Holiday Book Suggestions from our librarian, Sarah!
Each week, our librarian Sarah brings a selection of books into the classrooms based on conversations with the children and their teachers. These books reflect the children’s interests, classroom learning and project work - helping to nurture a love of books and exploration.
Books also make for a wonderful holiday gift. Below is a selection of books that your children have been enjoying at school. Gifting a copy of one of these classroom favorites at home would make for an exciting holiday surprise. Sarah has also shared a list of new titles to spark curiosity and help continue to foster their love of reading.
Please take a look and share if any become a new family favorite.
Happy Holidays!
Existing Plymouth Favorites
Twos and Threes
All by Myself by Aliki
I’m Not Small by Nina Crews
Leaf Man by Lois Elhert
Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes
Don’t Worry, Little Crab by Chris Haughton
More by I. C. Springman
Leaves by David Ezra Stein
Time to Pee by Mo Willems
Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh
Sleepy, Snoozy, Cozy, Coozy by Judy Young
Lots of Feelings by Shelly Rotner
Blueberries Grow on a Bush by Mari Shuh
Fours and Fives
Julius The Baby of the World by Kevin Henkes
Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban
A Big Bed by Grace Lin
Thank You, Omu! By Oge Mora
If You Find a Leaf by Aimee Sicuro
If I Built a House by Chris Van Dusen
There is a Bird on Your Head! By Mo Willems
A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston
I Spy series
New Board Book Suggestions
Winter Dance by Marion Dane Bauer
You Are Light by Aaron Becker
Look, Baby, Look! At Home Illustrated by Louise Lockart
Your Forest by Jon Klassen
Leo Takes a Bath by Corlette Douglas
A World to Meet by Katie Harnett
New Picture Book Suggestions
Lena the Chicken (but Really a Dinosaur) by Linda Bailey
If We Were Dogs by Sophie Blackall
Don’t Eat Eustace by Lian Cho
Broken by X. Fang
The Snowball Fight by Beth Ferry
Buzz! Boom! Bang!: The Book of Sounds – wordless by Benjamin Gottwald
Cat Nap by Brian Lies
Mayhem at the Museum: A Book in Pictures by illustrator Luciano Lozano
The Tree of Life by Nalini Nadkarni
Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter by Kenard Pak
Pip and Posy The Snowy Day by Axel Scheffler
Family Holiday Sing
Our first family chapel will be the Holiday Sing, which will take place on Friday, December 19th at 9:00am in the Church Sanctuary (entrance on Orange Street).
All Plymouth families (both AM and PM classes) are invited. Seating is not assigned, so feel free to sit where you would like.
BGR children will be dropped off in their classroom at 8:55am as per usual, because they will be playing music during the Sing. BGR grownups will join everyone in the Sanctuary.
After the Holiday Sing, we will gather for class holiday cookie parties! Dismissal for the Winter Holidays will follow the cookie parties.
Plymouth’s Annual Toy Drive for Colony Houses South Brooklyn
Colony has offered humanitarian services to the disadvantaged people of Brooklyn since 1904, runs over 25 daycare centers and is in great need. Their work has become more necessary than ever, as has the need for joy.
The NYC Department of Health (DOH) mandates that all children receive one dose of the influenza vaccine (flu shot) by December 31, 2025. We must have a record of your child's vaccine by that time; otherwise, we will be out of compliance with the DOH and subject to fines. Due to this,children will not be permitted to attend school when we return from the Winter Holidays on January 5, 2026, without proof of their influenza immunization.
Kara, our visual arts specialist, wanted to share that this Saturday, December 6th MoMA will be hosting a family day event that draws inspiration from the exhibition Ruth Asawa: A Retrospective. Families are invited to explore Asawa’s art and process through art making, movement, readings, and more. For more information, please visit their website.
Important Dates to Remember
December
19 - Holiday Sing
20-Jan 4 - School Closed for Winter Holidays
January
5 - Classes Resume
19 - School closed for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Thank you all for your very generous donations to the Thanksgiving Food Drive. You made Thanksgiving possible for so many families, and we are so grateful for your support.
