Welcome to the Blog of the Robin’s Nest Preschool

REGISTRATION TIME IS HERE! Robin’s Nest is excited to start registering for the 2021-22 school year. Our existing families receive priority registration. Please check your email and our Facebook page for the SignUp Genius link to take advantage of your priority registration time. We have open registration on Friday, February 12th. Typically, when we open to the public the school is full that day. Please make sure you sign up quickly to enroll your child for next year.

Important: Forms are available on our website or in the office. EVERY line on the forms must be filled out. VPK vouchers due no later than June 1, 2021. Download our REGISTRATION CHECKLIST to make sure you are prepared! We will have a notary available at registration.

Note: A check for $150 registration fee and $100 activity fee are required for registration. VPK students are not required to pay registration or activity fees but are asked to make a voluntary donation of $250 at registration. This is to cover the cost of extra enrichment activities that are not covered by the amount that we receive from the State of Florida.

SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR – The book fair will be held Monday, February 22nd through Friday, February 26th in the lobby area by the sanctuary. Followed by a special shopping event for Dad’s on Saturday, February 27^th. Money raised will be used to enhance our preschool literacy program. We will need volunteers for this event, so please keep an eye out for upcoming information on how to sign up to help!

DONUTS WITH DAD!  Robin’s Nest has a special EVENT planned for our Dad’s. We will continue the book fair outside the morning of Saturday, February 27^th. Our Dad’s and children will show up between  9:00 – 11:00. They can shop for books at our book fair and even grab a yummy treat for breakfast. If Dad is not available, grandpas, uncles, or other adult male friends are welcome. Watch for an invitation with details coming home soon.

COLD AND FLU SEASON IS HERE!  COVID-19, the common cold, seasonal allergies, and the flu (influenza) cause similar symptoms. As a reminder, the symptoms of Coronavirus (COVID-19) include the following:

– Elevated fever

– Loss of taste and/or sense of smell

– Headache

– Unexplained cough

– Congestion

– Shortness of breath

– Sore throat

– Unexplained rash

– Muscle aches

– Diarrhea

– Vomiting

If you, your child, or anyone in your household has any of these symptoms, we implore you and your children not to be on campus and to contact us. It is best to monitor and see if symptoms improve before returning to campus.

SPRING BASKET AUCTION – Can you believe it? We have already begun thinking about our Spring Basket Auction in April! With your help, each class will create a unique class art project and put together a fun-filled basket based on a designated theme. A list of the themed baskets will be on the PAC bulletin board in the Robin’s Nest hallway soon.

In addition to the class baskets, we often get generous donations from local businesses. Our auction usually has over 100 items to bid on!

If you know of any businesses that would like to donate – or you would like to donate yourself- please let your room mom, PAC Officer Brittany Proefke or the Robin’s Nest office know. We can provide any needed paperwork.

The Spring Basket Auction will be held the week of April 12th – 16th.

DATES TO REMEMBER

Feb 2.  – Feb. 12           Registration

Feb. 4 & 5                     PAC meeting – 9:15 a.m.

Feb. 15                         School closed – Presidents Day

Feb 18                          Conferences for the 2- day 2’s and 2 day 3’s

No School for 2 day 2’s and 2 day 3’s

Please note day 3’s and all VPK will have school

Feb 19                          School closed – Conferences 3-day, 5-day and VPK classes

Feb. 22                         Special Chapel 3-day 3’s

Feb. 23                         Special Chapel 2-day 3’s

Feb. 22 – Feb. 27           Scholastic Book Fair

Feb. 27                         Donuts with Dad’s at The Robin’s Nest 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

We hope you had a wonderful and joyous holiday season. Welcome back!

We hope you enjoyed your holidays! It’s wonderful to see all the children back in school. We thank all of you who have volunteered at The Robin’s Nest and especially during the busy holiday season. Parent participation is very important to the school and the children love it too!

The children enjoyed a very busy and exciting holiday season at The Robin’s Nest. December 6^th through the 16^th our annual Santa Shop was opened serving shoppers from Robin’s Nest, Westlake Christian, Stars and Comets, PHUMC HisKidz, LIFT families and Kid’s Day Out. We had over 400 shoppers! On December 12^th we held our Robin’s Nest Christmas Caravan and 35^th Annual Breakfast from Santa. It was so fun to see Santa and that sneaky Grinch being silly at school. On December 14^th and 15^th we hosted very special Christmas Chapels that included the story of Christmas, a toy drive collection and of course the sweet sounds of Christmas carols presented by Mrs. Cindy Terrio and our Robin’s Nest Children. The program was adorable, and the children had so much fun singing for their families. We finished out the season with festive classroom Christmas parties and even a pajama day. What an exciting and busy month!

