School Spotlight: Porter Square

Right on Mass Ave, our Porter Square school opened in 2009 in the historic Henderson Carriage House Building. This wonderful neighborhood school has a large community room we use for fun group activities such as yoga class and special guest visitors.

Porter Square Director, Paulina Pena has been a part of our team since 2015 where she started as a teacher in our Kendall Square location. In the course of 4 years, she had the opportunity to gain as a teacher the experience, knowledge, and skills necessary to become the team leader. In 2021, she began as the director of the Porter Square location. Paulina enjoys spending time with good friends and family, cooking, baking, appreciating nature, and preserving the environment we live in. 

On the blog today, we talked to Paulina about what makes Porter Square so special!

“Porter Square School is made special by the essence that each of our teachers, families, and students bring to the school, creating an empathetic, friendly, loving, and family-like community.”

Tell us a little bit about “a day at Pine Village Porter” 

A day at Pine Village Porter Square begins with a welcoming hug. Daily activities include a variety of active and quiet individual and group projects. A typical day may consist of any of the following: free play, large and small group stories and activities, open-ended art, dramatic play, sand or water play, blocks, books, games, puzzles, and science exploration, implementing an emergent curriculum. Physical activity is one of our priorities, that’s why twice a day we visit one of the parks surrounding our school. 

Children learn to participate as a member of a group during circle time discussions, storytime, and music. They work both alone and in small groups while teachers facilitate children’s interactions with each other and their environment. 

What are the kids favorite activities in class? 

It is very difficult to say what their favorite activities are because they enjoy everything from what the teachers suggest to free play. But they love to sing, play with blocks, and do sensory activities.

What are you most looking forward to in the coming months at Pine Village? 

I look forward to continuing to see happy families and children that enjoy being part of our community. Fostering respect, love, and gratitude for others.

Our summer camp is focused on doing as many outdoor activities as possible. From a picnic lunch or morning snack to enjoying the water sprinkles, relay races, and exploring nature. 

May is Water Safety Month

Happy Water Safety Month! We know that our families love swimming and splashing about all summer long, so we are excited to share a guest post from the British Swim School of Boston! Don’t forget to practice your Spanish Vocab in the water and remember these safety tips from our friends at the British Swim School!

Swim……..nadar

Water…….agua

Pool…..piscina

Beach…….playa

Ocean…….océano

Hello from British Swim School of Boston!

We are excited to get the opportunity to talk to you about water safety and what you can do to keep yourself, your child, and those you care about safe in and around the water. We are going to discuss a few different topics, water watching, bath tub and pool safety, life jackets, and the importance of training.

Water Watchers:

A family beach day is lots of fun, but when the kids are in the water, who is watching them? Most adult’s answer would likely be, ‘we all are!’ The problem with this answer is that if everyone is watching then no one is.

What does this mean?

The human brain can’t really multitask, so if you are conversing with another family member, checking your phone, or monitoring the BBQ, you aren’t able to also be constantly watching the water. The solution to this is to have a water watcher. Assign one adult to be responsible for supervising the children in and around the water. This person should not be doing anything else other than focusing on watching. No texting, drinking, reading, talking, etc. They should also have a working cell phone that can quickly be used to call 911 if needed.

It’s highly recommended that you take shifts with other adults in the group. Working in half hour shifts allows everyone to get time to socialize when they are not on duty, but it also helps to prevent fatigue. It is highly recommended that you also have a flotation device you could throw into someone in distress and trained in CPR.

For more information on the Red Cross’s Water Watcher program or to print out your own water watcher badge, click here.

Vote for us in the 2023 Boston Parents Paper Family Favorites

Pine Village has been serving families in the Boston area for over 20 years, and much of the success of our longevity is due to our excellent reputation in the communities we serve. Parents trust the advice of family and friends to guide them before making an investment in their children and trusting any program, and we are so grateful for your recommendations and support over the years.    
 
Each spring, the Boston Parents Paper holds a Family Favorites contest and we are grateful to our parents for your ongoing support in the nominations and voting rounds. There are typically two rounds of voting, and we are in the final round of voting now through May 31st!

We very much hope that you’ll vote for us in the following categories:

Early Education:
Bilingual Preschools
Child Care Facilities
Independent Preschools
Large Preschools

Camps:
Foreign Language and Cultural Immersion Summer Camps

Learn More and Vote

They will also ask you for an email address to be used to notify us; you can use enrollment@pinevillagepreschool.com.

Once again, that URL for nominating is: https://bostonparentspaper.com/boston-family-favorites-ballot.html#//


THANK YOU!

We will keep you updated of any updates in the contest and will certainly join you in celebrating our nominations and any awards we receive!