Just a quick note that next week is the book fair and fall festival. Additionally, you will find a few babysitting resources below. Hope to see you all next week.

Book Fair and Fall Festival;

The Book Fair will be open Wednesday afternoon, Thursday 7:30 am to 7:00 pm and Friday until 1:00 pm. You will find several wonderful books that have all been selected by the teachers. Our partner, Penguin Books will donate 18 percent of sales to the Carriage House PTO! It is going to be a great event.  Below, you will find the details for the Fall Festival on Thursday night.

Food, Fun and Entertainment!

Please come for fall family fun.  Where else can you go to petting farm, get balloon animals from a famous Pittsburgh clown, Giggles, decorate pumpkins and eat pizza on a Thursday night?

Where: Carriage House Children’s Center

When: October 14, 2010

Time: 4-7pm

Price: $6 per person/families of 4+ $24 maximum (children under 2 are free!)

Tickets can be purchased the day of the event

Babysitting Resources:

1. The annual babysitting list is now in the office. This list is made up of Carriage House student teachers and teachers who are looking for babysitting opportunities.

2. The Hillel JUC of Pittsburgh, will have a babysitting event where you can meet college students looking for babysitting jobs.

The event is Sunday, October 17, 2010 from 4-5:30 and the address is 4607 Forbes Avenue . There are flyers in the office if you would like one.

Warm Regards,

The PTO

On behalf of the Carriage House Children’s Center Parent Teacher Organization, Welcome to the 2010-2011 school year!

This year the PTO committee will be led by the following parent co-chairs

Ela Lewis –  (children: Frances Morgan, Room 108 and Barron, Toddler room)

Ann Adams – (child: Tatum, Threes Room 101)

Salome Venbrux – (child:  Aiden, Twos Room 105)

Anne Marie Kuchera (child:  Will, Young Toddler Room and recent graduate, Ian)

Samantha Balbier (child: Anna Rose, Young Toddler room and recent graduate, Nathan)

The PTO mission is to maximize the educational experience of the children at Carriage House Children’s Center by: encouraging communication between parents and staff; enhancing parents’ awareness and promoting parents’ involvement; raising and administering funds.

As in the past, the PTO will provide regular updates on Carriage Hourse activities via the PTO Newsletter. Our goal is to facilitate communication between the Carriage House Staff /Teachers and the Parents. The PTO meets monthly on the third Wednesday of each month at 4 pm. The meetings are held at the Carriage House in the second floor conference room. All parents and staff are invited to attend. If you can’t be there live, you are always welcome to use the call in number to join us via conference call. The call in number is 308.344.6400 and the access code is 349021#.  If you are unable to join the meetings, feel free to drop us a note in the suggestion box outside of the office or send us an email. The PTO email address is: chccpto@gmail.com.  All of your questions will be discussed in the monthly meetings and posted afterwards. You may remain anonymous.

The PTO hopes you will find the postings informative and that you will have time to join us in the activities planned for the upcoming year.

This posting will include: a calendar of fall events, teacher appreciation 2010, and staff highlight.

Calendar of Fall Events:

September:

Prospective Room Parent Party: September 15: 4:30-6:00(2^nd floor Conference Room)

Have you signed up to be a room parent this year or would like to learn more about this role?    Please join us for an overview of what room parents do and how to have fun with your child’s class this year.

Carriage House Open House: September 22: 7:00-8:00

Want to know how CHCC is going to educate your child this year? Come meet your child’s teacher and find out about the developmentally appropriate curriculum and activities they have planned for the school year.

PTO Annual School Gift: Vote from September 15-21st

Annually, the parents donate a gift to the school from funds raised the prior year by the PTO. Help choose a gift you think the school and your children will enjoy. You will be able to vote for a school gift in the lobby from September 15-21st. The gift choice will be announced at the open house.

October:

Book Fair and Fall Festival: October 19th-21st

Carriage House will host a book fair in conjunction with Penguin Books from Tuesday, October 19th through Thursday, October 21st. Your child’s teachers will identify age appropriate books that will be for sale during this time.  A Fall Festival will be held on Thursday,  October 21.  This event will replace the Spring Carnival for the year.  There will be food, games, pumpkins and even a petting zoo.

