Providence Nursery School 9019 Little River Turnpike Fairfax, VA 20031 www.previdencenurseryschool.com

The Providence Pages

A Letter from Kelly... It's amazing how quickly time passes - it's been almost five years since my oldest son, Evan,

started at PNS. My youngest, Timmy, was just a few weeks old. I remember looking around at all

the older kids and thinking how BIG they seemed compared to my babies. Now, one of those

“babies” will be finishing up first grade while the other leaves PNS to move on to Kindergarten.

I'm so happy to have been able to serve on the PNS Board for the past four years. This was a

huge challenge for me and one that required me to practically leap out of my comfort zone. It

was a great experience getting to know the inner-most workings of our cooperative school and

all the fantastic parents who volunteer their time and talents. A huge Thank You to all of you for

your support this school year, and a special thanks to my fellow Board members who will be

leaving this year: Kyle Durbin for all her years of service to PNS and to Barbara Moro for choosing

to spend her last year at the school (for now, anyway) getting more involved and serving on the

Board.

Our new Executive Board will officially begin their terms at the board meeting on April 7. Thank

you to our returning board members who are assuming new positions: Natalie Gray, President;

Jennifer Brooks, VP of Enrollment; and Leah Fogarty, Assistant Treasurer. Thanks also to those

who will be keeping their current positions: Kelley Raich, Secretary; and Liz Claeys and Alex

Erickson, Fundraising Co-Chairs. I’d like to extend a warm welcome to our new e-board

members: Kristen Konisky; VP of Administration (a returning PNS parent), Alexandra Hume; VP of

Forms, and Whitney and Rick Brown; Secretaries. PNS will be in great hands!

The next few months of school will be busy with many fun activities planned. If you are returning

to PNS next year, mark your calendars for the Spring Coffee on Monday, April 28th. This is the

first of several mandatory meetings for all returning and new parents.

Finishing up my last newsletter and my time at PNS is truly bittersweet for me. I am excited to

move on as my boys continue to grow. We will miss all the people we have met: parents,

students, teachers, and aides. We are so lucky to have discovered such a nurturing, happy

preschool as PNS. I know we have been spoiled forever and that none of our future school

experiences will compare.

Lastly, please don’t be alarmed if you see me crying in the hallways anytime over the next few

weeks. It’s completely normal for me!

Kelly

April 2014 Edition Volume 45 Issue 8

Mark your Calendar

Tuesday April 1

st

PNS Night at Chipotle

4:00pm-8:00pm

Saturday April 5th

Babysitting Event Fundraiser

9:30am-12:30pm

*Monday April 7th

NO SCHOOL

FCPS HOLIDAY

Parent Ed: Kindergarden Readiness

6:30pm

Board Meeting

7:30pm

April 14th

thru 18th

NO SCHOOL

SPRING BREAK

April 21st thru 25

th

Parent Teacher Conferences

(sign up for times with your teacher)

Saturday April 26th

Cleaning & Maintenance Day

8:30am-11:30am

Monday April 28

th

Spring Coffee

7:30pm

*Please note, the date of our board

meeting is different than what is on the

school calendar. We will be meeting on

April 7th

instead of April 14th

due to

spring break.

The Providence Pages is published for Providence Nursery School, Inc. Please

send submissions to newsletter@providencenurseryschool.com

by April 20th for May's issue.

2

CDO

& 2’s

April showers bring… puddles! It’s going to be

a great month for getting back outdoors to observe

changes in the environment; we’ll look for new

leaves, listen for birds, and if there are puddles, we’ll

stomp, too! Please remember to bring boots along if

it’s wet outside.

During the first week of April, we’ll be learning

about Pond Animals. We’ll hop, quack, and count up

and down as we sing “Five Little Ducks” and “Five

Green and Speckled Frogs.” We’ll make feathery

headbands, read about life in a pond, and learn a

new game: Duck, Duck, Goose. Then we’ll keep on

hopping right into the next week, when our topic is

Rabbits. I’ll get out some soft rabbit puppets and

read all kinds of rabbit stories. We’ll make our own

very long ears to dress up and dance the BunnyHop!

