News from the Co-op
Address: 400 Congdon, Chelsea, MI 48118
Phone: (734) 433-1938
Website: chelseacoop.org
January 27, 2010
Mid-Winter Issue
Co-op Early Registration Coming . . .
Monday, February 8!!
Dear Chelsea Co-op Members:
Contents
Co-op Early Registration
1
Co-op Open House!!
2
Fundraising
2
Presidents’ Notes
3
Vice President’s Notes
3
Boys vs. Girls
4
Arts-Go-Round
5
Young 5’s
6
Registration Reminder
6
Photos, Please!
Please keep sending your
wonderful photos to
Lisa Hinz-Johnson at:
This school year is flying by—I can’t believe it is January! Early enrollment for the
2010-2011 school year is quickly approaching. As of Monday, February 8, 2010,
current members and families who have had a child in the co-op any prior year will
be able to submit applications for the 2010-2011 school year. As most of you
know, we offer a two year old parent-child play group, three and four year old
preschool classes and a Young 5’s class. Art and music enrichment classes for the
four year olds and the Young 5’s are also offered. Now is the time to be thinking of
which class you would like to enroll your child (ren) in for the 2010-2011 school
year. Enrollment will be opened to the public March 1, 2010. Spots are expected to
fill very quickly, possibly before opening enrollment to the public, so please mark
Feb. 8th on your calendars . Please note that spots are filled on a first come, first
serve basis; having a child enrolled this year or handing in an application does not
guarantee a spot for your child. Applications for all Co-op programs—2’s through
Young 5’s are now available at Co-op, and they have been E-mailed to families as
well.
I will be set up to accept applications and registration fees on Monday, February
8, from 8:15-9:15 AM, in Room #3 upstairs at CCA. Again, applications will be
accepted on a first come, first serve basis. After this time frame, applications and
registration fees may be turned in to my preschool mailbox (Collins AM 4) or
mailed to my home (printed on the application). The applications must be
postmarked no earlier than February 8, as I cannot accept applications before this
date. Please do not turn in applications to any other board member or staff, or to
any other place.
If you have any questions regarding membership for next year please feel free to
contact me; if you have questions regarding curriculum or if your child is ready for
a certain class please feel free to contact any of our teachers.
Thanks!
lisahinzjohnson@gmail.com.
We want to see those smiling
faces in the newsletters and
newspaper!
Jennifer Collins (734) 562-2191
Membership : Jen_momof3@hotmail.com
Page 2
Co-op News—Mid-Winter, 2010
Co-op Preschool will host our annual Open House,
Thursday, March 4, from 6-7:30 PM, and again on Monday,
March 8, from 10-11:30 AM. Families will have the
opportunity to meet with the teachers and find out what
Co-op Preschool is all about! Please help spread the word
about Co-op and how children are able to play, learn, and
grow, in this amazing preschool environment!
$$$$$$
Fundraising Efforts
A big thank you to all Co-op families for all your fundraising efforts thus far! I am happy to
report that we have collected hundreds of Our Family barcode labels. At a nickel a label, it
adds up quickly! We have also collected thousands of Campbell Soup label points. We will
be able to redeem these points for merchandise for the school. So we appreciate the extra
effort it takes to snip, collect and bring in these labels. Please continue to do so as every
little bit helps!
Look for more information on the March 16th Musical and Art Show with silent auction to
benefit the scholarship fund. If you or a loved one have any service or item you would like
to donate for the auction, please let me know. As always, all donations to the Co-op are tax
deductible.
--Kathy Kennedy, Ways and Means Committee
Page 3
Co-op News—Mid-Winter, 2010
A note from our
Co-Presidents . . .
Happy New Year! What a wonderful year
we are having here at Chelsea Children’s
Cooperative Preschool! Thank you all for
the daily contributions you make to this
organization. We are nothing without our
members. As we continue through this
school year, we want to remind you of a few
“housekeeping” things. In accordance with
licensing, we are required to sign our
children in at the beginning of each session
and sign them out at the end. This is the
sheet that the teacher uses in case of
emergency situations. Please be aware of
this and sign your child in and out each day.
Speaking of teachers, we are truly lucky to
have such talented and loving teachers
working with our children each day. Please
try to arrive on time to help the day get off
to a great start and always feel free to stay
for gathering time. If you are an assist
parent, please remember to arrive to your
session 15 minutes ahead of when your
session begins to make sure the room is
