• Director of Education's Message
• Director of Operations' Message
• President's Message
• Annual Fund / End of Year Giving
• Scrip News
• Holiday Teacher & Staff Appreciation Program

• Parent Education: Shedding A Light on Picky Eating
• Vroman's Fundraiser
• Garden Fundraiser
• Sweetheart Snow Social
• Auction Recap
• Kindergarten Recommendation Forms
• Meet Your Board
• SMCNS Calendar

Hello Sierra Madre Community Nursery School families,

Welcome to the last month of the year! It is hard to believe that 2022 will soon come to an end, and then 2023 will begin. We wish you all a great December and wish each of you a wonderful New Year!

I spent some time looking for helpful articles on child development and social-emotional learning, and I found a very interesting one on the NAEYC website. The article discusses self-determination theory and the role of motivation in behaviors. Those of you that have been to parent-helper meetings with me know that I speak about this frequently. While the article is mainly written for teachers in a school setting, it is still very appropriate for everyone here at SMCNS since we are a co-op community. There is one particular part in the article “How Can I Help You?”: Reconsidering Behavior Management by Adam L. Holland and Kathryn A. Ohle that I think is very helpful for working with children either in a classroom setting or at home.

"For example, one group of teachers dedicated to this work began by changing the way they approached conversations with children. Instead of asking children who used maladaptive behaviors what they were doing or immediately criticizing them, they calmly asked, 'Do you need some help?' In doing so, the teachers consistently showed the children that they cared about them, supported the children’s need for relatedness, and ensured that the children had some autonomy in the discussion. This practice also put teachers in the right mindset to have a productive conversation rather than reacting negatively to what they initially perceived. The change made an enormous difference in relationships throughout the school and resulted in a sharp decrease in behavior issues."

When we approach a situation in this manner, it allows us to engage in a conversation that can help support the individual and allows us to work together to help get their needs met in a positive manner. This allows us to help them re-regulate and build coping skills by helping them be their own advocate for their needs.

Here is the link to the full article:
“How Can I Help You?”: Reconsidering Behavior Management | NAEYC
Have a great month!
Bob

Happy Holidays to all! Holiday traditions are such a special part of childhood and individual to each family and culture. They can bring stability and continuity to a very busy and sometimes emotional time of year—a time to connect and reflect with those you hold dear. Whether the holidays mean bringing out precious family heirlooms, boisterous gatherings, or relocating the Elf on the Shelf in the middle of the night (I have some personal regrets about that one, but the kids loved it!), I hope that you all find the time to do whatever it is that makes you sparkle this season.

MaiTai offer a round of applause to our auction co-chairs, Lis Nuccio and Emily Hilgenberg? They combed the streets for rattan furniture, endured multiple drink samplings, and literally erected a volcano to bring the tropical vibes to the Sierra Madre foothills  (the space heaters & tiki drinks helped!). They created a perfect evening of socializing, fantastic refreshments, festive decor, and some lively bidding wars! Thank you to Miles Prince and Kenny Totrakarn who graciously allowed us the use of their beautiful property! Shout outs to Samantha Strysko and Lauren O’Connor for putting together the most gorgeous (and also tasty) grazing table, Chris Nuccio for mixing up so many potent potions, and Matt Sloan who arranged a generous Trader Joe’s donation. The stage was set for all-star Allen Graves to work us all into a bidding frenzy! Thanks to all of you that helped make the night so magical!
 

SMCNS is a non-profit organization and, like many private schools, we rely heavily on the success of fundraisers, as well as donation and grant monies. Tuition alone does not cover all of our operating costs. The idea is that we keep the cost of tuition low for our current families and seek supplemental financial support to balance our budget. In fact, each family’s annual school expenses are reduced by approximately one month’s tuition per enrolled child. So, what does all this mean? We are extraordinarily thankful to those that plan our fundraisers (our hardworking board members) and those that support our fundraisers as they are able (current families, alumni families and staff). Our gratitude extends to alumni families that support our Annual Fund each year, giving back to a community that provided for them when their children were young. You could think of it as ‘returning a favor.’ You see where I’m headed with this, right? When it is your turn, I hope that you will look back favorably on your time here, remember those that supported you, and give generously. 

As ever, I am grateful for this supportive, dynamic, ever-evolving community–we are all growing and learning together.

Cheers!

Thais

thais@smcns.org

The Holidays can be a lot for both grown-ups and kids, so I hope you are able to take some time, cherish your family’s traditions and feel some of the magic this time of year brings.

For those who are planning end-of-year charitable giving, consider SMCNS in those plans. You can support developmental play and the nurturing of children, parents, and families by making a tax-deductible donation at https://www.smcns.org/annual-fund.

Wishing everyone a fun and peaceful December and Holiday time!

Rosi Koeper
626-232-1141
president@smcns.org

Thank you! Rosi 

Consider SMCNS in your end-of-year charitable giving plans, and support play-based, developmental early-childhood education by contributing to the SMCNS Annual Fund. 
 

