Dear Families,

We truly enjoyed spending time with you and your children the last few weeks during Home Visits, Curriculum and Welcome Night, and are looking forward to our school year starting Tuesday September 2nd! This first Director Newsletter is FULL of important information to help start our year smoothly for everyone, please read in its entirety.

Whether you are a new or returning family, we know for our little ones, this transition time to school can sometimes be tricky for them with new routines, new classrooms, and new faces. We have additional staff available for the first weeks to provide assistance and comfort during this beginning of the year transition time. We encourage families to create school day rituals together to help your child feel secure and safe in their new school environment. On your way to school talk about what they may do at school today (hint! It’s always play), give reassurance you will be back and can’t wait to hear all about their day. Always say a short goodbye to your child before leaving with a hug or two!

When saying goodbye, especially if this is their first school experience, there may be tears; tears are absolutely normal and expected during this new experience. Teachers are ready to comfort and support your child through the entire year of growth and will contact you anytime your child may benefit from more support to feel safe and ready for school. If necessary, lovies are welcome when labeled with your child’s name and small enough to fit in their backpack for visiting as needed during the day. Please leave all toys at home.

Here are some great books about transitions to read with children to prepare for their first day of school:

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson

Rosie Goes to Preschool by Karen Katz

You Go Away by Dorothy Corey

The Invisible String by Patrice Karst

Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney

Bye-Bye Time by Elizabeth Verdick

I Love You All Day Long by Francesca Rusackas

Oh My Baby, Little One by Kathi Appelt

I Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

Speaking as a fellow parent launching one child to college this month and two children to living fully independently this fall, I confirm these recommended transition books are a timeless balm for your parent heart as well!

Warmly,

Emily Norman

Car Drop Off Lines begin Monday 9/8

The parking lot is CLOSED to parking during school hours, do not enter the lot unless you are using the Car Drop Off Line. Families use street parking with your Pilgrim Pass displayed on dashboard to drop off and pickup children in their classroom locations.

Please follow these procedures for safety of all children, families and staff.

Parking Lot Car Drop Off Line:

Enter the parking lot, turn right and line up around the outside perimeter of the lot, stopping at the cone near the playground. Stay in your parked car, have brightwheel ready on your phone, unbelt your child if possible. Maria or Emily will come to the first car at the cone to check your child in, assist with getting them out of car and take them to their classroom location. Move forward as space permits, do not drive around other cars in front of you!

Nature Preschool Car Drop Off Line: 

Line up on Scoville facing north, stopping at the cone. Stay in your parked car, have brightwheel ready on your phone, unbelt your child if possible. Michelle or Whitney will come to the first car at cone to check your child in, assist with getting them out of car and ensure they arrive in Outdoor Classroom space safely. Move forward as space allows, following traffic signs to U-turn at the OPRF garage to drive south. As OPRF traffic patterns may change due to construction, this procedure may change and will be communicated ahead of time. 

Car Drop Off Lines end at 8:45 AM. If you arrive after 8:45, please use street parking and bring your child to the main Church entrance; the double red doors facing Lake Street. When exiting the building after the door closes at 8:45, please exit through the main Church entrance.

Thank you for helping keep all children, families and staff safe at drop off!

As our world continues to be shaken by tragic events in school settings, our hearts are broken for those experiencing these events first hand. Holding our children a bit closer we ask ourselves, our community and our leadership; Are we doing all we can to keep our children safe from senseless acts of violence? Focusing on areas we can control in creating a safe environment for your children at Pilgrim, we wanted to share with families some of our PCPS Safety Policies and Procedures designed to ensure Pilgrim is safe and secure. Ways families can support these safety practices are highlighted below.

• A daily safety check of all Pilgrim grounds including windows and exits is completed prior to children’s arrival by Directors.

• Exterior doors are securely closed and locked at all times with the exception of pick up and drop off when Directors are monitoring opened Preschool entrance. Caregivers leaving after the Preschool exit doors are closed are instructed to exit using the main Church entrance which is monitored at all times.

• Both main Church entrances have visual and auditory monitoring doorbells. When rung, both PCPS and Church Offices can see and talk to who is there without opening the door. The door is not opened until we have identified and are physically present to greet the person in foyer.