SANTA SHOP

We wanted to take a minute and give a heartfelt thank you to our amazing Santa Shop volunteers. We had help with organizing the inventory, wrapping the gifts, shopping for supplies and staffing the Santa Shop. Volunteers decorated, restocked the tables and helped our precious little shoppers pick out items to ensure they shopped for everyone on their Christmas list. A BIG THANK YOU to Samantha Scoggins, Brittany Proefke, Holly Bache, and Leslie Admire for going above and beyond as coordinators of the Santa Shop. We could not have done it without you.

ROBIN’S NEST REGISTRATION FOR 2019-2020 SCHOOL YEAR

Registration begins February 2nd! To register for next year’s program, all parents are required to complete a new set of application forms. Please be sure to fill out the application completely. When filling out the registration forms, please do not skip any lines or information requested. Two checks will be needed at the time of registration, one check for the registration/activity fee, and a voided check for payments through electronic funds transfer. It is not necessary to get new health and immunization forms unless your current forms are expired.

Registration Appointments for Currently Enrolled Robin’s Nest Families: A SignUpGenius link will be sent out by email one week prior to your registration date!

Feb. 2nd               VPK registration for currently enrolled 3”s

Feb. 3rd                VPK registration for currently enrolled 3’s

Feb. 4th                3’s registration for currently enrolled 2’s

Feb. 5th                3’s registration for currently enrolled 2’s

Feb. 10th              Registration for all siblings of Robin’s Nest, Westlake Christian, Stars and Comets

Feb. 11th              Registration for all PHUMC members and previously enrolled families

Feb. 12th              Open registration for all ages

ILLNESSES

Our school takes the health of our students very seriously and takes many precautions to control the spread of illnesses and to protect the health of your child. We think it’s important for everyone to monitor any symptoms related to Coronavirus (COVID-19). As a reminder, the symptoms of Coronavirus (COVID-19) include the following:

– Elevated fever

– Loss of taste and/or sense of smell

– Headache

– Unexplained cough

– Congestion

– Shortness of breath

– Sore throat

– Unexplained rash

– Muscle aches

– Diarrhea

– Vomiting

If you, your child, or anyone in your household has any of these symptoms, we would like you and your children not to be on campus and to contact us.

DATES TO REMEMBER

Jan. 7 & 8                                 PAC meeting at 9:15 a.m.

Jan. 18                                     School closed – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Jan 26                                      Special Chapel 5-day 3’s

Feb. 2 – 12                                Registration for the 2021-2022 school year

Feb 15                                      School closed – President’s Day

DEAR PARENTS

It’s hard to believe that December is upon us already. As we begin this holiday season and are faced with the many events, “have-to-do’s” and “have-to-get-done’s,” I urge you to keep in mind the real meaning of Christmas. It is a time of God showing His great love for us; a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus; a time to invite Him into our hearts and a time to Rejoice! And so, as you celebrate your faith and family this holiday season…The Robin’s Nest wishes the light of the Christmas star to you; the warmth of home and hearth to you; the cheer and good will of friends to you; the hope of a childlike heart to you; the joy of a thousand angels to you; the love of the Son and God’s peace to you!  ENJOY THE SEASON!

PAC MEETINGS

Calling all volunteers!!! Please join us for our last PAC meeting before Santa Shop opens. Help us get ready for the fun and festive shopping days at the Robin’s Nest! Dec 3^rd & 4^th at 9:15 a.m. upstairs in room 201.

SANTA’S HELPERS NEEDED!

Help us make this Christmas even more merry for our students. December 6 – 16. Volunteer opportunities are available for Santa’s Helpers! Spend time with our students as they pick out the perfect gifts for their loved ones. Use the QR code to the right to sign up for you spot today!

THE SANTA SHOP IS ALMOST HERE!

The Robin’s Nest annual Santa Shop will be open Dec. 7 – 16^th! This is a special store for children to shop for gifts for everyone in their family. All items are priced at $5. It’s a wonderful opportunity for children to experience the joy of shopping on their own for their family and friends.

Please make sure your child’s shopping list has been turned into their teacher. Unfortunately if a shopping list with the enclosed payment is not turned in, your child will be unable to shop. If you have more than one child shopping, they must have their own shopping list to be able to shop with their class. Additional forms are available outside the Robin’s Nest office.

