Patti's Play Center

Mercer Island, Washington

Phone: 206-232-4453    

4400 86th Avenue Southeast, Mercer Island, Washington 98040
Located at Emmanuel Episcopal Church

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News You Can Use 04.29.2022

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Hello Wonderful Patti’s Play Center Families,
We hope you all enjoyed spring break, it has been wonderful seeing how excited our friends were to return to the classroom this week! There is a lot going on over the next few weeks so I wanted to provide some news about changes and opportunities.
Some of our Wednesday families had the opportunity to meet our Teacher Neng who joined our Patti’s Team this week. Teacher Neng will be joining Teacher Dezreen and Teacher Jennifer on Wednesdays, please join us in welcoming her to our Patti’s Classroom Community!

As of this week, masks are now optional at drop-off and pick-up, provided you are only in the Patti’s Play Center entrance area or on the playground end of the parking lot.  Masks are still required in the building hallways and in the spaces we share with EDS (between the school building and the playground). Masks are also now optional on the playground for teachers and EDS students.  EDS has also made masks optional in their classrooms for children and teachers.  At the current time Patti’s teachers are continuing to mask during most classroom activities. I will be removing my mask for circle time, it has been very helpful already this week for demonstrating some of our calm breathing activities and with our songs and stories about feelings and how our faces show our feelings.  Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about masking policies.
This Saturday, April 23rd, is Patti’s Parking Lot Yard Sale, the proceeds will be used to set up a scholarship fund for Patti’s!   Our wonderful Parent Board President, Christine Shakleton, has been collecting donations for the yard sale.  If you still have something you would like to donate please email Christine at pattispresident@gmail.com.  To help make the yard sale a success we also would love for you to volunteer some time on the day as well as spread the word about the sale.  Christine has created a SignUpGenius form for volunteers:https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0845abac2da2f94-pattis We also hope our families will all come and shop!  We have had lots of wonderful donations big and small for both kids and adults!
Patti’s Play Center is currently looking for Parent Board Members for the 2022/2023 school year! Returning families as well as alumni families are welcome to join.  This is a fun way to make a big impact on Patti’s Play Center by committing a small amount of time, there are many roles available.  It is also a good way to get to know other Patti’s Play Center Parents. Please reach out to Christine (pattispresident@gmail.com) if you have any questions about serving on the Patti’s Play Center!
A request from the Patti’s Classroom:  We need a few extra pairs of 3T/4T pull-on pants for our spare clothes bins, well-worn and stained are fine, we want things that kiddos won’t want to keep.

😉

  We also can always use plastic target or grocery store bags for diaper changes, they are getting hard to find! If you have some sitting around please send them in.  Thank you!
The MIPA Circus is back on April 30th!  This fun event is being held at the Mercer Island Community Center from 10am-2pm with fun activities and entertainment for all ages, there is even a petting zoo!  Patti’s is hosting a booth to share some sensory activities our kiddos always enjoy! One of our Patti’s Parents, Christine Christenson, is coordinating volunteers for the event and sent this information:
Volunteer link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080448abad28a5ff2-mipa4

COME ONE, COME ALL TO MERCER ISLAND PRESCHOOL ASSOCIATION’S 54TH ANNUAL CIRCUS!!

SATURDAY, APRIL 30TH, 2022 10 AM – 2 PM 

Join us April 30th from 10am-2pm at the MI Community & Events Center for a day of games and fun! Enjoy the entertainment and games with your kids, visit the petting zoo, and then grab a bite to eat at the food trucks. This will be an indoor and outdoor event, weather permitting.

We can’t wait to clown around with you! 

What Circus is all about:

Connection

Being a parent is hard. Being a parent throughout a pandemic is harder. Our goal for Circus is to reconnect with & celebrate our MIPA community.

Support

They say “it takes a village” and, this year, we learned how true that is.  We hope you’ll leave Circus feeling supported by fellow parents, preschools, and island businesses who care about our kids.

Joy 

We want you to leave smiling.  We plan to give you moments of playful connection that will have your family giggling.