Family Holiday Sing
Our first family chapel will be the Holiday Sing, which will take place on Friday, December 19th at 9:00am in the Church Sanctuary (entrance on Orange Street).
All Plymouth families (both AM and PM classes) are invited. We look forward to seeing you then! More details will follow soon.
Staying Healthy
As we enter cold and flu season, we wanted to include a reminder of some of the protocols from our family handbook that help keep us safe.
Hand Washing
Upon arrival each day, please take your child to the bathroom to use the toilet and wash their hands. All children must wash their hands before entering their classrooms as required by the NYC DOHMH.
Illness
It is important for the health of everyone in our community that you keep your child home when they are not feeling well. Illness spreads very quickly in preschool classrooms when children are sent to school while sick.
Influenza Vaccine Requirement
The best way to prevent the flu is by getting a flu vaccine each year. The NYC Department of Health (DOH) mandates that all children receive one dose of the influenza vaccine (flu shot) by December 31, 2025. We must have a record of your child's vaccine by that time; otherwise, we will be out of compliance with the DOH and subject to fines. Due to this,children will not be permitted to attend school when we return from the Winter Holidays on January 5, 2026, without proof of their influenza immunization.
Plymouth Church and Plymouth Church School are partnering together to host a blood drive, in conjunction with New York Blood Center, on January 16.
Donating blood only takes about one hour, and each donation can save up to three lives. Your donation can help cancer patients, accident victims, people undergoing surgery, women during childbirth, people with sickle cell disease and more.
Please sign up using this link if you are interested in donating blood on January 16. To make sure our event will be successful, we need at least 40-50 adults to sign up ahead of time. Once we have enough sign-ups, we will be able to confirm the date and time of the blood drive and send you a link to schedule your appointment. Thank you for your support.
Our Youngest Children in the Orange Room Exploring the Ribbon and Vine Chandelier by our Oldest Children in the Big Green Room
Admissions – Priority Deadline Tomorrow
The priority application deadline is tomorrow, Saturday, November 15! Please complete our online application for any siblingapplicant by going to the admissions page on our website. All applications for priority applicants, including siblings, should be completed by this date. If you have any questions, reach out to Andrea. Re-enrollment for current students will take place in the new year. Sign up for Time for Twos will also happen in the new year.
Family Holiday Sing
So that you can plan in advance, our Family Holiday Sing will take place on Friday, December 19th from approximately 9:00am to 10:30am in the Church Sanctuary.
All Plymouth families (both AM and PM classes) are invited. We look forward to seeing you then!
Lanyards on Campus
Many grownups are forgetting to wear their red Plymouth lanyards to arrival and dismissal. As a reminder, all adults must always wear their lanyard while they are on the Plymouth campus, and it must be visible. This is an essential step to keeping our community safe. Please remind your caregivers of this policy.
Thanksgiving Food Drive
Once again, Plymouth Church School is supporting Rising Ground’s annual Thanksgiving Food Drive.
Rising Ground is a human services organization that helps individuals and families in New York City and lower Westchester County by providing homeless and runaway youth services, home visiting early childhood programs, foster care and adoption. See their website for additional programs: https://www.risingground.org/.
See the wish list below and drop off your donations in the marked box in our lobby. Donations will be accepted until Thursday, November 20, 2025.
Blood Drive
Plymouth Church and Plymouth Church School are partnering together to host a blood drive, in conjunction with New York Blood Center, on January 16.
Donating blood only takes about one hour, and each donation can save up to three lives. Your donation can help cancer patients, accident victims, people undergoing surgery, women during childbirth, people with sickle cell disease and more.
Please sign up using this link if you are interested in donating blood on January 16. To make sure our event will be successful, we need at least 40-50 adults to sign up ahead of time. Once we have enough sign-ups, we will be able to confirm the date and time of the blood drive and send you a link to schedule your appointment. Thank you for your support.
