Dear Park’s Edge Preschool Families:
Yeah…summer is finally here! We are excited to see every smiling face at Park’s Edge Preschool this summer… mask-free! Park’s Edge Preschool upheld the mask mandate until the end of the school year, June 11th. The Hales Corners Health Department held a vaccine clinic for the Park’s Edge Preschool staff in March 2021. The Department of Children and Families and the CDC are no longer mandating masks. The PEP staff has been looking forward to communicating with the children and creating trust through the universal language of a smile.
You may have noticed we have added some new smiling faces to our teaching staff this summer. Ms. Marisa and Ms. Meghan, both new, recently graduated from college and are filling in for the summer to help us cover PEP’s seasoned staff summer vacations, etc. Ms. Marisa Stahl will be joining the Kenosha School District in late August as a Speech Therapist. Ms. Meghan Klement is a special education teacher, who will be joining Mount Pleasant in the fall as a 4K teacher. Ms. Emily Hoefer, returned to PEP this summer as a recent Alverno graduate, with a double major. She is considering returning to school in the fall for a master’s degree in special education. PEP is fortunate to recruit such talent even if it is only for the summer season. Congratulations to all 3 staff!
Gee, why does summer have to go so fast? Monday, June 14th we kicked off our summer program and we are rolling…on two, three, or four wheels. This year we get to measure the children’s progress riding their wheeled toys because we have scheduled 3 ‘Bike Days’ this summer: Friday, June 18, Thursday, July 1, and Friday, August 6. Park’s Edge Preschool’s bike blessing with Pastor Bill is scheduled for Thursday, July 1st. Every child at PEP will bring a wheeled toy and helmet (bikes, trikes, and PEP’s strollers too) to be blessed. A ‘thank you to Pastor Bill for blessing our bikes and starting our summer safely and spiritually. It is fun to see the wide range of children’s bike riding abilities. We look forward to the progress they developed in their bike riding skills over the summer!
PEP’s ‘Bike Blessing’, on Thursday, July 1st, at 10 am, will give us an opportunity to honor Pastor Bill with a ‘Sad Farewell’ send-off. Pastor Bill has faithfully served Emanuel Church/Park’s Edge Preschool for 14 years. He and his wife Anne are now being called to the southwest, to sunny Arizona. Park’s Edge Preschool has been blessed with Pastor Bill’s presence and spiritual guidance since September 2007. He has played an active role in Park’s Edge Preschool’s Bike Blessing for the past decade and has contributed to ‘PEP’s Birthday Party for Jesus’ every Christmas season, including this past year’s ‘Jesus’ Birthday Party Celebration-To-Go’! The PEP staff and children have something special planned for Pastor Bill. A t-shirt bearing the phrase ‘Hands down, #1 Pastor’ with children and staff handprints all around. Safe travels and best wishes on your next adventure Pastor Bill, PEP will miss your spirit! Pastor Bill’s last sermon at Emanuel Church will be Sunday, August 1st at 9:30 am. An Interim Pastor will be announced soon. I will keep you posted on this exciting transition at Emanuel Church/Park’s Edge Preschool. Park’s Edge Preschool’s summer highlight for 2021 will be a Carnival Night for a ‘PEP Family Summer Celebration’. It is scheduled for Thursday, August 26th, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.
Our goal is to bring all PEP families together as we close to summer and welcome new families for the 2021-2022 school year. We are in the planning stages so stay tuned for all the fun details. Some of the details in the works already are for all ages big and small and include our old family favorites: A Fishing Game, Bean Bag Toss, Tic-Tac-Toe, Duck Pond, and Dino Egg Dig to name a few. We also will offer a special feature of a photo booth with props for family photos and special smiling memories! Food, family entertainment, and fun are in the works…so come one and all to the carnival…watch for an invitation in your family mailbox with details soon. The Park’s Edge Preschool bus is going places this summer…Fun summer field trips for children ages 4 and up are scheduled at many of the Milwaukee County Parks this summer. What a great way to connect children with nature to learn more about God’s great creation and the larger community. Why is it that when we are having a great time summer goes so fast? Yes, it is that time of year already when PEP polls families on continued care at PEP this fall/schoolyear 21-22. Enclosed is a fall family enrollment survey form for you to complete and return to PEP by Friday, July 23rd. Thank you.
Park’s Edge Preschool is closed Monday, July 5th to celebrate the United States’ 244th Birthday! Regular tuition charges are applied. Please have a safe and happy family holiday celebration!
Sincerely,
Ellen M. Kvalheim, Director