Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Help host the FUNraiser!


Are you interested in helping to host the Co-op FUNraiser?

Make a tax-deductible donation of $50 or more to support Co-op and become a "host" family. (Donate by check or credit card or simply add $50 when you buy your own event tickets.) 

With your $50+ donation, your family's name will be added to the FUNraiser Fall Tree and to Co-op's permanent Learning Tree mural. 




Other opportunities to help host this fun evening include: 
  • Donating drinks. Please drop off any drink donations in the office within the next two weeks.
  • Selling raffle tickets for two great prizes (an iPad and an exclusive "Very First Shopper" pass for the spring 2015 Hannah's Closet Children's Consignment Sale). Each ticket is $5 and the full amount is donated directly to Co-op. Tickets are available in your child's classroom as well as on the bulletin board at drop-off/pick-up. 
  • Encouraging other families to come! We'd love to have every family represented. It will be an evening of fun community, fantastic raffle and live-auction prizes, delicious food and great music!!




Tuesday, October 7, 2014

2014-15 Co-op FUNraiser - Join us November 15!


The annual Co-op FUNraiser is back!  And this year you don't have to wait all winter.  Mark your calendars, line up a babysitter, invite your friends, and join us for a great evening on Saturday, November 15 from 7-10pm. 

The fundraising team will sell tickets before & after school Nov. 3 - 14. Tickets can also be purchased online here.  You may also buy any last-minute tickets you need at the door.  

Stay tuned for volunteer opportunities and more information about becoming a host family. 

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Thank You! From Director Molly Gareis

Thank You!

