Happy Winter Vacation!
A Plymouth parent shared that MoMA is having a Family Festival during the winter break - from Saturday, February 15th through Wednesday, February 19th. It is five days of engaging activities that explore creativity and the natural world.
See below for more information.
https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/10272
Magic Show
Please join us on Saturday, March 1st for a magic show with Magical Dave. Bring the whole family for pizza in the gym at 11:15 am followed by a magic show at noon in the Plymouth Church Sanctuary.
Upcoming Parent Talk with Rachel Hass - February 28th
Holding Ourselves Through the Parenting Journey While Building Connection with Our Children
Entrenched in perfectionist parenting culture and the fast-paced lifestyle of city living can leave little room to nourish and nurture ourselves through the big reactions we may have to our children on a daily basis. This session will provide reflection and acknowledgement of the stress of parenting while providing strategies for a more joyful and fulfilling experience with our little ones. There is a lot of discomfort in parenting, whether we are trying hard to not repeat the challenging patterns of our own caregiving experiences when younger or consciously imbuing our parenting with what we did receive in a culture that has shifted quite drastically. We will explore what it truly means to be a “good enough parent” and to allow and hold the full range of feelings and reactions to parenting.
Rachel Hass has a Master’s in Social Work from Hunter College School of Social Work and a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Jewish Studies and Visual Arts from Oberlin College. As a Social Worker, LCSW, and Mental Health Specialist for Bank Street Center for Emotionally Responsive Practice, she facilitates workshops, support groups, and on-site consultation for teachers and staff in public schools, shelters, and childcare programs around the city. She is currently an adjunct faculty member at the Bank Street Graduate School and is in private practice, working with parents and children. At the core of her practice, Rachel values and honors children's and families' voices, histories, resourcefulness and strengths. She takes deep pride and joy in working with children and families who are navigating challenging moments in their lives, as she honors her role as a partner in development and support for parents and children alike.
Making Math Fun with Jennifer Woodruff - March 12th 6:30-7:45 pm
We are partnering with the Parents League to host this event. Plymouth parents have free access by using the code PLYMOUTH25 https://www.parentsleague.org/event/making-math-fun-for-young-children
Including math experiences and math talk into your child’s everyday life can be fun and can support their academic growth; early math skills are more powerful predictors of later academic achievement. (Duncan et al, 2007).
Just as children’s development in movement follows a (generally) predictable path (crawl, stand, walk, run, jump, skip), children’s growth in math follows a natural developmental path. When caregivers understand these paths, they can make math fun — providing math experiences, math talk, and math games in ways that are attuned to their child’s development.
During the Making Math Fun workshop, caregivers will learn about developmental paths in a few areas of math (counting, subtilizing, geometry, addition), practice a variety of fun games to bring home to support math development, and learn how to vary the games based on children’s levels. Caregivers will also have a chance to exchange ideas and tips that work for their families in supporting math.
Jennifer Woodruff is a consultant in early childhood education and a former preschool teacher. She co-founded La Escuelita, Manhattan’s first Spanish/ English dual language preschool. Jennifer graduated from Stanford University and holds an M.S. from Bank Street College of Education, and an Ed. D. from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Important Dates to Remember
February
17-21 – School Closed for Winter Vacation
24 – Classes Resume
28 – Parent Talk with Rachel Hass
March
1 – Magic Show with Magical Dave
12 – Making Math Fun with Jennifer Woodruff
Purple Room: Animals in their burrows
Plymouth Cares
At Plymouth we believe in a curriculum that intentionally fosters children’s empathy for others and by extension their world. This curriculum is centered around community service - projects that young children can do to have a direct and positive impact on others.
Each February, Plymouth Church hosts a shelter for ten unhoused men who need a warm place to sleep at night. The shelter guests eat dinner and sleep in Hillis Hall between the hours of 5pm and 7am.
During Family Chapel last week, Plymouth children learned that they can help our shelter guests feel cared for by baking special treats and making cards for them. This month all of the classes will do just that.
Today during our professional development, we continued our work with Lori Riddick. Through our work with Lori we are learning to respond to children’s questions about race and societal inequities in a developmentally appropriate way. These conversations and our community service projects are teaching children to care for others which plants the seeds of empathy that will help them grow into kind and caring adults.
Magic Show
Please join us on Saturday, March 1st for a magic show with Magical Dave. Bring the whole family for pizza in the gym at 11:15 am followed by a magic show at noon in the Plymouth Church Sanctuary.
About Magical Dave:
Voted the Best Kids’ Party Entertainer in New York by New York Magazine!
