Bulletin 17th June 2015
Dates to diarise
20 June
Mini Walk
21 June
Father’s Day
23-25 Jun
Jean away – attending Reggio
conference
Dates:
Monday – Holiday
Tuesday – Youth Day.
Wednesday – outdoors for Claire’s
group.
Thursday – outdoors for Dot’s group,
baking for Jean. Pottery and
Edudrama
Friday – Charity Day. Library books to
be returned. Baking for Claire. Yoga.
Themes:
Dot – The sea
Jean – Shipwrecks
Claire – Winter
Boni – Purple
Snack week 1
Perceptual games – week 1
Holiday Programme
Please let us have your payment as
soon as possible thereby confirming
attendance. Thanks to those parents
who have already paid. Amy and Vicky
will be running an exciting programme
for your children from 7.30 to 1 from
Monday the 13th to Friday the 17th
July.
Eco/mini walk Saturday the 20th
June from 10.30 a.m
Last call for sponsor forms so that we
know how many children to cater for.
If you are unable to attend a donation
towards this event would be greatly
appreciated. We have a couple of
projects in mind and hope to be able
to use funds raised towards sorting
out the uneven paving (courtesy of our
beautiful Tipuana tree) or fitting of
some astro turf in a dusty area. Hope
the cold front has passed us by before
Saturday. We have a couple of lovely
hampers that we will be raffling,
muffins and coffee to buy, eats and
drinks on sale and Tuk Tuk rides.
25 June
26 June
13 - 17 Jul
21 July
ADT road show
School closes
Holiday School
Day one of Term 3
Progress reports
Will be handed to parents next week.
Mr ADT
ADT want to bring along the press to
take some photos of the show and the
children. If any parent has an
objection to their children being
photographed please inform Joan asap.
Website
Our new website, although still a work
in progress, can be found on the net.
Go to www.rooseveltpreprimary.co.za
to take a look. Suggestions would be
helpful.
Applications 2016
Please inform friends and families
that we are taking in applications for
next year at the moment.
Parenting
The five love languages of children –
by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell
Love language # 4 Gifts
The giving and receiving of gifts can be
a powerful expression of love, at the
time they are given and often extending
into later years. The most meaningful
gifts become symbols of love. Yet for
parents to truly speak love language
number four – gifts – the child must feel
that his parents genuinely care. For this
reason, the other love languages must be
given along with a gift. The child’s
emotional love tank needs to be kept
filled in order for the gift to express
heartfelt love. This means that parents
will use a combination of physical touch,
words of affirmation, quality time and
service to keep the love tank full.
The grace of giving
A true gift is not payment for services
rendered; rather it is an expression of
love for the individual and is freely given
by the donor. In our society, not all
giving is so sincere. The same distinction
needs to be made in parental giving to
children. Whe a parent offers a gift if
the child will clean his room, this is not a
true gift but a payment for services
rendered. Whe a parent promises an icecream cone to a child if he will watch TV
for the next half hour, the cone is not a
gift but a bribe designed to manipulate
the child’s behaviour. While the child
may not know the words payback or
bribe, he understands the concept.
Make the most of giving
The grace of giving has little to do with
size and cost of the gift. Unwrapping a
present provides an emotional thrill for
a child, and you can demonstrate that
every gift, whether a necessity or a
luxury, is an expression of your love.
Celebration of all kinds of gifts will also
teach your child how to respond to
others who give them presents. As you
give to them with grace, you want them
to respond with grace, whether the gift
is large or small. One warning in buying
your children toys as gifts. At the toy
store you need real wisdom. The sheer
volume of items available means that you
must be selective. This volume is
compounded by television ads that
parade the latsest toys., thus creating
desires that did not exist 60 seconds
before and may be gone by the next day.
Do not let advertisers determine what
you buy for your children.
Not every toy needs to be educational,
but they should all serve some positive
purpose in the life of your children.
Distorted gift giving
Be careful. It’s often tempting to
shower children with gifts as
substitutes for other love languages.
For many reasons, parents sometimes
resort to presents rather than being
truly present to their children. For
some, a gift seems easier to give than
emotional involvement.
In our rushed and affluent society, with
fathers often away from home most of
the children’s waking hours and with
more than half of the mothers working
outside of the home, there is a
tremendous amount of guilt about not
spending enough time with family. As a
substitute for their personal
involvement with their children, many
parents go overboard in buying gifts.
Such parents are trying to use giftgiving as a cure all for their out of
control lifestyle.
Children receiving such ill-advised gifts
may eventually see them for what they
are. In the meantime they are learning
that parents regard gifts as a
substitute for genuine love. This can
make children materialistic and
manipulative. This kind of substitution
can have tragic results in the children’s
character and integrity.
Another abuse of gift giving occurs
when parents who do show the many
kinds of love to their children still
choose to shower them with so many
presents that their rooms look like
disorganized toy stores. With such
excess, the gifts lose their specialness.
Eventually none of the gifts has any
meaning, and the child becomes
emotionally dead to receiving gifts.
Parents and grandparents may need to
give less rather than more, carefully
choosing gifts that will be meaningful
rather than impressive.
Meaningful gift giving
As you give to your children, you need to
keep some guidelines in mind. Gifts
should be genuine expressions of love. If
they are payment for services rendered,
or bribery, you should not call them
gifts but should acknowledge them for
what they are. This way, the true gifts
selected for the benefit of your
children and as an expression of love can
be enjoyed for what they are.
Except for Christmas and birthdays,
many gifts should be chosen by both you
and your children. While you can’t give
them everything they want, you will want
to consider their preferences.
Whenever you can, it is wise to select a
gift that a child truly wants. And
remember, that not all gifts come from
a store. Wild flowers, unusual stones
even driftwood can qualify as gifts when
wrapped or presented in a creative
manner.
When your child’s primary love
language is receiving gifts
Most children respond positively to
gifts, but for some, receiving gifts is
their primary love language. You might
be inclined to think that this is so for all
children, judging from the way they beg
for things. It is true that all children –
and adults – want to have more and
more. Those whose love language is
receiving gifts will respond differently
when they get their gift. They will
always make much of receiving the gift.
They will want the present to be
wrapped or at least given in a unique and
creative way. This is all part of the love
expression. They will look at the paper,
maybe talk about the bow. Often they
will ooh and aah as they open the gift. It
will seem a big deal to them. They are
feeling very special as they open the
gift, and they want your undivided
attention as they do so. For them this is
love’s loudest voice. They see the gift as
an extension of you and your love and
they want to share this moment with
you. Once they have opened the gift,
they will hug you and thank you
profusely.
These children will also make a special
place in their room for the new gift so
that they can display it proudly. They
will share it with their friends and will
say how much they like it again and
again. The gift holds a special place in
their hearts. Gifts are more than
material objects. They are tangible
expressions of love that speak deeply.
Some ideas

Keep a small collection of
inexpensive gifts packed away
for your child then give them
one at a time as you sense
there is a need

Select presents that fit the
interests of your child

Make a special meal that you
know your child likes or make
their favourite desert

When away from home, mail a
small package to your child with
their name on it. ( A personal
postcard works well)

If you are away from your child
for a few days leave a small
package for each day with a
special gift and note reminding
how much you love them

Hide a small gift in your child’s
lunchbox

Consider a gift that lasts – like
planting a special tree

Buy or make a child a special
ring or necklace to wear that is
just from you
Map for
ECO walk