Co-op is a school that truly relies on parent involvement for our very existence.  Thank you to all of our parents for the time, effort, and dedication you have put into making our year so successful.  In a day and time where people are much more reluctant to give of their personal time and energy, your children are the ones who will benefit from your willingness to give a part of yourself to our Co-op Community.  Special thanks go out…
To our President, Rani Wachter, who has led our board with grace and efficiency.  Rani is always eager to jump in to help with anything we need and she is a tireless advocate for Co-op.   Rani has done wonders to increase the communication from the board to our parents and to enhance the cooperative spirit that we strive for.   Thank you, Rani, for everything you have done for Co-op!
To our Vice-President, Shannon Rickert, who has kept the teachers happy with wonderful birthday gifts and special treats!  Once again, Shannon stepped up to organize and head our very successful spring t-shirt sale and she was in charge of all of our Co-op Sprit Days.  Altogether, over $1,000 was raised for Co-op thanks to Shannon’s efforts.  Thank you, Shannon!
To our Secretary, Amy Elliott, who has worked diligently to write our board notes and distribute them in such a timely manner every month.  It is not easy to keep up with all the information that flies fast and furiously at our board meetings, but Amy has done a fantastic job.  We will miss having Amy on the board next year but are so pleased she will be one of our Visitation Coordinators.  Thank you, Amy!
To all of our Board Members whose dedication to Co-op is nothing short of inspirational.  You are there for everything Co-op needs, ready to pitch in and help out, or to offer a suggestion or question to help us see issues more clearly.  You have kept your classes informed with wonderful notes from our board meetings.  Thank you, Meghan Freeman, Laurel Henshaw, Rachel Lenahan, Heidi Pfister, Jennifer Walk,  Jennifer White, and Jordan Windle for all the time and energy you have given to Co-op this year!
To the Winter Wonderland Fundraiser Committee, who worked so hard to plan and organize our highly successful Annual Fundraiser.  I knew we were in good hands when Amy Day came to my office in April of 2013 and volunteered to head the committee.  Amy’s relaxed attitude, vision, and leadership are what made the event not only possible, but such a huge success.   Thank you, Amy, for giving so much of yourself and your personal time in support of Co-op.  Amy’s dedicated and talented committee worked together tirelessly to pull of such a successful and fun event.    A deep thank you to Amy Chen, Jasmine Connolly, Andrea Lagergren, Joelle Griffin Russell, Meagan Schultz, Quan Nim, and Crystle Williams.  Thanks to all of you, Co-op was able to purchase the fabulous new outdoor block set and shed.  We couldn’t have done it without you!
To our Playground/Equipment Committee for keeping our much-loved playground in safe and working order all year long – and in all weather conditions.  Thanks to the chair of the committee, Ken Butler, who has looked out for our playground for many years now…what will we do next year when Ken moves on?!  Thank you to James DiLeo and Jeremy Waddell for rounding out the committee and helping wherever needed…we appreciate all of your hard work!
To the Carnival Committee for providing us with a wonderful family-fun Carnival in May.  Co-op’s Carnival was made possible because of the hard work and dedication of Arianna Heck, Darcy Compton, Anne Nevins, and Kelly Scheerer.  Thanks for all of your hard work and creativity and for adding so much fun to our Co-op experience.
To Heather Gardner, our Newsletter Editor.  Thank you, Heather, for all the time and energy you put into producing our Co-op Capers this year.
To David and Kristin Fly, our Parent Ed Committee, who organized and led our first ever on-line book discussion.  Thank you, David and Kristin, for all of your hard work.
To Alison Howell and Lauren Malone for serving as our Visitation Coordinators.  Alison and Lauren were responsible for organizing and hosting visits for numerous prospective Co-op families.  This job starts in January and continues into April and requires a lot of time and energy.  Thanks to Alison’s and Lauren’s  efforts we have a whole new group of Co-op families who are joining us armed with knowledge about our preschool and filled with excitement about the coming year.  Thank you, Alison and Lauren!
To Sonya Peretti-Hull for being our Publicity Coordinator.  This job used to center around making sure Co-op was in the local newspapers as often as possible; however Sonya continues to take it to a whole new level with our blog, Facebook, and all of her wonderful ideas to help us get Co-op out there on the internet.  Thank you, Sonya.
To Kristin Gartland, our Health Chair, who meticulously checked every child’s file to make sure all their immunizations were up-to-date and that their parents TB tests were in order.  Kristin also checked allergies and made sure everyone in the class was informed of the situation.  Kristin’s efforts go a long way in helping us to stay healthy and in good shape for our licensing requirements… thank you, Kristin!
To Jessica Lienard, our Recycling Coordinator, who has faithfully emptied our recycling bins and helped to keep Co-op clean and green.  We appreciate the fact that our bins fill up rather quickly and that it takes quite a bit of effort to make sure the recycling is taken out on a regular basis…thank you, Jessica!
To our See Saw Books Chair, Sarah Lichtel, for distributing Scholastic flyers, helping us transition to on-line ordering, and getting books into the hands of our families.  For a school that values books as much as Co-op does, we love seeing the smile on your children’s faces when they receive their new books…thank you, Sarah!
To Richard Paulk, for being our Auditor.  We are so fortunate that Rich gives so generously of his time and talent to Co-op.  His advice is priceless and we quite simply rely on him to keep our business going!  Many, many thanks, Rich!
To our Website Coordinators, Emma and Jim McMillan, who keep our website fresh and up-to-date.  Our website has now become an important way for prospective families to learn about Co-op and thanks to Jim and Emma’s efforts, these families are already full of information when they make that first phone call to us.  Thank you, Emma and Jim!
To our End-of Year Clean-up Crew who will help us clean, clean, clean.  It is amazing to watch how thoroughly everything in Co-op gets cleaned and packed away at the end of the year.  This would not be possible without the help of all of youthank you!
And finally…to our many parents who hold jobs in our classrooms.  We simply could not function without all of our Class Schedulers, Art Assistants, and Field Trip Coordinators, who help make our day to day operations function smoothly and in an organized fashion.  Thanks for all the time and energy you have put into your jobs…we couldn’t do what we do without you!

With love and thanks from,

Molly

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Thank you!


Thank You!

