Good morning, Friends, and welcome to my first It’s
Monday blog. Whew! This
communication system has been a long time project and with the help of a lot of
people, and with the final push from Jean Kaneko (a fellow parent from
Blueberry Atelier Preschool) I think we’re finally up and running. My goal is to greet you every Monday
with news of the week. Now that
everyone’s getting settled, I am aiming to get back to my schedule and work
from home on Mondays and Fridays and keep my full days at school to Tuesdays,
Wednesdays, and Thursdays. With
that, please note that I am always e-mail accessible. For any pressing issues
and you really need me, my cell phone is on.
Thanks to all of you who came to our Parent Partners meeting on October 21st. It was a great turnout and a wonderful
reminder that together, we’re better.
It’s a good lesson to remember that no one person has to carry the
weight. A special thanks to Jean
for coming out to introduce the nswparent blog and for letting us in on the Reggio Parents night at First Pres. Six NSW parents joined a whole room of other parents from
the WLA Reggio-inspired schools and brainstormed ideas of how to support the Wonders
of Learning Exhibit that will be coming to
Santa Monica (under a tented area at the Fairmont Hotel at 2nd and
Wilshire) from January to June of 2010. As of this writing, I am trying to
pinpoint some evenings that will focus on the Values of the Reggio Approach (a
kind of Reggio 101) to support all of us learning together. I’ll keep you posted
as to how you can stay linked to all that’s going on.
As for Parent Committees, click on to the files link on the blog’s home page. Right now, I think it’s still a blank
while we redefine our “committee” ideas.
As mentioned at the Parent Partners meeting, we are trying to lighten
the load of the heaviness of joining a “committee” and putting together task
lists that will get the jobs done quickly and efficiently. We’ll keep you
posted on that so keep on the lookout to see how you can help us. There is a Fundraising
Committee, however, and the first meeting
is this Thursday at 7:30 at the Smukler’s home. For those of you who want to be a part of the year’s
planning and didn’t sign up on the posted list, please e-mail Kim (Rylee’s mom)
at klocwork3@gmail.com.
This week kicks off the Parent Teacher Conferences beginning with the West Wing with East Wing to
follow. We’re starting earlier
than we’ve done in the past because we recognize and value more and more the
partnership of parents as we get to know the children in their developmental
stage. It is our intention that
together, we can formulate individual and group goals for each child as we
celebrate accomplishments and strive to
strengthen all the five domains of the self (social, emotional,
physical, cognitive, and creative).
We know that self-esteem is all about confidences and by giving the
children opportunities to develop all the domains equally, we are building a
stronger foundation for their life’s experiences. If you haven’t already signed up for a designated time,
please do. We have marked the
times that work best for us since you’ll be meeting with your “flower” teacher
and the studio teacher (Cindy in the West Wing and Amy in the East Wing). Please let us know if none of the times
work for you so we can look at the schedules together and make the necessary
accommodations.
It was great seeing all of you at the Family Picnic on Saturday.
The park was filled with a lot of good energy. Do hope you got to meet some new friends as well as hug some
familiar ones. Last year we met in
August and because Culver West Park was being renovated, we gathered at Mar
Vista Park. It felt good to be
back to a place that feels cozy and safe and grateful that the weather kept us
cool. I think it helped,
too, to have a couple of gatherings beforehand to support easier interactions
and this year’s “buddy” system is helping to connect new friends with a
stronger intention. Thanks again,
Rachel, for organizing that to happen.
As is our history, we invited the grads to the picnic so they can
reconnect and share their first days in kindergarten with us and each
other. Lots of stories. Lots of emotions. And we continue to learn.
This past week I attended a Director’s Brown Bag at Westwood
Presbyterian Church Nursery School.
It’s a monthly gathering for preschool directors that focuses on topics
that support our work with families with young children. The topic this time
was an update on the Pandemic H1N1 or better know as the Swine Flu. I
have some written materials (and of course you can google it) to share but the
basics are these as presented by Dr. Sadina Reynaldo and Aizita Magana RN: Relax. Flu happens.
Wash hands often. “The best
kind of soap to buy is the kind that will be used!” Wiping down services keep you feeling safer but in reality
it’s all about touching so wash hand often. Washing with cold water is okay, just wash longer. Masks are meant to keep other people
safe if you are sick, they don’t help you from getting sick.
If you’re sick, go home and rest.
You’ll be keeping yourself and all of us healthier. The reason this flu is getting so much
attention is because it’s main focus is young children and people over 40. Those in the medical world are saying
it’s important to vaccinate (it is not mandatory) because: it reduces the severity of the illness
and it keeps those at risk from getting ill. The most important message from the presenters was “It’s
Swine. It’s Fine. Get used to it.” Now go wash your hands!
This month we’re welcoming Marzhan and her mom, Susan, back to the East Wing. We’re excited to
have you once again in our arms. We’re also saying hello to Sienna Ferrini (a
West Wing Lily) and her family Chantal, Bob, and baby Genevieve this week. Welcome, friends. And to top it all off, Angie and
Bryan’s baby girl was born this weekend.
Christiana is 7lbs, 6oz. and 20 and half inches long. Everyone’s well. And so our NSW family grows!
Mark your calendars for our Back to School Night. October 5th for the East
Wing and October 13th for the West Wing. It’s a great interactive night that has you seeing what your
child is learning from their perspective.
Get a babysitter now and check out the post up notes on the main
door. If you can bring
refreshments, that would be great.
So “It’s Monday” and there it is. Enjoy your week.
Roleen