When we return from Spring Break, it will be

time to rhyme, act, and sing – we’ll be learning all

kinds of Nursery Rhymes, some of them very

familiar and perhaps some new ones, too. We’ll try

our hands at storytelling together, and we’ll act out

many of the rhymes: jumping over a candlestick

like Jack, finding the three little kittens’ mittens,

and tasting some “curds and whey” like Little Miss

Muffet. I am looking forward to asking the children

which rhymes are their favorites!

Ms. Auten

Question of the Month What is your favorite spring time flower blossom?

From Leah Fogarty: “My favorite springtime flower is Lily of the Valley. It's my birth flower and I love it so

much I named my daughter after it!”

Thank you for all the responses, here are some other favorites:

May’s Question: What is the funniest thing your little ones have said lately?

3

3’s

The snow is gone and Spring is finally here. It’s

nice outside and everyone’s in a good mood!

We’ve got lots of outdoorsy things to do, as well as

exciting things for indoors, too.

Our first theme of the month is all about the Birds!

We’ll fly and tweet, make some bird feeders and

learn what makes birds so special. We’ll also

repaint the bird houses that go on the poles near

the back door and the playground.

Next we’ll investigate Bug life. We’ll see some

familiar bugs in our “Bug in a Rug” game, learn

about the butterfly life cycle and maybe do some

insect hunting on the playground.

After Spring Break, we will come back to school

and do some Gardening. We’ll learn about roots

and shoots, pretend to be sprouting seeds, and

plant some beans to take home in pots that we

make from newspaper.

There will be a Wednesday enrichment activity on

the 23rd about reptiles which will be a good lead-in

for our last theme: Pond Life. We’ll find out about

all the creatures that dig, swim and fly around

ponds. Listen for the Speckled Frog song and

look for plunger art and bubble wrap prints that

look like frog eggs. We will take a field trip on May

2nd to Jerome “Buddy” Ford Nature Center. If the

weather cooperates, we can hike down a trail to

the pond and see if any of its inhabitants are

around.

Wednesday, the 23rd, and Friday, the 25th, are the

dates for our second parent/teacher conferences.

We can compare our notes from the last

conferences and see what lies ahead. I’ve noticed

a definite increase in the amount of conversation

during the school day. The children are

expressing opinions and solving their own

problems as they play together – two great skills to

acquire. Keep up the good work everyone.

Take a deep breath of fresh air and enjoy the

spring weather!!

Miss Susan

4

3-4’s

Finally…it’s SPRING!!! Snow…gone!

Cold…gone! Dark, dismal mornings…gone!

Hooray! The birds are chirping, the grass is

growing, the warm breezes are blowing…and the

children are outside playing! PNS is happy to

welcome the month of April!

The first week of this glorious month finds us

talking about birds. We start out the week with a

field trip to Hidden Pond Nature Center (4/1) for a

program just for us about our feathered friends.

I’m sure we will be spending a lot of time looking

skyward during nature walks…and making some

feathered artwork!

There is no school on Monday, April 7th…but on

the 8th, we will return to discuss the world of

Underground Creatures. Hum…who is crawling

around under our feet? We will talk about

anything from worms to moles…and spend time in

the dirt.

Spring Break week is from April 14-18! Happy

vacation, everyone! And when we return on April

21st, we’ll begin our unit on pond life. What IS a

pond anyway? Who or what lives there? The kids

will begin to familiarize themselves with some of

the little creatures that live in, and around, ponds.

The life cycle of a frog will be discussed and acted

out.

Then there will be lots of planting and digging in

the dirt because it’s “vegetable garden” week (April

28th). So leave those pretty, new spring clothes in

the closet, please. We may fingerpaint with garden

gloves and count and sort lots of different types of

seeds. We’ll also learn all about what it takes to

plant a vegetable garden…and what we need to

make those vegetables grow!

Spring conferences for the 3/4s will take place on

Wednesday, April 23rd and Thursday, April 24th.

Miss Phyllis, Mrs. K., and the co-oping parents will

be holding down the fort during the conferences,

so there will a minimum of disruption for the

children.

Letters for the Monday gang will be O (31st), C & K

(21st), and Q & U (28th). We’ve almost made it

through the whole alphabet!

Here’s to warm weather and smiling faces!!!

