Dear CNS Families,
As we look ahead to the 2025-2026 school year, the CNS Board is proposing amendments and additions to the Bylaws, which fall into three broad categories; (1) corporate compliance and governance; (2) more clearly defining the roles, duties, and obligations of the Board of Directors; and (3) establishing compensation guidelines for staff and faculty.
As members of our CNS co-op, you will be able to vote on the acceptance of these bylaws at the Annual Meeting & Spring Picnic, which will be held May 3 at Bittner Park from 12-2pm. A summary of the proposed changes is below, and the full bylaw changes can be reviewed here.
Corporate Compliance and Governance. Additions include language codifying the prohibition on engaging in any and all political activities and an expansive Non-Discrimination Policy.
Fiduciary Obligations of Board Members. The amendments and additions in this category address more clearly setting forth the general fiduciary duties owed by members of the board, including sections addressing conflicts of interest, confidentiality, and the codifying the authority of board members to bind the school and what is required for them to do so.
Staff and Faculty Compensation Guidelines. This section more clearly sets forth the Board's role in establishing staff compensation, as well as providing safeguards against the arbitrary reduction in staff compensation and a guaranteed annual cost of living adjustment.
If you have any concerns or questions about the proposed Bylaw changes, please feel free to reach out to any board member, or email theboard@guilfordcns.org.
Johnny Fendt, CNS Board Vice President
What’s New
Dr. Jen Scoggin’s Second Parent Literacy Workshop
This year CNS is working with Dr. Jen Scoggin, a literacy consultant and author, to develop our literacy curriculum. Dr. Scoggin’s second of three workshops focused on nuturing young readers through the practice of reading aloud.
Reading aloud has numerous academic and social emotional benefits, such as increasing empathy, developing attention span, improving problem solving skills, building vocabulary, and reducing stress. Dr. Scoggin also spoke about ways to support reading comprehension while reading together with our children. Asking open-ended questions, talking about the characters’ feelings, asking your child to make predictions, and reading expressively are all excellent ways to strengthen the reading experience.
If you’re interested in learning more about Dr. Scoggin’s work, please visit https://trustingreaders.com, and be sure to join us for Dr. Scoggin’s last workshop on May 6!
Sign Up Now For The Little Folks Fair
The Little Folks Fair is approaching - it will be on Saturday, June 7! Since 1956 CNS has hosted the fair on the Guilford Green. The fair transforms the Green into a playground for children and families, creating memories that will last a lifetime. The Little Folks fair is not only a wonderful event, but one of our biggest fundraisers of the year, which helps to fund our financial aid.
This fair could not happen without the support and commitment of our amazing CNS families, and now is the time to sign up for your volunteer position. Below is a link to the sign-up sheet, where you can choose which booth you would like to be a part of on fair day. If you have any challenges signing up, please email one of the Little Folks Fair Directors - Amy Johnson at amyjohnsoncns@gmail.com or Chrissy Toner at chrissy.milanese@gmail.com.
We’re so looking forward to the 2025 Little Folks Fair; seeing parents working together to support our school, our community and our children is priceless!
Thank You to the Guilford Fund for Education
This past fall we received grant funding from the Guilford Fund for Education (GFFE) to build a sugar shack and send home tree tapping supplies with families. This month our sugar shack was built and children tapped trees at school and at home, boiled sap, and made their own maple syrup! We are so grateful for the support from the GFFE and our school community; this will be an amazing memory for the children at CNS.
Mark Your Calendars for these Spring Events
Nature 3s Parent Coffee Chat
Who: Nature 3s Parents
When: Wednesday, April 2 @ 9:15AM
Where: The Red Barn at CNS (front playground closed)
Contact: Irene Baker: ireneo@gmail.com
Toddler Meet-up
Who: Toddler Families
When: Sunday, April 6 @ 9:30-10:30AM
Where: CNS back playground
Contact: Paige Keefe: pkeefe16@gmail.com
CNS Parent Night Mixer
Who: All CNS Families
When: Wednesday, April 23 @ 7:00PM
Where: Stony Creek Brewery
Contact: Connie & Michael Bakutes: conniemottola@aol.com
Take a night off from bedtime routines and join us for a fun and relaxed evening out with your fellow co-op participants. It’s the perfect chance to unwind, mingle, and maybe even win a prize or two! There will be raffles and lots of laughs! If only one partner can make it—divide and conquer—come solo and enjoy a well-deserved night out. Want to donate a raffle basket? We’d love your support! If you’d like to contribute a basket for the raffle, please email me at conniemottola@aol.com. Come connect, relax, and enjoy a fun evening with your amazing co-op community—we can’t wait to see you there!
4s Meet-up
Who: 4s Families
When: Saturday, April 26th @ 10AM
Where: CNS back playground
Contact: Lily Prioreschi: LilianPrioreschi@gmail.com
CNS Spring Picnic
Who: All CNS Families
When: Saturday, May 3rd @ 12PM-2PM
Where: Bittner Park
Contact: Christina Daly: christinabullard@gmail.com
Reminder to Join the CNS Spring Grounds Clean-Up
CNS’s spring grounds clean-up is right around the corner. If you’re able, please join other CNS families on April 5 to tidy up the grounds. All families must send one parent to one school clean up per year, equal to four hours of work. You can sign up for the spring clean-up at the link below!
Family Spotlight
The Lefkins
We are the Lefkins - Dave, Brooke, Chase and Harper! Chase is 2 and is in PreK2s with Ms Sullivan, and Harper is only 3 months old. You may hear from Brooke as she coordinates grounds clean up this spring! We moved to Guilford in 2020 from Brooklyn, NY, but Dave went to high school here too. Brooke is lucky enough to work from home as a Senior Program Manager at Noom, and Dave is a full time Musician. He plays locally all the time in case anyone loves to dance! We spend most of our time playing outside with our dog Aria, going on walks or hikes, playing music and building magnetiles. Our favorite place is Block Island, where we spend most of our time in the summer!
Classroom Corner
This month we celebrated Holi in the PreK4s class. Learning about different cultural celebrations is an important and special part of our curriculum. Holi is a Hindu festival that celebrates colors, love, and spring. After reading books and learning about the holiday, the children celebrated outside. It was a very colorful morning!
Rachel Daniels, CNS Director