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS FOR ALL DAYS.  Let us know if you are able to assist.  A sign up sheet will be available closer to that time.   Parents or teachers interested in supporting the book fair please contact elablewis@gmail.com.  For interest in the Fall Festival please contact annadams523@gmail.com.

November :

Bake Sale: November 2

Each year on election day, Carriage House hosts a bake sale for the voters in the community, as well as for the families. Bring out your best healthy or not so healthy baked goods. You can even enter a contest for best cookie or healthiest recipe.

December

Room parties and Teacher Appreciation Gifts

Each classroom will have a holiday party in December. This is coordinated by the room parents. It is a chance for parents, teachers and children to mingle. Room parents will also coordinate a teacher appreciation gift leading up to the party.

Teacher and Staff Appreciation 2010:

The next time you see the following teachers and staff at school please congratulate them on their years of service.

35 years: Natalie Kaplan- Founder

20 years: Bob- Building Manager

15 years: Karen- Administrative Assistant

10 years: Amy- Lead Teacher Room 108

5 years:

Sharon Amick- Director

Sharon Jarett Brown-Administrative Assistant

Beth- Toddler Room Teacher

Latasha- Kitchen Staff

Staff Corner:

Lindy LaDue who makes sure all of our children get picked up in time has a great side business as a photographer. If any of you are looking for portraits this fall you can check out her website at:photosby.lindyhazel.com

It is the last month of the school year! Time to pick up our plants and celebrate the great year we had with the children, teachers and each other. Please read the May newsletter to get details on our room parents, the Plant Sale, and the 35th anniversary celebration.

Room Parent Thank You and End of the Year Parties!

This month instead of featuring only one parent the PTO would like to send a million thank yous and celebrate the 2009-2010 room parents!  We know how much work you put in this year to coordinate the room parties, teacher gifts, auction baskets and general teacher support.   Please see a list of all the room parents below and give them a round of applause at the end of the year parties starting this week!
Infant Room: Donna Doebler,  Diane Katz and Ela Lewis
Young Toddlers: Mandy Simons and Tom Werner
Toddler Room: Chandra Marriott, Salome Venbrux and Kristen Hankinson
Twos (105):Dorian Levine, Kate Black, and Lisa Haley Huff
2×2: Karen Werstil 
3×3: Amanda Shapira 
Threes (101): Regina Parundik, Erika Forbes and Lynette Will
102: Ellen Davis and Anne Marie Kuchera
107: Kara Rock and Ela Lewis
108: Samantha Balbier and Magaen Reilly

Thirty-Fifth Anniversary Celebration : May 22nd

 Help us celebrate 35 years of providing outstanding early childhood education at the Carriage House Children’s Center.We will be recognizing Natalie A. Kaplan as the founding director of the Carriage House. Although Natalie’s title will soon change from “Executive Director” to “President and Founder”, she will continue to be actively involved with the Center. At the celebration, we will also announce the “Natalie Adler Kaplan Scholarship”, which is designed to offer tuition assistance for children who attend the center.

Carnival:  We have the whole block of Carriage House which  includes the Field and Playground across the street.  Bring friends, family and neighbors!  

Please join us for some family fun rain or shine (10am-2pm).

There will be live entertainment, balloon twisting, the Purple Panda and Mr. McFeeley, crafts, vendor booths, silent auction and great food!
Ticket sales are ongoing!    Tickets may be purchased online:www.regonline.com/carriagehouse35  or in the office.

Interested in volunteering an hour or two for the carnival?  Please email Ann Adams annadams523@gmail.com

Evening Event: The evening event is being led by Natalie and the Board Chair, Ed Saitz.  The cost for the event is thirty five dollars and tickets can be purchased either online via the following link.

The agenda for the evening:

5:30 to 7:00pm: Appetizers, desserts, and beverages on the main floor

6:00 to 7:00pm: Tours of the building

7:00 to 7:30pm: Program in the Gymnasium

7:30 to 10:30pm: Raffle of unique items and Cabaret music

Tickets for both events can be purchased online via the following link:www.regonline.com/carriagehouse35 or in the office.