Jane Millward

Teacher Appreciation Week 2014

Monday, April 28 thru Friday, May 2

5 4’s

It’s time to get outside and think Spring! This

month we’ll return to the Great Outdoors as we

explore a variety of nature topics. Now, if only the

weather will cooperate.

During the first week of April we will be talking all

about Birds. We will make bird feeders and

compare and contrast different bird beaks. We’ll

make connections between the shapes of birds’

beaks and how/what different birds eat. Hopefully,

we’ll get the opportunity to get outside and make

some bird observations and record them in our

journals. The Letter of the Week will be O.

The week of April 8th we’re heading

Underground. Spring is coming and underground

things are happening. We are going to get messy

this week! We’ll be exploring the science of soil.

We are going to go find bugs and worms to watch.

We’ll talk about the animals who make their homes

in the earth. We’ll plant some seeds in dirt that

hopefully will start to make an appearance by the

end of the month. We will be reviewing many

letters and their sounds this wee

After a lovely Spring Break, we’ll be back in school

the week of April 22nd. In celebration of Earth

Day, we’ll spend the week talking about the

ecosystems of the Pond, we’ll talk about the many

different living things in and by the pond and how

those things all depend on one another. We’ll

explore the idea of taking responsibility in

protecting nature and some ways we can help

keep the Earth clean. It’s a safe bet we’ll be

getting wet this week. The Letters of the Week

will be Q & U.

The last week of April is Gardening. Following up

on the healthy eating habits we have discussed

this year, we will talk about the vegetables that

grow in gardens. Hopefully we’ll be seeing some

of them growing from the seeds we planted earlier

this month. I hope to do some cooking projects

with garden vegetables for all of us to try. We’ll

also be taking about the kinds of flowers that grow

in gardens as well. We’ll talk about what plants

need to grow as well as the basic parts of the

plants. We’re going to be sorting and using

gardening tools

Thank you for continuing to send in healthy snack

and a plastic/metal water cup. The kids spend a

lot of time at snack talking about and making

connections with the “healthy plate” foods they

have brought to eat.

Important dates in April: Parent /Teacher

Conferences on April 22nd. A sign up email will go

out as well as a sign up sheet at home. If the 22nd

doesn’t work for you just let me know and we’ll

work out another time to meet. No school the

week of April 14th for Spring Break.

I cannot believe how quickly the school year is

passing! I am looking forward to some mild

weather and a lot of outdoor fun with my friends at

school as spring blooms!

Ms. Ryan

6 Enrichment Wonderful Wednesday

It's a good thing winter's nearly over; there is too much exciting enrichment to be had in April to be snowed out. On the 2nd, we will welcome back Uno Dos Tres con Andres. We will dance, sing and learn a little Spanish along the way. CDO, twos and siblings are welcome to join in. Then on the 23rd, I am so excited to have Reptiles Alive. We will learn about our slithering friends and for those who dare, we will get to touch one of them! I will be in touch with room locations.

Wonderfully Done With Winter,

Aimee Emmerich

VCPC Awards!

The Virginia Cooperative Preschool Council will be accepting

nominations for VCPC member schools' parents whose

commitment over the past year has been superior. Perhaps

you can think of someone whose contribution has been

substantial and nominate him or her for this award. The

nomination process will begin at the March board meeting,

with the PNS's final parent nominee to be selected at the April

board meeting. Nomination forms will be available on the sign-

in tables and by e-mail to amymbrown2@yahoo.com.

-Amy Moy, VCPC Representative

Volunteer Opportunities

Thanks to everyone who has already finished their hours and an extra big thanks to those that continue to volunteer even after your hours are met- this is a huge help! There is still plenty of time to finish up your volunteer requirement for this school year- please let me know if you are concerned about getting all your hours in. Please contact Natalie Gray/Kristen Konisky vpadmin@providencenurseryschool.com if you are interested in any of the opportunities listed below or if you have questions about your volunteer time. -Attend the board meeting on April 7 at 7:30pm -Volunteer for Wednesday Lunch Bunch on April 2 -Help set up/cleanup for Spring Coffee on April 28 at 7:30 p.m. -Come to an extra Clean Up Day on April 26- if you’ve completed your mandatory day, this is a great way to

those last few volunteer hours -Also, be on the lookout for extra volunteer opportunities from the Fundraising Committee Please contact the VP Admin if you are able to help vpadmin@providencenurseryschool.com Fundraising PNS Day at Chipotle is Tuesday April 1

st from 4pm-

8pm Please bring your flyers and invite your friends.

