With school in full swing this week, Plymouth is full of the bustle of children learning and playing. Our specialist teachers in music and movement, art, and library began working with the children and I look forward to enjoying their collaborations whether it be a painting, sculpture, dance, song or a great story.

Family Handbook

For your reference we have uploaded the 2024-2025 Family Handbook to the Families tab on our website.

Early Bird

Early Bird begins on Monday, September 23rd. Let us know if you are interested in joining and we can send you the registration link. This year we are offering single day drop-ins that you can use as needed.

Children may be dropped off each morning between 8:30am and 9:00am either in the gym or the playground. The children will have the opportunity to play and socialize under the supervision of Plymouth teachers. At 9:00am, your child’s classroom teacher will pick them up and bring them to class.

Families with children in our Pineapple and Orange Rooms may be eligible to participate in Early Bird. Please get in touch with Adrienne to discuss your child’s possible participation.

Parent Talk with Kate Wechsler

Come meet Kate Wechsler, LCW, our wonderful Psychological Consultant, on Friday, September 27th at 9:15am and learn some of Kate’s favorite tried and true parenting tips.

Kate has been working with Plymouth for over 25 years and families have found her practical advice and thoughtful insights so helpful as they tackle the conundrums of parenting. Beginning in October, Plymouth will be hosting monthly office hours with Kate which provide an opportunity for you to meet individually with her to talk about issues and concerns and get support. These meetings will be on Zoom. We will send information on how to sign up for a meeting in the next few weeks.

Big Green Room Open House

On Wednesday, October 16th at 6:00pm we are having an Open House for families in our 4s to learn all about the BGR. We encourage you to come and meet the teaching team, see the beautiful classroom and learn about the rich literacy and math curriculum we have developed for our fives.

Often, the best choice for a child is to stay at Plymouth for another year. Our fives program is what I like to call “joyfully academic.” We balance rigorous academic skill building with plentiful opportunities to play in an open-ended manner. Children also gain important leadership skills in their role as our oldest students.

Open House

We are hosting an Open House for prospective families on Saturday, October 19th from

10:00am -12:00pm. Please spread the word to your friends in the community. Children are welcome.

Upcoming Dates

September

24 - Curriculum Night and Potluck for Parents of 2s and 3s
26 - Curriculum Night and Potluck for Parents of 4s and 5s
27 - Parent Talk with Kate Wechsler

October

3 - School Closed for Rosh Hashanah
4 - Parent Talk with Elizabeth Young, Curriculum and Learning Specialist
11 – Chapel begins (children only the first week)
14 - School Closed
16 – Big Green Room Open House for Parents in our 4s
19 - Open House for Prospective Families

What a fantastic first week at Plymouth! What a joy it has been to welcome everyone back to school, and how lucky are we to have this perfect weather. The children have been busy making new friends, happily reuniting with old pals, getting to know their new teachers and exploring our beautiful campus. Have a wonderful weekend and we will see you on Monday!

Arrival

Each day we will open both gates to Beecher Garden. When you arrive at school, if one gate is very crowded, please check to see if there is less congestion at the other. This will help us keep arrival flowing smoothly.

Dismissal

Children are signed out and picked up from inside their classrooms.

There are two afternoon dismissal times:

2:45 PM – Orange, Cranberry, Willow, Red, Purple, Big Green
2:50 PM – Little Green, Pineapple, Blue

Please wait until your designated dismissal time to enter the building. Children with a 2:50 dismissal are not ready to be dismissed at 2:45, and the hallways quickly become crowded with waiting adults and families are not able to easily and safely exit the building. We know that many of you have after school plans, but please be patient so dismissal can happen in a smooth and safe manner. It is important that you share this information with your caregivers so we can all work together.

Hand Washing

Don’t forget to take your child to the bathroom and wash their hands before going to your classroom. We have learned that frequent handwashing makes a noticeable difference in curbing the spread of infectious diseases. It is also a Department of Health requirement.

Attendance

It is important that you notify both the school administrator at pcsadmin@plymouthchurch.org and your classroom teachers if your child will be absent for any reason. For safety reasons it is essential that we know who is in attendance at all times.

Caregiver Welcome/Orientation

Caregivers are an integral part of our Plymouth community and we want to welcome them on Thursday, September 19th at 9:00am. Please encourage your caregivers to attend this important orientation meeting. We will share our Family Handbook with them and go over some of the procedures and protocols to best support everyone in our community. We will have bagels and coffee in the Reception Room. Children in their care are always welcome.

Parent Talk with Anne Burns for 4s and 5s Families

On Friday September 20th at 9:15 AM, Anne Burns, the Brooklyn Representative from the Parents League, will be at Plymouth in the Reception Room to talk about ongoing schools. It is always beneficial to hear another perspective on the process and the Parents League is a trusted resource for NYC families who are applying out.

Parent Talk with Kate Wechsler

Come meet Kate Wechsler, LCW, our wonderful Psychological Consultant, who will lead a parent talk on Friday, September 27th at 9:15 AM. Kate has been working with Plymouth for over 25 years, and families have found her practical advice and thoughtful insights so helpful. 

Upcoming Dates

September
19 - Caregiver Welcome/Orientation
20 - Parent Talk with Anne Burns for parents of 4s and 5s
24 - Curriculum Night and Potluck for Parents of 2s and 3s
26 - Curriculum Night and Potluck for Parents of 4s and 5s
27 - Parent Talk with Kate Wechsler

October
3 - School Closed for Rosh Hashanah
4 - Parent Talk with Elizabeth Young, Curriculum and Learning Specialist
14 - School Closed
19 - Open House for Prospective Families

Our classrooms wait in abeyance ready to welcome the energy, love and laughter that will soon fill our spaces. Plymouth is all set for opening day. The sense of freshness and anticipation I feel as I walk through the hallways today is in fact the result of countless hours of work by so many people to prepare our beloved building for the new school year. All PCS spaces have been fully painted, beautiful new floors have been installed on the second floor, new window treatments grace the windows and our historic woodwork had received a restoration. The scale and scope of this project was enormous. Bravo to the reset team, the entire Plymouth community thanks you!

Teachers have begun to make their classroom spaces their own. Their love is in evidence in the details.

Plymouth’s walls await your children’s drawings, paintings, and stories. We cannot wait to welcome you all to our refreshed and renewed school. Welcome!