CHRISTMAS CARAVAN AND BREAKFAST FROM SANTA

Come join us for a festive Christmas drive-through breakfast December 12^th ! Tickets are $8’s and on sale now through December 4^th in the Robin’s Nest office. The Robin’s nest teachers will be handing out goodies to each participant as they drive through our Christmas caravan making their way toward Santa! A To-Go breakfast will include pancakes with syrup & butter, sausage and juice.

CHRISTMAS PROGRAM

On Monday, Dec. 14^th and Tuesday Dec. 15^th at 11:30 a.m. in the sanctuary, The Robin’s Nest will be presenting its 24^th annual Christmas program; “Santa Got Stuck in the Chimney!” Cindy Terrio and the classroom teachers are working with the children to prepare for this special musical presentation.

The Robin’s Nest is also participating in a Christmas mission for our Feast clients and Metropolitan Ministries in need. This is a great opportunity to help teach your children the joy of giving. Please help your child choose a gift to bring to the sanctuary at this time to be place on the stage. The gift should be new, in the range of $5 – $10’s Please do not wrap the gift. This year we have a requested list from FEAST to help families in need. Age 1-2 years: learning toys, dolls, building blocks; Age 3-8 years: Lego, games, dolls, crafts, sports; Age 9-12 years: Legos, games sports, beauty, crafts; Age 13-17: sports, beauty.

After the program the children will be dismissed from their classrooms. Your child’s Christmas program will be on their chapel day.

Monday, Dec. 14 at 11:30:   3-day 2’s, 3-day 3’s, VPK Alvarez/Probst, VPK Dorsett/Terrio

Tuesday, Dec. 15 at 11:30:  2-day 2’s, 2-day 3’s, 5-day 3’s, VPK Martz/Menke, VPK Bombar/Glass

CHRISTMAS PARTIES

Wednesday, December 16^th

3-day-2’s, 3-day 3’s, room 114, room 116

Thursday December 17^th

2-day 2’s, 2-day 3’s, 5-day 3’s, room 104, room 110

THURSDAY DISMISSAL!

All Robin’s Nest students will be dismissed at 12:15 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 17^th. There will be no Extended Care offered that afternoon. School will be closed for the Holidays Friday, Dec. 18^th through January 4^th. School resumes Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021!

DATES TO REMEMBER

December 3 … Pizza Party

December 3 & 4 … PAC Meetings 9:15 a.m.

December 5 … PHUMC Christmas Extravaganza 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

December 7-16 … Santa Shop

Decemer 12 … Christmas Caravan & Breakfast from Santa 9:00 a.m.

December 14 & 15 … Christmas Programs 11:30 a.m.

December 16 & 17 … Classroom Christmas Parties

December 17 … 12:15 dismissal for all students (no extended day)

December 18 – January 4 … Christmas Holidays – School is Closed

January 5 … School re-opens; classes resume

WE ARE THANKFUL!
As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches and we count our many blessings, we are once again reminded of what a genuine privilege it is for all of us at The Robin’s Nest to work with you and your children.

We would like to say THANK YOU for all the support we have received in the way of donations of cleaning supplies, classroom adoptions, mission support and our wonderful PAC volunteers! We appreciate everything you do and feel truly thankful and blessed.

COOL WEATHER REMINDER!
With the cooler weather approaching, we’d like to remind you to label jackets and sweaters and perhaps exchange long pants in your child’s extra clothes bag at school.

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD
Our Fall Mission is the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind and we need your help to make this a success! Operation Christmas Child uses gift filled shoeboxes to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world. The Robin’s Nest is involving our children in this mission project. On November 2nd – 5th, the children will begin building the boxes and talking in their classes about the difference they will be making to a child in need. There are additional boxes available if you would like to build boxes at home with other children or as a family. Our goal is set for each Robin’s Nest child to build a box totaling 144! Each box will be filled for a child between the ages of 2-4 years old.

THANKSGIVING FEASTS
On Thursday, November 19th, and Friday, November 20th, the children will celebrate Thanksgiving with a special feast snack. To help with the celebration, we ask that each child bring in a specific food item. Look for the feast sign-up sheet posted outside your child’s classroom. This is not a party for all parents to attend.

THE ROBIN’S NEST SANTA SHOP
This is an exciting event for the children! The shop will be open December 7th – 16th. All children will have
the opportunity during school to do some Christmas shopping for their family, grandparents, and other
loved ones. There are many volunteer opportunities available! An email will be coming soon with a link to
sign up on line. All proceeds from the Santa Shop help keep our classroom equipment and curriculum
current and new. Watch your child’s bag/folder for more information.