Plant Sale: Pick up your plants this Thursday, May 6th.

Thank you to Kara Rock and Katherine Mazzey for coordinating the plant sale. Thank  you to all who ordered plants! Don’t forget to stop by Claudia’s Garden this month and see all the beautiful plants the children in the preschool are cultivating with a little adult guidance.

Warm Regards,

The PTO

Spring is here. Please read the April newsletter to get details on the Plant Sale, 35th anniversary celebration, End of the Year Parties and Gifting, Food Drive support, Breast Cancer Research, Barefoot Books and our featured Parent of the Month, Michelle Figlar.

Thirty-Fifth Anniversary Celebration : May 22nd

 Help us celebrate 35 years of providing outstanding early childhood education at the Carriage House Children’s Center.We will be recognizing Natalie A. Kaplan as the founding director of the Carriage House. Although Natalie’s title will soon change from “Executive Director” to “President and Founder”, she will continue to be actively involved with the Center. At the celebration, we will also announce the “Natalie Adler Kaplan Scholarship”, which is designed to offer tuition assistance for children who attend the center.

Carnival: 

Please join us for some family fun rain or shine (10am-2pm).

There will be live entertainment, crafts, relay races, vendor booths, raffle items and great food!
Ticket sales start this week.  Take advantage of early bird registration in April.  Tickets may be purchased online:www.regonline.com/carriagehouse35  or in the office.

Interested in volunteering an hour or two for the carnival?  Please email Ann Adams annadams523@gmail.com

Evening Event: The evening event is being led by Natalie and the Board Chair, Ed Saitz.  The cost for the event is thirty five dollars and tickets can be purchased either online via the following link.

The agenda for the evening:

5:30 to 7:00pm: Appetizers, desserts, and beverages on the main floor

6:00 to 7:00pm: Tours of the building

7:00 to 7:30pm: Program in the Gymnasium

7:30 to 10:30pm: Raffle of unique items and Cabaret music

Tickets for both events can be purchased online via the following link:www.regonline.com/carriagehouse35 or in the office.

End of the Year Room Parties:

May will be a month of festivities, including year-end room parties and spring teacher gifting. As a result of parent comments, 2009 holiday gifts were anonymous. After which, we received further input that some parents would rather sign cards and teachers’ missed the opportunity to thank those who gave gifts. Monetary gifting is always a tricky subject but it is our gift so if you have ideas and comments,please email karalrock@yahoo.com.

Parents Corner:

In addition to being Grady and Tilly Quinlan’s mom, Michelle Figlar is the Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children. (PAEYC).

PAEYC is the local affiliate of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC),  through which Carriage House Children’s Center has received accreditation.  PAEYC, with nearly 1,500 members, supports high quality early care and education, through professional development, community resources, and advocacy for the needs and rights of children, their families, and the individuals who work with them.  CHCC teachers are members of PAEYC, and extremely active in committees and professional development activities.

Each April, PAEYC and the community celebrate the Month of the Young Child!  The Month of the Young Child focuses public attention on the needs of young children and their families and to recognize early childhood programs. This is a wonderful time to celebrate children, and their teachers.  There will be many activities happening throughout the month, including a celebration dinner for teachers and special family activities at the Carnegie Library celebrating One Book, Every Young Child www.paonebook.org.  You can visit www.pghaeyc.org to find more activities.   April is also an opportunity for us as parents to reach out to our elected officials and let them know how important quality early childhood education is – you can visit www.papromise.org to learn more about the state-wide campaign, and to sign the PA Promise declaration.    Every signature counts!   Also visit www.governforkids.org/2010/

to learn more about outreach to gubernatorial candidates. The most fun fact about PAEYC is that our offices are right upstairs on the second floor.  Please stop in anytime to learn more about our programs that serve our teachers – or to get involved.   We invite you to join us this April in celebrating our teachers, our children and the Month of the Young Child! 

Plant Sale:

The Plant Sale is here. You should be receiving your order forms this week.

