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=1Open enrollment from February 2 - February 13Note: 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
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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)
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New! I'm Ready for Kindergarten 12 Week Series - in English
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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.
•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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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.-------------------------------------------------------------------
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. If you have any questions, you can contact us at 650-967-4813 or send an email to: mercystreetfrc@gmail.com
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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
|
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McClure-Nelson
Consulting
|
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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.
|
- FamilyStressbusters – for parents. Childcare available. Thursdays 10:30-12:30 at Mercy Street. February 26 – April 16. Registration required.
- ThePower of Positive Parenting (Spanish) – free parent workshop sponsored by theSunnyvale School District. March 17 6:00-7:30pm. Childcare provided. Pleaseregister.
- Movetrition - Fridays, February 27 - April 3 at Vargas Elementary School Room # 15. No registration Required. First 15 families accepted upon arrival.
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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