The PNS spring raffle and babysitting morning will be on Saturday, April 5th from 9:30 to 12:30. Our former 2s teacher, Mrs. B., and her Girl Scouts will be back to play and entertain the kids. For the raffle you do not have to be present next Saturday to win, but we will announce the winners when people pick up their kids from the babysitting event. Thanks to everyone who contributed to the class baskets - they look great! Questions? Comments? Please call or e-mail Liz Claeys or Alex Erickson. Thanks for your support!

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Meredyth & Charles Havasy, who

welcomed daughter Zoe Iris to their family on March 5,

2014. Big Brother Luke is in the 2s class.

Notice!

We have a limited number of openings for the 2014 – 2015 school year. If you have any friends or neighbors who are still shopping preschools for next year, please send them our way! Contact Kyle Durbin or Jennifer Brooks for more information.

Reminder

If you have not completed your maintenance day requirement please be sure to mark your calendar for Sat, April 26th our last cleaning and maintenance day. If you prefer to buy-out, the fee is $40.

Editor’s Note

Thank you for reading the PNS newsletter. If there is anything you would like to have published in the May Newsletter please submit it by April 20

th. If you have

any suggestions or things you would like to see in the newsletter don’t hesitate to let me know.

Thank you,

7 Elizabeth Carroll newsletter@providencenurseryschool.com Thank You! As always there are many thank yous to go around! Here are

just a few:

Thank you to our social committee members, Rosalie Hallmark and Ashley Morgenthaler for coordinating volunteers and refreshments for our March membership meeting and to all who donated refreshments or helped with set-up and clean-up:

Thank you to Amy Moy for working on the VCPC award nominations and for her dedication to VCPC and PNS throughout the year.

Thank you to all who donated refreshments or helped with set-up and clean-up for the VCPC Spring Forum: Aimme Emmerich, Meredith Simpson, Maliha Ahmad, Thao Hoang

Thank you to Charles Havasy for leading the playground tree stump removal project.

Thank you to Aimee Emmerich, Thao Hoang, and Anja Wright for subbing in March.

Thank you to Nickie Yi, Nora Vish, and Rosemary Khan for organizing our dress-up area throughout the year and always making sure the kids have fun costumes to wear.

Thank you to those who volunteered for the brunches (and for being so flexible with all the changes due to snow days!) Thao Hoang, Aimme Emmerich (twice!), Nickie Yi and Kelly Volciak. Thank you also to Thao Hoang for covering lunch bunch this month. Thank you to Anja Wright for subbing in the 3s class.

Thank you to Bridget Benov for donating circus tickets to be used as a fundraiser for our school.

And finally, thanks to all our E-Board members for their hard work this year: Kelly Volciak, Natalie Gray, Kyle Durbin, Leah Fogarty, Jennifer Brooks, Kelley Raich, Barbara Moro, Alex Erickson, and Liz Claeys.

8

April 2014 Sun M T W Th F Sat

1 Tuition Due

PNS Chipotle Fundraiser 4pm-8pm

2 3 4 School Librarian

Day

5 Babysitting

Event Fundraiser

9:30am-12:30pm

6

7 NO SCHOOL FCPS Holiday

Parent Ed: KR 6:30pm

Board Meeting 7:30pm

8

9

10 National Siblings

Day

11

12

13 14

15

16

17

18

19 National Garlic

Day

20 Easter

21 School Resumes Parent/Teacher

Conferences- CDO

22 Parent/Teacher Conferences 2s

&4s

23 Parent/Teacher

Conferences 3s & 3/4s

24 Parent/Teacher

Conferences 3/4s

25 Parent/Teacher Conferences 3s

26 Final Cleaning

& Maintenance Day

8:30am-11:30am

27 28

Spring Coffee 7:30pm

29 30 Hairstyle

Appreciation Day

Spring Break

Teacher Appreciation Week 2014