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM
A big Thank You to our new Community Partner: Dutch’s Roofing who adopted the 2-day2’s classroom!
Thank you so much for your partnership. It’s never too late to adopt your child’s classroom!

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
Nov. 5 & 6 PAC meeting and gift wrapping 9:15
Nov. 19 & 20 Thanksgiving feasts
Nov. 23 – 27 School closed – Happy Thanksgiving!

PARENT ADVOCATE CLUB  –  Everyone is Welcome!    (Including younger siblings)

When: Thursday, September 3rd at 9:15am and Friday, September 4th at 9:15am

Where: In Person– Upstairs in room 201

Why: We will be discussing this year’s activities as well as volunteer opportunities.

Face masks and social distancing are required at the meeting.

 INDIVIDUAL PICTURES –  Picture Perfect Images is our amazing school photographer. School pictures will be taken September 15^th, 16^th, and 17^th. This year all ordering is done online! YOU MUST PREREGISTER IF YOU WANT YOUR CHILD’S PICTURE TAKEN! After picture days you will be notified via text when your gallery is up and active. Parents will be able to view and place their order online. Your order will then be mailed to you directly. Look for a flyer sent home with your child for instructions. This will be the ONLY flyer you will get with your PERSONALIZED CODE on it so be on the lookout and don’t lose it!!!

FALL FUNDRAISER  –  COMING SEPT. 21^ST – OCT 2nd! The Robin’s Nest is excited to have Usborne Cards for a Cause as our fall fundraiser. These are unique handcrafted greeting cards with a coordinating envelope in a beautiful keepsake box. Have cards on hand for every occasion! Any of these boxes would make a thoughtful gift as well. Boxes are $30 each and contain 30-50 individually wrapped cards with matching envelopes. Proceeds will go to school improvements. We appreciate the support you give the Robin’s Nest!

SNACKS  –  Reminder . . . the Robin’s Nest is a PEANUT/TREE NUT FREE school. Please read the snack notice carefully when it is your child’s turn to be snack helper. If you have any questions, feel free to ask your child’s teacher or the office.

EMAIL CONTACT – You should be receiving information from the Robin’s Nest office and your child’s teacher. If you have not heard from us we may not have your correct e-mail address, so please send a message to us at amartinelli@phumc.net.

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM – ADOPT A CLASS – The Robin’s Nest 2020-2021   Community Partnership Program has begun. Individuals, families or businesses may adopt a class, music program or the school by making a $150 tax deductible donation. 100% of your donation goes directly to your child’s classroom. Teachers may purchase classroom materials such as furniture, carpets, manipulatives, books, CD’s, and any curriculum materials. If you are interested in adopting a class or would like more information please ask your teacher or stop by the office for a blue form located just outside the office door. We greatly appreciate all the wonderful individuals and businesses who generously adopted so far this year. Let’s keep it going!

The Terrio Family                                             Children’s Medical Center (Dr. Alfred Alvarez)  

The Cooper Family                                          Jared and Jill Schmidt

The Knellinger Family (2)                                 Bill and Ashley Gonnelli

Seal Swim School                                             James and LeighAnn Sarantopoulos

Loren and Brittany Shumard                           The Turner Family

The Christensen Family                                  The Bache Family

Jason and Brittany Proefke                           John and Jenny Goad

CAMP CUBBER 2020 – Registration coming soon! Current Robin’s Nest families will have priority registration days, on March 3 – 6 and 10 – 13 by appointment only. Camp CUBBER offers your rising K – 8th graders a fun filled exciting summer in a family-friendly safe environment. This summer’s theme is “Slime Works”.

A theme like Slime Works will of course give campers the opportunity to make slime, but more than that each week will have a weekly theme based on a different type of slime – so we will have space and glow in the dark activities during Galaxy Slime Week, we will look into marine life during Fishbowl Slime Week, and we will do lots of activities that have to do with going fast during Speed Slime Week.

Summer camp runs weekly from June 1 – July 31.  You can sign up for the whole summer or just a few weeks!  For more information about Camp CUBBER and to download the camp registration paperwork (coming soon), please visit the camp’s website at http://www.cubber.org.  Don’t miss it!

SILENT AUCTION: BASKET FUNDRAISER – PAC is sponsoring a basket fundraiser. Room mothers from every class will make a basket for the silent auction from the items donated by the parents. The room mothers have already sent you a letter with your class theme and important information about the fundraiser. If you or someone you know owns a business or runs a home business and would like to donate to our fundraiser, please stop by the office to give them an information form. The basket silent auction begins on April 6^th and ends on April 9^th at 9:30 a.m. sharp! So don’t let your favorite basket walk away with someone else. Wahoo…let the bidding begin!

