Pembroke News February 2016

Miss Cecilia – Director

Love is in the air, and you will soon feel it as you walk down our hallways. The children are busy making LOVE-ly decorations. When Pembroke’s walls are full, our plan is to decorate the halls of a local senior living facility to spread our love. YOU are Pembroke’s most important and valued ambassadors. We are sending home a postcard for you to share with a friend or family that might be looking for a nurturing, safe and stimulating preschool or Kinder-garten. If you love Pembroke, please spread our love. A warm thank you to the following families who have already introduced new families to Pembroke: Pitasky, Letosky, Alspach, and Fischer. Parent conferences are this week. If you were unable to schedule a meeting at this time, please make sure to call or email your child’s teacher to touch base. It is very important to set goals for the remainder of the year as well as discuss next year’s plan. Registration for 2016-17 is well underway. It is best to get your deposit in early to ensure your preferred schedule. During our Open House on Monday, February 8, we will be holding a Kindergarten information session. Join us at 2:30 to talk to Miss Stefanie and a few parents of Pembroke Kindergarten alumni. NOTE: If you need a statement of tuition payments made during 2015 for tax purposes, please contact the office. cecilia@pembrokekids.com

Miss Sue and Miss Rebecca – Mixed Age

Polar bears, polar bears, what did you hear? They heard children practicing letter sounds, counting, comparing, reading, measuring, patterning, singing, and sharing. We hope you learned a few new facts about polar bears from your child. We were amazed to learn they have black skin and tongues! Learning about arctic animals provided us a chance to test how camouflage and blubber (Crisco) protects them. We also made ice cream with only two ingredients and it was amazing; find out what we used.

February 4th and 5th brings conferences and we look forward to reviewing your child’s literacy and math progress. Please sign up on the sheet outside of our door. Our students will have valentine parties on Feb. 10th (a.m.) and 11th (a.m. & p.m.). A note has gone home in your child’s backpack. We hope to have an opportunity or two to use our sleds on the sledding hill that is just beyond our playground. Let it snow!!! If there is considerable snowfall, please bring in your child’s snow pants and boots. We welcome readers to our classroom! If you would like to read to the class just let us know. The best times are 11:45 and 2:45. The children love “special readers.” sue@pembrokekids.com or rebecca@pembrokekids.com

Miss Molly and Miss Carrie – Mixed Age

January flew by and the students learned a great deal of information about arctic animals. They learned about penguins and their characteristics, different types of penguins, polar bears and their habitats, and how the animals kept warm. The students practice sorting penguins, measuring penguins, and played a snowball letter game. Finally, we are journaling on a daily basis and students are beginning to grasp the concepts of writing words or letters to correlate with their pictures. As we transition into February we will continue to expand upon these abilities. It is hard to believe it is February and there has been very little snow! The students have enjoyed the little snow we have had and we have posted pictures of this on teaching strategies. Throughout February we will learn about Valentine’s Day and activities that correlate, dental health, and healthy heart and body activities. One of the things we will focus on during our discussion of Valentine’s Day is being kind to one another and what Valentine’s Day means to each child. Our Valentine’s Day parties will be held on February 10th and 11th. Students are encouraged to write their names on their valentines. The children are really looking forward to their class parties! Thank you!

Please continue to check the weather daily and feel free to check your child’s box of school clothing. We encourage students to bring a favorite book from home for the teachers to read to the class. Feel free to email us any time! molly@pembrokekids.com or carrie@pembrokekids.com

Miss Stefanie and Miss Kathy – Young 3s

It is hard to believe that January is behind us and we are moving into February! January was filled with all things winter! We worked on polar animals and we made a class seal to hang in the hallway. The students also had fun playing with different types of homemade snow in the sensory table! We also introduced the calendar to them. We sing the months of the year and days of the week song and practice our number counting each day we do calendar. The students love taking turns being the weather reporter. As February moves along we will be focusing on number recognition (1-10) and shapes. While many of the students can verbally count, it is equally important to be able to recognize the numbers in their written form. We will be playing and exposing them to a variety of number and shape activities. It has been so much fun seeing the new friendships begin to form between the students. They are now greeting each other and are engaging in play. This is a great step in the development of social and emotional skills and making friends! Thank you for entrusting your child to us! It is such a gift to see them making such great progress! As a reminder . . . please send all their winter clothes to school with them! We go outside as long as the temperature is 20° or above. We still have students coming with no hat and/or gloves. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns! stefanie@pembrokekids.com or kathy@pembrokekids.com