Co-op is a school that truly relies on parent involvement for our very existence.  Thank you to all of our parents for the time, effort, and dedication you have put into making our year so successful.  In a day and time where people are much more reluctant to give of their personal time and energy, your children are the ones who will benefit from your willingness to give a part of yourself to our Co-op Community.  Special thanks go out…
To our Board President, Susan Zickel, who continues to work tirelessly on behalf of Co-op.  From being intimately involved in the planning of the Fundraiser to being present at every school function, Susan has generously given of her time and her many talents to Co-op.  In addition to all of her hard work as board president, Susan has taken our little garden idea and turned it into a beautiful, vibrant, and exciting learning garden that will flourish for many years to come.   It has been a true pleasure to work with Susan during her 8 years at Co-op and we wish Susan and her family all the best as they finish their Co-op years.  Luckily, Susan will continue to help us in the garden next year, so this is not really goodbye.  Thank you, Susan, for everything you have done for Co-op!
To our Vice-President, Shannon Rickert, who has kept the teachers happy with wonderful birthday gifts and special treats!  Shannon is always eager to take on anything asked of her and proved that by stepping up to organize and head our very successful spring t-shirt sale…thank you, Shannon!
To our Secretary, Amy Elliott, who has worked diligently to write our board notes and distribute them in such a timely manner every month.  It is not easy to keep up with all the information that flies fast and furiously at our board meetings, but Amy has done a fantastic job….thank you, Amy!
To all of our Board Members whose dedication to Co-op is nothing short of inspirational.  You are there for everything Co-op needs, ready to pitch in and help out, or to offer a suggestion or question to help us see issues more clearly.  Thank you, Donna Bousquet, Christian Dunn, Melissa Ferguson, Stacey Long, Rani Wachter, Jennifer Walk, and Jordan Windle for all the time and energy you have given to Co-op this year!
To the Spring Fling Fundraiser Committee, who worked so hard to plan and organize our highly successful Spring Fling Fundraiser.  The organizational skills, vision, and leadership of our chair, Lauri Wawersik, are what made the event not only possible, but such a huge success.   Thank you to Lauri for giving so much of yourself and your personal time in support of Co-op.  We couldn’t have done it without you!  Lauri’s dedicated and talented committee worked together tirelessly to pull of such a successful and fun event.    A deep thank you to Amy Chen, Ashley Hoffman, Melissa Ferguson, Betsy Lavin, Elisa Lemmon, Suzi Mills, Quan Nim, Sonya Peretti-Hull, and Susan Zickel.  A very special thank you to Rani and Brian Wachter who spent hours producing the amazingly adorable video for the Spring Fling.  It was truly the hit of the evening and we so appreciate all of your hard work!
To the Fundraiser Food Committee who provided us with the most delicious evening of food and drink.  Thank you to Chris and Stacey Long who organized and catered the entire event.  Once again, you outdid yourselves with the food for our Fundraiser.  Everything was so delicious and helped to make the evening a truly special event…thank you, Chris and Stacey!
To our Playground/Equipment Committee for keeping our much-loved playground in safe and working order all year long – and in all weather conditions.  Thanks to the chair of the committee, Ken Butler, who is always willing to go the extra mile to make sure we are in good working order.  Thank you to James DiLeo, Alan Visocky, and Jeremy Waddell for rounding out the committee and helping prepare the playground in August…we appreciate all of your hard work!
To the Special Events Committee for providing us with a wonderful family-fun Carnival in May.  Co-op’s Carnival was made possible because of the hard work and dedication of Jessica Lienard, Chon Abraham, and Mildred Janovsky.  Thanks for all of your hard work and creativity and for adding so much fun to our Co-op experience.
To Natalie Miller-Moore, our creative Newsletter Editor.  Thank you, Natalie, for all the time and energy you put into producing our Co-op Capers this year.
To David and Kristin Fly, and Martha Graves, our Parent Ed Committee, for organizing our annual Parent Ed Meeting.  We all learned so much from Jane Hersey about how to make wiser choices at the grocery store and the food you provided was excellent.   Thank you, Kristin, David, and Martha for a great evening and for all of your hard work.
To Rachel Lenahan and Lauren Malone for serving as our Visitation Coordinators.  Rachel and Lauren were responsible for organizing and hosting visits for numerous prospective Co-op families.  This job starts in January and continues into April and requires a lot of time and energy.  Thanks to Rachel’s and Laurent’s  efforts we have a whole new group of Co-op families who are joining us armed with knowledge about our preschool and filled with excitement about the coming year.  Thank you, Rachel and Lauren!
To Sonya Peretti-Hull for being our Publicity Coordinator.  This job used to center around making sure Co-op was in the local newspapers as often as possible; however Sonya continues to take it to a whole new level with our blog and all of her wonderful ideas to help us get Co-op out there on the internet.  Sonya also played a huge role in the Spring Fling Fundraiser.  Thank you, Sonya.
To Kristin Gartland, our Health Chair, who meticulously checked every child’s file to make sure all their immunizations were up-to-date and that their parents TB tests were in order.  Kristin also checked allergies and made sure everyone in the class was informed of the situation.  Kristin’s efforts go a long way in helping us to stay healthy and in good shape for our licensing requirements… thank you, Kristin!
To Josh Elmes, our Recycling Coordinator, who has faithfully emptied our recycling bins and helped to keep Co-op clean and green.  We appreciate the fact that our bins fill up rather quickly and that it takes quite a bit of effort to make sure the recycling is taken out on a regular basis…thank you, Josh!
To our See Saw Books Chair, Jennifer White, for distributing Scholastic flyers, helping us transition to on-line ordering, and getting books into the hands of our families.  For a school that values books as much as Co-op does, we love seeing the smile on your children’s faces when they receive their new books…thank you, Jennifer!
To Richard Paulk, for being our Auditor.  We are so fortunate that Rich gives so generously of his time and talent to Co-op.  His advice is priceless and we quite simply rely on him to keep our business going!  Many, many thanks, Rich!
To our Website Coordinators, Emma and Jim McMillan, who keep our website fresh and up-to-date.  Our website has now become an important way for prospective families to learn about Co-op and thanks to Jim and Emma’s efforts, these families are already full of information when they make that first phone call to us.  Thank you, Emma and Jim!
To our End-of Year Clean-up Crew who will help us clean, clean, clean.  It is amazing to watch how thoroughly everything in Co-op gets cleaned and packed away at the end of the year.  This would not be possible without the help of all of youthank you!
And finally…to our many parents who hold jobs in our classrooms.  We simply could not function without all of our Class Schedulers, Art Assistants, and Field Trip Coordinators, who help make our day to day operations function smoothly and in an organized fashion.  Thanks for all the time and energy you have put into your jobs…we couldn’t do what we do without you!

