|
|
|
|
| "There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart." -Celia Thaxter |
June 2009 |
|
|
|
|
 Greetings!
June is here and summer is on it's way. I know that this spring, I found myself wondering if summer was gonna make it this year.
With the approaching summer months and lots of out door play, please keep in mind the following Safe Summer Fun tips for your child will in child care.
1- Please apply sunscreen to your child as part of your getting ready for school routine. Sunscreen is applied a couple of times a day, but it is very helpful if your child has already had some sunscreen before arriving at child care.
2- If you would like to send a water bottle to school for your child to have during the day, please make sure the bottle is labled with their first and last name and the date. You will need to take it home each weekend to clean it or provide a new one each day (if you choose a disposable type water bottle).
3 - Appropriate summer shoes - shoes must have ankle straps. The children will be running and playing out doors and "flip flop" style shoes do not say on feet and can result in tripping, scrapped knees or elbows, and tears.
4 - Extra changes of clothing - please make sure your child has a weather appropriate change of cloathing in their classroom.
5 - Swimsuits - each classroom will have times of water play out side in the playground. Please make sure swimsuits have your childs first and last name written on the label or somwhere on the suit. Please also send a towel. Watch your child's classroom Parent Board for more information on water play days for your child's classroom. (Water play includes running throgh the sprinklers and the small wading pools).
 Summer Vacations - Are you planning to take a summer vacation? Remember to turn in notice of your vacation 2 weeks in advance to be eligible to recieve your vacation credit. A vacation credit is given if you have not already used your vacation credit for the year (each family is allowed 2 weeks of vacation at 50% the regular tuition with two weeks advance notice). Your week of vacation credit is Monday through Friday, not Wednesday through Wednesday or some other variation. If you have any questions about your eligibility for summer vacation credit, please see Sandy.
Summer Staffing Changes - It is the time of year where our SPU students go home and we get to have WSU or UW students join us for the summer. This year, Marci Morris from WSU will join us for the summer months, while Greg, Julie, Lacey and Megan will be leaving for the summer. Our SPU students are all expecting to return to work in the fall when school starts again. During summer months, to work with our staff and their own family vacations, assistant teachers may get experience in other classrooms. This is an opportunity for you to get to know more of our amazing teaching staff.
To a Wonderful Summer!
Royale
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Come one, Come All!
To the 2009 NQACC Carnival! Our circus theme promises lots of fun and excitement for the whole family. Invite your neighbors and friends too. The fun begins at 5:00 p.m. and continues until 7:00 p.m.
We do need your help. We're really counting on you to reach our goal of $7500 for new play lofts in classrooms. Please contribute in the following ways: 1. contribute an item to your child's auction basket, 2. consider donating a gift certificate from your employer or favorite local restaurant or shop or 3. donate your time before, during and after the carnival on June 19th.
The classroom baskets are as follows:
T1 - Picnic basket
T2 - Gardening basket
Room 3 - Luxury wine and chocolate basket
Room 4 - Camping basket
Room 5 - Outdoor fun basket
Room 6 - Father's Day BBQ basket
Look for the folder containing the list of needed items in your child's classroom. We make it easy for you to help!
Plan ahead to bid on our gift certificates, from restaurants such as Paragon, Matador, Snoose Junction, Macrina Bakery, and Caffe Ladro. Other establishments that have donated gift certificates for you to bid on and enjoy include Interbay Golf Center, Queen Anne Books, American Dance Institute, Eat Local, and Sponge School. The complete auction catalog will be out soon.
Finally, we need parents to volunteer some time to make this event a success. We need parents to help kids have fun by staffing our games -- only 1/2 hour of your time is required!
Sincerely,
The Carnival Committee
Brenda, Dana, Karyn, Karen, Kelly, Kris, Myla, Royale, Sandy, Shari |
What Matters Most...The Soul of Parenting
By Jan Pendergrass, Pastor for Children and Families at First Free Methodist
Coming Alongside-- Beyond Sympathy to Empathy
A few weeks ago it was my pleasure to accompany one of our church's third graders and her mom to the hospital for a blood draw. This little girl is facing the challenge of her life thus far- kidney disease. She is in almost complete renal failure and faces a transplant in the very near future. Keep little Sophia in your prayers.
I asked if I could go along for the blood draw because I had heard from Sophia's mother that they were always traumatic, though she's had dozens of them. While I knew my presence wouldn't make things magically better, my hope was that both Sophia and her mom would feel cared for and supported by just my willingness to be there.
To come alongside someone who is suffering, or just "being there" means so much. When we walk alongside someone who is suffering, we go beyond sympathy to empathy and we gain greater insight into their suffering as we help to bear the load. Beyond the casseroles and encouragement cards, when we're willing to walk the journey with folks who are in crisis, they don't feel quite as alone and they gather strength from our supportive presence.
This is what it means to be a supportive community and why I'm so thankful to be part of First Free Methodist Church. It takes some time to build those relationships, but it is such a valuable experience for everyone in the family and is an important component of every child's spiritual development. |
Potty learning? Some questions answered
By Mary Ann Abbott, Parent Consultant, North Seattle Community college (Today's parent article is a response to questions from parents. The response here is not all-inclusive but offers some quick ideas for parent consideration.) Potty learningPotty learning is one of the primary tasks of early childhood, a rite of passage. It takes time, preparation, and personal readiness. It takes cooperation and a certain mind set. It brings out strong emotions from both the trainer and the learner; ecstasy can spiral down to discouragement very quickly, with the reverse also true. Success or failure affects the whole family. And, the process can be as complex or as simple as the participating people -- and as different! It's been reported that whoops of jubilation can be heard as far as half a mile when potty learning is successful! A success formula?Many parents are interested in a success formula for potty learning. We have all heard magical stories about a child's potty success after one weekend of intense training and scrutiny. We may also have heard a tale of woe about futile attempts at training for months, even years, and a worry that the child will wear pull-ups to elementary school. The parents I talk to want to know some basics, including a timeline and some "what to do when" suggestions. There's lot of information offered from friends and family, from the web, from videos/DVDS, and books. There are patterns which result in success - and, maybe using the following ideas can contribute to a success formula. Whose job is it, anyway?The child is in charge of his/her potty learning. The parent, as a coach, respects, encourages and assists, but it is the child who has the responsibility to make it happen. Once the parent learns this, a lot of frustration and disappointment can be avoided. Intense pressure from the adult usually backfires. It can become very challenging for a parent to stay patient and keep anger in control. When to start?
