Turtle Talk
Presbyterian Nursery School & Kindergarten
Fall 2014
Dear Parents,
PNS&K has had a wonderful beginning to our 2014-2015 school year. The children
transitioned beautifully into their new classes and the teachers were able to quickly
move forward with their lessons. The bulletin boards and hallways were instantly
filled with examples of the children’s work and when I visit the classrooms the
children are always actively engaged in various lessons.
We have also been thoroughly enjoying the beautiful fall weather. The autumn
colors have made Mindowaskin Park a picturesque setting for the classes to visit
and discover the seasonal changes to their environment. The children are able to
gather leaves of all shapes, sizes and colors to use for various science and art
projects in the classrooms. Other fall items such as apples and pumpkins played a
huge part in the curriculum as well. The children cooked, painted and planted with
these and have used them for many math lessons.
Jennifer Collum
DIRECTOR
One of our beloved assistant teachers, Rosemary Knorr, received a full-time
position this August at Cranford High School. We were very sad to have her leave us after 14
years of dedicated teaching at PNS&K. We will miss her warm smile and personality but wish her all the best in
her new school. We are very excited to welcome Lynne Kylish as our new teacher of a three-year-old class and
Cheryl Park as our new assistant in our four year old class. Our wonderful staff has welcomed them both and
taken them under their wings—I constantly see them being offered support and guidance.
Our PTO co-presidents, Jeannette Cohen and Naomi Wood, have already coordinated several successful PTO
events beginning with our ‘Welcome Coffees,’ where many of you generously volunteered your time to help this
year. Due to your help the turtle garden has been renovated, an adult social at Ferraro’s took place, and a
family night of “Rock ‘n Ice cream” occurred. You made possible the Halloween Trail, Parent Ed, Box Top
Collections, scrumptious staff room treats, an amazing and thoughtful staff dinner, and this newsletter
—THANK YOU! There are many events currently being planned such as ‘Cookies with Santa’ and the ‘Red
Ball’ (an adult spring social), which can always use extra hands before or on those dates. Please know that
everyone is welcome to participate in the PTO and that your support is what makes PNS&K and all of our
events so special.
I would also like to thank our families for their support of Chief Petty Officer William Barton and his fellow
soldiers on the USS Mitscher to whom we sent the Halloween treats.
Jennifer Collum
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In October, PNS&K took up a collection for the son of Kathy Barton,
Chief Petty Officer William Barton. The school received this thank you
e-mail from him:
Note for the Students, Friends,
I wanted to take the time to say thank you and your
families for the very generous gift you sent us. After 18
years in the Navy, nothing brightens up a Sailor’s day like
getting packages in the mail. You guys sent so much stuﬀ,
every single Sailor was able to get a few diﬀerent things
out of each box, and we are all very grateful for the
kindness you have shown us.
In the next few weeks, we will be sending some pictures
to you through my Mother, Kathy Barton. We hope to
share with you a little of what we do each day out here.
Thank you again for looking out for us, and for taking
time to do so. We hope you know that we could not do
the job we do out here without the kindness and support
we get from people like you every day.
We wish you Fair Winds, and Following Seas.
Chief Petty Oﬃcer William Barton USS Mitscher,
DDG 57
Heard in the Hallways
Overheard during an imaginary play center:
“They know about us. They read about us on
the internet. They googled us!”-Aidan Murphy,
Mrs. Marcutullio and Mrs. McGlynn’s class
After meeting Mrs. Kane, “Wow, the teacher
who invented kindergarten was so happy
when she saw our guinea pig!”-Miles Sheehan,
Mrs. Marcutullio and Mrs. McGlynn’s class
In Mrs. Barton’s class, Rhys said, “Mrs.
Barton the ‘I’ fell down on the letter chart.”
Charley said, “I fell down once too. Actually I
tripped!”-Rhys Llewellyn-Jones and Charley
Murphy
Luca said, “Guess what?”
Mrs. Pask said, “What Luca?”
“I went to Vermont on the weekend.”
“You did? That’s great. I bet you had to stay
in the car a real long time.”
“No, they let us in the house!”-Luca Colangeli
Up c o m i n g
te:
D ate s to N o
November 26-28
December 1
December 6
December 7
December 16 ,17
December 19
December 20-31
January 2
January 5
January 19
January 27
School Closed--Thanksgiving Vacation
NS Committee Meeting
7:30 pm
Cookies with Santa: Assembly Hall
‘Toys for Tots Drive’
Live Nativity on PCW lawn 2:00-3:30pm
Christmas Stay and Play
(extended day offered for children so Santa can shop)
Christmas Programs: Church Sanctuary
9:00 am and 11:00 am
Christmas Vacation begins at end of programs.
