It’s Monday, February 22, 2010, and it’s gorgeous
outside! Still laughing from
Comedy Night and feeling the love of being surrounded by so many friends. Thanks to Zoe and Greg for putting
together another great show and to Kim and the fundraising committee for the
organization of the evening. Anna
and Mark, LaVecchia is number one in our books and we appreciate your
generosity. Big kisses to all you
parents who baked and spent the money and time to make this event a
success. We’ll keep you posted
with the numbers.
Our next event on March 6th is one that we share with Walgrove Elementary
School. It’s our third time
Walgrove and NSW will work together on an L.A. slide show with Jim
Heimann. This year, Jim’s putting
together a photo power point with the photos that didn’t make it into his L.A.
Portrait of a City book and so we're calling this night "Outtakes". It will
be a fun evening and a good beginning to a Saturday night out. Get a babysitter now and we’ll see you
at Walgrove Auditorium from 6:00 to 8:00.
Doors open up at 5:00 for light refreshments.
And the Fundraising Committee is busy putting together the
details for our Black and White Silent Auction Dance Party scheduled for April
10th at the B.H. County Club (which is really in Cheviot
Hills!). Start soliciting now for
donations (paperwork in your child’s file box) and get ready to have some
fun. More info to come. I’m excited!
Proceeds for all these events will be added to the “kitty”
as we prepare for our kitchen/teacher lounge renovation. Caroline is coming up with some great
(re)designs as we observe and dialogue all the possibilities of how to make
this multipurpose room work more efficiently, not just for the teachers, but
for the parents and children, as well.
We’re also looking into replacing the woodchips in the front yard with a
friendlier material. The rains
have really played havoc on that space this year and we’re gathering some ideas
and prices. We will soon be purchasing shades for our beautiful windows so we
can all enjoy the view and new children’s chairs will be arriving in the mail
soon. Lots to do before we open
our doors on April 17th to the International Educators’ Tour
sponsored by North American Reggio Emilia Alliance (NAREA) and the Wonders of
Learning Exhibit from Italy that is here in Santa Monica. Keep your ears and eyes open for what
we’re planning for the entrance walkway.
Tuesday, February 23rd, is Group Photo Day. For the East Wingers the time is 9:15
and for the West Wingers the time is 3:00. Please plan to bring your child to school during their class
time if they do not attend school on Tuesdays. The photoshoot will probably only take about 15
minutes if you are on a schedule.
Thanks to Libby (Ewan’s mom) for volunteering to take the photos. If your child is unable to attend, we
will schedule some re-shoot times so we can photoshop them into the group.
This Saturday, February 27th, from 9:00 to 3:00,
Kris will head the Charity Garden Installation here at NSW working alongside
Petal Patch and the Venice High School students. Sign ups are on the door so see if any of the shifts work
for you. Bring your gardening
gloves, shovels, and sun hats and get into the swing of things or if you can’t
make it, sign up to bring refreshments.
For more information about this project (which is pretty exciting for
our community), click onto the “Gardening” link on nswparents blog.
On Tuesday, March 2nd from 6:45 to 8:45, we are
having a Kindergarten Transition Night for parents whose children are going on
to kindergarten in the fall. It’s
something that we’ve never done before and is not to replace the Kindergarten
Night that is scheduled for April 22nd. Rather it’s a night to talk about the emotional component
that goes along with change. I’ve
invited several past parents to come and share their experiences. How were they prepared or not prepared
for the next steps? So often we
focus on supporting the children in the process but do not take enough time to
link parents together. We’ve
learned more about the importance of that from our graduating parents. We will be offering childcare with the
$10 fee going directly to the teacher in charge.
On the morning of March 8th, we will be opening our doors to 7
teachers from Palisades Jewish Community School. They are learning more about the Reggio approach and are
wanting to see the school in action with the environment and flow of the day as
a focus.
On March 17th, my class from SMC will be here
from 6:00 to 9:00 for a field trip.
I am teaching a 6 weeks course on Environments as the Third Teacher and
seeing the space while learning about the elements of why space influences how children
learn is so beneficial. I always
so appreciate my teachers’ generosity and willingness to share their spaces so
others can learn. Of course, with
that, we learn. It’s a win/win.
On March 18th and 19th, the school
will be closed to honor the Reggio teachers work together as they gather at Temescal
Canyon for a teachers’ retreat.
Most of you know by now, that we have been working closely together with
teachers and directors from The Growing Place, Evergreen Community School,
Blueberry Atelier, and First Presbyterian Nursery School for several years now
and we are learning so much from our relationship. During these two days, the teachers will have the
opportunity not only to share their work together but to work alongside
authors, poets, artists, nutritionists, yoga therapists, and musicians all with
the intention of being “filled up”; to be recharged and inspired as we continue
learning with the children and families. It’s our second year to do this and we
are looking forward to reaping the benefits of slowing down and breathing. We appreciate your support and know that finding alternate child care can be difficult when juggling schedules.
I know there's probably a million more things to tell you but It's Monday and it's almost Tuesday so there it is. Here's to a great week. Roleen