Office Hours with Kate
Our wonderful psychological consultant Kate Wechsler has worked with Plymouth for over 25 years and has helped many families tackle the conundrums of parenting. Plymouth hosts monthly office hours with Kate which provide an opportunity for you to meet individually with her to talk about issues and concerns and receive support. These meetings take place on Zoom.
Upcoming dates are December 12 and January 9. There are half-hour appointments available between 9:30am and noon. Please email pcsadmin@plymouthchurch.org to book an appointment.
Flu Reminder
The NYC Department of Health (DOH) mandates that all children receive one dose of the influenza vaccine (flu shot) by December 31, 2025. We must have a record of your child's vaccine by that time; otherwise, we will be out of compliance with the DOH and subject to fines.
Due to this,children will not be permitted to attend school when we return from the Winter Holidays on January 5, 2026, without proof of their influenza immunization.
We look forward to seeing you at Yankee Fair tomorrow from 10:00am to 3:00pm! There will be lots of activities for everyone in the family including a pumpkin patch, rides, games, and a bouncy castle. Everyone is welcome and it is a wonderful way to connect with other Plymouth families! We are still looking for a few final volunteers, so if you are able, please sign up using this link.
This year, Plymouth families can pre-purchase tickets for Yankee Fair. Children under 2 are free. To purchase tickets, follow this link or scan the QR code below:
Lanyards on Campus
Many grownups are forgetting to wear their red Plymouth lanyards to arrival and dismissal. As a reminder, all adults must always wear their lanyard while they are on the Plymouth campus, and it must be visible. This is an essential step to keeping our community safe. Please remind your caregivers of this policy. If you do not have a lanyard, you must sign in at the security desk and wear a name tag while on campus.
Parent Teacher Conferences
Evening parent teacher conferences are on November 11th. School will be open with a regular schedule. There is no childcare for evening conferences.
Admissions
The priority application deadline is next Saturday, November 15th! Please complete our online application for any siblingapplicantby going to the admissions page on our website. All applications for priority applicants, including siblings, should be completed by this date. If you have any questions, reach out to Andrea. Re-enrollment for current students will take place in the new year. Sign up for Time for Twos will also happen in the new year.
Thanksgiving Food Drive
Once again, Plymouth Church School is supporting Rising Ground’s annual Thanksgiving Food Drive.
Rising Ground is a human services organization that helps individuals and families in New York City and lower Westchester County by providing homeless and runaway youth services, home visiting early childhood programs, foster care and adoption. See their website for additional programs: https://www.risingground.org/.
See the wish list below and drop off your donations in the marked box in our lobby. Donations will be accepted until Thursday, November 20, 2025.
Blood Drive
Plymouth Church and Plymouth Church School are partnering together to host a blood drive, in conjunction with New York Blood Center, on January 16.
Donating blood only takes about one hour, and each donation can save up to three lives. Your donation can help cancer patients, accident victims, people undergoing surgery, women during childbirth, people with sickle cell disease and more.
Please sign up using this link if you are interested in donating blood on January 16. To make sure our event will be successful, we need at least 40-50 adults to sign up ahead of time. Once we have enough sign-ups, we will be able to confirm the date and time of the blood drive and send you a link to schedule your appointment. Thank you for your support!
Office Hours with Kate
Our wonderful psychological consultant Kate Wechsler has worked with Plymouth for over 25 years and has helped many families tackle the conundrums of parenting. Plymouth hosts monthly office hours with Kate which provide an opportunity for you to meet individually with her to talk about issues and concerns and receive support. These meetings take place on Zoom.
Upcoming dates are December 12 and January 9. There are half-hour appointments available between 9:30am and noon. Please email pcsadmin@plymouthchurch.org to book an appointment.
Flu Reminder
The NYC Department of Health (DOH) mandates that all children receive one dose of the influenza vaccine (flu shot) by December 31, 2025. We must have a record of your child's vaccine by that time; otherwise, we will be out of compliance with the DOH and subject to fines.
