What do we do in the daytime? And how do we enjoy the night? One fun thing to do is be a Moonwatcher!

Pajama Day & Coffee

On Wednesday, February 22nd, the children are invited to wear their pajamas to school and on Friday, February 24th, parents are invited to stay and enjoy ‘Fourth Friday’ Coffee with Kelly

Parent Participation Calendar

Feb. 22

• Darling
• Fazzino’
• Kristofferson

Feb. 24

• Hagan
• Peery
• Kelly

What do we do in the daytime? And how do we enjoy the night? One fun thing to do is be a Moonwatcher!

Pajama Day & Coffee

On Thursday, February 23rd, the children are invited to wear their pajamas to school and parents can stay and enjoy ‘Third Thursday’ Coffee with Carrie (PJ’s not required!)

Parent Participation Calendar

Feb. 21

• Hughes
• Lee-Hwong
• Burnett

Feb. 23

• Maynard
• Sheffer
• Saslow
• Robinson

We’ll be getting ready for Valentine’s Day, even taking a walk to the mailbox on the corner to send a special surprise home!

Baker’s Needed

We’ll be having ‘parties’ on Valentine’s Day during our snack time and we’re looking for baker’s to provide cookies. Please look for the sign-up sheet on the Bulletin Board inside the gate next week if you’d like to help out!

Parent Participation Calendar

Feb. 7

• Davi
• Burnett
• White

Feb. 9

• Phillips
• Hewitt
• ten Vaanholt

We’ll be getting ready for Valentine’s Day, even taking a walk to the mailbox on the corner to send a special surprise home!

Baker’s Needed

We’ll be having ‘parties’ for Valentine’s Day during our snack time on Monday, Feb. 13th, and we’re looking for baker’s to provide cookies. Please look for the sign-up sheet on the Bulletin Board inside the gate next week if you’d like to help out!

Parent Participation Calendar

Feb. 6

• McQuinn
• Sullivan
• Williams

Feb. 8

• Kristofferson
• Galbraith
• Nanevicz

Feb. 10

• Wedenig
• Williams
• Callaghan

This is a grand old tale, related in three parts, that never fails to delight – and while the subtitle suggests that it’s an example of the power of gratitude, it’s also an ode to the power of books, and reading, and imagination.

The Day It Rained Hearts

A charming confection for your little valentine!

Old Bear

A sweet and simple exploration of the four seasons, as dreamt by a hibernating brown bear – trust Henkes to get it right!

Mind In The Making

A ‘must-read’ if you’re interested in the science of early learning and believe, as we do, in the development of tools for learning that will serve children over a lifetime.

As much as I love to spend time down on my knees playing with the children here at nursery school, I also treasure the time I get to spend talking with parents during conferences. Our community is full of dedicated, invested parents who are driven to give their child(ren) every opportunity to thrive. Conferences offer up a fantastic opportunity to gather in partnership to talk about how best to feed your child’s strengths and encourage risk-taking in those areas where they may be encountering challenge. No two children are the same and no two parenting experiences are the same. We all bring different skills to our job as parents and we do our best parenting when we feel supported, encouraged, and reassured that our children are blossoming in every way they are able. I know that I am never so vulnerable as when I am talking with a teacher about a struggle that my child may be facing. I love hearing parents share proud moments and do my best to listen with compassion and open-mindedness when I hear a parent share their concerns. I learn so much through the conferencing process. I thank you for your time and for your thoughtful consideration of how we can help to provide an environment here at nursery school for your child to grow in every area of early childhood development.

From Kelly

While the conference process allows for a wonderful opportunity to celebrate at a fixed point in time your child’s growth and learning here at school, do remember that the staff at school is always available for more casual dialogue too, as we all work with you to support your child’s development. You might also take advantage of the monthly morning coffees for opportunities to bring questions for the consideration of staff and other parents alike — there’s a lot of collective wisdom on offer when our community gathers together!

Meanwhile, continuing on in our series that looks at the value of play in our children’s lives, we stop in the block room.

Did you ever stop to think?

When playing with unit blocks, a child may be:

•Thinking creatively to make and implement plans while working to represent a

thought or idea.

•Developing eye-hand coordination and mapping skills

•Exploring cause and effect as problem-solving techniques are developed

 •Discovering mathematical relationships (one-to-one correspondence, parts-to-whole,

symmetry) and scientific concepts (gravity, stability, weight, balance)

 •Gaining confidence in the ability to create, repeat, and extend patterns

While each of these accomplishments is a meaningful ‘building block’ in laying

a firm foundation for future cognitive growth, children may also experience

opportunities for role-playing, cooperation, and language development,

all of which are important in the pursuit of social growth.

 At First Congo we believe that in play there is serious learning, and that play is really the work of childhood.

Upcoming Calendar Items

School Closed

Please be certain to note that First Congo will be closed on the following dates: Feb. 16, 17, and 20.

Parent Coffees

The Third Thursday Coffee will actually take place on the 4th Thursday this month because of the school holiday noted above, so mark your calendar for Thursday, Feb. 23. The Fourth Friday Coffee is set for Feb. 24.

