Nursery School Page

We are about halfway through our school year, and things are going well! We’ve been very lucky with the weather yet again this winter. The mild temperatures and conditions have allowed us to continue to enjoy plenty of outdoor playtimes, and we haven’t lost any days to inclement weather. We will be finishing our parent/teacher conferences this month. We hope the spring like weather comes on strong this month for more opportunities to enjoy this beautiful arboretum around us, and to witness the change of seasons once again. We continue to accept applications for the 2012-13 school year. If you know of a potential student for our preschool, let us know and we’ll be happy to send information and an application to the family. You can email us at [email protected] or call the Nursery School office at 610-328-8584. In the meantime, Happy Spring!

Following our Open House last month, as of February 1, we start to accept applications for our 2013-2014 school year. It’s not too late to submit an application, but classes can fill up quickly, so if you have or know a prospective student, you should contact the school office sooner rather than later at (610) 328-8584. You can arrange to visit the school during a typical day to check us out. In the meantime, things continue to roll along during the current school year. We are in the midst of parent/teacher conferences with the Pre-K Four class’ conferences completed. Our Threes and Pre-K Fives classes will finish the process at the beginning of this month. The flu and cold season is well upon us. We’ve had fevers, coughs, stomach bugs and the like circulating amongst the children so we encourage you to do plenty of hand washing if you are making use of our classrooms in any capacity. It is amazing how long germs can manage to stay alive on surfaces, and we’d like to minimize spreading these illnesses beyond our student body. Please be certain to check out our bulletin boards in the upstairs hallways. We post our monthly newsletters so you can always see more detailed information about what’s happening in each classroom at SFNS. We have an open door policy for visitors so if you’re ever curious to witness our busy, happy days in the nursery school, you can arrange an appointment and tour or just stop in the nursery school office when you happen to be in the building, and we can walk you through our various classes. Stay warm and stay healthy in this short month leading us closer to spring!

Spring is in the air, and we are very much appreciating it at Swarthmore Friends Nursery School (SFNS)! The children are happy to have lots of time to run around and play in the sunshine, and the staff is as well. The end of the year feels like it is rushing at us, but we still have many fun things to do. We are currently working on our annual All School Unit where every classroom focuses on the same topic but in different ways. This year’s theme is Habitats. The three-year-olds classroom is looking at how the rainforest is a home to many, varied living things. The Pre-K 4’s are exploring the habitats of animals who have spent the winter hibernating and are now beginning to awaken in the forest as well as those who have not and how they cope with living in winter The Pre-K Fives are talking about the imaginative housing that can be found throughout children’s literature from castles and caves to houses built by pigs! The science room is exploring the desert homes of various animals and plants. The children are bringing in their coins in order to make a donation to Habitat for Humanity on behalf of our school. We will hold an Open House on Wednesday, March 30th at 10:30 a.m. to share our classroom experiences with family and friends alike. Please feel free to come in and have a look. Our Spring Flower Sale is coming up once again. We will sell flowers that will be delivered in time for Mother’s Day (pick-up is on Wednesday, May 4th). Order forms will be going out to families on April 11th and will be due by the April 29. Please look for the forms on the facing benches beginning on April 10.

Spring has sprung at the Nursery School. The children are enjoying the beautiful weather, and we are all observing the many sings of the changing seasons. This is the time of year when we very much appreciate the lovely setting on Swarthmore's campus for nature walks and runs in the amphitheater.

We finished our all-school unit for the year: Community. It was rich with imaginative play as each classroom constructed their own little communities. We discussed how all the members of the community help each other in their own special ways, and we especially paid attention to the people in our community who help us. The unit culminated in an all-school open house with a special visit from some important community members: the Swarthmore Fire Department. They kindly brought a fire truck for the children to explore. The unit was definitely a success!

Each classroom now moves on to their culminating unit of the year. The trees will explore the world of ladybugs, the fours will be talking baseball, and the fives will explore different mediums in an art unit. We look forward to special events focused on these topics and will finish our year with special classroom events' a ladybug walk on campus (dressed as ladybugs to release real ladybugs at the rose garden), a baseball game with our families, and an art show to share our masterpieces.

Our annual spring flower sale gets underway this month. We will be selling hanging plants grown in a local nursery in time for delivery the week before Mother's Day. If you're interested in purchasing some flowers (proceeds go to the Nursery School Scholarship Fund), look for order forms on the facing bench this month. Thanks!

November, 2009 News: Swarthmore Friends Nursery School fosters an atmosphere for happy childhood living. Special emphasis is placed on growth and development of the child as an individual while working and playing in group situations. The school is small allowing each child to receive individual care and attention. The Nursery School is located at 12 Whittier Place, at the Swarthmore Meetinghouse on Swarthmore College Campus. For more information, including tuition fees, please telephone the Meeting Office, (610) 328-8699, to get the direct Nursery School line.

November, 2009: Fall has been a busy time at the Nursery School. The Nursery School staff enjoyed sharing a meal in October at the potluck brunch shared with House and Property Committee. We also want to express special appreciation for the hard work of cleanup following a busy Jumble Sale. Our rooms were in great shape on Monday morning, and we were able to be ready to receive children on time that morning. We understand that it must be challenging to be ready for us following such a labor-intensive event, and we are so grateful for the Meeting members' efforts.

Following our initial weeks of settling into our routines, we've moved through our fall holidays. Children from the Pre-K 4's and 3's paraded on campus singing Halloween songs for our neighbors. All of the children enjoyed special Halloween treats in their classroom at the end of October.

In November the children made corn muffins, apple sauce, and trail mix to share at our Thanksgiving feast attended by pilgrims, Native Americans, and turkeys. We are now in the midst of our annual poinsettia sale. Thanks to all of you who placed orders. The flowers will be delivered on December 7.

The children are making gifts for their families. We will have a family holiday party on December 11, with lots of singing and cookies to share. Please feel free to join us that morning. You can come sing along with any class during our group caroling at 9:30, 10:00, or 10:30 a.m. followed by lots of sweet treats.

Lunch Bunch is our year-long extended day program offered up to 3 days/week (on the same days your child is registered).

After-K is our Kindergarten Enrichment Program offered 3 days/week (Children are bused by the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District from The Kids' Place).

Both programs run until 2:30 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and include lunch time, informal play time and crafts for the kindergarteners. The teachers create a relaxed and fun-filled atmosphere that complements morning school programs.

Each day includes a refreshment time and opportunities for sharing, making decisions, and solving problems during play and activities.

The Nursery School runs mid-September until the end of May, with vacations similar to the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District.

Parents and children are invited to schedule a visit to observe during the day. Registration is by mail in February. Visits and attendance at our Open House in January are the best ways to see and understand how the manner of Friends in implemented in our programs.

Mission Statement

The foundation of Swarthmore Friends Nursery School is the Quaker belief that there is "that of God" in each person. Our school is guided by Friends' principles of non-violence, simplicity, respect for the individual, and the sprit of the Quaker Meeting which allows what is best in each person to be affirmed and nurtured within a caring community. We strive to create a school commitment to living in harmony with the environment. In the spirit of Friends, we emphasize respect, tolerance and appreciation for each other's differences, as well as peaceful non-violent problem-solving and decision-making

Swarthmore Friends Nursery School endeavors to create an atmosphere for happy childhood living and learning. In this atmosphere of warmth and acceptance, we foster self-esteem, the valuing of others, and positive social relationships in an intellectually stimulating environment.

The school is approved and periodically evaluated by the Friends Committee on Education, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, and is a member of the Friends Council on Education.