Due to this,children will not be permitted to attend school when we return from the Winter Holidays on January 5, 2026, without proof of their influenza immunization.
November 8 - Yankee Fair 11 - School Open – Evening Parent/Teacher Conferences 15 - Priority Application Deadline 26-28 - School Closed for Thanksgiving
Parent Teacher conferences are coming up on November 4th (all day) and November 11th (evening). You have received an email from your child’s teachers to sign up for a conference. School will be closed for conferences on Tuesday, November 4th, with no children in attendance.
During your conference time, childcare will be available in the gym between 8:30am and 3:00pm. School is open November 11th with a regular schedule. There is no childcare for evening conferences.
Admissions
Admissions season is underway, and applications are open for the 26-27 school year! Please remember to complete our online application for any siblingapplicantby going to the admissions page on our website. All applications for priority applicants, including siblings, should be completed by November 15th. If you have any questions, reach out to Andrea. Re-enrollment for current students will take place in the new year.
ISAAGNY
Plymouth Church School is now a member of the Independent Schools Admissions Association of Greater New York (ISAAGNY). ISAAGNY is a consortium of independent schools in and around New York City that coordinate admissions procedures to ensure an inclusive admissions process. We look forward to contributing to ISAAGNY’s mission.
Yankee Fair
Yankee Fair is coming up on November 8th from 10:00am to 3:00pm. Yankee Fair is a fun family festival hosted by Plymouth Church and Plymouth Church School. There will be lots of activities for everyone in the family including a pumpkin patch, rides, games, and a bouncy castle. Everyone is welcome and it is a wonderful way to connect with other Plymouth families! We hope to see you there. To volunteer, please sign up using this link.
This year, Plymouth families can pre-purchase tickets for Yankee Fair. Children under 2 are free. To purchase tickets, follow this link or scan the QR code below.
Yankee Fair Clothing Jumble
The Yankee Fair is holding a clothing jumble sale for clothes in good condition from newborn to size 5T. All unstained clothing and jackets will be accepted (no shoes/socks/underwear/swimsuits please). At the end of the clothing jumble sale, whatever is not sold will be donated to migrant families.
We welcome you to continue bringing donations to school through next Wednesday (11/5). There is a bin in the front hall to place donations during drop off. Ideally your donations would be separated by sizes: 0-12 months, 12-24 months, 2T-3T, 4T-5T in separate bags to help with the organization of the event. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far!
If you have any questions, please reach out to Chloe DeComo.
Materials Center
We welcome your donations to our Materials Center! You can drop them off in the box located in the main lobby next to Adrienne’s office. Currently, we need the following natural materials:
Leaves
Sticks
Pinecones
Acorns
Vines
Wood
Rocks and stones
Bark
Seedpods
Dried flowers
Thanksgiving Food Drive
Once again, Plymouth Church School is supporting Rising Ground’s annual Thanksgiving Food Drive.
Rising Ground is a human services organization that helps individuals and families in New York City and lower Westchester County by providing homeless and runaway youth services, home visiting early childhood programs, foster care and adoption. See their website for additional programs: https://www.risingground.org/
See the wish list below and drop off your donations in the marked box in our lobby. Donations are accepted from Monday, November 3, through Thursday, November 20, 2025.
Flu Reminder
The NYC Department of Health (DOH) mandates that all children receive one dose of the influenza vaccine (flu shot) by December 31, 2025. We must have a record of your child's vaccine by that time; otherwise, we will be out of compliance with the DOH and subject to fines.
Due to this,children will not be permitted to attend school when we return from the Winter Holidays on January 5, 2026, without proof of their influenza immunization.
November 4 - School Closed for Parent/Teacher Conferences 8 - Yankee Fair 11 - School Open – Evening Parent/Teacher Conferences 15 - Priority Application Deadline 26-28 - School Closed for Thanksgiving