School Closed--Christmas Vacation
School Closed
School Re-opens
School Closed--Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday
School Closed--Parent Teacher Conferences
(childcare provided)
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Parent
Education
Night
Nursery School News
Happenings In the Classroom
By Susan Pastir-Fonder
Children in Mrs. Gesslein and Mrs. Potter’s
class put on the play Goodnight Owl. The
children performed the play for their
parents and other classes.
***
Mrs. Blake and Mrs. Cohen’s class has
been busy with science, dissecting owl
pellets, exploring how bats use echolocation, and investigating the changing fall
leaves through chromatography.
***
After their farm trip, Kindergarten students
used their hand picked pumpkins to
explore math concepts. Each child
individually measured their pumpkin’s
weight and circumference and then created
a class graph to compare them.
***
Mrs. Barton and Mrs. Park’s four-year-old
class studied the effects of heat and
pressure by constructing a mini volcano
and observing Jiffy Pop popcorn. They
even shared their experiments with some
of the three-year-old classes.
***
Three-year-olds in Mrs. Heine and Mrs.
Finestein’s class learned how to stay
healthy by thoroughly washing their hands
and using tissues when they sneeze.
***
Students in the three-year-old classes
have been taking walks together around
Mindowaskin Park looking for and collecting signs of fall.
On Wednesday, November 19th, the Parent Education Committee
hosted an evening with two of our own experts. In the spirit of PNSK's
philosophy of learning through play, PNSK parents Erin Cetera, Occupational Therapist, and Ashley Pagelow, Speech Language Pathologist,
shared their expertise on the fine motor and speech development of
preschoolers and gave suggestions on how to utilize toys and other
materials to nurture and develop our children's motor and speech skills.
In addition to the speakers' handouts summarizing the stages of fine
motor and speech development, each attendee received a coupon to
Learning Express and the Learning Express "Skill Building Toy Guide."
Additional copies of the speakers' handouts are available in the office.
Erin provides in home private occupational therapy through her
company, The Therapeutic Pantry, and Ashley provides speech therapy
through her company, Achieving Better Communication, LLC.
Apple Crisp
For the crumb topping:
For the Apple filling:
1/2 cup flour
3-4 large Granny Smith apples,
1/2 cup old fashioned oats peeled and sliced thin
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp lemon juice
dash of salt
3 Tbsp milk
1/3 cup unsalted butter,
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
diced into small chunks
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
dash of salt
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a medium size bowl combine the crumb topping ingredi
ents with a fork or pastry blender until it
resembles small crumbs. Refrigerate while you prepare
the apple filling.
For the Apple Filling:
In a small bowl, combine melted butter and flour until well
blended. Add lemon juice, milk and vanilla
and stir well. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour
butter mixture over apples and toss to
coat. Pour apple mixture into an 8x8-inch baking dish and
spread into an even layer. Sprinkle crumb
topping evenly over the apples. Bake for 30-35 minutes
or until golden brown and top is set. Remove
from oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before
serving.
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Teacher Feature
Where PNS&K’s three most senior teachers - Linda Scaperrotta (1989), Sheree Pask (1990), and Kathy
Barton (1994) answer fun questions about who they are and the things they like to do!
By Faye Bowie
Mrs. Scaperrotta remembers that once
when she said to a student, “Wow, you
got new sneakers.” He beamed up at her
and said, “Yes! TWO of them!”
Her favorite season is spring because
“after a bleak, dark and cold winter,
everything is BURSTING with new
life…vibrant colors, warm sunshine and
beautiful perennial flowers emerging
everywhere!” Mrs. Scaperrotta’s favorite
family tradition is coming up! They pick
out the “perfect tree,” put on Christmas
carols and decorate the tree, “removing
treasured ornaments from their tissue
paper wrappings and finding just the right
place for each of them on the tree."
Mrs. Pask has two exciting things coming
up! She’s planning a trip to California to visit
San Francisco and the Los Angeles area,
and she will be baking and preparing for her
favorite family tradition - Thanksgiving! "My
kids come home and the smells from the
Thanksgiving meal are wonderful. We just
sit and talk and enjoy each other's company,” she says. And, it’s not just her own
children she gets excited about. "Once a
student of mine, always a student of mine.”
Mrs. Pask enjoys following with pride their
accomplishments throughout the years. She
loves seeing their sports achievements,
Dean's list announcements, and more.
Field Trip!
Many PNS&K classes went to Parker Gardens in Scotch
Plains for a fun fall field trip in October. The day included
pumpkin decorating, hay rides and sledding down a hay hill.
It was quite an enjoyable day and a great way to welcome
autumn.
Parker Gardens was founded by Len Parker over fifty
years ago. It is a family-run garden center with
indoor and outdoor spaces that is located on
Terrill Road.
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Did you know that Mrs. Barton used to
write the messages inside greeting
cards for a local company when her
own children were small? She also
used to read them “Twas the Night
Before Christmas” each year, which is a
family tradition she continues with her
grandson, Jeremy! Mrs. Barton’s
favorite season is summer because
everything is vibrant and full of life. “I
like to collect shells and enjoy the warm
sunshine. I like to swim and explore the
ocean life,” she says.
