Santa's Noisy Night

Well, Pearson families, we are officially into the 10 Day Countdown to Christmas, and to keep things festive at Pearson Community Co-op Nursery School, we are reading "Santa's Noisy Night" in class this week. Were your children happy to meet Santa when he visited the school last week? There were a lot of laughs and smiling faces!

There are only a few days of preschool left before the holidays. Please drive carefully in the snow, and remember to pack weather appropriate clothing for your child. It's definitely snowpants and boots weather now!

Ho Ho Ho...check back soon!

A busy, jolly week at Pearson!

Sometimes, even Santa has a bad day. This is the plotline of, "Are You Grumpy, Santa?" by Gregg and Evan Spiridellis. Santa wakes up on the wrong side of the bed, and things get progressively worse as he stubs his toe, gets chased by a dog, slips on a noodle, and more. Fortunately, he ends up at a home where he is able to rediscover the gift of love, and remember the spirit of the Christmas season. We hope your children enjoy our book of the week at Pearson Community Co-op Nursery School - it's a holiday favourite!

There are some important (and festive) things to remember this week. Our Santa Store will be open early this week, and The Big Man in Red will be making an appearance at the school on Wednesday and Thursday. Please remember that Santa visit days are also red and green days. And finally, please let the teachers know if you anticipate your child having a nervous or upset reaction to seeing Santa in person - you are welcome to stay and sit with them if it would make things easier. We want this to be a fun, positive experience for every child.

Best wishes to all for a fantastic week! Ho Ho Ho...check back soon.

You Can't Catch Me...

Have your kids been telling you all about a cheeky little fellow called The Gingerbread Man?

This week at Pearson Community Co-op Nursery school, our children are reading the classic holiday fairytale The Gingerbread Man, and participating in related crafts and activities. They have been getting ready for the holidays by decorating mini gingerbread houses and singing Christmas songs in circle time, and will have the opportunity to do some Christmas shopping at our in-class Santa Store next week. It's a magical time of year both at home and at school, and so wonderful to see all of the children's faces light up as we talk about the upcoming holiday.

We are also enjoying a bit of a warmer week, but please still remember to send your kids to school with the appropriate jacket, hat, mittens and other winter wear, such as boots and snow pants.

Thanks as always for reading, and have a great week!

Dancing Dinosaurs

Hello Pearson families - we hope you had a wonderful (if freezing cold) weekend!

In keeping with our current classroom theme - DINOSAURS! - our children will be reading 'Dinosaurumpus' in class this week. The dinosaurs dance, boom and shake through the swamp in this rhythmic tale.

You should have received your child's picture day photo proof by now - and hopefully, a smiling photo of your son or daughter. Please remember to return your orders to the classroom this week!

Thanks again for reading, and all the best for a great week.

How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?

They give a big kiss, they turn out the light, they tuck in their tails, they say, 'goodnight'. 

This week's book reflects our current classroom theme at Pearson Community Co-op Nursery School - DINOSAURS! Does your child have a favourite dinosaur? Are there any tiny T-Rexes roaring through your home during playtime? Or does it just feel that way when you're cleaning up at the end of the day?

This is another great book selection that may be familiar to your children already - and if not, it will likely become a favourite. If it's a new favourite, be sure to check out the rest of the book series, which is equally charming. 

We had a great turn-out at the meeting and silent auction fundraiser last week - thanks so much to all who planned and attended this event, sold raffle tickets, and donated prizes. Your support means so much to the school, and directly benefits our children and the entire Pearson community. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to everyone who was a part of this terrific evening!

All the best to everyone for another great week. 

And We All Go Traveling By...

This week at Pearson Community Co-op Nursery School we are reading 'We All Go Traveling By' by Sheena Roberts. Full of wordplay and familiar sound effects, our children will have lots of fun with this story, which has also been recorded as a Fred Penner song.

Rumble rumble...beep beep...chuff chuff!

A few quick reminders for this week: 

• It's picture day on Tuesday and Wednesday
• Raffle tickets and money are due back on Tuesday
• The MANDATORY parents meeting and silent auction is on Wednesday evening - check your email for details!

Thanks as always for reading, and have a wonderful week!

Puff Puff, Toot Toot, Off We Go!

Our book of the week selection may be familiar to some families, as it's a classic story and song. Do you know 'Down by the Station'? Our kids are sure to be singing the song by week's end - it may end up being your earworm this week as well!

...see the little pufferbellies, all in a row!

Halloween was great fun, and it was wonderful seeing so many kids in costume last week - we will be sure to post photos when we can.

This month, we'll be learning about transportation and then dinosaurs - two fun topics that come with plenty of great reads, songs, activities and crafts. Remember to keep checking your children's art shelves at pick-up! (Are your fridges covered yet?!)