ready for a great day at preschool. If you are
unsure of any of your responsibilities, please
contact your session rep or feel free to
contact either of us. Let’s make the rest of
this school year a great one for our kids!
. . . and from our
Vice President . . .
Robin Woodard and Lisa Lutchka
Tara Vesprini
Vice President
Co-Presidents
Thank you to all members of the Hometown
Holidays Committee for a wonderful night at
the Chelsea Depot. I am sure all of you are as
pleased as I am at the incredible dramatic
play additions to the classroom. My children
have really enjoyed playing in the “wild
west,” “ice rink” and “castle.” The dramatic
play area is developed and constructed by a
Co-op committee of parents and is one of
the more visible ways that parents are able
to contribute to the educational experience.
Also, please remember that each committee
member is given equal responsibility to
support our success through their own
contributions. Whether you are a toy
cleaner, fundraiser, snow remover or float
builder we are all partners working together
for the benefit of our children. We
appreciate your effort and thank you for
your dedication. I hope you continue to
enjoy your year. Please don’t hesitate to
contact me with any questions concerning
your committee assignments.
Page 4
Co-op News—Mid-Winter, 2010
Are Boys Really Different From Girls??
[Type a quote from the document or the summary of an
Until the birth of my son, Reed, I was a “girl mom”. I used to sit at preschool
position
text
box while
anywhere
gatheringinteresting
time baffled bypoint.
the boysYou
whocan
would
wrestle orthe
wander
around
in
the
document.
Use
the
Text
Box
Tools
tab
to
change
my girls sat peacefully on my lap. Then Reed was born, and from the beginning the
formatting
of the
he was a different creature
all together!
I felt pull
like a quote
first timetext
mom box.]
all over again
as I had to come up with new strategies for parenting my little boy. As different
as my girls are from one another, my boy was different from them in ways I had
never imagined. Dinner rolls become cars, explosion type sound effects
accompanied any game or activity, and the volume went up! On more than one
occasion at an early childhood conference, I have heard speakers talk about the
differences between boys and girls. One of the most enlightening and
entertaining presentations, entitled “What About Those Boys?” was given by a
speaker named Dan Hodgins. I thought I would share some of the highlights of his
talk with you here.
Developmentally, boys and girls are different. Boys’ brains usually mature 1218 months later than girls’ brains, and boys acquire complex verbal skills up to
one year later than girls. Boys communicate using mostly facial expressions and
voice tone – they use and respond to less words than girls. Boys relate language
with action. For example, they will respond better to you holding up your hand
and saying, “stop” rather than just saying, “stop”, or even worse saying, “I really
need you to stop that.” In addition, boys respond better to loud noises. They can
become over-stimulated more quickly than girls, however. Related to that overstimulation is the fact that boys do better focusing on one detail at a time. (I’ve
seen this in my husband, too!)
Boys use space differently than girls. Boys build tall towers to knock them
down, whereas girls build to get inside. Boys tend to need more space when they
learn and play, while girls will stay in a confined space. Boys like to move things
from one spot to another. Wheelbarrows or grocery carts will be used to
transport objects. Art projects using large brushes or squirt bottles appeal to
boys. Capes provide dress-up clothes that encourage movement and action for
boys.
Boys’ feelings are released in bursts and are often expressed physically. They
do not talk about their feelings. Mr. Hodgins suggests that all of our female good
intentions of explaining to a boy why he shouldn’t hit does virtually nothing, since
we are immediately tuned out. Something simple such as “Stop. Hitting hurts” or
just “Stop” will be more effective. Also, roughhousing is how boys bond. This
includes hugging, punching, pinching, handshaking and back slapping.
The differences I have mentioned here only touch the surface of Mr. Hodgins’
presentation, but it helps to remember with your own children or someone else’s,
“Oh yeah, this is normal behavior – now how can I work with this child without
demeaning or disrespecting who he is and how he is made?” If you are interested
in further reading on this subject, Mr. Hodgins recommended the book Boys and
Girls Learn Differently or The Wonder of Boys by Michael Gurian. He also had a
list of recommended storybooks for boys, which I have included on this page.
(Unfortunately, I do not have the authors listed for these books, but I am sure a
quick search online would give you all the information you need.)
Boys’ Books

