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Spotlight on Board Member:
Julie Ratto
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Julie grew up in Sacramento and graduated from UC Davis, after which time she worked in endocrinology and pharmaceutical research. She is married and has four children, ages 2-6. She enjoys tennis, dance and pilates.
Where did you
grow up?
Before age 10 - all over! I was a military brat, we even lived in Thailand for a bit.
What got you interested in the Children's Museum of SOnoma County?
Having children of my own, being a bit of a science person myself, wanting to expose them to creative, nurturing experiences.
Describe one of
your happiest life moments.
Sitting with my husband and four children on the beach in Tahoe, enjoying twilight and skipping stones.
Describe a magical childhood moment.
First visit to the Exploratorium!
If you had an extra hour of free time each day, how would you use it?
Exercising!
If you were stranded on a desert island, what three items would you want
with you?
Well, besides my family: an electronic reader, sunscreen and a large hat!
If your CD player only played one song, what would
it be?
No idea!
What was your
first job?
Frying tortilla chips
at a Mexican restaurant, age 14.
What's one thing you'd really like to learn how to do?
Sew
If you could live anywhere else in
the world, where would it be?
British Columbia
What controversial topic do you love debating?
Anything to do with education or parenting.
What real person, dead or alive, do you wish you could be more like?
Oooh -impossible to say...
Of all the things you've done in your life, of what are you most proud?
My children!
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WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Please
DONATE!
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Children's Museums provide a safe, challenging environment where children playfully explore and imagine while building self-esteem and critical
thinking skills.
A children's museum in Sonoma County will be a valuable cultural resource for all
families! Please consider making a gift today to help open our doors as soon as possible - any amount would be greatly appreciated.
It's easy to donate on our website.
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Birthday Parties! Birthday parties at the CMOSC are in FULL SWING and weekend slots are filling up quickly, especially with our busy spring and summer event schedules...so go to our website and book now! We can still bring the Museum-on-the-Go to your location for an additional fee. |
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Save the Date...
FUNTAZMAGORIA
Sunday, October 30, 10am-2pm
Bring your family and friends for a fun-filled day of fall festivities at the Children's Museum of Sonoma County's second event at our new home at 1835 W. Steele Lane in Santa Rosa on October 30th, from 10am-2pm! At FUNtazmagoria, your child can explore and play, participate in a costume parade, witness a pumpkin plop, decorate a scarecrow, create an art project, engage in shadow play, experiment in a Mad Scientist's laboratory, "Touch a Truck," check out a spooky room brought to you by the Santa Rosa Mother's Club, and much, much more! The $5 per person suggested donation includes a complimentary lunch, generously provided by the Active 20-30 Club of Santa Rosa. We hope to see you there...rain or shine!
If you would like to volunteer at the Funtazmagoria event, please contact Eleanor Gorman, at Eleanor@cmosc.org.
Thank you to our generous sponsors!
  
  
Western Farm Center
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A Warm Thanks from the CEO for Another WonderFULL event...
I would like to thank the more than 300 guests who attended the second- annual "Time to Wonder" luncheon benefitting the Children's Museum of Sonoma County on September 15th. Guests received an update on programs and fundraising, including the development of Mary's Garden through a California Parks & Recreation Grant awarded to CMOSC last spring, while enjoying a delicious lunch with friends and colleagues! The Board of Directors and I are grateful and extremely excited about the community support and enthusiasm for our "blossoming" museum, as we move towards our Grand Opening in October 2013. A special thanks to North Bay Corporation for helping underwrite the event, as well as our special table sponsors: George Petersen Insurance and First Community. I especially thank the table hosts who made "Time To Wonder" such a WonderFULL success and the many volunteers who helped make the event possible! With sincere thanks and appreciation, 
Chief Executive Officer |
Exciting Collaborations!!
The Lawrence Hall of Science is partnering with The Children's Museum of Sonoma County and the Sonoma County's own Science Buzz Cafe!
On December 8, the CMOSC will host the first of four Lawrence Hall of Science Festivals at our new home from 4-5:30. A "Science Festival" is a group of hands-on interactive exhibits activities.