Your tax-deductible donation will be put to work to its fullest potential to support children by maintaining the playhouses, sandboxes, and play equipment that host children’s play every day; by stocking classrooms with art and science supplies so children can create and explore; by cultivating the garden, which children visit weekly for hands-on learning and connection with nature; and by keeping classrooms fully staffed by dedicated teachers who embody our Loving-Caring-Trusting philosophy. 

Donate today at https://www.smcns.org/annual-fund.

On behalf of current and future SMCNS families, and the next generation of SMCNS alumni, we appreciate your consideration and support. 

Donations received in November:

Nancy & Chip Stone
April & Chris Goodwin
Catriona Shafer & Gurdon Miller     
The Sloan Family
The Oelschlager Hennessey Family
The Dunn Family
Marcia Meudell 
Leigh & Claudio Chavez

Thank you!

The holidays are nearing and everyone’s to-do lists are starting to grow! One way to make things easier during this busy time is to pre-purchase gift cards on www.RaiseRight.com to tuck in stockings and remember loved ones near and far. To make gift giving even easier, you can send electronic Scrip right to a person’s inbox, purchase cards from the school inventory in the office, or special order cards online from the program’s more than 750 brands. 

Raise Right will once again be launching Dazzle Days, two full weeks of special bonuses from Nov 26 – Dec 9!  Check out the RaiseRight App daily to take advantage of all the upcoming deals!  Also, don’t forget the Raise Right Program offers ship-to-home on select brands to make your holiday shopping even more convenient!  It’s never been easier to take advantage of Scrip all while making a difference for SMCNS!

Please remember, the last day to special order cards before Winter Break will be 12 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 14th. Cards ordered by this deadline will be ready to pick up by 12 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 21st, which is also SMCNS’s last day of school before going on break!  

 
Have a happy holiday season!
Mary Moore
scrip@smcns.org
206-898-2061

The prevalence rate of feeding problems is reported to be within the range of 25-45% for typically developing children and to rise to 80% for children with disabilities (Henton, 2018, Linscheid, Budd & Rasnake, 2003; Manikam & Perman, 2000). Feeding is an important primary occupation not only in its frequency of daily occurrence but its impact on growth and nutritional health as well. During this in-service Dr. Pollard will be discussing the complexities of feeding, and strategies that can be implemented in the home to address picky eating and feeding concerns.
 

Families will be able to:

- Identify the difference between age-appropriate food selectivity versus problematic picky eating

- Identify simple strategies that can be implemented at home to expand on their child’s diet  

- Better understand when they need to consult with a professional for a feeding assessment and what questions they should ask their pediatrician

-Better understand how parenting style can affect behaviors around mealtime


Briana Pollard, OTD, OTR/L, SWC, CLE is an occupational therapist who has over 19 years of experience. She has her advance practice in feeding and swallowing and is a lactation educator as well. She specializes in sensory processing, feeding and swallowing, early childhood development, and post-partum depression care. She works at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in the outpatient department where she also is a therapist in their Newborn Follow Up clinic. She also acts as a private consultant and a private practice therapist in the San Gabriel area. Dr. Pollard speaks at conferences locally, at the state level and nationally. She is also a frequent guest lecturer in UCLA’s Early Childhood Fellowship Program. 

The garden needs our help! Our little gardeners are doing great work keeping the plants thriving, however, our apple tree is losing its "life energy" as we say at SMCNS, and will need to be replaced. There are a few more days left to contribute to Garden Sarah's fundraiser, which will help our trees and make other improvements. Please donate if you can!

https://donate.seedmoney.org/7972/sierra-madre-community-nursery-school-garden

SMCNS Island is a wrap! Thank you, Island Goers!!! The 33nd Annual Dinner and Auction was a great success. We raised nearly $32,000, with just over $27,000 of that representing net profit for our school!! Thank you a million times over for families' generosity and support - and most importantly, all of the wonderful item contributions that got the bidders' attention. A huge thank you to Miles Prince and Kenny Totrakarn for opening their wonderful home to us for this year's auction. Not only did they give us their gorgeous space for the night, but also put up with multiple "stop by's" and "meetings" for months. Auction would not have raised what it did without their generosity. We would also like to thank everyone else who was involved in putting on this tropical night of fun! THANK YOU!  We already can't wait to see you all at Auction next year! 

Emily & Lis

• Please give all the recommendation forms to the teacher at the same time. They should be in a file folder or large envelope.
• You need to fill out the top portion of the form with your child’s name and any other pertinent information asked for in the upper section. The top section will need your signature before you give it to the teacher to complete.
• Provide a stamped envelope for each school with the intended school’s address on each one. The return address should be: SMCNS, 701 E. Sierra Madre Blvd, Sierra Madre, CA 91024-- not your home address.

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