Dave has been bringing magic to children’s parties and events for over 30 years. He is a full-time NYC teacher with a Master’s in education and he is also a dad. As one of New York’s top children’s entertainers, Dave performs over 200 in-person shows annually.
Dave’s Magic Show has delighted tens of thousands of children and even his 3rd-grade teacher! He has been featured in The New York Times, Time Out Kids and on Channel 11 News.
Upcoming Parent Talks
We had such a great Parent Talk last week with Rachel Hass – the first in her series. We really hope you can join us for the next two talks in this series.
Holding Ourselves and Our Children Through It All: A series of parent talks that will provide insight and strategies around the challenges we face and the joys we embrace as parents and caregivers.
February 28th - Holding Ourselves Through the Parenting Journey While Building Connection with Our Children
April 11th - Holding Space for More Than One: Navigating Sibling Life and Relationship
Rachel Hass has a Master’s in Social Work from Hunter College School of Social Work and a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Jewish Studies and Visual Arts from Oberlin College. As a Social Worker, LCSW, and Mental Health Specialist for Bank Street Center for Emotionally Responsive Practice, she facilitates workshops, support groups, and on-site consultation for teachers and staff in public schools, shelters, and childcare programs around the city. She is currently an adjunct faculty member at the Bank Street Graduate School and is in private practice, working with parents and children. At the core of her practice, Rachel values and honors children's and families' voices, histories, resourcefulness and strengths. She takes deep pride and joy in working with children and families who are navigating challenging moments in their lives, as she honors her role as a partner in development and support for parents and children alike.
Important Dates to Remember
February
14 – Re-enrollment agreements due
17-21 – School Closed for Winter Vacation
28 – Parent Talk with Rachel Hass
March
1 – Magic Show with Magical Dave
Willow Room composition with ink and chalk
Re-enrollment
Re-enrollment letters and agreements for next year will be emailed to our current families on February 6th.
Magic Show
Please join us on Saturday, March 1st for a magic show with Magical Dave. Bring the whole family for pizza in the gym at 11:15 am followed by a magic show at noon in the Plymouth Church Sanctuary.
About Magical Dave:
Voted the Best Kids’ Party Entertainer in New York by New York Magazine!
Dave has been bringing magic to children’s parties and events for over 30 years. He is a full-time NYC teacher with a Master’s in Education and he is also a dad. As one of New York’s top children’s entertainers, Dave performs over 200 in-person shows annually.
Dave’s Magic Show has delighted tens of thousands of children and even his 3rd-grade teacher! He has been featured in The New York Times, Time Out Kids and on Channel 11 News.
Upcoming Parent Talks
We had such a great Parent Talk last week with Rachel Hass – the first in her series. We really hope you can join us for the next two talks in this series.
Holding Ourselves and Our Children Through It All: A series of parent talks that will provide insight and strategies around the challenges we face and the joys we embrace as parents and caregivers.
February 28th - Holding Ourselves Through the Parenting Journey While Building Connection with Our Children
April 11th - Holding Space for More Than One: Navigating Sibling Life and Relationship
Rachel Hass has a Master’s in Social Work from Hunter College School of Social Work and a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Jewish Studies and Visual Arts from Oberlin College. As a Social Worker, LCSW, and Mental Health Specialist for Bank Street Center for Emotionally Responsive Practice, she facilitates workshops, support groups, and on-site consultation for teachers and staff in public schools, shelters, and childcare programs around the city. She is currently an adjunct faculty member at the Bank Street Graduate School and is in private practice, working with parents and children. At the core of her practice, Rachel values and honors children's and families' voices, histories, resourcefulness and strengths. She takes deep pride and joy in working with children and families who are navigating challenging moments in their lives, as she honors her role as a partner in development and support for parents and children alike.
Dressing for Outdoor Play
Please remember that the children play outside most days, even if only for a few minutes. Children should dress appropriately - including hats, mittens, snow pants and boots during the winter months. You can leave extra warm clothing at school. Label everything and put it in their lockers. Remember, there is no bad weather, only bad clothing!
Materials Center
We welcome your donations to our Materials Center. You can drop them off in the box located in the main lobby next to Adrienne’s office. Currently, we need the following: Ribbons, bottle caps, buttons, rubber bands, envelopes, stationary, packing materials and netting from produce.
Important Dates to Remember
February
6 - Re-enrollment agreements go out
7 - School Closed for Professional Development
13 - Re-enrollment agreements due
17-21 - School Closed for Winter Vacation
28 - Parent Talk with Rachel Hass
March
1 - Magic Show with Magical Dave
Orange Room sculpture made with bubble wrap and fabric