Newsletters

I find it hard to believe, but the school year is almost over. It seems as if it was just yesterday and the leaves were falling and our children were meeting their new teachers and making new friends. But spring has indeed arrived and summer is quickly approaching. I hope your children have had a good year – learning new things, developing new skills, and forging new bonds all while playing. And I hope that you’ve enjoyed sharing their first school experience here at the Watchung Co-op. I know I have.

As this is the end of my term as board president, I would like to thank all the teachers and staff for making this a great year, caring about our children so much, and helping them develop into the amazing people they are. I would also like to thank the board of directors for their support and hard work during this transition year. And lastly, I would like to thank all the families for their contributions to the school’s success by fulfilling their family jobs, helping in the classroom, and pitching in when needed – all in the spirit of a cooperative.

Thank you all! Have a great summer everyone!

Kim Albataew
Board President

It is a pleasure this time of year to see how much the children in our school have matured and learned over the school year. I get a special thrill watching the Pre-K children who began the Co-op in my Creative Play class. They have grown up so much and look and act so much older. I love that they are so warm and friendly to me whenever they see me. I think that we should always remember that one of the special assets of the Watchung Cooperative Preschool is the nurturing, warm environment in which our students are able to learn. This is due to a dedicated staff and caring parents. I have seen over the years that students, including my own children, who have this nurturing first school experience, obtain the confidence they need to face Kindergarten and the Big School. They have learned from the beginning that school is a warm place where people care about them. For those of you who are leaving, please don’t forget to come back to visit and we always love when siblings of alumni come to school here. It keeps up our connection with the family.

Don’t forget to sign up for our summer program. It is always fun and a special time for children to meet new friends and have new experiences.

Happy Spring!

Mona Bucceri
Educational Director

Thank You's!

Clean Up Weekend #4
Shih/Kim;
Scherfen/Brown;
Nimbargi;
Mourad

Scholastic Book Fair
Naomi Garner,
Rion Byrd Gumus,
Meg Regal,
Maria Conte,
Debbie Mourad

Silent Auction
All the families and staff that donated those great prizes and all that bid/won

Unbelievabills Fundraiser
Maria Conte

Class Pictures
Alexia DeFays

Fundraising Committee
Sandy Scragg and Heather Norian (co-chairs), Kami Lacki, Alyssa Tsavlakis

From Mona Bucceri – Creative Play
We started spring by planting seeds for Earth Day. We watched the seeds sprout and are continuing to learn about spring and plants and flowers growing.

We are having baby caterpillars delivered to our school and will be watching them grow, go through their different stages and turn into butterflies. We will read books, do artwork and act out the stages of egg, caterpillar, cocoon, and butterfly.

On Monday, May 17, we will go on our class trip to Van Saun Park in Paramus. They have a zoo, train ride and carousel. We will also have a picnic lunch there.

The children are doing well in school. They are using more language, developing motor and social skills, making friends and, most importantly, are happy and appear to enjoy being in school.

From Pat Martin – Pre-K AM
The Pre-K friends have been going 'buggy'. They have been a 'beehive' of activity looking at insects with a microscope, playing 'Name that Bug' and making observations and drawings. Our tent in the classroom has become an outside garden with the children making grass, insects and flowers. We have been talking about recycling and being litter police inside and outside the classroom. We had our third trip to the Environmental Center where we had a chance to observe the signs of spring. At our Mother’s Day Tea, the friends had a chance to make their Moms feel very special by serving them lunch and singing them songs. The Pre- K friends have blossomed; many of them reaching the magical number five. We look forward to our upcoming pretend trip to Hawaii.

From Blanca Ortiz - Discovery
April was a rather exciting month for the Discovery class. Learning all about planting, seeds, and the spring weather kept the children busier than bees. It was especially fun to discuss Earth Day and how we can all help keep our planet clean. They have all promised never to be “Litter Bugs” and have been doing a fine job reminding others in the classroom to throw their garbage in the trashcan.

The Whole Foods fieldtrip was a blast. The children were given the opportunity to see the size of an avocado seed, tasted yummy yogurt and apples, watched as the fish pretended to swim and saw a really huge cheese wheel.

Our last exciting adventure for the month of April was Turtle Back Zoo. The zoo was filled with lot of exotic animals. The children saw reptiles, amphibians, the aviary, lots of wild animals such as leopards, wolves and bears and animals that love water; the penguin exhibit was a delightful treat. I would have to agree that the most exciting part of the field trip was the train ride.