 At 6:30, we are excited to host the Science Buzz Café, which will present a lecture and discussion, "Things My Mother Never Told Me About the Universe," by Prof. Lynn Cominsky, Professor and Chair, Department of Physics and Astronomy at Sonoma State University. Are astronauts really weightless? How many different types of matter exist in the Universe? And is that all there is? Professor Cominsky will discuss the answers to these, and other "far out" questions while touching upon her life and her life's work in high-energy astrophysics.
The "Festival" exploration is free. The "Science Buzz Café" at 6:30pm is a $4 per person suggested donation, children ages 12 and under are free. Professor Cominsky is gearing her discussion to ages 10 and up.
Look for announcements for the new festivals, scheduled for January 14th, February 11th, and March 8th. |
Friedman's Home Improvements sponsors Museum-on-the-Go!
A special thanks to Friedman's Home Improvement for sponsoring the Museum-on-the-Go in their booth at the Great Hand Car Regatta in September. We had so much fun and are so grateful to Friedman's for their volunteer help that day!
We also look forward to bringing the Museum-on-the-Go to the Santa Rosa Friedman's Store once a month starting in January. Stay tuned for a more detailed announcement around this exciting partnership.
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NEW BIZ-2-SCHOOLS Outreach Program... We have launched a new sponsorship program just for businesses in Sonoma County who would like an opportunity to give back to the youngest members of our community. For $1000 the Museum-on-the-Go can visit an underserved Sonoma County school for two days and bring hands-on science opportunities to 250 students. That's just $4.00 per student! We are thrilled to announce that Enphase Energy is our first "Biz2Schools" sponsor for the 2011-12 school year! Thanks to sponsorship by Enphase Energy, the Museum-on-the-Go SPARKED the interest in science for students at McKinley Elementary School in Petaluma through the "Electric Science" program. "Enphase is a proud supporter of the Museum on the Go program. The hands-on, interactive and overall fun science-focused activities will inspire local youth to engage more with science and pursue careers in this field; especially in promising sectors such as renewable energy." ~ Christine Bennett, PR Manager, Enphase Energy Enphase Energy is a leader in solar technology. They are based in Petaluma. Do you have a business, or know of one, that would like to sponsor a Museum-on-the-Go visit to a Sonoma County school? For more details, please email Theresa Giacomino, Director of Programs and Education, or call 707-338-3412. |
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Museum-on-the-Go Updates...
Summer Library Program
The Museum-on-the-Go has been busy! We enjoyed another terrific summer at the Sonoma County Public Library
Thanks to a generous grant from Medtronic Foundation, between June & August, 2011, the Museum-on-the-Go visited 7 library branches free of charge (Central, Petaluma, Healdsburg, Rincon Valley, Guerneville, Windsor and Rohnert Park). Over 1800 children and families came and helped us kick off our new science "Museum-on-the-Go" School Outreach Program called "What's the Matter!". Were you there? Did you have fun? We'd love to hear your feedback.
Did you see the Museum-on-the-Go at any of these other public events?
- Petaluma Wednesday Night Farmer's Markets (Petaluma)
- Petaluma Art Center Fire & Ice exhibit (Petaluma)
- Share Exchange "Share Fair" (Santa Rosa)
- Petaluma Arts & Equestrian Festival (Petaluma)
- Gravenstein Apple Fair (Sebastopol)
 - Pathways to Clean Energy (Santa Rosa)
- Resurrection Church Oktoberfest (Santa Rosa)
- Sonoma County Down Syndrome Buddy Walk (Santa Rosa)
- The Great Handcar Regatta (Santa Rosa)
For more fun with science and arts exploration, look for the Museum-on-the-Go at the "Santa Rosa Tree Lighting" on November 25th (Courthouse Square, Santa Rosa), and at the Sonoma County Museum Free Family Day, on December 10th, from 11am-2pm. For a complete calendar of events, please visit our website: http://www.cmosc.org/calendar_of_events.html.
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Museum-on-the-Go School Outreach...
Our 2011-2012 school outreach season began with visits to McKinley Elementary (Petaluma) and Live Oak Pre School (Healsdburg). If you would like to turn your school or classroom into an exploratory science museum for a few days, consider a Museum-on-the-Go visit. For more information, contact Theresa Giacomino, Director of Programs and Education at 707-338-3412 or theresa@cmosc.org. You can also visit our school programs page for more information.
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