APPS Almaden Parents' Pre-school

10/09/2026

I never thought a book about feeding kids could make me cry, but here we are! Deborah MacNamara, PhD, Developmental and Clinical Counsellor wrote such a wonderful book that has us focusing on HOW we feed our children rather than just WHAT we feed them. It puts relationship first, just like we do at our school.

If you don't get a chance to read it, I'll have some cheat sheets ready for us, and really we just want to bond as a community and share our lives with each other! This group is about seeing that we are not alone, reducing the burden of parenting so we can enjoy it more, and sharing our struggles and wins.

Hope to see you there!

09/19/2026

No one could have predicted what happened at school this week, and we love it! So many children from our 3 and 5 Day class discovered what's inside a pumpkin and came up with how to care for them. Along the way they experimented with force, got sensory with pumpkin insides, and did things they didn't think they were capable of! Our children are so amazing and we are blessed to be in a program that centers them and their emerging sense of themselves.

08/24/2026

Welcome Back, APPS!
Let’s kick off the new school year with a fun picnic, friends, and lots of smiles!

08/18/2026

08/08/2026

Today is Mrs. Ding's memorial, and we are looking forward to gathering in her honor. Together with a few of our children we've noticed how we can still see her presence all over our little school.

The discussions that taking these clips started with children have been so incredible. The second clip where the child asks why I'm taking a picture led to a 15 minute discussion on the history of the school and who had Ms. Sanyoo's job and who had Ms. Hamsa's job, since that's how he could connect to it. And when he understood that it was Ms. Cathy's mom who we were talking about, it all so clearly connected for him.

How special to be able to share Mrs. Ding's memory and legacy with our current generation of students and families. We will never stop feeling her impact. 💕

07/29/2026

We have loved watching each child discover their own unique ways to play with the materials we've brought to our playdates this summer! We saw children making chalk paint and seeing the pastel colors become bold and vibrant, then back to pastel as they dry in the sun. There were potions of all different colors, and lots of scooping and pouring. I particularly enjoyed watching children explore how water makes chalk more malleable, crumbling it in their fingers and even stomping on it!

We still have two more summer playdates coming up! We hope to see you there. Should we host more playdates during the year?

07/27/2026

Betsy Ding’s Celebration of Life https://www.paperlesspost.com/go/jkpkpqQtQ47VG7f5vPExd/pp_g/d627aec072bc2a049051601356ae6286435c8535?utm_content=view_card&utm_source=cof&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=customizable_invitation

07/22/2026

On Monday we'll be hanging out in the shade at Greystone Park in Almaden, right near fellow Positive Discipline Lab School Almaden Country Day School! Come on by and play with us!

07/13/2026

Join us for a special nature based creek playdate this Friday in Almaden!

Play in nature holds a special place in our hearts. It's so grounding, regulating, and sensory in a less manufactured way. We'll bring some mud kitchen type toys for scooping and dumping, we can't wait to see what the children come up with!

Note that there is poison oak along the trail to our spot, so keep littles on the trail! There is also plenty of uneven ground, slippery rocks, and other natural elements of mild risk. When supported to see potential risks clearly, our children build their safe enough risk taking muscles and actually get better at making safe decisions. This is a wonderful opportunity for them to tune in with themselves and hone their senses with your guidance!

See you there!

05/29/2026

These free events are great for meeting new friends and building community. We'll provide a fun activity and you really get to feel like a part of our village and see how we tick. We'd love you to come whether you're already a member or alumni, or even if you aren't looking for a school. The main point is to build community together and have something to do during those long summer days with the kids.

If you're interested in a tour, we won't be open but we can walk over to the playground and show you around upon request.

We hope to see you every Wednesday! And watch this space, we plan to host at least one creek day this summer as well!