R
a
Let Dow
n
By Faye Bowie
T
y
in Preschoolers
The holidays are approaching and with them come energy and excitement in children and adults alike. The frenetic energy
and anticipation often begins shortly after school starts and lasts until New Year’s Day—the presents, the food, the parties,
and more presents. Once it starts it seems to never end…until it does.
And, just like adults, many children feel the same party letdown and nostalgia for family and fun. Just when Mom and Dad
are happy to put away the decorations and get back on a schedule of healthy eating and earlier bedtimes, hoping their
children will play with new toys and be entertained by memories of all the fun, their children have other ideas. Kids say they
are bored, that they don’t have anything new to play with, and they miss their cousins, friends, and grandma. Not only are
parents faced with quite likely a massive cleanup, but also a new demand to entertain, reassure, and redirect.
These feelings are especially common for pre-schoolers, who don’t quite understand why they are experiencing sadness or
disappointment, or how to feel better.
Below are ways to combat the party letdown after the high of the holidays.
1.
Amanda Rock, a preschoolers expert who writes for parenting.about.com, suggests getting some
exercise. Get outside or just jump around in your living room.
2.
Rock also suggests planning something to look forward to and talking about it with your children.
“Even if there is nothing monumental on your social calendar, point out things that that are upcoming that your
preschooler likes -- going back to school, playdates with friends or the resumption of a favorite activity like
dancing or Scouts,” she writes.
3.
Parents.com suggests creating new family traditions, such as tree un-decorating or cooking new
recipes together. Lori Lampart, a PNS&K mother of two starts that tradition the day after Halloween, talking
about the upcoming holidays. "I have a lot of holiday books in the kids' "library," so I swapped the Halloween
books for Thanksgiving ones, and the Christmas books are to follow. We talk about our favorite parts of the
holiday that passed and what we are looking forward to with the next holiday,” she says.
4.
Maintaining structure, volunteering, and spending time together are also high on the experts’ lists to
beat the holiday blues.
Both parents and experts agree that what goes up must come down, so when preparing for the next several weeks of fun,
try a tip or two to keep your sanity and help your child get through the happy stress of the season.
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Letter from PTO Co-Presidents
PNS&K ParentsWhat a wonderful time of year! Our children have settled into their Pre-school and Kindergarten routines, so we can enjoy the beautiful fall
foliage in Mindowaskin Park and throughout town, and look forward to the (quickly approaching!) holidays ahead. We are very excited to
be your new PTO co-presidents and share in all the events that took place this fall as well as those to come!
The beginning of the school year was filled with fun activities for PNS&K children and their families. We kicked off the year with Welcome
Coffees while the children explored their new classrooms. We hope everyone enjoyed chatting with fellow parents and enjoying the tasty
treats provided by some of our parents--thank you! We want to thank you all very much for your support in volunteering for school event
committees. All of the time and resources you provide is greatly appreciated and enhances the experience of every PNS&K child and
family!
By October it was time for a little fun for the parents. The Parent Social at
Ferraro’s saw about seventy PNS&K parents spend time with old friends
and make new ones, while enjoying yummy Ferraro's food and drink.
On October 17th PNS&K hosted the Rock ‘N’ Ice Cream Social, which
featured Preschool of Rock. Around fifty children attended to dance, listen to
music and enjoy ice cream. A special thanks to Suzanne Welsh and Janine
Flannery and their committee for putting on such a great show!
Before we knew it, it was Halloween, which was as fun as always. Kristin
Stellingwerf and Kira Theesfeld and their many volunteers did an amazing
job transforming Assembly Hall into a festive Halloween Trail and creating
such a fun-filled event that included activities, games and goody bags. To
cap off Halloween week, the weather held out for another delightful
Halloween Parade and Sing-along. Thank you to Mrs. Sylvester and Mrs.
Power and to all the children for working so hard on the Halloween songs!
In addition to these events, there are many other efforts that went on
behind the scenes.
Of course PNS&K teachers make the school what it is, and Susannah
Lucas and Samantha Calandra have implemented so many fantastic
and creative ideas to help make our teachers feel special. The
Teacher Appreciation Committee has been hard at work bringing
teacher snacks weekly and helping to prepare for and host the
November Teacher Appreciation Dinner.
In mid-November Jennifer Jordre, Sue Reich and many volunteers
prepped our children for the annual school pictures. We all know it
can be difficult to keep children at ease in front of the cameras!
Finally, thank you to Lauren McGovern-Worgan and Staci
d’Olier-Lees and their team for bringing our newsletter together and
making it interesting and beautiful.
Our best wishes for a truly wonderful holiday season!
Naomi Benson
Jeannette Cohen
[email protected]
[email protected]
CO-PRESIDENTS
PARENT TEACHER ORGANIZATION
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