Wonder

A good magician never reveals his tricks.  We’ve all got different ideas & experiences up our sleeve, and Circus gives us an opportunity to marvel at all that we can accomplish together.   

Entertainment Schedule:

10:30 am Nancy Stewart

10:45 am Bubble Man

11:15 am Creation Dance Studio

11:30 am Mercer Island Martial Arts

11:45 am Dani & the Bee

12:45 pm Reptile Man

We’ve got more in store for everyone!

Be sure to check back soon for more updates from your Ringmasters!

Ticket information:

All ages are welcome, tickets are required for kids ages 2 through 11. Adults and kids 12+ are free.

MIPA Members: $15

Non-MIPA Members: $18

Want the member discount ticket price, but not a MIPA member yet? Not a problem! It’s not too late to join and have your membership count through next year! Join on the membership page.

Petting zoo tickets are $5 per child, ages 1 and up.

MIPA Member Circus Tickets

Non-MIPA Member Circus Tickets

Parking will be limited at the Community Center. Please plan accordingly.Coming up in May we will also be holding another Saturday Playground Open House as well as bringing back one of our traditional family events: Paint a Pot.  More details on dates and times will be coming soon!
Thank you to all of our families for your support and for sharing your wonderful children with our classroom community!


Cheers, Jennifer 
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News You Can Use 02.19.2022

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Hello Lovely Patti’s Families,

Patti’s will be closed the week of February 21-25 for mid-winter break.

Teacher Michelle, Teacher Rosey and I hope that our Patti’s friends all have a wonderful week with their families and we look forward to welcoming everyone back when we reopen on February 28 for our Dr. Seuss Week!

After wrapping up our Zoo theme (have you heard your kiddos singing about the Crocodile and the Orangutan?),  we celebrated friendship and kindness, as well as Valentine’s day.  We have talked about being a good friend and about sharing, giving everyone space, and using gentle hands.  We have read lots of stories about our favorite friends, including Maisy, Elmer and Llama Llama.

Our friends also did a mosaic art project celebrating a special artist during Black History Month. I have attached a picture from that art project, our special Valentine snack and our rainbow water bead sensory table.  Please also see more info about the artist whose work we honored, Alma Thomas.

On Saturday March 5th from 10-12 Patti’s Play Center will be hosting a Registration Open House and Playground Playdate.  We will be gathering on Patti’s playground and offering tours of the classroom for families interested in joining us for the 2022/2023 school year. 

We would love to have some of our current families join us as well, and would appreciate it very much if you could help spread the word to your friends and neighbors!

Have a wonderful week!
Cheers,
Jennifer 

Alma Thomas (1891 – 1978) was an African-American expressionist abstract painter and art educator. Miss Thomas was an Art teacher at a Washington D.C. Junior High School for 35 years. After retirement, Miss Thomas fully dedicated her time to her painting. She debuted her abstract work in an exhibition at Howard University 1966, at the age of 75. For this exhibition, she created Earth Paintings, a series of nature-inspired abstract works. Miss Thomas was the first African American woman to have a solo exhibition at New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art in 1972 at the age of 81, and she exhibited her paintings at the White House three times. 

We celebrate Ms. Thomas and her joyful, colorful abstract expression!

New You Can Use 2.03.2022

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February Greetings Patti’s Families,


January was a busy month at Patti’s.  Our kiddos came back to snow and winter themed activities and then moved into our dinosaur theme, which is always a favorite!  We read about different dinosaur sounds and features, as well as some silly dino stories, and created different dino art and even created our own fossils.  This week we have moved into our Zoo Theme, but also celebrated the Lunar New Year with a story at circle time as well as by making mosaic lanterns and Year of the Tiger crafts. Zoo theme will continue next week and then we will celebrate kindness and friendship for Valentine’s week before Mid-Winter Break.


2022/2023 registration is now open at Patti’s Play Center!  If you are interested in enrolling for next year please return your Reservation Request Form soon, our priority registration period has ended and we have already received a lot of new family requests.  Sunnybeam and other area preschools are accepting dual reservations for 2022/2023 which gives families more options.  Please reach out with any registration questions.  