Back-to-School Event

Make note on your calendar that First Congo’s Back-to-School event will take place on the afternoon of March 18th — details to follow soon!

Celebrating Our Teachers Event

First Congo parents (current and former) are invited to join the staff in the garden on the evening of May 12th.

Budget and Tuition for 2012-2013

2012-2013 Budget Approved

Each year the First Congregational Church Nursery School Executive Board meets to approve the budget proposed by the Director and the Treasurer. I am happy to report that next year’s budget has been approved by the Executive Board and we can now share our next year’s tuition rates with our parent body. After the thoughtful review of last year’s budget and hourly workload associated with each staffing position, the board approved a budget plan for 2012-2013 that minimally increases tuition by 5%. This 5% increase will cover additional work hours for the positions of Director, Programs Director, and Treasurer, and will cover a cost of living hourly wage adjustment of 2.72% for the entire staff.

FYI: In the near future you will receive registration forms for the 2012-2013 school year. Please note that tuition is divided into 4 equal payments, with the first payment due in early March to secure your child’s space.

2012-2013 Tuition Rates

Annual tuition per student

2’s Program – $2, 092

3’s (T/Th) – $2,864

4’s (M/W/F) – $4,000

First payment (due with 2012-2013 application)

2’s Program – $523

3’s (T/Th) – $716

4’s (M/W/F) – $1,000

Gratitude for all of your gifts…

Layette Donations: The Women’s Fellowship of the First Congregational Church and the Mayfield Clinic send along a heartfelt ‘Thank You’ for your generous layette donations. Your donations of infant clothing, toys, books, gift cards, and cash covered three eight-foot tables in the Social Hall and were presented to the group at the Women’s Fellowship Christmas Tea. These generous donations will be given to low-income mothers who are just starting out their journey into parenthood. Thank you for time that you took out of your busy holiday schedule to shop, purchase, and donate these items.

Donations for a Family in Need: Just after the holidays we let our community know about a family in need and asked for a few specific infant items. The outpouring of generosity was truly amazing. We had parents approach with an offer of a car for this family to use, medical help, cribs and changing tables, meals, offers for rides and play dates and any material item this family could need during their time here. We were able to procure every item on the wish list and more! We even opened up a spot for Sammy in our Thursday 2’s class. I cannot tell you how enveloped this family felt by the love and kindness of our community. On a happy note, this family has gotten great medical news that mom is well and can return to normal life with the expectation of full recovery. With that great news the family has returned home to and we bade farewell to them last week. All donated items will be passed along to a local charity unless you would like them back. Let Carrie know if you would like your donated items returned to you. Again, thank you for your thoughtful kindness.

First Congo Chefs: It can be hard enough getting dinner on your own table when you have little ones running around, so it is an especially generous donation of time and effort to create and deliver a meal to another family. First Congo has a long tradition of delivering meals to families after the birth of a child or, in the case of twins, two children! Over the course of the fall a huge number of meals were provided to the many families who welcomed babies, and we send a huge ‘Thank You’ to those First Congo Chefs who stepped up to the “plate!”

New Additions

Two First Congo moms gave birth to three babies recently!

• The Uchidas, Andy, Sue, and Connor (3′s) welcomed baby Cooper to their family
• The Lee-Hwongs, Henry, Lisa, and Mina (3′s) welcomed Caden and Sasha to their family

Our warmest congratulations to all!

We’ll be thinking about all of the many people who make our community thrive – and we’ll look forward to a visit from the fire truck on Wednesday!

Lunch Bunch Sign-ups

The Spring Lunch Bunch groups will start meeting the week of February 13th, so please return a preference form for your child by February 3rd so that assignments can be made!

Session I Feb. 13 – Mar. 30

Session II Apr. 9 – May 18

Parent Participation Calendar

Jan. 30

• Sullivan
• Fazzino
• Peery

Feb. 1

• Tuteja
• Williams
• Quo

Feb. 3

• Souter
• Wedenig
• Hagan

We’ll be thinking about all of the many people who make our community thrive – and we’ll look forward to a visit from the fire truck on Thursday!

Parent Participation Calendar

Jan. 31

• McGaraghan
• White
• Huynh
  

Jan. 26

• Reller
• Huynh
• Smith

Teacher Sue recently forwarded a great article to all of the teachers titled “The 5 Best Toys of All Time.”

Carrie: It took me a week to get to it, but I clicked on the URL yesterday while I was doing a little gift brainstorming – hoping that it would help me fill in the gaps in my family’s wish lists. It was not what I was expecting, but it was exactly what I needed to help me reframe my thinking!

Kelly: I LOVE this list! Article author Jonathan Lui suggests what are, in his opinion, the five items no child should be without. Take a look at the list and consider these valuable items as you are thinking about procuring holiday surprises for your little ones:

http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2011/01/the-5-best-toys-of-all-time/1/

We don’t know about you, but these toys played a big part in our childhoods, and they are, of course, perfectly aligned with the First Congo play-based curriculum! We agree with the author that these may be the greatest toys of all time, and we feel that they might make the perfect five gifts – but we’d add a sixth…. The sixth gift would be “time,” because the greatest gift in the world is no fun if it doesn’t come with the time that it takes to learn how to play, not just dabble, but really play, which takes time.

