do I decide on an Activity?
A: Remember, this is a play-based and child-driven environment. Your activity doesn’t need to be anything fancy, and will hopefully be something you enjoy. I’ve included a list of ideas for springtime here to help jog your imagination. Or ask the teachers for an idea—they’re full of them! Or ask another parent, or go into the supply closet and pray for inspiration, or check out the idea shelf in the hallway…
As for me, I try to remember the stuff I liked as a kid. Playing doctor with the dolls, playing restaurant, dress-up, painting, running races, dancing… one of my most successful working days was when it was cold out and I brought in a CD of kids music, and we just danced around.
And remember: the weather and the kids could make you ignore your planned activity anyway! That’s the way the Co-op bounces….
Have more questions about being a working parent? Please reply to this post, and we'll be happy to answer them!
We are grateful for your support of our recent and successful family variety show at the State Theatre. If you could not attend, please take a moment to imagine the joy and laughter emanating from the children in the audience.
As you know, your business was recognized in appreciation on promotional materials before, during and after the show. It is our hope that the community acknowledges your presence with new or more visits to your business. Meanwhile, we would like to share with you what we have accomplished with your help.
Thanks to each of you, despite a challenging economic period and an established competing fundraiser, we are delighted to have raised roughly $2700 for our scholarship fund among cash donations, tickets & raffle sales. We also wish to thank businesses for the post-Co-opalooza fundaisers that send profits from Cooperative Playschool-related purchases to our scholarship fund. We also greatly enjoyed the wonderful food and flowers donated for our After Party, and the special goods and services donated for our raffles, give-aways and Co-opalooza publicity.
It was thrilling to celebrate 60 years of play-based pre-school education with the State Theatre, our sponsors, our Co-op families, and the State College and surrounding communities.
Many, many, many thanks to Bien at Concepcion Design for designing our new website. What a wonderful way to kick off our 60th Anniversary year! Bien designed and built the new site for us, and DONATED all his time to the school.
For you other corporations and businesses out there: We are a non-profit organization: Donations are gratefully accepted and receipts lovingly provided.
What: Cooperative Playschool Children's Day Face Painting Booth When: July 9, 2007 10:00-3:00 (See below for time slots, or look at current available time slots online here) Where: Old Main Lawn
Please volunteer for an hour or two at our table. Bring the kids and enjoy the festival! No artistic talent needed.
Any questions? Call or email Ona Feinberg 353-8290, ofeinberg@verizon.net
Thanks!
Greg and Ona Feinberg
Publicity/Communication Chair 2007-2008
We need a line leader and 3 face painters each hour from 10:00 - 3:00. We also need volunteers to help with set up at 9:15, and clean up from 3:00 - 3:45.
9:00 - 10:00 Set up
10:00 - 11:00 Line Leader(1) /Face Painting (3)
11:00 - 12:00 Line Leader(1) /Face Painting (3)
12:00 - 1:00 Line Leader(1) /Face Painting (3)
1:00 - 2:00 Line Leader(1) /Face Painting (3)
2:00 - 3:00 Line Leader(1) /Face Painting (3)
3:00 - 3:45 Clean up
