Monday, February 2, 2015

February Overview

CHAC/FIRST 5 Presents: Your February Overview

Greetings Families, Partners, and LTI Community

How time flies! Apologies for the delay on getting out the blog recently, but remember that our Google calendars are always up to date. We hope your holidays were peaceful and now we turn toward a new beginning in 2015. May this year be filled with joy, peace and many fun filled learning opportunities for you and your child.







Here’s this month’s news

Welcome back everyone! Classes resumed on January 12 – we look forward to seeing you!

  

Is Your Child Starting Kindergarten in Fall? Time to Register!

Here is a list of resources and Parent Orientations coming up.

Mountain View:
Kindergarten Information Night at Mountain View Whisman School District was on January 15 at Castro Elementary. Presented by staff from MVWSD. The enrollment period begins on January 26.
Enrollment Period for kindergarten: January 26 – February 27

Enrollment help Available for Mountain View Families: Must have one child who is age 0-5. Available by appointment only. Spanish, Vietnamese and Mandarin assistance available. Call 650-967-4813 or mercystreetfrc@gmail.com for an appointment. Must complete the initial registration with MVWSD and receive a snap code prior to your appointment.

Sunnyvale:
I’m Ready for Kindergarten Parent Presentation – for parents in all districts was on Tuesday, January 20 at the Sunnyvale Library. This presentation reviewed the 4 key things kids should know to be prepared for kindergarten. Included a free “I’m Ready for Kindergarten” handbook from FIRST 5.
Sunnyvale School District: http://www.sesd.org/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectionid=1
Open enrollment from February 2 - February 13

Note: Depending on your address, you might be in the Cupertino or Santa Clara Unified School District.

Cupertino:
I’m Ready for Kindergarten Parent Workshop
This presentation reviews the 4 key things kids should know to be prepared for kindergarten. Includes a free “I’m Ready for Kindergarten” handbook from FIRST 5.
Friday 1/23, 6:30-8:00pm
Wonderland Chinese School, 10931 Maxine Avenue, Cupertino
RSVP to Lin at 408-967-4813 or lxu.chac@gmail.com
Open enrollment from January 14 February 11
http://www.edline.net/pages/Cupertino_Union_SD/Registration/2015_-2016_Enrollment_Informat
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It’s Not Just Academics

Kindergarten teachers and administrators agree. What makes children ready for kindergarten has more to do with their ability to regulate themselves and get along with other children, and less to do with academics. Listen to this FIRST 5 podcast to learn more (4 minutes)
http://www.first5kids.org/podcast/kindergarten-readiness

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New! I'm Ready for Kindergarten 12 Week Series - in English

Being ready isn’t just for the child—it’s also for parents and the whole family
•Classes are once a week for children and their parents. Classes are structured with parents and children together for 4 of the sessions and apart for 8 sessions, with parents and children receiving their own lessons.
•Families are required to commit to the full 12 week program starting in March 2 and ending in May 18 with graduation.
•Classes are FREE. Space is limited to the first 13 REGISTERED children.•There is no childcare for siblings.

12 Week Preparation Class:
Date: Mondays, March 2 - May 18
Time: 10:00am - 12:00pm
Where: 748 Mercy Street, Mountain View
Register: 650-967-4813 or mercystreetfrc@gmail.com
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Reduce Stress in the Whole Family and Improve Connection, Health and Learning

Research on the harmful effects of stress on health and relationships is well documented. How can we break the cycle of stress when demands on our time are so high in the workplace and at home? In February, stress expert Brandy Vanderheiden will be offering a groundbreaking series on reducing stress in the family. She will show you the signs in your body that indicate stress and help you use those signals to begin to regulate and keep your stress at more manageable levels. Then, she will teach you how to teach your children self-regulation, which is known to improve children’s ability to learn and is considered a key factor in Kindergarten success. This interactive and experiential class will include tools for improving communication and strengthening the bond with your children. We hope you’ll join us. See the Mountain View page for details. Starts Thursday February 26 from 10:30-12:30 for 8 weeks. Childcare is available.

 Come to our FREE Introductory class on Thursday February 26 from 10:30-12:30. Registration required at: 650-967-4813 or mercystreetfrc@gmail.com 

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Movetrition

Time to get moving Friday afternoons in Sunnyvale! Nancy Doan and SJSU student volunteers will teach kids about healthy eating through one of their favorite activities – movement! See Sunnyvale page for details. Starts February 27 and runs for 6 weeks. 




 



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Children's Art Studio

Every child is an artist!
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.

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. 