(getting comfortable time)Most experts feel there is a window of readiness starting at about 24-27 months. The beginning phase starts with cultivating interest in the routines which take place in the bathroom by fostering pretend play. Reminder: what works with one child may not work with another. (practicing the routine time)This involves practicing the routines of the process -getting on and off the toilet, pulling pants up and down, "going" or pretending to "go," wiping, flushing, and washing hands. The child should be exhibiting several readiness signs (27-30 months) as this training proceeds. The process should have consistency, praise for progress, reminders, and perhaps rewards, if necessary. This phase works best when the parent and the child care center work in partnership, following common agree-on rituals and common responses.
(perfecting the learning time) The child is assuming the self-care tasks, including clean-up, if needed. The child initiates going potty on his/her own -that is, recognizes his own body's signals and interrupts his own playing to go potty. He can do this process independently, from the beginning to the last step of drying the washed hands. This is celebration time. Usually. But, sometimes setbacks occur! And, detours!
Readiness: the parent, the child
The parent needs to be ready! That means having the time to do it! It also means being emotionally ready with patience, a sense of humor, and flexibility.
The child's readiness involves several levels of development:
Physical development: Muscle control, staying dry for at least two hours; being able to walk, sit, take pants down and pull up. The child's body systems should have some regularity, predictability.
Body awareness: "I have a sense of what my body is doing, and I can control it."
Enjoys "clean" diapers. Gives some indication that something's "going on,"
either through body language or facial expression.
Language skills: The child understands and can use important "shared" words for the process. Can say what he/she needs.
Cognitive development: The child has some predictions skills and can remember the need "to go" while doing something else. Can understand and follow simple directions. "I know what the bathroom is for."
Socio-emotional skills: "I can do it myself." "I want to try!" "I want to wear underwear." "I want to be big."
How long? How long?
Generally, the process can take as long as eight months. It could take one month, and it could take a year. It depends on the child. A toilet training study from the Medical College of Wisconsin found that "girls usually complete toilet training at 34 months; boys take a little longer at 37.5 months." By 3 ½ years, about 80% of boys and girls are completely trained. Second children may learn more quickly than firstborns.
Nighttime training may take longer. Often the body is too immature to wake up the child at night. Staying dry for five nights in a row is a signal of physical readiness.
Parting advice:
stay consistent: follow the weekday schedule on weekends.
help the child to be successful by providing non-complicated equipment to use and non-complicated clothes to manipulate.
Take advantage of the summer months with fewer clothes.
make it fun and use encouragement.
celebrate successes! |
|
|
|
Important Message
North Queen Anne Child Care
will CLOSE early
on
June 19, 2009
so that our teachers and families can enjoy the annual carnival and auction.
We will close at 5:00 p.m. on June 19, 2009
Late pick up charges will apply after 5:00 p.m. |
|
Teacher Appreciation Photo's 
Teachers enjoying our International Luncheon
|
Father's Day
June 21, 2009
Ever since I remember
Ever since I can remember
You have been the one
who picked me up when i would fall
lift me up when i was down
You are the one who
wiped away the tears
And made a smile magically appear.
You are the one who
loved me no matter what I did
And you are the one who
helped me to be what i am today
How can I ever tell you
how very much I love you
|
|
Calling All Car Seats
Kids Kampers (our school age children) are reving up for all their trips to the beach, pool, parks and special destinations. If you have forgotten to return a borrowed booster seat, now is the perfect time to round them up and bring them in!
|
|
Words to think about
Affirming words from moms and dads are like light switches. Speak a word of affirmation at the right moment in a child's life and it's like lighting up a whole roomful of possibilities.
-- Gary Smalley
Always kiss your children goodnight - even if they're already asleep.
-- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children, and no theories.
-- John Wilmot
'I just want my kids to love who they are, have happy lives and find something they want to do and make peace with that. Your job as a parent is to give your kids not only the instincts and talents to survive, but help them enjoy their lives.'
-- Susan Sarandon, Readers' Digest, May 2002
| |
| Coming Events |
| NQACC 4th Annual Carnival and Silent Auction
June 19, 2009
5:00 - 7:00 p.m. 3200 3rd Ave. W.
Seattle, Washington 98119
Keira 6/11
Nevida 6/15 Bridget 6/16
Somchai 6/16
Owen 6/22
Teacher Brenna 6/27 (room 3)
Teacher Lacey 6/29 (SPU student)
Katharine 6/29
Nicolette 6/30
OTHER
Bizzy Bodies 6/4 and 6/15 (R4 - R7)
Last day of school for Seattle Public Schools June 19 (one hour early dismissal) |
| Thank You Parents! |
| I am very thankful for our community of parents, families who all came together to recognize the hard work and dedication of our very talented teachers during this year's Teacher Appreciation Week. Through out the week, teachers were encouraged and excited about the variety of yummy treats and kind words. |
| Contact Information |
|
North Queen Anne Child Care Center Director
Royale Gueswel-Lockhart
206-281-2919 |
|
|
|
|
