Dear CNS Families,
Soon, during our upcoming spring picnic/annual meeting on April 27, we will vote in new board members for July 2024, making space for new families to steward the future of the school. This yearly tradition is one of my favorites! In my four years here, I have served in various roles on the Board of Directors – President, Co-President, & Secretary.
In each of these roles, working alongside dedicated parents, teachers, and of course Rachel, I have seen firsthand the power of collective effort and shared vision in shaping the future of our school. It has been an absolute privilege to witness the remarkable transformation of CNS over this time.
From the establishment of our beautiful art studio to the launch of nature school programming, every milestone has been a testament to our commitment to providing the best possible learning environment for our children. And now, we’re embarking on the exciting journey of adding a new classroom space.
My role on the board allowed me to have a hand and a voice in all of these changes. As I move on, I want to extend a heartfelt invitation to each of you to consider taking on my role of Secretary on the Board of Directors. Your fresh perspectives, enthusiasm and dedication are vital to the continued success of our school. By becoming actively involved, you not only contribute to shaping the future of CNS but also forge meaningful connections within our community.
Amidst the excitement of new beginnings, there is also a twinge of sadness; I will miss the warmth of our families and the sense of belonging that permeates every corner of our school. Still, it brings me so much joy to know what lasting change my work at CNS will leave for future students!
Sincerely,
Liz Kelly
Board Secretary
What's New
Save The Dates
April 21 at 10am: The Spring Work Party
April 27 at 10:30am: Annual Picnic & Meeting (Rain Date: April 28 at 12:30pm)
June 1: Little Folks Fair
Spring Parent Coffee
The room parents are excited to invite you to the Spring Parent Coffees on the front playground after drop-off.
3s/Nature 3s & Nature K: Tuesday, April 2nd
4s/Nature 4s: Friday, April 5th
Additionally, we have a date for the toddler parents as well as anyone else who wants to get out of the house and give the kids something to do:
Toddlers/all welcome: Sunday, April 21, 9:30am
We are looking forward to catching up over coffee and pastries. See you there!
Little Folks Fair Sign Up is Open
The annual Little Folks Fair is Saturday, June 1 this year from 11am-4pm.
All families, including preK 2 families, must send one parent to the fair to volunteer. If you have a known conflict such as a wedding or travel, there are other opportunities for you to meet this commitment. Please email Amy Johnson if so.
Co-op members must be there early to help set up and may leave when the green is fully tidy, with the exclusion of Set Up Clean Up Crew which works different hours.
Those who signed up for LFF booth chair co-op participation roles, the role description indicates that you must send two parents to LFF. The LFF chairs will assess how necessary that is as we get closer to the event.
Some folks signed up for LFF additional support as part of their co-op participation role and will send two parents to the fair as part of that role.
New Classroom Space Designs
CNS is expanding our space by adding a new classroom, allowing us to enroll up to 15 more children per day, provide handicap accessible classroom space, and more.
This work is made possible by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant of $52,000 to Community Nursery School distributed by The Guilford Foundation on behalf of the Town of Guilford. Thank you to the Town of Guilford First Selectman Matt Hoey and the Board of Selectman for their vision and generosity in allocating the historic ARPA funding for nonprofit recovery to strengthen the town of Guilford.
We invite you to view the second draft of designs produced by Antinozzi Associates. Mike Antinozzi’s children graduated from CNS nearly 20 years ago!
You may share your thoughts to theboard@guilfordcns.org. Emails will be shared with the Expansion Committee.
Family Spotlight: The Onofrios
Amy & Antonio Onofrio are parents to Elena, who has a birthday coming up and is joining Mrs. Johnson’s 3s class!
As part of their coop job, they will be taking over the monthly newsletter— you can email them with any newsletter additions.
Both Amy and Antonio are RNs at Yale, with Amy working in Labor and Birth and Antonio as the Assistant Manager of Emergency Services. Both are also from CT but moved to Guilford in 2016.
Together they like to garden, play Legos and board games (especially "Eye Found It!", a Disney hidden picture game). They love going to Disney as a family; Elena's favorite ride is "It's a Small World", Amy's favorite ride is "Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind", and Antonio's favorite ride is Star Wars Rise of the Resistance.
Classroom Corner
Maple Syrup Making
Yale tree experts returned to CNS to help students identify tree to tap (courtesy of the Schildwaters).
The children monitored buckets, experimented with boiling sap in an instant pot and taste tested maple cream, maple candy and maple syrup.
Ready for Spring
This month students are welcoming spring and experimenting with primary colors!
These students are painting beautiful spring flowers.
Upcoming Events
CNS Co-op Participation Survey
We want to know how the participation model is working for you! Let us know by taking this survey.
Purchase CNS T-Shirts
All new CNS 3 & 4 students will receive a free t-shirt from the school. Adults should order their t-shirts online (they are needed for community events such as Little Folks Fair.
Questions or need financial support? Email Agata Rzucidlo.