CHAC/FIRST 5 Presents: Your
March Overview
Greetings Families, Partners, and LTI Community
It’s March and Spring is
in the air! It’s a great time for vocabulary building and language skills about
life cycles in nature, and making colorful art with spring themes. We’re
looking forward to seeing all of the exciting projects that the children
create.We are also excited to host a free workshop on brain development, open to all families (childcare available with registration). This is valuable information you won’t want to miss! The class will give a sneak peek into some new offerings that will be coming soon to our program.
Here’s this month’s
news
Mercy
to Host FREE Presentation on Brain Development: Friday March 14 10:00am-12:00pm. Maddi Pascua, MA, ATR (director of our
CHAC/FIRST 5 program), and Melissa Kelley, MA, MFTI, who is a Marriage and
Family Therapy intern at CHAC who specializes in sensory integration and social
skills building in children.
The Importance of Whole Brain & Body Development in Early LearningThis informative and interactive training will provide an overview of typical early brain development, as well as a view of what it is like to witness when a child's development differs from what we expect. We will present some essential building blocks in fostering a child's potential by learning with the whole brain, movement, and through all of the senses. We will also discuss and demonstrate best practices to promote growth in parenting/teaching strategies. You will come away with strategies on how to work positively and effectively with a variety of children and, most importantly, with a deeper understanding of how movement & play is crucial to a child's learning! Presented by Maddi Pascua, MA ATR and Melissa Kelley, MA MFTI.
Registration is required, childcare available with registration by Wednesday, March 12. Register here http://bit.ly/1cWJgh6 or by calling 650-967-4813
Movetrition
– with a Twist! Time
to get moving Friday afternoons in Sunnyvale! Nancy Doan and student volunteers
will teach kids about healthy eating through one of their favorite activities –
movement! Nancy will also give
parents tips from Triple P (Positive Parenting Program) for setting healthy boundaries around food
and more. See Sunnyvale page for details. Starts March 7 and runs for 6 weeks. 
Spring
Planting Party at Mercy Street FRC – As part of our Science Kids class in Sunnyvale, Mercy will host a
special class about natural science for one class in Mountain View on March 27
from 10:00am-11:30. Science teacher Aliza Savransky will provide experiment stations
and children will get to participate in helping plant our community garden for
Spring. Class is $3 per child. See Mountain View or Sunnyvale page for details.
What is Sensory
Integration? Does
your child get upset when you turn on the vacuum? Protest over scratchy tags or
tight clothes? Refuse to eat certain foods because of their smell or texture?
Your child’s nervous system may have a hard time integrating sensory input.
This might mean that their ability to tolerate certain smells, tastes,
sensations, etc, may be harder for them than for you or for other children.
Sometimes when children
are sensitive, parents unknowingly might think their child is having behavior
problems. The school might also be concerned. In reality, their young systems
are having to work hard to stay regulated from day to day activities, and extra
stimulus can easily send them over their threshold into a meltdown, tantrum,
hitting, or other behaviors that we don’t like.
The good news is, if
your child is sensitive to the environment, there is much you can do to help
them, including noticing their distress levels, practicing proven sensory
techniques, and more.
If you are interested in
speaking to one of our staff about your child’s sensitivities, please contact
Brandy for a free 30 minute consultation. We have staff trained in basic
sensory integration who can give you tips and exercises to try with your child.
Call the Mercy Street Office at 650-967-4813 for more information.
Bombay
Jam Continues in Sunnyvale!
Families, get your dancing shoes on and stop by Vargas elementary every
Thursday in March from 4:00 – 5:00pm. Cost is $1 per person. Join this fun-filled
Bollywood dance inspired class for adults and children (must be supervised by
an adult). It’s easy to learn, great exercise and infectiously fun. Please wear
comfortable clothing and shoes that will work with carpet. All attendees must
sign a waiver prior to participating.
FIRST
5/CHAC Partners with Mountain View Whisman School District to Help Families
Register for Kindergarten.
Community Workers Jeanette Santana, Francisco Hernandez and Ana Moreno helped
over 30 families complete required online registration for Kindergarten. This is a great example of the win-win
partnerships that CHAC/FIRST 5 creates in the community. Families get the
support they need to help their children register for school, the school
district gets support for stretched staffing, and we get to meet many new
families and introduce them to our programs and other resources in the
community. Hurray for teamwork!
We are continuing our
tradition of offering gratitude each month. There are a lot of reasons to
express and model gratitude to our children. Here is a fun link with pictures
that show some of the benefits of giving thanks. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/22/gratitude-healthy-benefits_n_2147182.html.
This month we’d like to thank Aliza Savransky,
our Science Kids teacher, for creating an amazing experience for children and
parents in her class. Some people say her class is like going to the
Exploratorium. Aliza developed this curriculum herself and always inspires
staff, parents and children alike. Please join us in thanking Aliza!
Holidays
and Scheduled Closings:
Here is a list of
upcoming days we will be closed and class cancelations. Please watch our
calendars for unexpected closings, such as teacher illness.
