Calling all Williamsburg Parent Cooperative Preschool families and alumni!

Calling all Williamsburg Parent Cooperative Preschool families and alumni!

Do you have a collection of baked play dough heart necklaces? Remember how to “Open, Shut Them?”  Ever hammer nails into pumpkins and paint with ping-pong balls or balloons?  Perhaps you climbed the cheese or hid inside?  Do any of these last names ring a bell:  Axtell, Fiering, Williamson, Sisk, Tatum, Swadley, Von Beyer, Johnson, Edwards, Cunningham, Lipscomb, Gates, Whitbeck, Powell, Wright, Ruby, Stewart, McMillan, Old, Gareis, Barton, Lee, Seltzer or Severin?

If you answered yes to one or more of these, chances are you’re a Co-op Preschool alum, parent or both!  For 42 years, the Williamsburg Parent Cooperative Preschool (fondly known as Co-op) has occupied a unique niche in the hearts of young Williamsburg families.  With a learning-through-play philosophy, the preschool nourishes the growing minds and curiosities of children between the ages of 2-5.  In addition to planting the seeds of a love for life-long learning, strong friendships between kids and families that last long beyond the preschool years blossom at Co-op.  Parents who are in the classroom find comfort in knowing they are not alone in facing many of the typical battles of parenting young children.  Further parental support comes in the resources of the school’s exceptional teachers, informal playground chats and opportunities to befriend other parents.  Sometimes in raising children we forget that our own parental nurturing and development is equally important to our children’s education.

With this in mind, Co-op is calling all alumni – whether you are parents or students, adults, grandparents, or still in grade school or college.  Have fond memories of Co-op?  Can you dig up those old photos?  We are collecting memories of friends, teachers, projects, etc. for our upcoming, first-ever February FUNraiser for the school.  We are looking forward to a fun and relaxing way to say thanks to our families, alumni, and friends.  Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 11, 7-10 pm at the Williamsburg Community Center at 401 North Boundary Street.  This ticketed event will feature heavy hors d’oeuvres from Second Street Bistro, dancing, raffles, and reconnecting with old friends, whether they are alumni, current families, or both!

While we are still looking for sponsors and hope to raise some money, the greater aim of this year’s event is to bring Co-op fans (and fams) together.  Co-op is very community-oriented and there’s no time like the doldrums of winter to celebrate with friends!  Come reconnect with alumni of all ages – businesses are welcome to advertise free of cost in our school newsletter, The Co-op Capers.

If you have memories to share, photos to send, or want to update your information as a Co-op alum, family, or friend, please email the school at: info@williamsburgpreschool.com or visit our FUNraiser blog at: http://coopplayandlearn.blogspot.com/

We hope to see you at the event, but more importantly, we hope that whether you are young or old, in Co-op or long graduated, you still love to learn, you continue to grow in your sense of wonder, and that you share your love of learning with those around you!

Susan Zickel
WPCP Board President

Williamsburg Parent Cooperative Preschool

Williamsburg Parent Cooperative Preschool is a special kind of preschool which fully involves parents, teachers, and children in the educational process. The program and environment of the Williamsburg Parent Cooperative Preschool are designed to enrich the lives of young children by providing for:

• Building positive social relationships
• Creating and exploring with art, science, manipulative and play materials
• Developing strong motor skills
• Growing in the love of books and the use of language
• Gaining a greater understanding of the wider world beyond home and school
• Promoting feelings of self-confidence and dignity
• Finding enjoyment in music and movement
• Experiencing growth based on individual needs, interests, and capabilities

CO-OP PHILOSOPHY

We believe children 2 ½ -5 can be taught almost anything. We CHOOSE to create an environment that allows them to teach themselves as much as possible by exploration and discovery, building confidence and competence. We don’t wish upon them a veneer of learning acquired to please adults, but promote self-motivated, practiced listening skills, and a love of learning for its own sake. Just as discipline and courtesy must be internalized to work well, so building blocks of learning must be embraced before more overtly academic approaches can succeed. Lots of pencil and paper tasks lie ahead of them in school. When asked to write something, we want them to have something to write about! Current brain research tells us that children have one minute of focused attention span for each year of age – for tasks not of their own choosing. We owe it to children to help them use their time well, so that they – and we – can be lifelong learners.

Our learning through play philosophy incorporates the use of the following to deepen and broaden the spectrum of intellectual empowerment:

• Art Projects
• Blocks
• Books, Music, and Movement
• Dramatic Play
• Goo, Gak, Playdough, and Clay
• Table Toys
• Science Area
• Water and Sand Play Tables

For more information visit: www.williamsburgpreschool.com