If you are like me you are ready for tomato, basil and mozarella sandwiches and for the annual Carriage House Children’s Center  plant sale!  Each year, around Mother’s Day, a large truck of locally sourced fresh herbs, vegetables and flowers take over the Carriage House parking lot. This is made possible with the efforts of parent and staff volunteers with a large amount of the proceeds going back to the school.  This year the Plant Sale co-chairs are Katherine Mazey and Kara Rock.  They will kick off the plant sale the first week in April.  If you do not have a green thumb and the thought of caring for anything green scares you, then there is still an opportunity to contribute by providing plants for Claudia’s Garden.  On the order form there will be a box where you can choose to donate to the garden.  A description of the garden is below. If you would like to volunteer and did not sign up in the Fall, please email Kara Rock at karalrock@yahoo.com

Claudia’s Garden
Claudia Saitz was the Program Director at Carriage House for 29 years.  When Claudia announced that she was retiring to garden and keep bees, the idea to create a garden in her name was born.  Claudia’s Garden, which is in raised beds on the playground was designed and built by Carriage House staff.  The plants—a variety of flowers and vegetables—were planned, planted and tended by the children and teachers.  Each year we will honor Claudia’s time at Carriage House by planting beautiful flowers and delicious fruits and vegetables. 
 
Aside from the commemorative aspect of Claudia’s Garden, there are the educational and environmental aspects as well.  As the children take part in the planting and all it entails, they are exposed to a variety of science, math, social, motor, and language experiences.  They learn about plant life and the environment as they watch the plants grow, as they taste various fruits and vegetables, as they re-plant seeds. The garden is an important part of Carriage House Children’s Center’s aim to be a Green place for children and families.

Barefoot Books:

If you are looking for a great website to buy books from, look no further.  Barefoot Books has unique children’s titles and they will donate part of the profits back to the Carriage House.  Nikole Bournias Fiedler, mother of Alexsandra in the two morning twos, has spearheaded this effort. Please visit the site at www.barefootbooks.com.  If you decide to buy books please use this id at checkout:  000-0bhr.

The next PTO meeting is Wednesday, April 21st at noon. The more the merrier.  Please join us, you don’t even have to be there. We have a call in number. Send us an email if you want to call in and we will send the number. RSVP to elablewis@gmail.com

Thank you for all of your support with the initiatives to date and please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns regarding the PTO. The suggestion box is outside the office or comment on the blog.

Food Drive and Breast Cancer Research:

During the month of April, Carriage House is supporting the Boys Scouts Food Drive.  Please look for signs throughout the building, and boxes in the lobby and hallways for collection of non-perishable food items.  Thanks to Sue Hamm (YT teacher) and Judy Kaplan (104 teacher) for organizing our part in this community event!
 
Carriage House is also supporting Breast Cancer research by forming a team for the Race for the Cure.  You should have received an email about this event and the various ways to contribute.  Please look for signs to be posted soon.  Thanks to Melissa Sevimli (102 teacher) for heading this event!
 

Warm Regards,

The PTO

Thirty-Fifth Anniversary Celebration : May 22nd

Natalie Kaplan and her dedicated team have been taking care of the youngest members in our community for 35 years. Please come and celebrate all that she has achieved and what is still to come on May 22nd at both of the celebratory events.

Carnival: The Carnival is being co-chaired by Ann Adams and Salome Venbrux.  Ann’s son Tatum is in the Two’s Room and Salome’s son Aiden is in the Toddler Room.  The planning has begun and there are several ways to still get involved with one of the great committees.  They are still looking for an activities chair and volunteers for the following comittees: food, logistics and marketing and sales.   Please email Ann if you are interested in helping: annadams523@gmail.com

Evening Event: The evening event is being led by Natalie and the Board President, Ed Saitz.  The tentative start time is 5pm. More details to follow soon.

Tickets will go on sale for both events at the beginning of April.

Parents Corner:

This month’s featured parent is Cathy Lewis, Executive Director, from the Sprout Fund. Cathy’s son Matthew is in the four year old room.

Founded in 2001, The Sprout Fund is a nonprofit organization supporting grassroots community projects that are catalyzing change in Pittsburgh. From seeding small-scale community initiatives, to creating new works of public art, to building a stronger and more connected region, The Sprout Fund plays a critical role in Pittsburgh’s ongoing transformation.

