Ending the school year on a high note

By Ettie Zaklos, Preschool of the Arts Founder & Director

In the spring, the Jay and Patty Baker Preschool of the Arts celebrated one of its most popular Grandparents Day events to date with a fantastic Touch-ATruck celebration. It was an exceptional and memorable event, filled with love and intergenerational fun. The children got to explore real trucks, wash a car and indulge in yummy treats from the Kona Ice truck. There were cake pops, cupcakes and truck activities galore!

It was heartwarming to see the smiling faces and shouts of delight from the children and their grandparents, and to witness the bond between them. Thank you to all our grandparents and special friends who came out and made this day extra special!

Thank you to all our Naples community members who visited with their trucks: City of Naples police and community policing, City of Naples Fire Department, Collier County EMS ambulance, USPS mail truck, Humane Society Paws Around Town, Collier County Transportation school bus, Coastal Waste Recycling truck, Everglades Equipment Group and Kona Ice. Our POTA children are still talking about you!

The Jay and Patty Baker Preschool of the Arts concludes the school year on an incredibly high note. This year was a year of tremendous growth for our school as we launched our Big Build capital campaign and plan to nearly double the size of our campus. As we look back on how far we have come, we reflect on the joyous and exciting moments we’ve experienced together this year.

We have watched our children develop socially, emotionally and academically under the gentle and loving guidance of their teachers. We have observed the children learning with wonder and pride about the richness of the Jewish heritage and exercising the most important precepts of Judaism and the Torah, namely the respect and kindness toward others. The children leave our school more confident, self-aware, compassionate and armed with the unique skills and experiences that will prepare them to embark on successful and fulfilling lives outside our walls.

Throughout the month, we will enjoy wonderful end-of-year celebrations, giving us time to reflect on the children’s growth and acknowledge all those in our community who have helped our children along the way.

Teacher and Staff Appreciation Day

On May 4, Preschool of the Arts will celebrate Teacher and Staff Appreciation Day. The staff at Preschool of the Arts are exceptional! Every day they expertly model the values of friendship, kindness and gratitude that make up the ethos of our school.

We recognize that our staff are at the heart and soul of what we do. Our POTA teachers hold children’s hands, guiding them through their earliest foray into school, while our support staff creates a loving and professional environment where our entire community can thrive. It is a humbling privilege to be a part in creating a community that is truly building the future.

The annual Teacher and Staff Appreciation Day will be a chance for the entire POTA family to come together and express heartfelt thanks for everything our educators do. This year, POTA will host a “Sunset at the Beach” celebration that includes a lovely evening of camaraderie at the beach with a delicious dinner picnic and fun surprises for the awesome POTA team. Our amazing POTA parents are joining the effort by contributing generous gifts of appreciation.

Tropical Paradise Mother’s Day event

The theme of appreciation continues with another event that celebrates our incredible parents, as we know that it is POTA’s special school-home connection that creates the perfect environment for our children to thrive.

On May 12, Preschool of the Arts will host a Tropical Paradise Mother’s Day event. The event will allow our young students to express their appreciation for the most important woman in their lives: their moms! At POTA, we know that they give their all to our children every single day and deserve all the recognition in the world.

Our special event will allow our children and staff to thank our wonderful moms for all that they do with handmade gifts, and our moms and students will whip up delicious tropical smoothies in POTA’s brand-new outdoor kitchen, and more. Preschool of the Arts is so thankful to the amazing parents who have shared their precious children with us this year, entrusting them in our care.

End-of-year celebrations

The month will culminate with individual classes’ end-of-year celebrations highlighting the children’s achievements. On May 19, parents will attend individual class musical performances, the presentation of each student’s yearlong portfolio and the distribution of certificates marking the successful year in preschool. Our entire community will then gather for a fun ice cream social and scrapbooking activity, solidifying bonds that have grown strong over a wonderful year of learning together.

On May 25, our pre-K graduates will be honored with a grand pre-K graduation ceremony at the Hilton Naples, where parents, grandparents and teachers will celebrate their growth throughout their four years in POTA. It is always moving to watch how our once tiny toddlers have become capable, school-ready children!

At Preschool of the Arts, we are grateful for the opportunity to celebrate the joy and wonder of childhood and cannot wait for all the exciting developments in the months and years ahead!