Miss Theresa – All-Day Pre-K

This past week we began a unit on Around the World With Jan Brett in response to the children’s huge interest in the maps and places they have been. We will build on this interest and introduce them to new places, traditions and cultures. They will learn how other people live and are shaped by their surroundings. They will learn how to be researchers, critical thinkers and active members of our classroom community as we read,

discuss and find the places in the stories. I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of the students choose a career in foreign affairs or become a diplomat! The next couple of weeks we will be talking about Valentine’s Day and what it means to be a good friend. We will spend lots of time making valentines and artwork for our friends, singing and dancing with our classmates, and working together to decorate our classroom and hallway. Thursday, February 4th, we will be having Show and Share in our room. The children are invited to bring in one thing from home to share with their classmates. This is a great opportunity for the children to practice talking in front of their peers, answering questions, and also to work on their listening skills. What a great way for us to learn more about each other! theresa@pembrokekids.com

Miss Molly and Miss Stefanie – PM Pre-K

We have learned so much thus far in Pre-K and still have more to go! The students have been busy learning the letters, sounds they make, and trying to sound out words. They are all learning emergent reading skills on a daily basis; in fact, most students are beginning to feel confident in spelling the words “to” and “I.” Our students have enjoyed learning about arctic animals in their morning classes, and we continued learning about them in the afternoon. We carried our arctic animals theme into our math and literacy studies through games such as searching for numbers throughout the room and playing Winter I Spy. To further arctic animal learning, we saw two Brain Pop Jr. videos about arctic animal habitats and arctic animal characteristics. The students are pros! Our afternoon Valentine’s Day party will be on Thursday, February 11th. Students are encouraged to write their name on their valentines. We will be creating bags in class to place them in! The students are looking forward to our celebration! molly@pembrokekids.com or stefanie@pembrokekids.com Parent-Teacher Conferences – Feb. 4th and 5th

Parent-teacher conferences will be held Thursday evening, Feb. 4, and all day Friday, Feb. 5, so please make sure you have signed up for a time. These conferences are for PARENTS ONLY. If you need a special time for your conference, please arrange this with your child’s teacher.

There are NO CLASSES at Pembroke on Friday, February 5th. Open House – Feb. 8th and Feb. 20th

We are hosting two open houses this month. The first will be on Monday, Feb. 8th, from 1 – 6 PM. Our second open house will be on Saturday, Feb. 20th, from 10 AM – noon. If you know anyone who might be interested in learning more about Pembroke Kids, please tell them about our open houses. This is an excellent chance to explore our classrooms and learn more about Pembroke’s early childhood programs and Kindergarten. Parent Café – Weds., Feb. 10th – 8:45 AM

Our next Parent Café is scheduled for Wednesday, February 10th, at 8:45 AM. Parent Café is a casual gathering for Pembroke parents to meet, socialize and discuss topics of mutual interest. We like to know in advance how many people are coming, but if you decide to join us at the last minute, you are welcome! A sign-up sheet is on the wall across from the office. Childcare is available for preschoolers and younger siblings.

Valentine’s Day Parties – Feb. 10th - 11th

Our Valentine’s Day celebrations will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 10th, and Thursday, Feb. 11th. Your child’s teacher will contact you if you signed up to help with the Valentine’s Day party. Students may bring Valentines for EVERYONE in their class, but please DO NOT put names on the outside of the envelopes.

Presidents’ Day – Mon., Feb. 15th

Pembroke will be CLOSED on Monday, February 15th, in observance of Presidents’ Day. School will resume on Tuesday, February 16th.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

Although the weather may not bring thoughts of spring and fresh garden produce, we are looking forward to our CSA program starting in June. There are several new options available for families to customize their weekly

produce deliveries. You may choose either a 10-week or an 18-week program. You may also choose the type of produce in your weekly delivery. Farmers Jim and Sharon Patterson are also able to provide eggs, pork, lamb, chicken, and beef and goat! Wow! With our farmer being only an hour away, this is truly farm-to-table produce! We will be having a meeting soon. Farmers Jim and Sharon would like to have interested families attend one meeting. There are lots of new possibilities. Come to the meeting and check it out! There will be a CSA sign-up sheet on the bulletin board outside the office. Please speak to Andrea if you have any questions.