Mid-Winter Break is coming up and Patti’s will be closed from February 21-25.  If your family will be away before or after Mid-Winter Break please let us know. 

Patti’s is currently at full enrollment on all days and we have many requests from families to drop in an extra day.  It helps us and your fellow classmates if we know when children will not be attending and can open a drop in for another family. It is also very helpful for us to know who not to expect at drop-off in the morning.


If you have heard your kiddo talking about circles or spots it may be because Patti’s Play Center received a fantastic donation this month.  We were gifted a new rug which is helping our friends find good spots to sit at circle time (pun intended).  Ask your kiddo what color they sat on at circle time! We want to encourage them to choose a spot and stay there during stories so everyone has room.  Rest assured our stories are brief and we incorporate movement into all our circle times.  I have attached a picture of our new rug (modeled by my 2nd grader) and one in action during circle time with Teacher Rosey.


Mercer Island Preschool Association did not hold their traditional Preschool Fair this year and has instead asked area schools to provide a current parent who is willing to serve as a liaison for interested new families who may have questions.  Please let me know if you would be open to be our parent representative for MIPA, it would be most appreciated!


Cheers, Jennifer

News You Can Use 1.03.2022

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Happy New Year to all of our Patti’s families!
We hope that you had a wonderful winter break and were able to enjoy some snow play! We are looking forward to welcoming our Patti’s friends back to the classroom tomorrow.

Winter weather and snow may bring delays or closures for Patti’s. If there is snow we will monitor the MISD advisories. As a general rule, if MISD opens with a one hour delay then Patti’s will be open as usual.  If MISD opens with a two hour delay Patti’s will open with a one-hour delay at 10 a.m.  If MISD is closed we will make our own evaluation based on island conditions and we will send out an email by 8:00 a.m. regarding any delays or closures. At times when MISD closes or delays because the snow in outlying areas makes commuting difficult, but streets around Patti’s are clear, we will make every effort to be open.  If we decide not to open the Play Center, you will not be charged. If we open one hour late you will only be billed from the time we open. Patti’s reserves the right to add up to 3 additional weather make-up days at the end of the school year.
In anticipation of the cold weather please make sure your child comes with a warm coat, and that it is labeled with their name.  Any hats and gloves need to be labeled as well, we really appreciate your efforts in helping us match cold weather gear to the right kids! 

 MISD has announced a delayed start tomorrow. Please check your email in the morning before heading to Patti’s. We will make a determination about whether to delay Patti’s opening time and send an email by 8 a.m.  

Cheers,

Jennifer

News You Can Use 10.29.2021

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Happy Halloween Weekend!Our Patti’s classroom community had lots of fun with Halloween activities, songs and stories this week! 
We have had some schedule changes and would greatly appreciate a family to make Play Dough for Monday 11/1, it is one of the favorite activities in our classroom!  Any color you choose 

😃

 Please let me know if you can help or have any questions. 
I am including a copy of Patti’s Play Dough recipe, but feel free to use your own favorite recipe if you have one. We would love a double batch so we can change it out more often during this season of chilly breezes, rain and runny noses.
Also check out our glitter pumpkins glazing at the art table and Teacher Rosey’s Cutie Pumpkins which were a hit at snack time Thursday and Friday! 
Rosey, Michelle and I appreciate our Patti’s Families and thank you for sharing your precious kiddos with us!
Cheers, Jennifer

Festive Halloween snack…yummy!
Pumpkin painting at the art table..

affordable, convenient, part-time childcare

Patti’s Play Center provides a nurturing and well-supervised social environment where children are encouraged to develop new friendships and explore interests at their own pace. Offering part-time childcare programs for 2–4 year olds, Patti’s Play Center fills a unique niche. Patti’s is not a daycare or a preschool, but a structured play center designed to both prepare young children for their first preschool experience, and complement an older child’s preschool schedule.