Greetings Families, Partners, and LTI Community
It’s July, and we hope you are enjoying your summer with your children. Our class schedule is slightly reduced this month because so many people (including our volunteer teachers) are taking vacations, but in gratitude for taking the time to stay connected, we’ve included a sneak peek at some of the classes coming in Fall. Enjoy!
It’s July, and we hope you are enjoying your summer with your children. Our class schedule is slightly reduced this month because so many people (including our volunteer teachers) are taking vacations, but in gratitude for taking the time to stay connected, we’ve included a sneak peek at some of the classes coming in Fall. Enjoy!
Here’s this month’s news
Happy Fourth of
July!
CHAC/Mercy Street
FRC Wins Award from STAR 101.3 Morning Show Hosts Marcus D and Sandy
The award included an official “Proclamation” morning show hosts that celebrates who we are as an organization. It reads:
“Whereas the Bay Area
needs more places that “understand the value of each individual, the importance
of family and the necessity of community: and
Whereas CHAC is chock
full of caring individuals who realize that compassionate advice and soft
shoulders to cry on are more than just a status update! And
Whereas sometimes even
the paid professionals need a hug (or at least a free burrito) and
Whereas someone needs to
recognize the greatest thing to happen to Mountain View since free Wi-Fi, and
it’s time the spotlight was on YOU!
Now, therefore Marcus D.
and Sandy, d/b/a “Star Mornings” aka “Our Favorite Morning Show” serving as
Morning Show Hosts, and separately as Director of Aloha and Professional
Snacker at Star 101.3 FM do hereby proclaim COMMUNITY HEALTH AWARENESS COUNCIL
(CHAC) as one of the coolest places to work in the Bay Area!
Thanks to Marcus D. and
Sandy for the award, the recognition and the great burrito lunch from Chavez.
Potluck Extravaganza – Staff and Families Celebrate our Fabulous Volunteers. Thank you to all the families and friends who came out to celebrate our amazing volunteers. As usual there was a ton of great healthy food and the kids were excited to see their teachers and play in the water at Ortega Park. Volunteers, we couldn’t do all that we do without you. Thank you for putting your heart into all your efforts.
We also said farewell to
a long time beloved teacher, Yuko Fujimoto, who will be returning to Japan.
Thanks, Yuko, for all of your dedication and support for the last three years,
and for your passion for starting the Japanese Play and Learn class with Tomoko
– it is very much loved by the families.
Father’s Group
Brings Spanish Speaking Dads Together for Community and Support
There
are not a lot of places for men to gather and share in this way, and Francisco,
a proud parent himself, is glad to see men getting so much from the meetings.
Since the classes ended, they have agreed to continue meeting weekly and have
hosted speakers on financial management, computer literacy, health and
nutrition, CPR and more.
The
group will be on break for two weeks in July, but if you know a father who
might be interested, please contact Francisco Hernandez at 650-967-4813. Francisco would also like to be able to offer a group for English-speaking fathers as well!
Children's
Art Studio Still Open for Fall!
 |
| The class learns about famous painter, Piet Mondrian |
Children will....
Paint and have fun making sculptures!
Make a collage using your favorite things.
Sing & dance with your favorite poems and rhymes.
Learn how to express your feelings and emotions through art.
Learn about famous artists and see how they made their masterpieces.
Paint and have fun making sculptures!
Make a collage using your favorite things.
Sing & dance with your favorite poems and rhymes.
Learn how to express your feelings and emotions through art.
Learn about famous artists and see how they made their masterpieces.
We will visit our Art
Gallery each class and learn how to appreciate art.
Most important is that we will learn that through art we can express our feelings and our emotions.
Most important is that we will learn that through art we can express our feelings and our emotions.
Let's speak through art.
Cost:
Fall session - 13
weeks: Sept 5 – Dec 5 $130, or $95 if paid by July 11
*Class is valued at
$170.
Cost is per child and
fees are non-refundable and not transferrable to another series.
Cash or checks only.
Checks should be made out to CHAC.