Let's speak through art.
Cost:
  • $80 for 8 weeks (March 16 - May 11) 
  • Orientation is free
  • No charge to attend the sampler class, BUT must have attended the orientation prior.
Cost is per child and fees are non-refundable and not transferable to another series.
Cash or checks only. Checks should be made out to CHAC.

Registration  http://bit.ly/1BTkgDn

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.


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Fifth Annual Holiday Celebration and Potluck – Fun Had By All!

We were blown away by the amazing dishes that all of you brought. They were delicious and a true reflection of the diversity of our community. We had wonderful performances from three classes and a special visit from Santa. Over 175 people were in attendance.

The pictures with Santa and other fun photos can be found here: https://mercystreetfrchalloween.shutterfly.com/


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Children’s Art Studio Gallery Displayed At Holiday Gathering

Our Children’s Art Studio class ended in December and we want to take a moment to celebrate the teacher, Elizabeth Gonzalez, for her passion, inspiration and dedication to bringing fine art into the lives of young children.

Children learned about artists like Monet, Van Gough and Kandinsky. They used many different media, like pastels, tempera paint and collage and studied concepts like the color wheel. They learned how art can be a way to express what’s inside and discovered many shades of expression.

We are so grateful for Elizabeth’s vision and for the support of Sharmila and Aliza. We hope to have the opportunity to host the classes again in the future.

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It’s a Girl!

Congratulations to Community Worker, Jeanette Santana and her husband on the birth of their baby girl, Noemi. Both mom and baby are doing well and we will have Jeanette back to us by the first week of April.



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Important information (in case you missed it): Registration Procedure Update – Intakes and Ages and Stages Questionnaires

As part of our agreement with FIRST 5, Mercy Street FRC (and satellites Vargas, Escuela and Canon) must provide documentation that we are providing the services that they are funding us to provide. The way we do that is through our Intakes and Ages and Stages Questionnaires.

Providing this information is always confidential. Your personal information is never shared with any other parties. FIRST 5 uses data collected to get a better understanding of the families in our community: who are we? What is important to us? What programs and services are most relevant to us?
On intakes, you are welcome to decline any of the questions, but whatever you are willing to share is a great help. A signature must be provided if we are to count your participation.

Ages and Stages Questionnaires are a wonderful tool for parents to understand what types of skills typically happen at each stage of a child’s development. Parents are often delighted to discover the amazing things their children can do. We recommend completing the questionnaire with a trained staff or volunteer. They can help answer questions as you go and offer tips for building skills to meet the next stage.

When you sign in to class for the first time, a staff member or volunteer will give you an intake and either offer you an appointment or give you a copy of ASQ for your child’s age group.

Thank you for helping us collect this important information.

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Snack Time at the FRCs: Thank you for the healthy snack donations, and please remember to take any extra home with you!

We thank you for your contributions of healthy snacks for the children during snack time. Sugary treats are so common especially during times of celebration that it’s worth the reminder that we have taken the Potter the Otter pledge and do not serve any sugary food or drinks at any of our FRC events. We want children to learn how to celebrate without sugar!

Parents have brought in healthier choices, like fruits, veggies, cheese, crackers and cereals, and we are grateful for the contribution to stretch our limited funds.

PLEASE NOTE – we cannot have ANY open food in the FRC cabinets unless it is in an airtight plastic/glass container. We do not want to encourage pests. During our clean up event on October 30, we had to throw out several partially used boxes of foods because of this hazard. We want to be mindful about health and safety and keep our centers clean.

Thank you for understanding!

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Community Partners

This month we would like to take a moment and offer gratitude to our amazing partners in the community. Many of you met us through one of these connections, or got referred to one of their programs. What connects us is our passion for building community and stronger families. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!




Mountain View
Sunnyvale
Cupertino
Beyond
City of Mountain View
Sunnyvale School District
Cupertino Library
FIRST 5 Santa Clara County
Mountain View Library
Vargas Elementary
Canon Music School
Calabazas Library
CCLC
Sunnyvale Library
De Anza College
Parents Helping Parents
Mountain View Kiwanis
The City of Sunnyvale
Canon Music School
Reach Potential Movement
Trinity United Methodist Church
Caring Hearts CDC

Indian Health Center
Community in Action Team (CAT)
New World CDC

The Health Trust
Kiwanis of Mountain View
Reach Potential Movement

Family Engagement Institute



Catholic Charities



McClure-Nelson Consulting



Los Altos Unified Methodist Church


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!


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.

February 16 – 20
Winter Break – office hours only. No classes.
April 4 – 6
Spring Break – office hours only. No classes.











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Feedback: Do you have comments that you would like to send the staff?   Please send us a note to:mercystreetfrc@gmail.com


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