We are coming to an end, but still have lots to learn before the year is over.

From Christi Porter – Pre-K PM
The Pre-K afternoon friends recently traveled by NJ Transit (train) to Watchung Booksellers. Prior to our trip all the children completed a bookmark to enter in the Watchung Booksellers Bookmark contest. Congratulations to Nuri Gumus who received an Honorable Mention in the bookmark contest!! In class we have been busy at work on our Mother's Day decorations and presents for our Mother's Day Tea.

A Note About Parking

As you may have noticed, the parking situation around the school has reached a critical point as Valley Road, north of Mount Hebron has been turned into teacher permit parking only and the other roads near the school are 2-hour parking only. These regulations are in effect year round, including the summer. Be warned: you risk receiving a ticket if you violate these regulations.

Please note that we have been and will continue to work with Montclair Township to address our needs. In the meantime, please leave the parking spaces immediately in front of the building for our parents that are pregnant and/or have infants with them. For those co-oping, there is 4-hour parking available further east (“down”) on Nassau Road. We will inform you of any changes in the parking situation once we hear from the town. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.

Board Of Directors

Press Releases

PreK’s sale benefits children at hospital

February 2007: Pre-kindergarteners at the Watchung Cooperative Preschool delivered a cargo of post-holiday cheer this week to children at a regional pediatric hospital.

The 4- and 5-year-olds at the Upper Montclair school used the proceeds of a bake sale to buy toys on a wish list for children on the pediatric ward of St. Joseph Hospital in Paterson.

Teachers Pat Martin and Christi Porter helped the children organize and run the sale, which took place shortly before winter break. With the $104 raised, the children were able to buy every item on their target list of toys, said Porter.

“I was very touched by the children’s overall enthusiasm toward the entire project,” Porter said, adding that some of the students were donating toys of their own in addition to the ones purchased through the bake sale. “It is extremely rewarding to hear that many of the things we are doing in school are carrying over to home.”

Located at the corner of Mount Hebron and Valley roads in Upper Montclair, Watchung Cooperative is a nonsectarian school offering classes for children aged 2 1/2 - 5.

Accreditation milestone celebrated at Watchung Cooperative Preschool

Monday, November 29, 2004: Staff and parents at the Watchung Cooperative Preschool are celebrating key recognition from a national organization of early childhood professionals.

The school has achieved accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the nation’s leading organization of early childhood educators. Staffers received congratulations at a recent NAEYC conference in East Brunswick.

“This is tremendously gratifying for us and for the school,” said director Mona Bucceri. “The NAEYC accreditation is a great honor. We’ve been part of the Montclair community for more than 35 years, and it’s wonderful to have this national vote of confidence in our program.”

At the NAEYC conference, Watchung Cooperative staffers heard presentations on language development, music and reading development, preschool inclusion and positive behavior management. Attending from the school were Bucceri and teachers Susan Cilento, Pat Martin, Christi Porter and Marva Banfield. Staffers wore special badges signifying their school’s newly accredited status.

To earn NAEYC accreditation, a school conducts a self-study to determine how well it meets the standards. The school is then observed by independent, professional validators and reviewed by a national panel.

“The NAEYC accreditation was a major goal for our school, and the staff was extremely dedicated to making it happen,” said Catherine Angus, president of the Watchung Cooperative Preschool board of directors. “We have always had great pride in the quality of our programs, which now have been recognized nationally by the NAEYC.”

The school plans to host an open house early next year to mark the accreditation and familiarize members of the community with its programs for children aged 2 1/2 through PreK.

Watchung Cooperative Preschool was founded as part of an early childhood education program at the Watchung Congregational Church. In the 1970s, the preschool became nonsectarian and relocated to its current home in the Montclair Heights Reformed Church at Mount Hebron and Valley roads. For information, call 973-783-4535 or visit www.watchung-coop.org.

Press Release: Church, Preschool Join Hands on Food Drive

November, 2004: A vanload of much-needed foodstuffs was the result when members of the Montclair Heights Reformed Church recently collaborated with families at Watchung Cooperative Preschool to collect food donations for the holiday season.

The boxes of nonperishable food were targeted for the Bessie Green Community of the North Reformed Church in Newark, a sister congregation of Montclair Heights Reformed.

The drive took place over the course of a week at Montclair Heights Reformed, located at 71 Mount Hebron Road. The church has also been the home of Watchung Cooperative Preschool for nearly three decades.