Registration is required. You can pre-register by going to http://bit.ly/1iYalYQ
If you have any questions, you can contact us at 650-967-4813 or send an email to: mercystreetfrc@gmail.com
Registration is required. You can pre-register by going to http://bit.ly/1iYalYQ
If you have any questions, you can contact us at 650-967-4813 or send an email to: mercystreetfrc@gmail.com
Class
is designed for children ages 3-5 years old, sorry we cannot have younger
siblings in class.
New Class in Fall:
Super Problem Solvers Club for kids ages 4-5 and 5-6
Developed by Melissa
Kelley, MA, the “Super Problem Solvers Club” teaches kids about working
together, understanding and managing emotions, and gives skills for solving
problems and calming down when upset.
Class includes
cooperative games, movement, art, storytelling and more.
Melissa has taught
social-emotional learning to children for fifteen years at schools like Nueva
and Springer Elementary. At Springer last year, kids in the Kindergarten class
loved it so much, they insisted on sharing what they learned with their
classmates.
This group is limited to
7 children and has two sections - one for Pre-K (ages 4-5, must be 4 by the time class starts) and an after school class for Kindergarten-1st grade (ages 5-6). Registration is
required, must register and pay for full series before the first class. Parents
will not be staying in the classroom.
After you register,
Melissa will speak to each parent individually about the class and goals, and
will email parents with concepts and vocabulary to reinforce at home each week. More details under Mountain View page.
Sections:
- Pre-K (ages 4-5) Thursdays 10:00-11:30am
- K-1 (ages 5-6) Thursdays 3:30-5:00pm
Dates (both sections):
- September 4 – October 23 (8 weeks)
Fee:
- Option 1: Early Bird Discount: $15/Session ($120 for full series) if paid by 8/29
- Option 2: $17/Session ($136 for full series) after 8/29
Ages and Stages Continue!
This month in all our
classes, staff and volunteers will be encouraging you to fill out an Ages and
Stages Questionnaire for your child.
Why?
Studies show that
parents who understand what their child is working on in their development will
be better equipped to support their learning as they continue to grow. You
might be amazed and delighted to know some of the things that your child is
capable of doing. Also, you will see how activities we provide in class are
designed to support all parts of their development – language/communication,
fine and gross motor skills, personal care, social emotional regulation, and
problem solving skills.
Questionnaires are a
great learning tool for you as your
child’s first and most important teacher.
FIRST 5 has asked that as
many of our parents participate as possible because they are convinced of the
usefulness of the tool, so completing the Ages and Stages Questionnaire is also
a great way to help your center. If you have already completed one for your
child, they can complete a new one every six months, so feel free to complete a
new one for your child’s current stage.
Two ways to participate:
- Make an appointment and complete the questionnaire with a volunteer or staff person. Parents say they enjoy having someone help them and like being able to ask questions. Appointments last 60-90 minutes. This particular way has been reported as a time-saver by many parents, because staff/volunteers have been there to clarify the questions.
- Ask for a copy to complete on your own - a great option if you are short on time to schedule an appointment, or prefer to do it at home. Return the questionnaire so that Mercy Street can let FIRST 5 know how many we completed.
Your kids might enjoy
the chance to show you what they know!
FirstFocus
Partnership helps Vargas FRC Kids See a Bright Future
26 children
at our Vargas FRC received a free vision screening, thanks to FocusFirst (a
program of the Healthier Kids Foundation that is partly funded by FIRST 5 Santa
Clara County).
Parents
were grateful for the chance to check their children’s vision and said the
results came in the following day.
Testing
a young child’s vision can be tricky, because they may not be able to complain
about vision problems, but the FocusFirst program uses a special camera that
can photograph the child’s eyes and let parents know if there is an undetected
vision problem.
Read
more about how kids with vision problems can be misdiagnosed with other
conditions, and cause difficulty with learning.
This month we would like to thank the honey bees
who have been tending our community garden. They have been enjoying the bird
bath outside the church entrance and in exchange have been helping create an
abundance of tomatoes, pepper and flowers.Here’s a great article about the importance of bees in our food pollination
http://www.cascadianfarm.com/programs/save-the-bees/what-you-can-do?gclid=CKLL6a7Dp78CFdBi7AodIAIAbg
Donations
We very much appreciate all of you who kindly
give us gently used clothing, supplies and toys for our classrooms. In order to make sure that we have adequate
space and good use for your donations, please call us first at (650) 967-4813
before bringing your donations to our centers.