Pete’s a Pizza

Brave Potatoes

Tough Boris
(Mem Fox)

Hungry Hen

Perry Poops

Look out
Patrick

Belly Button
Boy

Nature Calls

My Life with
the Wave

Potty!

So Much

The Bear on
the Bed

Parts

The Runaway
Tortilla

The Story of
the Little Mole
Who Went in
Search of
Whodunit

(Totally) Gross
Biology
Keep Warm!
Courtney
Page 5
Co-op News—Mid-Winter, 2010
There’s an excited buzz in the air at Co-op on certain Fridays. Already off
to a great start, Co-op’s arts enrichment program began its 8-week series on
January 15, focusing on Music, Drama, and Art. Nearly two dozen 4 and 5year old Co-op children have enrolled in the Arts-Go-Round biweekly Friday
arts classes, offered by Chelsea Center for the Arts. Next year’s Arts-Go-Round classes will begin on
October 22, 2010 and will run for 12 biweekly Fridays until April 29, 2011. Look for more details on the
2010-11 Arts-Go-Round program, along with other Early Childhood CCA Arts Programs, at the early
registration on Feb. 8, and during Open House Week.
Through special arrangement with CCA, Co-op families receive a substantial discount on the Arts-GoRound series, with scholarship opportunities also available through CCA. This year, the classes filled
quickly, and it was wonderful to see the excited faces of Co-op preschoolers dancing to world music,
drumming improvised rhythms, and sharing music together as a group. The arts hold great power to
unlocking the creative spirit in all children, and it was truly amazing to watch the enthusiasm from all of
the participating children.
Why are the Arts important—what’s the big deal? It has been proven that arts experiences, particularly
music, create lifelong and vital neural connections in babies and young children. “Studies show that early
experiences determine which brain cells (neurons) will connect with other brain cells, and which ones will
die away. Because neural connections are responsible for all types of intelligence, a child’s brain develops
to its full potential only with exposure to the necessary enriching experiences in early childhood. These
studies indicate that music training generates the neural connections used for abstract reasoning,
including those necessary for understanding mathematical concepts." (Music Beats Computers at
Enhancing Early Childhood Development, American Music Conference via PR NEWSWIRE: Neurological
Research, February 1997.)
So, in a nutshell, early exposure to the arts—and to music in particular—sets the wheels in motion for a
lifetime of enhanced learning, spacial awareness, and social development. Nothing is more rewarding
than seeing a child who can hardly look up from the floor or utter a word to a peer, discover the unifying
and empowering influence of making music with friends. Experiencing the arts together helps children
“equalize and socialize,” and it creates a common language that bridges the gap between children who
are perhaps on the fringe socially and those who are very comfortable in social settings. As the mom of a
child on the autism spectrum this is perhaps the most miraculous discovery for me. Some of my most
treasured moments as a mom have come from watching my children thrive and come alive through the
arts. I see the thrill in their faces and these experiences transcend the moment and trigger a chain
reaction of empowering successes. What more can we wish for our children? I hope that you will
consider participating in next year’s Arts-Go-Round, or perhaps enrolling in CCA’s Music Together with
Co-op mom and instructor, Tara Vesprini. If you have any questions about the Arts-Go-Round program or
any other CCA Early Childhood music program, please feel free to contact me.
Lisa Hinz-Johnson
Co-op Publicity Chairperson and CCA Director of Music
lisahinzjohnson@gmail.com home phone: (734) 433-9168
Page 6
Co-op News, Mid-Winter, 2010
Page 6
Yummy, Yummy!!! Good enough
eat!
Co-optoNews—Mid-Winter,
2010
Young 5’s class—aka Gingerbread House Architects-in-Training!
2010-2011 Chelsea Co-op Preschool Registration Reminder
Don’t forget about the February 8, 8:15 AM, early registration for Co-op families. It
is very possible that Co-op slots will fill before the Open House dates of March 4
and 8, so reserve your spot early. For 2010-2011 schedule and tuition information,
please read the information from Jen Collins, Membership Chairperson. Applications
have been E-mailed to current Co-op families and are available at Co-op Preschool.
Here’s to another great year at Co-op!!