Wishing you and your families a holiday season full of wonder, joy, and happy moments that turn into treasured childhood memories.

Holiday Bake Sale

The Holiday Bake Sale was a huge success!!! $1,350.00 was earned thanks to your baking efforts and the generous donations of church members. Many thanks to all who baked, priced, sold and purchased. A special thanks goes to Elizabeth Garr, Robyn Miller, Christie Callaghan, and Liz Kristofferson for accepting and organizing the treats that were dropped off at school the day before the bake sale. Additional thanks to all of the parents and teachers who came in on Sunday morning to price and sell all of the goodies!

Holiday Traditions at FCCNS

Holiday Concert

On Thursday, Dec. 15th and Friday, Dec. 16th our 3’s and 4’s classes will be celebrating the sounds of the season by participating in the longstanding nursery school tradition of hearing FCC organist Joe Guthrie play the organ in the sanctuary. Joe will teach us about the organ, play familiar songs, and then join Pastor Dave Howell in singing some holiday favorites. Parents are encouraged to join us on those days from 11:15 – 11:45 am in the church sanctuary.

Community Giving Project

As in years past, our community giving project this year consists of helping the Tuesday Fellowship Group (formerly known as the First Congregational Church Women’s Fellowship Group) put together much-needed layettes for single moms and struggling families who are clients at the Palo Alto Mayfield Clinic. Please bring any donations to school by December 13th. Thank you for your support for this most worthy of causes.

Photo Sharing Website Update

We are happy to report that we’ve made some good progress on our photo sharing web site! We had hoped to create our own “photo bucket” on our web site, but we are going to wait for another year to do that and let the technology catch up with our needs. We have decided to once again create a First Congo Shutterfly site. We are in the process of transferring all of our photos to this site and then we will send you a link in the hopes that all of you will add your photos to the class-specific albums.

Keep an eye open an email in the next few weeks with information about how to access and upload your photos into the new First Congo Shutterfly site. A hearty thanks goes to Jen Glos for helping us investigate all of the photos sharing and storing possiblities, and to Adeline White for single-handedly setting up the new Shutterfly site and transferring our photos from our old site to our new site.

New Additions

This month our warmest congratulations go out to Peter (3’s class), big sister Lizzy and parents, Mary and Pat Gibbons who welcomed Catherine Grace into the world on Tuesday, Nov 22 at 2:03 pm. She came into the world weighing 9.1 lbs and is 20.5 inches long. So much to be thankful for on Thanksgiving! Welcome baby Catherine!

With Thanks

Our thanks go out to all of the parents that have dedicated their time and efforts to the First Congo Community this Fall. So many people have made a difference this school year by lending a helping hand to another parent, helping to organize a First Congo event, working on a special project for the staff, participating on our Parent Advisory Council, or volunteering to pitch in when a need arose. All of these contributions end up creating a strong community of dedication and caring. Thank you for all that have given of yourself!

A few people worthy of a pat on the back:

• Parent Council President- Aoife Maynard, VP – Mary Gibbons & Secretary Andrea Helft – a big thank you for your time and efforts!

• Class Reps – For hosting class coffees, managing communications and coordinating meals and carpools for new and expecting moms! You are the best!

o 2’s Elizabeth Garr and Liz Kristofferson

o 3’s Robyn Miller and Shea Singh

o 4’s Andrea Helft & Amy Joachim

• Party Planners and Hosts

o Brooke Davi & Sarah Gibbs for organizing our welcome event Play Party for the parents that kicked off the school year.

o Andrea Helft, Amy Joachim, Amy Kacher for organizing our first First Congo Halloween party. (Andrea as Richard Simmons will go down in school history!)

o Doug and Allison Hagan for hosting the Halloween Party – thank you for welcoming us into your lovely home!

o Moms’ Night Out event – thank you’s go to Andrea Helft, Jen Glos, Adeline White, Sarah Gibbs, and Brooke Davi

o Amy McGaraghan and Robyn Miller for planning our family CPK fundraiser!

• Meal Makers for our families with new babies! Thanks to all of you who have come through and given of your time and resources!

• eScrip – Thank you Amy McGaraghan for your efforts to get our parents signed up so First Congo can bring in some extra money to cover our End-Of-Year Picnic!

• Our Parent Advisory Council – this active group of parents volunteer their time and energy to get the work of the school community done. Many Thanks!

Don’t Forget

The last day of nursery school before Winter Break will be Friday, December 16; school resumes on Tuesday, January 3, 2012.

We’ll be thinking about bears and getting ready for a Teddy Bear Picnic at the end of the week – be sure your child brings along a stuffed friend on Thursday!

Conferences

A reminder that conferences are scheduled on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and Wednesday afternoon, next week. Those of you who have requested a phone conference instead will be hearing from your child’s snack group teacher soon!

Parent Participation Calendar

Jan. 24

• Burnett
• Uchida
• Karr
• Granados
  

Jan. 26

• Sheffer
• McGaraghan
• Huynh
• Singh