Have a great week, everyone, and check back soon!

Photo Highlights

We have had some wonderful times here at Pearson Co-op Nursery School already this year, including a field trip and 'Special Guest Day' as well as Thanksgiving and Halloween celebrations. Below, we would like to share some images that were taken over the past 8 weeks. We hope you enjoy them!

 

Book of the Week

Our current book of the week at Pearson Community Co-op Nursery School is about something your kids are very familiar with by now...

PUMPKINS, woo yeah!

As we enter the last week of October and November finally creeps in, we are in full-on Hallowe'en mode. This Monday and Tuesday are BLACK AND ORANGE days at Pearson, and Wednesday/Thursday will be our Hallowe'en costume party. A few quick things to remember:

• Make sure your kids will be comfortable, and not too hot or too cold, in their costumes
• Please do not include any weapons (plastic swords, etc) in your child's costume
• Please do not send any candy to the school. The kids WILL get treats that have been approved for allergies, etc.  :)

We look forward to an extra-fun, extra-spooky week at Pearson Community Co-op Nursery School. Thanks for reading, and check back soon!

REMINDER: Special Guest Day at Pearson

Hello, everyone! This Saturday is 'Special Guest Day' at Pearson Community Co-op Nursery School. Parents, grandparents and other family members are invited to visit the school during the following times:

3am class: 9:00 - 9:45 am

2am class: 10:00 - 10:45 am

2pm/RTL classes: 11:00 - 11:45 am

While older siblings are welcome, we ask that mobile toddlers not participate as our classroom is not suitable for this age group due to small toys, etc. Thank you for respecting this request!

Also, please note that picture day is now scheduled for November 12 and 13th.

We hope to see you this weekend!

Farms and Apples and Pumpkins, oh my!

Hello again, Pearson parents! Another week is upon us, and with it comes another fun book of the week at Pearson Community Co-op Nursery School. Our current selection is '10 Red Apples':

Our children will enjoy counting apples along with a friendly farmer and some familiar animals in this cute, rhyming story. If your children were a part of last week's field trip to Frootogo Orchards and farm, they may make some interesting connections - the apples and animals in the book are much like what they saw last week! Did your child come home with any fun stories from our trip? Did they have a favourite animal on the farm? You can share your comments here, or on our Facebook page.

Thanks again for reading - have a great week, Pearson families!

Book of the Week: The Grumpy Morning

Welcome back, Pearson Families - we hope you all had a fantastic long weekend! Our children are no doubt excited about getting back into the classroom and onto the playground this week - not to mention, to the apple orchard and the pumpkin patch! - and the teachers here at Pearson Community Co-op Nursery School are looking forward to hearing all about everyone's Thanksgiving celebrations.

Just a quick reminder that our book of the week is 'The Grumpy Morning' - something that none of our kids have ever had...right?! Right...mine neither. (cough)

This is a fun book about a farmer who sleeps in, only to be woken up by a group of grumbly farm animals who want to start the day. Our children are sure to recognize some of the animals from this story when we visit Frootogo later this week. Some of them may even be dressing up as one of these animals later in the month! Have your kids picked out a Hallowe'en costume yet? It will surely be an interesting group of animals (and princesses and robots and superheroes and so on) in the classroom when we celebrate Hallowe'en in just a few weeks!

Thanks for checking in here on the blog, and please be sure to keep up with our Facebook page as well (links at right). You can also take a look at Pearson's monthly calendar and newsletter on our website: www.pearsonco-op.com.

Thanksgiving Fun

What a wonderful week we have been having at Pearson Community Co-op Nursery School! Our kids have been keeping busy with Thanksgiving-themed crafts, classroom activities and as mentioned before, a festive book of the week - 'Bear Says Thanks'. As the holiday weekend approaches, our children have enjoyed hearing about Bear's Thanksgiving celebration with his woodland friends, which gets off to a rocky start but ends with a very special feast. In addition to focusing on gratitude, this book reminds our kids about the importance of helping and sharing (always a good thing!).

Is your family familiar with this book series, and did your children enjoy this story? And, how cute are these Thanksgiving Turkeys? Some little hands were very busy this week, and we suspect that more than a few of you have turkeys on your fridge at home!

What other artwork has your child come home with? Do they prefer to draw, or paint, or do a little bit of everything - or are they more interested in making and re-making creative shapes with playdough? Feel free to share your comments and stories with us here on the blog, or on our Facebook page!

Next week is sure to be busy as well, as we move from Thanksgiving to other fall traditions, including pumpkin picking and more fun on our field trip to Frootogo (October 16/17). Please remember to bring in your permission forms, if you haven't already!

