Hello, Friends. I’m back from my R & R (Rest & Registration!) in Santa Barbara and getting into the swing of things after a very busy and beautiful January. . . those sunsets continue to be inspiring! How unbelievable to think that it’s February already but looking at the children and seeing how they’re growing, we are reminded that it’s important just to roll with the pace and enjoy every single moment. That said, here’s what we’ve got coming up:
February 1st: Secret Dinners. They look fantastic and thanks to the hosts for planning what traditionally is a very, very tasty and enjoyable evening. Don’t be surprised if Jim and I drop in for a toast!! It’s one of our favorite events!
5th: Prospective Parent Tour from 9:30 to 11:00 and Parent Enrichment Afternoon from 3:15 to 4:30. Cindy, Cynthia, Amy and Flora will be sharing the children’s work and it’s inspiring! We would love it if you could come, enjoy, and spread the word.
7th: Cindy and Adriana will be presenting our long term project of “The Kingdom” with the attendees of the Early Childhood STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Conference in Costa Mesa. It’s a big deal!
11th: Coffee with Roleen from 9:30 to 11:30 at the Mortimer house (Fiona EW). Look for sign ups on the door.
13th: The 4 part Reggio Revisited Series for teachers with Ellen Khokha and myself will begin from 5 to 7 at NSW. (Feb. 13, 20, 27, Mar 13)
15th: Kids Night Out from 4 to 8. Look for sign ups at the door.
20th: “Applying to Private School” Night at Veterans Memorial Building from 6:00 to 8:30. This is our first time hosting with Branches Atelier to present information for those of you who are curious about applying to private school. Look for the flier on the door and you must RSVP via email so we accommodate everyone.
25th: Prospective Parent Tour from 9:30 to 11:00
Things to look forward to and to note:
The Reggio Teachers’ Retreat (with teachers from The Growing Place and Branches) has changed dates. The school will be closed on March 7th instead of the original date of March 14th. Change your calendars now so you can be ready. It’s something that brings our teaching community together and so important for our continued learning and we soooooo appreciate your support. We all reap the benefits of working with our colleagues and these times together are marking points to moving forward in this educational life-long learning.
March 22nd is our New School Western Silent Auction event and the Fundraising Team is HOT on getting this event to be the very best!! Get your babysitters lined up. It looks to be a great, great night. Keep a look out for more info on that.
SPRING BREAK: April 7th to 18th
The teachers are looking forward to their trip to Sweden to study the schools from April 7th to the 11th. They have really benefited from our Educator Tours that we’ve been hosting for local (and not so local) teachers. Besides learning so much more about themselves and our work together with the children, they have raised $3909 to add to our Professional Development fund!
Exciting!
Upon their return from Sweden, some of the teachers feel they’re up for doing Spring Camp from April 14th to the 18th. Sign ups will go up this month so look for that.
And some more news:
Sadly, we are saying good-bye to two West Wing families. Looks like Sam Gibson is having a really good time in Connecticut with his family and Jay and Deirdre are settling into a pretty good routine so they’ve decided to make Connecticut their home. Good news for them but we will miss their sweet faces! Sam has sent us his new address and the children want to see his new school and home so I’m sure there will be some letter writing going on. They’ve promised to stay in touch and we’re glad about that!
And our friend Desmond is calling New York his home these days at least for a little while, anyway. It’s not easy to say goodbye to friends that have become such a great part of our school community but the good part is the promise to stay in touch. Angela, Matt and Desmond will be calling L.A. home, too, so we know they won’t be too far away and we look forward to surprise drop in visits when they’re in town.
We love you guys! Don’t forget us!
Some things to celebrate:
Kris has finished her thesis and is now officially a holder of a Masters Degree in Human Development from Pacific Oaks College. How she does it all is beyond me but she’s amazing and we’re excited for her. It’s been hard, hard work added to all she does for us. We soooooooo appreciate her dedication and loyalty to not only the field of ECE but to all of us, every day. Congrats, Kris! You did it!!
And finally. . . There will be a new baby in the house! Katherine’s pregnant!! She’s feeling good and we’re all excited for her, Jonathan, and their daughter Mia, who will be a great big sister. We haven’t told the children yet but we will, so let Katherine be the first to tell them and we’ll make a journal for the blog. It will be a great experience for all of us to share. She is due is August.
So I think that’s it for now. Thanks, again, to all of you. You continue to be my inspiration. xoxoxoRoleen