Thank you!
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.
7/4 – All centers closed
for 4th of July
9/1 – All centers closed
for Labor Day
Summer
Schedule Changes:
If your class is not
listed here, it will continue for the summer. Always check Google calendars if you are not sure or for last
minute cancellations.
Mercy Street FRC
Escuela FRC
Vargas FRC
Canon FRC
Mercy Street FRC
Escuela FRC
Vargas FRC
Canon FRC
Mountain
View/Mercy Street:
Tuesday Play and Learn for children 3 and Under to continue through summer. We
anticipate a smaller class due to the Library Concert Series, so if you prefer
smaller class sizes, this is a great time. Class is 10:00am - 12:00pm.
Sunnyvale:
- The Tuesday afternoon Play and Learn will be on break for the summer. Last class is June 10. The class has moved to Thursdays at 3:00pm for the month of July.
- Bombay Jam had its last class for the summer on June 26. Class will resume in September (date TBD)
- All classes will be on break from August 4 – 22, so that Vargas and the School District staff can prepare for the new school year.
Cupertino: The Mandarin and English Play and
Learn Classes are on break. Last classes were June 9 and 10. Classes will return
starting August 18.
What’s NEW for July?
Mountain View
Coming
Soon:
Super
Problem Solvers Club – An
8 week class to strengthen social-emotional skills for children ages 4-5 or 5-6.
Topics include: being a good team member, feelings, calming down when feelings
are too big, problem solving, the anger dragon, positive self-talk, and being
kind to others. By Melissa Kelly MA.
Parents will not be in
the classroom with the children. Limited to 7 children. Space is not guaranteed
until paid in full. Call 650-965-4813 for more info or click to reserve space.
Dates: Thursdays, September 4 - October 23
Dates: Thursdays, September 4 - October 23
Sections:
- Pre-K (ages 4-5) Thursdays 10:00-11:30am
- K-1 (ages 5-6) Thursdays 3:30-5:00pm
- Option 1: Early Bird Discount: $15/Session ($120 for full series) if paid by August 29
- Option 2: $17/Session ($136 for full series) after August 29
Register: http://bit.ly/1rU8J6f
From
our Partners:
City of Mountain View:
Summer Outdoor Movie Night Series. Great FREE movies in the park – Starts July
11. http://beta.mountainview.gov/depts/cs/events/summermovie.asp
Mountain View Library:
Sing a Summer Song – a wildly popular summer concert series for little ones. http://library.mountainview.gov/screens/singasummer2014.pdf
Sunnyvale
Children’s
Art Studio:
Fall Session: Fridays, September 5 – December 5 (13
weeks)$95 if paid by July 11 - $130* thereafter
*Class is valued at $170.
See Sunnyvale page for details on registration and fees.
New!
Thursday Afternoon Play and Learn – for July only!
Thursdays at Vargas Elementary, Room 15 from July 3 to
July 31 from 3-4:30PM.
No registration required.
Cupertino
Play
and Learn resumes in August – with a Literacy twist. For 6 weeks, the focus will be on
helping children expand vocabulary and teaching parents how to build language
and literacy skills at home. No registration required. Choose either English or
Mandarin class. Please plan to arrive early. Class is limited to the first 13
people who arrive. Class is usually full 10-15 minutes before 10:00am.
Mondays (Mandarin) starts
8/18, 10:00am – 11:30am.
Tuesdays (English)
starts 8/19, 10:00am – 11:30am
Monthly
Arts Enrichment Class at Calabasas Library! Second Thursday of every month, 10:30am-12:00 noon. Mark
your calendars: 7/10, 8/14, 9/11 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.
Like us on Facebook! Did
you know we have a Facebook page? We post interesting tips, videos,
information on local events, and more. Please “like” us and help our
online community grow. Find us by typing “Mercy Street Family Resource Center” in the search bar or (click)
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
---------------------------------------------------------------
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