Spark is a funding program of The Sprout Fund supporting projects that engage children ages birth to eight through the creative use of technology and media. Spark challenges individuals, organizations, and communities to generate inventive solutions to issues and opportunities facing today’s young child.  From the playground to the classroom, Spark initiatives empower kids to live, learn and play creatively while addressing critical needs in their growth and development.

With more than $3.5 million invested in the innovative ideas, creative people, and young and emerging leaders of our region, The Sprout Fund is one of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s leading agencies on issues related to civic engagement, talent attraction and retention, public art, and catalytic small-scale funding. 

 Please visit the website at www.sproutfund.org to find out more.  

Plant Sale:

If you are like me you are ready for tomato, basil and mozarella sandwiches and for the annual Carriage House Children’s Center  plant sale!  Each year, around Mother’s Day, a large truck of locally sourced fresh herbs, vegetables and flowers take over the Carriage House parking lot. This is made possible with the efforts of parent and staff volunteers with a large amount of the proceeds going back to the school.  This year the Plant Sale co-chairs are Katherine Mazey and Kara Rock.  They will kick off the plant sale the first week in April.  If you do not have a green thumb and the thought of caring for anything green scares you, then there is still an opportunity to contribute by providing plants for Claudia’s Garden.  On the order form there will be a box where you can choose to donate to the garden.  A description of the garden is below. If you would like to volunteer and did not sign up in the Fall, please email Kara Rock at karalrock@yahoo.com

Claudia’s Garden
Claudia Saitz was the Program Director at Carriage House for 29 years.  When Claudia announced that she was retiring to garden and keep bees, the idea to create a garden in her name was born.  Claudia’s Garden, which is in raised beds on the playground was designed and built by Carriage House staff.  The plants—a variety of flowers and vegetables—were planned, planted and tended by the children and teachers.  Each year we will honor Claudia’s time at Carriage House by planting beautiful flowers and delicious fruits and vegetables. 
 
Aside from the commemorative aspect of Claudia’s Garden, there are the educational and environmental aspects as well.  As the children take part in the planting and all it entails, they are exposed to a variety of science, math, social, motor, and language experiences.  They learn about plant life and the environment as they watch the plants grow, as they taste various fruits and vegetables, as they re-plant seeds. The garden is an important part of Carriage House Children’s Center’s aim to be a Green place for children and families.

Barefoot Books:

If you are looking for a great website to buy books from, look no further.  Barefoot Books has unique children’s titles and they will donate part of the profits back to the Carriage House.  Nikole Bournias Fiedler, mother of Alexsandra in the two morning twos, has spearheaded this effort. Please visit the site at www.barefootbooks.com.  If you decide to buy books please use this id at checkout:  000-0bhr.

The next PTO meeting is Wednesday, March 24th at four PM. The more the merrier.  Please join us, you don’t even have to be there. We have a call in number. Send us an email if you want to call in and we will send the number. RSVP to elablewis@gmail.com

Thank you for all of your support with the initiatives to date and please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns regarding the PTO. The suggestion box is outside the office or comment on the blog.

Warm Regards,

The PTO

In celebration of a short month, this newsletter will be short too! Happy February.

Thirty-Fifth Anniversary Celebration : May 22nd

Carnival: The Carnival is being co-chaired by Ann Adams and Salome Venbrux.  Ann’s son Tatum is in the Two’s Room and Salome’s son Aiden is in the Toddler Room.  The kick off planning meeting is this Saturday, February 6th from 3.30 to 5:00 pm at the Coffee Tree on Walnut Street in Shady Side.  It is not too late to get involved. Please email Ann at if you are interested in helping: annadams523@gmail.com

Evening Event: The evening event is being led by the by Natalie and the Board President, Ed Saitz. It will be a an evening events for adults. The rumor is that it is the spring event not to be missed, so get your babysitter now.   Specific Details to follow.

Parents Corner: Dory and David Levine

The PTO has received a warm response to introducing parents who are doing interesting things so we will keep the introductions flowing.  Please send us suggestions on the featured parent(s) or teacher.