Summer Camp Schedule – March 1st

We are working fast and furiously on our 2016 8-week summer camp schedule. We hope to have our new schedule posted on our website and on Facebook by March 1st. Summer camp starts the week of June 13th and runs through the week of August 1st. Each week has a new theme. We have sessions for preschoolers through students entering 6th grade. Our camp is open to the public. Donuts with Dad – March 2nd and 3rd

Looking ahead, we have our popular “Donuts with Dad” coming up on March 2nd and 3rd. This is a special time for dads or a special friend to spend time with our students. Besides donuts and cider, dads and special friends will do a fun project with their child. More information with specific times for each class will be coming home in a few weeks.

Pembroke Wish List

A great big thank you to those of you who have donated toys and supplies to Pembroke. We do many art projects throughout the year and would gladly accept donations of art supplies. Some of these items may be lying around your house looking for a new home, such as googly eyes, foam or regular stickers, yarn, stamp pads, pipe cleaners, cardstock, buttons, finger paint, fabric and felt scraps. We are also delighted to accept outdoor equipment such as tricycles, hula hoops, or plastic shopping carts. If you stop by a garage sale or clean out your garage, please keep us in mind. We are thankful for any help you can provide. Outdoor Clothing Reminder

We make every effort to provide our students outdoor playtime on a daily basis, so please make sure you send your child to school with appropriate outerwear. Besides

a warm winter coat, snow pants, boots, gloves and hats are a must! Pembroke Store is Open – NO WAITING!

We are now taking orders for spring logo wear. Please take a few minutes to browse through our collection in the Pembroke Store located in the hallway around the corner from the office. We also have a small inventory of shirts that can be purchased right away. Please inquire in the office. Box Tops for Education –

Our fall Box Tops for Education competition was celebrated with a Minions video and popcorn for all. The winners, the girls, got an extra little treat in their backpacks. Keep bringing in those box tops! Our next contest is between classrooms. The classroom that brings in the most Box Tops will earn a treat in May. There is a collection box in each classroom. No need to put your Box Tops in plastic bags. The Box Tops emblem can be found on many products. You can also earn eBox Tops for our school. Before you shop online, check out BTF.com/marketplace.

Tutoring

Pembroke offers one-to-one and group tutoring for pre-kindergarten through 8th grade. Each student’s program is built around his/her personal needs. If you know of a friend or neighbor that could benefit from our services, please tell them about us. We offer tutoring focused on new legislation relating to the “Third Grade Reading Guarantee.” Extended Care

Do you have to leave for work before the school day begins or do you need a safe place for your child after school? Consider Pembroke’s Extended Care Program. Designed for students in Preschool through 6th grade, we provide a safe, supportive environment guided by experienced teachers. Call the office for more information. Inclement Weather School Closing

Pembroke’s school closing policy follows the Avon Lake Public Schools. If the Avon Lake schools are closed, we are also closed. Besides TV and the Internet, we will post school closing on our home page by 7 AM at: www.pembrokekids.com. You can also call the school office (440-933-3782). We will change our main greeting by 7 AM.

School Absences

We appreciate a phone call when your child is absent due to illness or other reasons. Please call the office as soon as you know your child will not be attending school – 440-933-3782. Dates to Remember

• Feb. 4 Evening Conferences • Feb. 5 Conferences – NO SCHOOL • Feb. 8 OPEN HOUSE – 1 – 6 PM • Feb. 10-11 Valentine’s Day Parties • Feb. 10 Parent Café – 8:45 AM • Feb. 20 OPEN HOUSE – 10 AM – Noon • Mar. 2-3 Donuts with Dad

Keep up to date with school activities by checking our school calendar in the Parent section of our website: www.pembrokekids.com. Like us on Facebook – www.Facebook.com/pembroke.kids

Happy Valentine’s Day from

everyone at Pembroke!

Thank you to artists Gabby, Liv, Ryan, Maksim, Brielle, Fatimah, Sarah, Colette, Lilly, Cole, and Lily for the LOVE-ly artwork.