Safety First– Please remember to hold your child’s hand when walking to and from the parking lot. The parking lot is very busy at drop off and pick up times. This is not a safe play area

We hope you had a wonderful and joyous holiday season. Welcome back!

We hope you enjoyed your holidays! It’s wonderful to see all the children back in school. We thank all of you who have volunteered at The Robin’s Nest and especially during the busy holiday season. Parent participation is very important to the school and the children love it!

We all have enjoyed a very busy and exciting holiday season at The Robin’s Nest. On December 9^th and 10^th we hosted two very special Christmas Chapels for Robin’s Nest children and their families. December 9^th through the 13^th our annual Santa Shop was opened serving over 400 shoppers! December 14^th was a festive morning featuring Breakfast with Santa for children and their families. On the evening of December 17^th more than 500 people attended the annual Christmas program presented by Jenny Knott and The Robin’s Nest children. The program was priceless! Topping off the holiday season were the class Christmas parties, visits with Santa and a Christmas story time. What an eventful time of year!

SANTA SHOP

A big thank you to Sarah Thompson, LeighAnne Sarantopoulos, Lisa Dion, Heather Dominie, Mary Knellinger, Christy McDaniel, Christine Lane and all of our volunteers for their help with shopping, organizing, wrapping, and staffing the Santa Shop. The Santa Shop would not be the success it is without you!

BOOK FAIRY PROJECT

What an AWESOME Spring Mission! Robin’s Nest is joining forces with the GFWC North Pinellas Woman’s Club Book Fairy to collect new and gently used books for adults and children in need. These books are then distributed to health clinics, camps, family centers, classrooms, Habitat for Humanity house warmings, after-school programs, foster care agencies and even parades! This project has been recognized by the GFWC Florida Federation of Women’s Club as an outstanding community improvement program.

Please drop off your new and gently used books in the Robin’s Nest Office!

ROBIN’S NEST REGISTRATION FOR 2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR

Registration begins February 4^th! This year we will be registering currently enrolled families using Sign-Up Genius. All parents are required to complete a new set of application forms. The sign-up link will be sent by email one week prior to registration. Enrollment paperwork can be picked up in The Robin’s Nest office or printed from our website. Please do not skip any lines or information requested. Two checks will be needed at the time of registration, one check for the registration/activity fee, and a voided check for payments through electronic funds transfer. Having every line filled out prior to your scheduled appointment time will allow registration to go smoothly and quickly!

Registration Dates for Currently Enrolled Robin’s Nest Families:

Feb. 4^th – 5^th        VPK registration for currently enrolled 3”s

Jan.6^th – 7^th         3’s registration for currently enrolled 2’s

Feb. 12^th               Registration for all siblings of Robin’s Nest, Westlake Christian, Stars and Comets

Feb. 13^th               Registration for all PHUMC members and previously enrolled families

Feb. 14^th               Open registration!

ILLNESSES

Our school takes the health of our students very seriously and takes many precautions to control the spread of illnesses and to protect the health of your child. There are additional measures you can take at home to protect your child’s health as well, including:

• follow the basic prevention measures of hand washing, cough and sneeze etiquette and regular cleaning of high touch surfaces
• monitor your child for signs and symptoms of illness
• keep your child home from school and other activities when ill
• keep children home until they no longer have symptoms of illness and are feeling well and able to fully participate in daily programs – children must be free of fever and vomiting for 24 hours before returning to school
• seek medical attention if your child becomes ill, especially if they are at increased risk for complications from illness

DATES TO REMEMBER

Jan 7                                        School Resumes

Jan. 9 & 10                               PAC meeting at 9:15 a.m.

Jan. 20                                     School closed – Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday

Jan. 21-31                                 Robin’s Nest Spring Mission Book Drive

Jan. 23                                     Reptile show (special event)

Jan. 28                                     Special Chapel 5-day 3’s

Feb. 4                                       Registration begins

Feb. 17                                     No School – President’s Day

Feb. 20 & 21                             Parent Teacher conferences

Feb. 24                                     Special Chapel 3-day 3’s

Feb. 25                                     Special Chapel 2-day 3’s

Feb. 24 – 28                              Book Fair

Feb. 25 & 26                             Graduation and class pictures

Feb. 27                                     Dads Night 6:30, 3’s and 4’s only