Dory and David Levine are the parents of Haley in the Two’s Room and Thomas in the young toddler room.  Dory has a successful catering business called Dorian’s catering and David is President of a great company called NuGo.

NuGo’s mission is to help people make better snack
choices without compromising on flavor. We never use hydrogenated oils or
trans fats in our products and, unlike our competitors, we never use waxy
vegetable fat compounds in place of real, delicious chocolate. We use only
all natural, top quality ingredients like real milk chocolate and
antioxidant-rich real dark chocolate to make our bars the best tasting,
healthiest options available.

NuGo is an independent food company dedicated to producing the finest,
healthiest, most delicious products.  It was created by people who were
looking for better snack options.  NuGo is the fastest growing Lifestyle
Brand in the Natural Foods category.
Today NuGo makes 7 different kinds of bars for different healthy lifestyles
including our NuGo Family line, gourmet NuGo Dark, completely organic NuGO
Organic, our certified gluten free NuGO Free line, plus many more.   We
continually respond to our customers’ requests for new and improved
nutritional products with exceptional flavor and taste. Healthier choices
from the nutrition conscious folks at NuGo will be at a store near you soon
with more products debuting each year.

NuGo is proudly headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA with additional offices in
San Francisco and New York.  www.nugonutrition.com

Other Updates:

-Giggles the Clown is no longer at Gullifty’s on Tuesday nights. We apologize if you tried to visit her and missed her.

-Don’t forget that Fiddlesticks with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is on the 27th. See the January newsletter for details.

- A Wightman school community open house is being planned for early spring. The goal is to introduce you to all the great resources in the building. I.e: Little Linguists, Spanish Class, Ballet, etc..

-The next PTO meeting is Wednesday, February 24th at noon. The more the merrier.  Please join us, you don’t even have to be there. We have a call in number. Send us an email if you want to call in and we will send the number. RSVP to elablewis@gmail.com

Thank you for all of your support with the initiatives to date and please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns regarding the PTO. The suggestion box is outside the office or comment on the blog.

Warm Regards,

The PTO

Happy 2010. I can’t believe we are already half way through January.   Here are a few updates on the book sale and art drive, as well as, updates on upcoming events.

Book Fair and Family Night: A great success!

Michelle Figlar(Parent) and Wendy Chapin(CHCC progam director) did a fabulous job organizing a wonderful book fair and family night. From the signs to the book selection I think we can all agree that it exceeded our expectations. Here is a summary of the details. Joseph Beth sold approximately 7000 dollars worth of books, with 1400 dollars going to the Carriage House.  Parents purchased 112 books for the classrooms.  The attendance at family night was over 150 people.

  Additionally, there were a large number of volunteers and donors including:

Pizza contribution from Michael Staunton, a past parent.  Papa John’s Pizza on Centre Avenue in Shadyside
 
Raffle contributors:
Shapria family (104) donated the family game selection
Little Linguists donated gift basket and free session, offers language classes upstairs on second floor, office has brochures on details
Children’s Museum donated free Family Membership
Pittsburgh International Children’s Theater donated a total of 4 tickets to some of this season’s performances
Color Me Mine on Forbes avenue donated $20 worth of studio time, owner Allison Rhodes is a past Carriage House Children’s Center parent and teacher DSixDesign donated 8 rolls of gift wrap, designed by current CHCC parent Sarah Sirlin
 
Beginning with Books contributed educational literature for parents on selecting books.  “Readarella” came and read at the Family Fun Night.
 
Teachers Caroline Eckert (Infant Room) and Katie Petrarulo (Infant Room and 104) performed various songs, demonstrated various instruments
 
Christina from Little Linguists read a book
 
Jonathan Aldrich, current parent (Evelyn 104, Sierra 102) performed Puff the Magic Dragon (played violin) while daughter Sierra (102) turned pages of the book
 
Marla Ripoll, current parent (Nora 104) read Dinosaur Roar in Spanish
 
Michelle Figlar read a book
 
Allesandro Bisello, current parent (Margherita, Toddler Room) played guitar
 
Mandy Simons, Isaac’s mom (Young Toddlers) read a book
 
Sarah Amick, daughter of Sharon Amick played electric guitar

Raffle Winners:

