Winter is close and more hats, scarves, mittens and puffy coats are making their way on to hooks, being flipped over heads and keeping children warm during our days at the park.
As we prepare for the second half of the year, we look forward to the short days getting longer, planting in our gardens, watching the changes at Kenilworth park, and hoping for a new playground in the spring.
We would like to officially welcome Bailey (Arugula), Xan (Arugula), and Ethan Nuno (Lavender) and their families to Puddletown. We will also be welcoming 2 or 3 more families in January and February. It is always such a pleasure to notice all the changes that have taken place in the classroom since September. Children who enter mid year are such a great way to notice how much our community has come together since September. We are also given a hint of what to expect next fall.
With the addition of new students the roster has changed. We will send out an updated roster as an email attachment. Let us know if you would like us to print one for you.
Our fundraiser seems like a distant memory but there are still lingering conversations in classrooms about items won, music enjoyed, and brownies eaten. We raised the most ever this year, almost $7000 that will go towards scholarships.
Thank you so much for everything you did to make it such a success. It was a great chance to enjoy your company and talents.
The children have been visiting our neighbors in the Holgate Center and sharing cards and songs with them. We find these visits to be so rewarding for everyone, with smiles and impromptu conversations among the children and residents. As the year goes on we hope to establish more relationships with the residents, inviting them to Puddletown to see what we do.
Anna (Arugula) set up the first Puddletown Food Drive. She and her mom will be taking all of your generous donations to the Portland Food Bank before the winter holiday. We hope to be a part of similar programs throughout the year. Let us know if you have an idea for a program we can donate to.
We have an ongoing pile of new applications for next year and are going to accepting new students for the 08/09 school year starting in March. If you will be returning please pay next year’s $50 materials fee to hold your place. There is a spot held for each current student until the end of February.
Please note that our photo calendar only has Puddletown days off for this school year. We will be giving you an updated Puddletown calendar with 08/09 days off once Pps publishes theirs.
Upcoming events/ days off:
Jan 21st: no school (MLK Day)
Jan 10th 6 pm: Kindergarten meeting (for families of children who will be kindergarten age for 08/09)
Feb 13,20, 27: Parent Series II presented by Montessori Institute Northwest (More info here or call 963-8992)
If you have extra pants or socks that your child has outgrown (appropriate for a 3-6 year old), please donate them to our spare clothes collection.
Finally, we would like to say good-bye to Chris (Arugula) and his family who will be moving on to another school. You will be missed.
Happy Holidays,
Andrea, Sam, Amy, Emily, Faye & Kimberley