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Lakewood Co-operative Preschool |
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Newsletter |
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Where Families and Friendships Grow |
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Co-Chair's NoteDear Lakewood Families: As I turned the calendar page last night to February, I was a little shocked to see how busy the month already was! But as I looked closer at all the appointments, I realized that almost everything on there was something I was actually looking forward to. I think Lakewood’s calendar reads something like mine:
So, synchronize your watches—this is going to be a busy month! Christine Campbell Christine Campbell
is Co-Chair of LCP and mother of loyal Dragonfly
Charlie Budd. ccamp [at-sign]
u.washington.edu
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Returning Student EnrollmentReturning student enrollment begins February 21st and ends February 28th. Families must submit applications and payment at that time. |
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LCP AuctionLakewood Coop Preschool’s Spring Auction is our main fundraising event for the year. Friday, May 4th Each LCP family is required to:
Dates to remember and put on your calendar:
For questions about the auction, contact:
Laura La Forte is the mother of Dragonfly Talia and
Bumblebee Santo. sllaforte
[at-sign] comcast.net |
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Auction Procurement IdeasThe following are some items and services that have been procured in the past and have proven successful at auction. This list is intended to inspire you and provide ideas on the variety of things that can be donated by the businesses or people that you solicit. Services
Experiences
Food
Goods
Travel
Laura La Forte is the mother of Dragonfly Talia and
Bumblebee Santo. sllaforte
[at-sign] comcast.net |
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Night School for BumblebeesOn Thursday, March 1st, we will be conducting our first ever Night School for Bumblebee. Class will be from 6:00 to 7:00 that night in lieu of that day. The parent who doesn't typically work in the classroom should attend; this way, they will get a chance to see what school is like for their Bumblebee, to meet their friends, and to acquaint themselves with the teacher and school. Come prepared for a night of fun, including puzzles, legos, building "tall buildings" with big blocks, and cooking "dinner" for our babies. And there will be play dough and easel painting Please RSVP to erinmrobb [at-sign] hotmail.com. |
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Dec 06 Board Meeting MinutesTreasurer: (Leanne Corcoran)
Parent Coordinator: (Melanie Fix, Jane Schmidt)
Fundraising: (Laura LaForte)
Scrip: (Rochelle Brown)
Teachers: (Erin Robb, Jennifer Birkner)
Class Chairs: (Jurate Audejaitiene, Kara Dowidar, Brian Buckner)
Jobs: (Amy & Tim Zern)
Rochelle Brown is LCP secretary and mother of Cricket Elise.
jbandtheroche [at-sign]
msn.com
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Brigita's BitDear Parents, Meal time can be one of the most challenging times we spend together as a family. We as grown ups may have a certain image of what a meal time should look like, but include a young child at the table and anything can happen, from your child refusing to sit down at the table to your child throwing a temper tantrum because you are not serving pizza that day. If you have more than one child, your children’s squabble can also ruin a meal. At our family table, we had to put the youngest child at the end of the table, mom and dad on either side of her, and the two older sisters across from each other next to mom and dad. Dividing and conquering gave us a chance to have a peaceful family meal. In spite of what seemed like years of family meals that were a lot of work and not always fun, there came a day when we started enjoying each other's company at the table. Luckily this happened before my oldest daughter reached the teenage years because research shows that teenagers who are in the habit of eating meals with their family are less prone to substance and alcohol abuse, are less prone to depression, and get better grades (from www.childtrendsdatabank.org). So the message is: Try to think long term and insist on family meals. It does not necessarily have to be dinner; breakfast and lunch count too. Here are some pointers for a happy meal time:
Bon Appetit,
Brigitta Dahl is in her seventh year as the parent educator
for LCP. Questions welcome at
206-328-0960 or bdahl [at-sign] comcast.net. |
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Feed the Can Man, Man
Look at me! Me wasting away to shoebox! Last month, me almost starve. And poor Dragonflies have nothing to count. Please bring me more food. Me no care what it is. So weak... can barely find strength... to complain. The Can Man lives near the LCP entrance. He's a recognized expert on
eating packaged cuisine still in the package.