Little Linguists Gift Basket and Gift Certificate:   The Wald/Weisfield Family

DSix Design gift wrap:  The Rosen Family

 Children’s Museum Family Membership:   The Offner/Warren Family

 Children’s Theater Tickets:   The Allen Family

 Color Me Mine Gift Certificate:   The Valle Family/Reilly Family

 Family Game Selection: The Generett Family

Art Supply Drive: A Slam Dunk

 Thank you to all of the parents who took the time to save their recycled items for the art supply drive. The collection of materials was such a success that it had to be closed five days early.  The teachers could not be happier.  If anyone is an organizing whiz and has a few hours to help us organize the contributions please let us know via email at elablewis@gmail.com

The Tiny Dot: 

Thank you to Shelley Walker Pieklik for donating part of her sales in December to the Carriage House.

Sweater Donations to India: 

Thank you to all the parents that donated sweaters to Sue in the Young Toddler room for families in India.

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra:

Jodi Weisfield was one of the first graduates of the Carriage House program a few years ago and now has two children enrolled in the pre-school program. Additionally, Jodi works with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and recently told us about a wonderful program for young children. She was even able to get Carriage House families a discount.  Please see the details below.

Fiddlesticks Family Concerts
Songs Around the Globe
Saturday, February 27, 2010-11:15 AM Heinz Hall
Discovery Time Adventures at 10:00 AM

Lawrence Loh, conductor

Want to play? Experience the ways in which music has been handed down throughout the generations and incorporated into our children’s favorite games around the globe. Whether you are at a sporting event or in your own backyard, music is found in the games we play. Feel like you are sitting in the stands as we sing along to Take Me Out to the Ballgame! The suggested age range is 3-8 years old, however, we were told some younger children attend as well.

Special Discounted Tickets for Carriage House Families: $12 & $15
To order call 412.392.4819 and say you are from the Carriage House

35th Anniversary Celebration- Save the Date

CHCC is turning 35 this year. In order to celebrate the PTO will be helping coordinate three events on the 21st and 22nd of May. Details to follow. 

Giggles the Clown at Gullifty’s of Tuesday nights:

If you are looking for entertainment for your children and an easy dinner you should check out Gullifity’s on Tuesday nights. http://www.gulliftysrestaurant.com/ 

Starting January 19th through February 16th Giggles will be present for Family Night.   Children are mesmorized by her and she can make the most amazing things out of balloons. We have been amazed at her ability to make a dragon, hot air ballon and even a multi-colored balloon purse.  The PTO has a few gift cards donated by Giggles for 5 dollars off your meal. If you would like one, stop by the office.  The gift cards are only valid for Tuesday night.

Babysitter List:

Carriage House provides a babysitter list to families enrolled in the program.  Many of the babysitters are teachers and staff at the center. Please stop by the office and request the Babysitter list. It is one of the many wonderful resources that Carriage House provides to the CHCC community.

Have a great month.

The PTO

We have the wish list and dates for the art supply drive in January.   The dates of the drive will be January 5th and 19th. There will be a table set up in lobby to collect your goods. Each family that donates items will be entered into a raffle.

Please bring any of the following items:
Ribbon (cloth not curly)
Paper towel tubes
Cardboard (cut up from cereal or cracker boxes)
Single serving yogurt cups
Wrapping paper(scraps, too)
Tissue paper
Buttons( various sizes but not too small)
Envelopes( junk mail)
White paper plates( we use these for record player art)
Felt
Newspaper

Thank you!

The PTO

There are many things planned on the calendar for this month.  We hope that  you will be able to participate in some or all of the activities. 

Book Fair and Family Night: December 2,3, and 4

The book fair is this week in the main lobby area of the Carriage House.   The books have been carefully chosen by the teachers for educational merit.  You will have the opportunity to buy books for your own family as well as for the children’s classrooms.  The books will be segmented by age, and a teacher wish list will be on display for each room.  The book fair will be run by Joseph Beth Booksellers.  Cash and checks are the preferred form of payment. However, credit cards will be accepted.  The Carriage House PTO will receive 20% of the sales from the event.

