Dear Parents,
Happy New Year! It is so nice to have everyone back after the break and ready to be having fun and learning and growing together again!
We had great fun with bear stories and studying bears during November and December. We were busy working on costumes, sets and performances as each small group readied a bear storybook to act out. We then shifted to studying real bears.
Janet’s little ones acted out Bears in Chairs and Bears in the Bath; Jane’s groups performed Tiptoe Joe and The Three Bears; Kara’s crews performed Corduroy and We’re Going on a Bear Hunt; and Katey’s fine actors put together Bear Snores On and Bear Feels Sick. Following the plays each of the groups explored research books about real bears and focused on an area of interest. There were bear dens and trees for bear climbing; there were bear puppets and hand sewn stuffed bears; there were child authored and illustrated bear stories and books, both fiction and factual; there was even an actual representation of an 8 foot Alaskan brown bear!
We guess it’s time to let bears begin their hibernation now that winter is in full swing!
It is also time to embark on our next journey.
This past summer Asante Abankwah’s family approached us with an invitation to share their family heritage. Asante attends school on MWF. Asante’s father Adjei originates from the West African country of Ghana. Adjei was a lead dancer and choreographer with the Ghana National Dance Ensemble and has performed internationally. The family has offered their resources and support to guide us through an exploration of Ghana culture, art, dance, music and storytelling. They have been participants and among the organizers of the BaoBao Festival for the past 11 years. The festival is presented during the week of March 1st through 7th.
We are excited by their invitation and will begin this study by learning about the music, dance, art and unique storytelling of Ghana. We hope to culminate our experience around the time of the BaoBao Festival with our own interpretation of Ghana storytelling. Asante’s parents Adjei and Kari plan to assist us with guest visitors who will teach us about dance, drumming and storytelling. We look forward to this new journey and hope you will too! Feel free to visit the BaoBao Foundation website at www.baobaofoundation.org.
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NOTE CARD FUNDRAISER!!!!!!
Thanks to all of you for your notecard orders. Your contributions raised $1250.00. After expenses, we have $900.00 for our arts and supplies fund. We hope that you and your families enjoy the amazing artwork created by your children. Thank you so much for your continued support and generosity!
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SHARE-A-GIFT
The people at Share-a-Gift tell us that each year Friends’n Fun parents are one of the most generous group of contributors to their program. This year alone the box was filled to over flowing 3 separate times! Thanks to all of you for your concern for others in need. In an effort to offer additional support throughout the year we are thinking of providing a food collection box for dried goods that we can periodically donate to the Sister Carmen food bank.
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VALENTINE’S DAY– Your children are invited to bring valentines for their friends on Wednesday, February 11th or Thursday the 12th. We chose these days so everyone can participate. For children of preschool age it is best to just have them write their names on the backs and leave the envelopes blank. You can buy pre-packaged valentines or join them in making their own creations.
Bring 22 cards for the Wednesday group and 22 cards for the Thursday group.
A Valentine snack sign up will be posted on the parent bulletin board closer to time.
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SNOWY WEATHER!!!! We will notify 9 News if we will be closed due to bad winter weather. It sometimes takes awhile for schools to be listed on television but a listing pops up pretty quickly on their website, so check there as well. We will also post closures on our website on the Latest & Greatest page. If you are not sure you are welcome to call Jane @ 303-775-1531 or Janet @ 303-818-4842.
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ENROLLMENT FORMS
By the end of the month, you will be receiving questionnaires asking for your schedule requests for Summer 2015 and Fall 2015. We appreciate your prompt return of these forms so we can begin our enrollment process.
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HOLIDAY CLOSURE DATES Please mark your calendars and note the following dates Friends ‘n Fun will be closed in observance of the upcoming holidays and Spring Break:
- Monday, January 19th: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
- Monday, February 16th: Presidents Day
- Wednesday-Friday, March 25th-27th: Spring Break
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WORDS TO SHARE………………………….
Our past parent and dear friend Bruce Kirschner, whose adult sons Paul and Sam attended Friends’n Fun as preschoolers, has come to school for the past 18 years to celebrate Hanukkah with us. He engages the children with his warm and funny personality and is always memorable. He joined us once again this year and last week he sent us a lovely quote by Fred Rogers that he wanted to share along with a wish for a good 2015 to all!
“At the center of the universe is a loving heart that continues to beat and that wants the best for every person. Anything we can do to help foster the intellect and spirit and emotional growth of our fellow human beings, that is our job. Those of us who have this particular vision must continue against all odds. Life is for service.” Fred Rogers