• All children are signed out by caregivers using brightwheel upon pickup. As we learn names and faces of new families and pick up persons, identification may be requested prior to releasing your child from our care. Families ensure all regular caregivers have the brightwheel ap downloaded. If alternate pickup arrangements are made outside of regular providers: IE out of town family, friend or playdate for pickup please inform us via brightwheel.

• Classroom doors are closed and locked while children are present until pickup time. Children and teachers can exit rooms, however entrance is prohibited without a key.

• Recording security cameras are located at strategic points at Pilgrim.

• Our emergency action plans are reviewed twice a year at minimum with all PCPS and Church Staff and practiced within the first 90 days of school with children present. We will alert families of intruder drill date in advance.

• Our emergency drills and Emergency Social Stories for children were created with input of OP Fire Department and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultants to ensure developmentally appropriate practices.

• A copy of the Emergency Social Story will be sent home with all children prior to any emergency drill. Families are encouraged to read these with your children.

• In the event of any emergency, including school closing or early dismissal due to power outage or severe weather, we will communicate all information and instructions with families via brigthwheel with alert texts. Families are asked to turn on notifications for brigthwheel messages to ensure all communication is received.

  It is our greatest hope that emergencies never arise at Pilgrim, however these procedures working together, with regular practice and review help keep our building and rooms secured, our children and teachers safe. Please contact us anytime you have any questions or concerns.

Is your child not feeling well?

Families report all absences via brightwheel and complete an illness reporting form when their child is absent due to illness. The Illness Reporting Form is always accessible on the Family Portal. Administration will contact families with return to school guidance via brigthwheel by the end of school day. Families only fill out the form upon first illness absence; updates of symptom changes or diagnoses are sent via brightwheel. When alerted of a communicable disease such as COVID-19, Influenza, Hand Foot and Mouth Disease, Strep and others listed in handbook; families in exposed classrooms will be alerted with confidentiality upheld and additional sanitation will occur. Please review the Wellness Policy found on the Family Portal and on page 18 of the Family Handbook, and follow the When to Stay Home From School guidelines below.

Lunch and Snack Menu

The Snack Menu will be the same menu weekly throughout the school year. Monthly lunch menus are sent via messaging to families of children in the lunch classrooms. They will be shared with all families in the Family Portal, posted in classrooms and Family Bulletin Board in the foyer.

At Pilgrim Community Preschool, Community is our middle name! We have many opportunities available for families to be involved in our preschool community. Thank you to all families who completed our Volunteer Interest Form already! Emily will reach out directly to respondents with more details the first week of school.

Room Parents: Support your child's teachers by coordinating teacher appreciation gifts and any additional support needs through the year. Help create family community connections in the classroom. 

PCPS Board Family Representatives: The PCPS Board oversees the administration and planning for the future of our school. Family input is vital in this process and we are looking for family representatives to serve at least one year on the board. The board meets monthly on Zoom, however our first meeting welcoming new members will be in person Tuesday September 9th.

Family Event Planning: Work with PCSP Directors, Board and Teachers to plan our annual family events to ensure they are a fun time for all: October’s Fall Fest, December’s Cookie Walk, February’s Pizza Party and March’s Children’s Clothing Sale.

Family Event Volunteers: Many hands make light work! If you can lend a helping hand at any family event, we would greatly appreciate it. Signups will be shared prior to each event.

Gardening Volunteers: Do you have a green thumb? Our native pollinator garden and outdoor classroom always benefit from a bit of extra tending. Contact Director Emily if you are interested!

It’s time to make the donuts: Save the date and volunteer below!

Join PCPS families, teachers and staff as we take our turn to make the famous Pilgrim Church donuts at the Oak Park Farmers Market on Saturday September 20th! Our biggest fundraiser of the year, Donut Day’s proceeds support our Ruth Prescott Scholarship Fund. We need many hands to make this event happen and ask all families to volunteer for a shift: Pilgrim Community Preschool Donut Day Sign Up

Pilgrim Congregational Church Family Events

Oak Park Area Family Events