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Thank you for your Support! Co-op’s Spring Fling 2013: Where the Love of Learning Blooms


Co-op’s Spring Fling 2013:
Where the Love of Learning Blooms
  
Sponsors:

Crayon Level: $25
Delaney Health & Fitness
Whimsies & What-Nots

Play-dough Level: $50
The Christmas Mouse
Colonial Cleaning
Llamasburg (Paige & Norman Jacobs)
Williamsburg Neck & Back Center
Eye to Eye (Dr. Matthew Gada)
Laurel & Graham Henshaw
Sam & Hannah Wawersik
Dr. and Mrs. Barton

Cars & Truck Level: $100
Williamsburg Wicker
Edward Jones
Allburn Financial Consulting
J&J Financial (Jamie Vinson)
Mr. & Mrs. McMillan

Circle & Storytime Level: $250
La Tienda
Linda Dessaint (Fine Arts)
Williamsburg Pediatric Dentistry

Arts & Crafts Level: $500
Williamsburg Smiles

Swings & Slides Level: $1,000
Johnny Timbers Tree Service

  
Donations from Businesses:


Yardworks (Ken Butler)
AMF Bowling
Barnes and Noble
Bella Fine Lingerie
Bike Beat  
Body Balance Studio
Disney World
Kingsmill Golf Club
Quirks of Art
School Crossing
Master Park’s Tae Kwon Doe
The Golden Horseshoe
Virginia Living Museum
The Whaling Company
Target
Kingswood Pool
First Colony Pool
Williamsburg Aquatic Club
James City County Recreation Center
Second Street Bistro
Bubbles Hair Salon
Nails Uptown
Hotel El Convento
Focus Field Hockey (Quan Nim)
Stonehouse Stables
Pirates Cove Golf Adventure
Science Museum of Virginia
Pampered Chef (Robin Pardee)
Jolly Eggs (Sonya Hull)
Virginia Zoo
Stensland Dental
AgriBerry
Panera Bread
RB’s Honey
Pinch of Thyme Catering (Marie Homer)
Amy’s Garden
Carter Day’s Canning (Amy Day)
Through the Seasons (Loralee Clark)
Virginia Aquarium
Children’s Museum of Richmond
Paint on Pottery
Boot Camp Mania (Todd Paul)
Wendy Renee Kuhn (French Pastries)
Pure Romance (Kimberly Paulk)
Disney World
Wild Birds Unlimited
Hi Ho Silver
Ken Thompson Photography
Baskin-Robbins, Prince George Street
The Cheese Shop
Bed, Bath & Beyond
The Carousel Children’s Boutique
Old Chickahominy House
Oceans & Ale
Opus 9 Steakhouse
  
In-Kind Sponsors:

Second Street
Colonial Sports
Nathan Lienard (musician)
Event Rentals
Ken Thompson Photography
Cooke’s Gardens
Williamsburg Families
Harmonious Hardscapes
Lisa Iannuzzelli (Graphic Designer)
Kacie McClain
           

Host Families:

Amy & Brian Day
Carol & Wolfgang Wawersik
Sonya & John Hull
Susan & Jim Axtell
Susan & Mike Zickel
Lauri & Matt Wawersik
Amy & Jason Chen
Shannon & Bret Rickert
Kim & Richard Paulk
Laura & Graham Henshaw
Dorothea & Graig Abraham
Reva & Brendan O’Hallaran
Laura & Graham Henshaw
Dorothea & Graig Abraham
Susan & Jim Axtell
Martha & Michael Severin
William Lagergren
Amy & Nat Elliott
Susie & Erika Powell
Geraldine Ferguson
Kveta Benes & Ali Bonyadlou
Molly & Chris Gareis
Kimberly & Bruce Thomas
Betsy Lavin & Ryan Gregory
Quan and Jeff Anderson