Hello
Families, Partners, and LTI Community
It’s November! For many of us this gets to be a very busy time of year. For some it gets to be so busy that a time of fun gets to be a time of extra stress. Here’s something we can learn from our kids: watch how they stay in the moment! We can hear you say “Yes, but….”, and we know there is much to do, but we at the FRC’s hope you also find time to stop, slow down and enjoy the natural time of quiet that the colder/darker months bring.
Here is
your November Blog.
All Community News & Highlights:
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Volunteer Scott G. as Clifford
led the
children’s costume parade
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- 3rd
Annual Halloween Party- was an incredible success. We hosted over 125
people (50 children!) at New World CDC in Sunnyvale. We owe much
gratitude to our 21 volunteers, our
hosts, May and Ping Chen, owners of New World Child Development Center http://www.newworldcdc.com/,
and a special pat on the back to our hard working staff for bringing it all
together so seamlessly.
Staff and volunteers had a great time dancing and playing together after the party. Then we harnessed all their great energy for a group shot!
- You can see more pictures here http://mercystreetfrchalloween.shutterfly.com/ (pictures will be up soon – our photo assistant has been out sick. Thanks for your patience).
- Play and Learn Schedule Change – Mondays at Mercy Street FRC: Please note starting November 5, the Play and Learn class will begin at 10:30 and end at 12 noon as usual.
- 24 Hour Fitness to Offer Trial with Free Childcare – Mountain View 24 Hour Fitness will be offering FREE classes (Les Mills’ Boot Camp, Cycling, Cross Train, etc.) from 9:00am-2:00pm to the public (anyone can join). For FIRST 5 families, if you register with us, you can also get FREE childcare at the gym (they have a beautiful room with lots of activities). See Mountain View page for more details. Classes are one hour long.
- Mandarin Play and Learn extended in Cupertino– Mandarin Play and Learn is off to a great start in Cupertino. From the first session, families started to collaborate about bringing more books, and finding new songs for the children. Now, families and volunteers have decided to continue for an additional three weeks (11/29-12/13). This is a no registration, first come, first served class, so please stop by if you are a Mandarin speaker. See Cupertino page for more information on how to attend.
- Fall
Planting at Mercy – Lady bugs, art, and fun to eat foods! 22 Families joined us for our Fall Planting at
Mercy Street FRC. Kids planted and watered, made crafts, ate creative snack
art, and freed live ladybugs who will help us keep our gardens free from other
bugs. Here is the recipe for the snacks we made:
Pumpkin veg-o-lantern - One rice cake, soft cream cheese, organic brown sugar to sweeten, blends in drops of red and yellow food coloring (to make orange) – spread on rice cake. Use items below to decorate your veg-o-lantern (or use others that you and your child like:
§ ½ snow
pea (stem)
§ pretzel
sticks (eyes) and divided pretzel sticks (eyelashes, arms or hair)
§ raisins
(eyes)
§ apple
slices (smiles)
§ shredded
carrots (hair)
- New
Spanish Play and Learn at Escuela (for fluent Spanish speakers) –
LTI Volunteer Alma Garcia has been running an informal group at the Escuela FRC
for several months, and now has decided to open it to the public. We are glad
to have another class officially on the schedule to fill the high demand for
Play and Learn in Spanish – thanks Alma! Class is Wednesdays from 10:00am-12
noon.
Holiday
Schedule – to help with your planning, here is a list of the days that all
of our centers will be CLOSED until the
beginning of 2013
- Veteran’s Day Monday, November 12
- Thanksgiving Weds-Friday, November 21-23
- Winter Holidays December 20, 2012-January 7, 2014, office reopens and classes resume on Monday, January 7, 2014
****NOTE: ALL classes will be canceled on December 17, 18 & 19 throughout
our region (Cupertino, Sunnyvale, and Mountain View).
Coming in November (and beyond)
- Cómo Criar Niños Emocinalmente Saludables Book Study Group – Community Worker Yadira Rios is holding a monthly book group based on Gerald Newmark’s book, How to Raise Emotionally Healthy Kids in Spanish. Monday November 5 from 10:00am-noon. Childcare is provided with registration. Want to host a group in English? Books available. Please contact us at 650-967-4813 or MercyStreetFRC@gmail.com
- Family Day was changed to November 10 due to a great event at the Mountain View Library on our usual Family Day (remember we usually meet on the THIRD Saturday).
- Family Day, November 10, 11:30am – 1:00pm, Arts Enrichment focusing on family bonding and fun.
- Mountain View Library Reading Day, November 17, 9:30am-1:30pm
- Ejercicios en el Parque – Our Fall fitness effort continues, this time in Rengstorff Park – certified fitness trainer Luciana Mendonca will lead 15 moms in exercises they can do in the park using existing equipment and boot camp style exercises. This is offered in Spanish only, childcare is provided, registration is required. There are only 15 spots available, so please choose one date only either Friday November 16 OR 30. Time: 10:00-11:30am.
- Intro to Bombay Jam – for adults and youth 12 and over. This will be at the Mercy Street FRC main classroom on Wednesday, November 14 at 7-8 pm. No childcare provided, but if your child can play quietly with you supervising, they may stay in the room. Registration is required and space is limited to the first 6 people. This is an experiment to see how a fitness class works in this space without childcare. If it works, we will have classes in the New Year for $5 each. *Donations to support being able to offer more classes in the future.
- Yoga for Moms – LTI staff, Brandy Vanderheiden, who is also a professional yoga teacher, will offer a special Yoga for Moms class funded by The David Lucille Packard Foundation. Class is suitable for all ability levels and will focus on stress relief using gentle movement, breathing and focused concentration. Cupertino – Canon Music, November 15 10:30am-12:00pm. Registration required, childcare provided. Bring a yoga mat or beach towel.
- Healthy for the Holidays- A collaboration between two FIRST 5 regions, the City of Sunnyvale, the Sunnyvale School District, Gateway Neighborhood Center, and generous funding from the The David and Lucile Packard Foundation. We will be hosting Zumba classes, Bombay Jam, and Yoga at three community venues. See Sunnyvale for the list of dates & times. For Sunnyvale and Mountain View residents.
- From our partners at the City of Sunnyvale: Baby Behaviors, Wednesday, November 14, 6:30 – 8:30 pm, Columbia Neighborhood Center, 785 Morse Ave., Sunnyvale. Instructor: Rebecca Tam, Registered Dietician, Public Health Nutritionist/Breastfeeding Coordinator at the Santa Clara County Public Health Department
- Learn how to communicate with babies more effectively, recognize when the best time to interact with the baby is, and how to react to the signals that the baby is trying to tell you. Understand the various states babies go through and how to react to them (crying, alert, irritable, drowsy, etc)
- Recognize baby cues and signals (“I am hungry!”, “I need a break.”, “Play with me!”)
- Learn how to improve the quality of baby sleep time
Save the Date! Year End Holiday Celebration and
Volunteer appreciation party. December 14, 6:00-8:00pm at Mercy Street. Pot luck, all are
welcome. Come and celebrate the end to a wonderful year and help us recognize
the achievements of the volunteers – we could not do all we do without their
incredible support.
Last Year’s Holiday Gathering was a
blend of traditions with a feast of food and plenty of cheer. We hope to see
you there!