We hope that all of our Pearson families will enjoy a celebratory weekend, whether it means a busy family gathering or a quiet holiday at home. However you spend it, have a great weekend and a happy Thanksgiving!

Fall Fun at Pearson Nursery School

Fall has certainly arrived at Pearson Community Co-op Nursery School! The weather officially changed this week when our students started arriving in jackets and rainboots!

Pearson's hands on science centre has been transformed with mini pumpkins, bumpy gourds and colourful Indian corn husks to touch and feel. Under the light table we have fall leaves to explore with our giant child-friendly magnifying glasses.

We've been talking, teaching and singing about apples this season. What's your favourite colour apple? The RTL class even had a chance to peel apples and make their own applesauce for snack! Apple tasting day will happen later in the month.

Book of the week Oct 7

This week leading into Thanksgiving we're focusing in on being thankful and talking about turkeys! Check your child's art shelf for their very own special personalized turkey! Ask your child what sound a turkey makes (gobble, gobble).


Next week we will be heading off to Frootogo for a wonderful fall field trip to pick pumpkins and learn about apples in the orchard. We know the local farmer will teach us lots of fun things about growing your own pumpkin. (If you haven't returned your permission form yet, please do soon!)

Great books in Pearson's preschool curriculum this Fall

Books are the best tool for learning! At Pearson Community Co-op Nursery School we lead with literacy and develop our curriculum selectively around chosen books. Our teachers have selected a "Book of the Week" that is used as a platform for the week's "theme" and teachable moments. Often our artwork and discussions in the classroom match this theme.

If you're looking to add to your child's library at home or make a discovery trip to the Burlington public library, we'd love to suggest our book titles for the fall.

September 16-20: The Kissing Hand

September 23-27: Brown Bear, Brown Bear

September 30 - October 4: I Am An Apple

October 7-October 11: Bear Says Thanks

October 14-18: The Grumpy Morning

October 21-25: Ten Red Apples

October 28-November 1: Big Pumpkin

Soon you will notice Scholastic order forms in your child's art shelf. Keep an eye out for these books, sometimes we find our "Book of the Week" coincidentally featured! Ordering a book via Scholastic is also a fundraising benefit for Pearson.

Happy reading with your preschooler!

The Kissing Hand: Super preschool book for separation anxiety

Sometimes even the most excited Pearson students get nervous about starting school. That's totally normal, the school year is full of many new adventures and some feel a little scary to our preschool friends.Reading a book about those potential nerves sometimes can help calm a child or provide them comfort when those feelings arise.

We love the book The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn, it's a sweet story about a raccoon that learns a little tactic to remember their Mom & Dad's love while at school. Enjoy this video with your child or check out The Kissing Hand at the library together.

Registration still open: It's not too late to join Pearson Co-op!

Pearson Community Co-op Nursery School still has a few spots remaining in our 3 morning (3am) and 2pm (two afternoon) programs for this September. We're a top ranked nursery school in Burlington and we'd love to welcome your family!

Look at our fabulous school grounds and imagine your child learning and playing here!

If you would like more registration information, all Registration information is here on our main website. Or you can contact the school at 905-335-2385 or by email at: membership@pearsoncoop.com

Meet our 2013-2014 Pearson Board of Directors

As a Co-op school, the Board of Directors play an important role in the running of our school. The Board represents the parents and best interest of the students.

What are the Roles & Responsibilities of the Board of Directors?

• The BoD is comprised of elected members of Pearson. ("Elected" means we volunteer for the role but are voted in by the Co-op membership the previous year)
• The BoD is responsible for the management and administration of Pearson and its staff.
• The BoD must abide by the by-laws and resolutions as determined by the general membership and all applicable legislation. The BoD will set policy and procedure for the school.

The Board meets monthly to discuss all school business and the minutes of these meetings are shared transparently on the Pearson parent section of the website for all parents/Co-op members to review. The 4 General Meetings we hold every school year provide the membership the opportunity to vote and interact directly with the Board.

We'd like to introduce you to our Board of Directors so you feel as engaged as possible in the running of our school. Please introduce yourself to the BoD especially if they are a parent in your child's class. The BoD welcomes input and can take feedback to our monthly meetings for discussion. Please remember all members of the board are volunteer parents in the school participating in these roles on a part-time basis.