Press Release: Tour Of Iris Gardens

The Watchung Co-Op Pre-K class toured the Presby Iris Gardens. (July 2001)

Watchung Co-op Pre-K students enjoyed the Presby Iris Gardens in full bloom, received a guided tour, and spent some time sketching the flowers.

The Watchung Co-op offers classes for children ages 2½ through Pre-K. As a cooperative, parents take an active part in their child's first school experience by assisting in the classroom and with other aspects of the school.

For more information about the Watchung Co-op call 783-4535 or visit www.watchungco-op.org.

Press Release: Class of 2000 Reunion

A group of Watchung Co-Op Class of 2000 alumni, siblings and teachers gathered for a reunion. (July 2001)

Alumni, siblings, and teachers gathered recently at the Montclair home of Laura, Stephen, Melanie and Robin Goffman for a Watchung Co-op Pre-K Class of 2000 Reunion. Those in attendence included: Devon DeFlora, Robin Goffman, Elizabeth Manolis, Caroline Deehan, Kate Shaw, Annie Hurley, Cole Futterman, Connor Kennedy, Pre-K teacher Susan Cilento, Nick Manolis, and Director Mona Bucceri.

The Watchung Co-op offers classes for children ages 2½ through Pre-K. As a cooperative, parents take an active part in their child's first school experience by assisting in the classroom and with other aspects of the school.

For more information about the Watchung Co-op call 783-4535 or visit www.watchungco-op.org.

Press Release: 1967 Class Reunion

A committee of parents is researching the Watchung Co-Op's history and seeking graduates of its inaugural class of 1967-68. (January 2001)

June 1968: the inaugural class of the Watchung Cooperative Preschool: Alice Velez, Meg Roosma, Staci Iannuzelli, Susie Voight, Janis Joseph, Liz Down, Lindsay Evans, Robbie Wright, Scott Leard, Johnny Romann, Robbie Skinner, Jimmy Van Dyk, Billy Munro, Danny Cobleigh, Dennis Lamb, J.R. Connell, Eddie Kemper, John O’Hara, Beth MacGregor and Chris Wells.

A committee of parents is researching the school’s history and is seeking graduates of the Watchung Co-op (originally called the Watchung Church Cooperative Nursery School) or parents of graduates. Those interested in sharing memories of the school are invited to call 783-4535.

The committee is also looking for photographs from various school years; originals will be scanned and quickly returned. The completed history will be available on the Watchung Co-op’s website, scheduled for completion this summer.

In September 1967 the school began as the Watchung Church Cooperative Nursery School, located within that church at 143 Watchung Avenue. After a fire at the church and sale of the property, in 1975 the school was relocated to its present location at the corner of Valley Road and Mt. Hebron Road, leasing space from the Montclair Heights Reformed Church. The school was renamed the Watchung Cooperative Preschool and ceased to have a religious affiliation.

The Watchung Cooperative Preschool continues to offer classes for ages 2½ through Pre-K. As a cooperative, parents take an active part in their child's first school experience by assisting in the classroom.

For more information on current classes at the Watchung Co-op or to share information on the school’s history, call 783-4535.

Press Release: 25 Years at Montclair Heights Reformed Church

Watchung Co-Op Preschool and Montclair Heights Reformed Church began their 25th year together.

Upper Montclair, NJ: It was the first day of school, for the 25th time, at 71 Mount Hebron Road. On Monday, the Watchung Co-op Preschool began a new school year in its home at the Montclair Heights Reformed Church. Although not religiously-affiliated with the church, the families and students of the preschool have come to know the church's sunny classroom space and meticulously maintained grounds as their home over the last quarter-century. The school was started 34 years ago in a Watchung Avenue location and moved to the church in 1975.

The Watchung Cooperative Preschool offers classes for ages 2½ through Pre-K. As a cooperative, parents take an active part in their child's first school experience by assisting in the classroom. Some openings remain for this year's classes - including morning sessions.

For more information on the Watchung Cooperative Preschool, call 783-4535 or visit www.watchungco-op.org.

Sunday services at Montclair Heights Reformed Church are at 10:30am. Sunday school begins at 10:30am for grades K-5, and at 9:15am for 6th grade. Youth group meets on 1st and 3rd Sundays at 6:30pm. Weekly Adult Bible Study meets on Wednesdays at 7:30pm. The pastor is the Reverend Beverly B. Sullivant. The church telephone number is 746-2656 and the email address is mtcchurch@aol.com.

Go back to top