On Thursday, December 3rd there will be a family night.  Admission is three dollars per person. Please pre-pay in the office.    There will be dinner, games, face painting, and story time. 

Volunteers are still needed.  If you have time to volunteer, we need your help.  Please email Wendy Chapin at: wendy@carriagehouse.org

The Tiny Dot: Giving you 15 % off and Donating 15% of Sales to the PTO December 8th-12th

As some of you may know, Shelley Walker Pieklik has an adorable daughter Dot who attends the Carriage House. She also owns a beautiful children’s boutique in Shadyside called the Tiny Dot.  The boutique is located at 5871 Ellsworth Avenue.  

Shelley has offered to sponsor a shopping fundraiser for the PTO.  She will discount all merchandise 15% and Shelley will donate  15% of sales  between Tuesday, December 8th and Saturday, December 12th when the Carriage House is mentioned at checkout. The store is open on Tuesday from 10:30am to 5pm and Wednesday-Saturday from 10:30am- 6pm.  Please remember to mention the Carriage House.

Parents, teachers and friends of the Carriage House may also purchase items online at: http://thetinydot.com/ Please enter the code: CARRIAGE09 at checkout.   

Elise Brown: Jewelry Designer donating 20% of sales to CHCC

Elise Brown, a former parent and jewelry designer will be selling her designs on December 10^th in the main lobby between 3-6pm. She will donate 20% of her sales to Carriage House 

Elise Brown: Jewelry Designer donating 20% of sales to CHCC

Elise Brown, a former parent and jewelry designer will be selling her designs on December 10^th in the main lobby between 3-6pm. She will donate 20% of her sales to Carriage House

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle- January 2009

Before the school year started, the teachers requested that the PTO help with providing art materials.  The prerequisite was that the items must be recycled to support the school’s green initiatives.

During January, we will have two recycle collection days where you can reduce your waste by donating it to the Carriage House.  The teachers will reuse/recycle it into creative art projects.  We will let you know what specific items the teachers are looking for in the next few weeks.

Have a great month.

The PTO

Annual Bake Sale: A Success!

The first fall activity,the Annual Bake Sale, was very successful bringing in $498.00. Susan Rattner, mother of Jacob Rattner in room 102 led the event. She had volunteers for every hour of the day and by 6 pm the table was almost completely sold out!!   Thank you to Susan, the parents and the Carriage House staff who helped with baking, setting up and manning the table throughout the day. 

Book Fair:  Save the Date

Where: Carriage House Children’s Center

When: December 2-4. (Community/Family night : December 3rd)

Joseph Beth Booksellers has partnered with us on the most requested parent activity, the Book Fair!  If you are not familiar with Joseph Beth you should visit.

Joseph Beth will provide books and other educational materials for the fair with 20% of the proceeds going to the Carraige House PTO. The items have  been chosen by CHCC teachers and parents with a focus on items that are developmentally appropriate and enhance language and literacy development. Parents will also have the opportunities to purchase pre-selected books for each classroom.

During this three day event, CHCC will provide educational opportunities for the parents as well as a community event/family night on Thursday, December 3rd,that will include dinner and story time activities for the children.  If you would like to volunteer to help, please contact Michelle Figlar at mfiglar@pghaeyc.org.

Other Updates: 

Suggestions that were made in the month of October will be posted on the bulletin board outside of the office with a reply from the Carriage House directors. 

Please keep making suggestions. The green suggestion envelope is on the bulletin board outside of the office. We will continue to check the envelope each month, review the comments at each PTO meeting and post replies on the bulletin board. 

-The next PTO meeting is Thursday, November 19th at noon. All parents and teachers are invited to attend. Please email Ela Lewis if you would like to attend either live or via phone. elablewis@gmail.com

-Don’t forget that there is a holiday this  month and the center will be closed at the end of the month. Please reference the school calendar.

-Last but not least, the 35th anniversary party planning is under way. The Carriage House Administration is deciding on dates and format. As soon as we have an update we will let you know. Thank you to everyone who has already volunteered, you will be contacted shortly. 

Warm Regards,

The PTO