2013-2014
Chairperson: Diana Dunnell (RTL)
1st Vice: Tammy Michener (2am)
2nd Vice: Courtney Potter (RTL)
Treasurer: Kristi Meagher (RTL)
Assistant Secretary: Ann-Marie Burton (RTL)
Recording Secretary: Alicia Moffat (2am)
Membership Secretary: Liz Woloshin (RTL)
Member at Large (Co-op/PCCA): Meghan Bower (2am)
Fundraising: Janice Barker (RTL)

Diana Dunnell: Chairperson

Read Diana's intro here

Tammy Michener: 1st Vice

My name is Tammy Michener and I'll be filling the position of First Vice on the Board this year.  Anna is my third child to attend Pearson Nursery School in the 2am class.  We obviously love Pearson which is why we keep coming back!   I love the amazing playground, and the emphasis on outdoor play.  The size of the classrooms is great, giving the kids plenty of room to explore and participate in all the wonderful activities.  There is always an amazing craft to take part in and a nutritious snack which is great.  But what really makes Pearson top notch is the teaching staff - with their high energy, loving nature and patience, they help prepare our kids for their first years in elementary school.  And last but certainly not least, it is the families at Pearson that make it such a wonderful Nursery School.  We've made many friends over the years, and some great memories to cherish.

 Courtney Potter: 2nd Vice

My name is Courtney Potter, and I am the second vice chairperson on this year's executive committee. I learned about Pearson through a good friend who sent her son there. As a result of her positive experiences, I knew it was a great fit for my boys. Jacob attended the Ready to Learn program last year, and this year it is Lucas' turn. Jacob loved his time at Pearson. He learned so much,  and came out of his shell in a big way. Lucas is very excited and can't wait for school to start. I am personally looking forward to being a large part of helping with the day-to-day administration of the school.

Kristi Meagher: Treasurer

My name is Kristi Meagher and I am the Treasurer for the 2013/2014 school year.  I am excited and looking forward to being on the board for Pearson Nursery School.  My daughter attended Pearson last year in the 2 pm class and will be attending the RTL program this year.  One of the things about the school that impressed me was that the parents do have the opportunity to be so involved in the school.  I was an on duty parent and found so much joy in having the opportunity to explore and learn right a long with my daughter.  I also loved that the 2 pm class has a French program.  The teachers are amazing with a sincere love of teaching. My daughter and I are super excited for all of the life experiences and learning to come our way this next school year at Pearson!

Ann-Marie Burton: Assistant Secretary

Each of our three children has attended Pearson - we love it here! Our family has been enrolled in the 2am and 2pm classes, both duty and non-duty and all programs have been fabulous. Megan graduated from the 2am program last year and is now returning into the RTL program. I'm excited to see the RTL program in action and watch our daughter learn and develop even more in the Pearson classroom. Last year I was on the Board as the Member at Large and found it both rewarding and eye-opening to see the details of how the school is run. I am so impressed with the leadership from Fiona as Supervisor and dedication of  the volunteer Board and incredible teaching staff. Pearson has provided my children with excellent  kindergarten prep and I know our final year here will be a bittersweet one for us. As the Assistant Secretary, my main role on the BoD is to manage the Advertising & Promotion of the school and I'm excited to develop this blog, our new social media channels and help ensure that every parent in Burlington knows that Pearson is the best nursery school in town!

Alicia Moffat: Recording Secretary

My name is Alicia Moffat and my daughter Lylah is participating in the 2am class this year.  This is my third child that has attended Pearson, and we have loved every experience so far!  I love how Pearson feels like home for the kids and I, and that everyone here feels like family.  I saw so much growth and development in my girls during their time here at Pearson, and felt like the teachers really helped them prepare for school...and with full day kindergarten, that was really important to us.  My position on the Board this year  is Recording Secretary and I am looking forward to the 2013/2014 school year!

Liz Woloshin: Membership Secretary

My name is Liz Woloshin and I am the membership secretary at Pearson.  My daughter's name is Katie and she is in the RTL program this year.  This is our fourth year at Pearson - my son came for 2 years and now this will be my daughter's second year.  It has been such a wonderful experience for all of us and I really love being involved with the preschool!  Looking forward to another fantastic year!

Meghan Bower: Member at Large

I am the current Member at Large for Pearson Nursery School's Board for the 2013/14 school year. My daughter will be attending Pearson in the 2am program, starting this fall. My son attended the same 2am program the year before. Pearson was recommended to me by a friend. Last year was my first experience with the school and I have only good things to report. I adore the teachers and administrators at Pearson School. They create such a fantastic educational and nurturing environment for pre-school children to learn and grow in. Having watched her older brother being dropped off at school twice a week last school year, my daughter is extremely excited to be starting in September. I look forward to another wonderful school year.

Janice Barker: Fundraising

I am thrilled for our second school year at Pearson as my daughter Fiona returns in September, this year for the RTL program. I am also happy to be on the board this year as Fundraiser, and look forward to coordinating the annual silent auction in November. Pre-Fiona I worked in marketing, but love my new job as stay-at-home momma to my energetic little read head. Here's to another great year at the best pre-school in Burlington!!