3/14 – Japanese Play and
Learn is canceled due to the volunteer meeting
4/7 – 4/11 Spring Break
in Mountain View. All classes canceled at Mercy and Escuela
4/14 – 4/18 Spring Break
in Sunnyvale and Cupertino. All classes canceled at Vargas and Canon Music
What’s NEW for March?
Mountain View
The
Importance of Whole Brain & Body Development in Early Learning
A free presentation by
Maddi Pascua, MA, ATR, FIRST 5 LTI Program Director, and Melissa Kelley, MA,
MFTI. Friday March 14, 10:00am –
12:00pm.
Registration required. Free childcare available if registered by Wednesday, March 12. Light snacks will be served.
Registration required. Free childcare available if registered by Wednesday, March 12. Light snacks will be served.
This informative and
interactive training will provide an overview of typical early brain
development, as well as a view of what it is like to witness when a child's
development differs from what we expect.
We will present some essential building blocks in fostering a child's
potential by learning with the whole brain, movement, and through all of the
senses. We will also discuss and
demonstrate best practices to promote growth in parenting/teaching
strategies. You will come away with
strategies on how to work positively and effectively with a variety of children
and, most importantly, with a deeper understanding of how movement & play
is crucial to a child's learning.
*Register here http://bit.ly/1cWJgh6 or by
calling 650-967-4813
Spring
Planting Party at Mercy. Thursday March 27, 10:00am-11:30am.
As part of our Science Kids class in Sunnyvale, Mercy will host a
special class about natural science for one class. Science teachers Aliza
Savransky, along with her assistants Iris and Sharmila, will provide experiment stations and children
will get to participate in helping plant our community garden for Spring. Class
is $3 per child. Class is most appropriate for children 3-5 years.
Registration
Support for Returning Students at Mountain View Whisman School District. Families who need to register their
children for school, and who need assistance with online registration, can make
an appointment with a community worker for one on one help. Family must have a
child aged 0-5. Registration dates are March 24-28. Appointments are required, so please call
650-967-4813 to schedule your appointment as soon as possible.
Science
Kids Coming Soon to Mountain View!
Get your lab coats ready – Science Kids will be coming to Mountain View on
Thursdays starting in May. Class is for children ages 3-5 (sorry, no siblings).
Includes basics of numbers, shapes &
colors; the world around us; science skills: measuring and more. Cost is $25 for the series. Not a drop-in class. Please register as space
is limited to the first 15 children/30 people. By Aliza Savransky. 6 weeks. (Lab
coats not required) ;)
Sunnyvale
Bombay
Jam: Thursdays throughout March 4:00pm-5:00pm. Cost is $1 per person. Join this fun filled Bollywood dance
inspired class for adults and children (must be supervised by an adult). Easy
to learn, great exercise and infectiously fun. Please wear comfortable clothing
and shoes that will work with carpet. All attendees must sign a waiver prior to
participating. No registration required.
Science
Kids: Thursdays 10:00am-11:30am. February 27- April 3. Science exploration for preschoolers
ages 3-5. Includes basics of numbers, shapes & colors; the world around us;
science skills: measuring and more. This class is first come, first served for
the first 14 children/28 people (due to the classroom size, for safety
reasons).By Aliza Savransky. 6 weeks. Fee is $3 per child per class to cover supplies,
or buy the whole series by the first class and get 1 class free ($15 for the
series) Cash or checks made out to CHAC. Drop-ins only if space available at
10am. If you buy a series, you must arrive by 10:00am or you lose your space
(sorry, no refunds). Series passes are not transferable.
Movetrition
– with a Twist: Fridays 2:00pm-3:30. March 7 – April 11 (6 weeks). Movetrition is a health program that
teaches nutrition through movement. This is Movetrition with a twist - parents
will also learn positive parenting skill building throughout the class. For
more information call 650-967-4813 or email mercystreetfrc@gmail.com. No registration required. Space is
limited to first 15 families each week.
Did you know about our FIRST 5 partners in Sunnyvale?
Find calendars for the
FIRST 5 FRC at Fairwood Elementary here http://www.first5kids.org/frc/fairwood
Cupertino
Monthly Play and Learn Class at Calabasas Library! Second Thursday of every month, 10:30-12 noon. Mark your calendars: 3/13, 4/10, 5/8 and beyond! Address: Calabasas Library, 1230 S Blaney Ave, San Jose, CA
Volunteers Needed! Do
you have a few hours a week you that you can spare? Do you want to give
back to your community? Do you want to make an impact in the lives of
young children and their families? Do you want to expand your knowledge
of early childhood development? Do you have expert knowledge that you can teach to our families? Come join our team. If you are interested and/or want more information on our fabulous volunteer program, please send an email to Nancy Doan at nancydoan5@gmail.com. Thanks for considering – the success of our program depends on Volunteers! Together we make the difference.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Volunteer Network! CHAC/FIRST 5 Volunteers, stay connected on all our volunteer news, updates, training opportunities, and more! You can take part in our Facebook Volunteer Group. Find us by typing "nancydoan5@gmail.com" in the search bar or click
---------------------------------------------------------------
Feedback: Do you have comments that you would like to send the staff? Please send us a note to:mercystreetfrc@gmail.com