CanMan [at-sign] canman.com |
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Special Events for FebruaryIf any of you are like me, your kids have runny noses and burst eardrums. YIKES! However, when they do heal eventually, I suggest the following cool activities:
Yvette Moy is Events Co-ordinator the mother of Dragonfly Corrado.
yvettemoy [at-sign] msn.com |
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Hands on Heart ValentinesThe following project is from Fun with Mommy and Me. Handmade valentines are a great gift of love. Your child can repeat this activity several times to make valentines for the whole family. Grandparents really love these handmade treasures. Your child will learn: Fine motor skills, Valentine’s day traditions, colors and shapes, hand-eye coordination. Materials:
Directions:
Lauren Milan is the church liason and mother of Cricket Eden.
laurenmilan
[at-sign] comcast.net |
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Editor's NoteWelcome to February, the Suicide Month. It's dark, damp, and its only holiday serves to remind you how unpopular you are with potential suitors. But now there's hope, because the first step toward curing a problem is developing an acronym for it that ends in the word "syndrome" or "disorder", and this time of year has that; it's called Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. My wife is convinced I suffer from it, claiming I become irritable and cranky in winter. (She offers no explanation for my churlish outlook the rest of the year.) She suggested I get one of those light boxes people sit in front of for an hour a day, so I did: it's 42" diagonally with a 720-line progressive-scan plasma screen. I recommend it highly. Ask your doctor or Circuit City salesman if Hi-Def is right for you. (Side effects may include: lethargy, wider bottom, forgetting your kids' names.) Even my 3-year-old, what's-her-name, has noticed how dark this time of year is, and because I am All-Mighty Dad (I rank somewhere between Superman and the Powerpuff Girls, in her estimation), she asked me to do something about it: “Dad, why is it dark so early? Could you make it not be dark now?” A lesser dad might not have risen to the challenge, but I nodded and said “OK.” I cleared my throat, raised my arms, and grimaced as if lifting something heavy. Then I stopped, as if remembering something, turned to her and said “No. Earlier today I asked you to pick up your toys and you did not, so it shall remain dark.” “But Da-a-a-a-d!” I don't recall the subject of feigning omnipotence being covered in any of the child-rearing books I read, but I think it makes me a better role model. I was hoping it might also inspire awe, but such has not been the case. I don't read parenting books anymore. I read a half-dozen baby and toddler books for my first child, and when she hits the teen years, I'm sure I'll delve into some adolescent-defense manuals, but I figure it wouldn't be fair to the first kid to try to improve my parenting for the second one. Also, books really cut into my time with my light box. However, there are always parenting tips I need to be reminded of, and I've found that one of the easiest ways to absorb and retain information is through a terse quote. (USA-Today-style infographics are also nice, but hard to make.) For example, “Seek the good and praise it.” I say this to myself a few times a week. It reminds me to catch my kids being good and notice them for it. I have no trouble catching them being bad and correcting them, and I'm also quite expert at losing my patience and yelling (this took surprisingly little training), but positive re-enforcement takes more effort for me, such as noticing when they:
I think it was T. Berry Brazelton who said that a parent's positive remarks should outnumber the negative ones by 10 to 1. I'm not sure that T. Berry Brazelton ever had children. I feel good if I keep it at 1 to 1. But name-brand pediatricians aren't the only ones spouting pithy remarks. Here are a few others I like:
Bill Muse is the LCP newsletter editor and
father of Cricket Veronica. LCP
[at-sign] billmuse.com |
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Cute Kid PixEmail your cute kid photos to the LCP newsletter, or even better, post them online at www.kodakgallery.com.
You can look at photos, buy prints, or upload an album of your own.
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Dragonflies do yoga |
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Jane is both architect and |
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Dragonfly night school |
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The Crickets took a field trip to REI. They started by making rubbings of animal tracks on the floor |
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Everyone liked looking through the giant compass to the floor below |
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Eden's mom, Lauren, climbed the pinacle |
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