Happy new school year to all!

This new year brings on the wonderful expectations of co-op life starting with: Fundraising!

If you haven’t done so, eScrip is calling YOU, your families, your friends, & anyone who is willing to share their Safeway Club Card Number. All members should register at www.escrip.com. It is free, secure, & it earns us tons of money for just clicking a few buttons. If you were previously registered with eScrip, now is the perfect opportunity to update your information to support WPENS.

TO RENEW (must be done every year) just go to www.escrip.com and log in with your phone number or Safeway Club Card number.

TO REGISTER you will need the actual Safeway card number. If you don’t know it & it isn’t on the little sticker that is stuck to the back of your Club Card that you never noticed before today, you can call Safeway card services at 877-723-3929, press option 4, and ask for it.  Next: go to www.escrip.com and select “Westside Parent Education Nursery School” as your group to support. You will then have an eScrip account and you can log in to see how much money you are earning for our school just by shopping at Safeway, all year long!

In addition, we love receipts as well. We are asking you & everyone you know to pass on receipts to WPENS – this is a simple way to lend a hand & you can serve double duty helping the environment by putting these scraps of paper to good use!

Want even MORE ways to help? You can bring in extra income to WPENS by signing up your credit/debit cards at eScrip. Many local merchants and restaurants are in the program and when you use your credit/debit card at these businesses, a portion of your purchase goes back to WPENS. For more information on the 3 painless ways to help WPENS go to: http://www.escrip.com/program/3ways/index.jsp & choose one today!

This year is sure to be filled with the wonder & excitement of our little ones adventures on their various learning journeys. The best thing about a co-op is that we do this together. With your help, we can continue to support our kids, the school, one another & the wonder & excitement of learning.
“The more generous we are, the more joyous we become. The more cooperative we are, the more valuable we become. The more enthusiastic we are, the more productive we become. The more serving we are, the more prosperous we become.”
~ William Arthur Ward

The 2010 raffle was a big success with over $5000 raised for WPENS and its sister schools SCPENS and Soquel PENS. Thank you to the parents, grandparents, and friends who sold tickets. Many of you sold to the public from outside New Leaf and other locations.
Thank you to our sponsors, who graciously donated items and gift certificates. When you visit these businesses, please thank them for their support

THANK YOU ALL FOR SUPPORTING OUR PRESCHOOLS!

Sat May 14th, 8am-3pm at Soquel High School

Come out and rummage around our annual yard sale on Saturday to raise funds for a great cause:  supporting all three of our renowned Parent Education Nursery Schools.

Where else in Santa Cruz can you go to a hopping community event, visit friends, do something wonderful for small children and discover a hidden treasure, all before noon?

And while the early bird may get the worm, latecomers will still find a bargain.

How low can we go?

Clothes: $1

Shoes: $2

Baby Socks: 4 for $1

Onesies:  4 for $1

Stuffed Animals: $0.50

Grab Bags (a variety of small toys in a Ziploc bag): $1

Paperbacks: $0.50

Hardcovers: $1

DVDs: $1

Plus, housewares, toys, baby gear, sports equipment, purses, hats, dress-up costumes, and furniture.

Look for volunteers in the PENS aprons if you require assistance at the sale.

School Rules:

1. No negotiating on item prices before 1pm.

2. From 1 pm to 2 pm, prices are negotiable

3. From 2 pm to 3 pm, prices are $1 per filled shopping bag

Hope to see you there!

Only $1 for a raffle ticket – si!

Does a 3-night stay at Condo Lani in prestigious Marina Vallarta, one of the largest marinas in Mexico, sound good to you? We thought so, too. Take in the view of the yachts from your private balcony, sunbathe in a tropical garden setting or take the kids to the wading pool. All you need to do for your chance to stay at this fabulous Marina del Rey 3-bedroom condo in Marina Vallarta is buy at least one $1 ticket to our Spring Raffle.

Whether or not you score the grand prize, when you support 3PENS, everybody wins.

All ticket proceeds go toward saving our 3 Parent Education Nursery Schools. Plus, you’ll have a chance at winning…

MORE GREAT FAMILY PRIZES

• 2 Night Stay at Costanoa
• Sailing on the Chardonnay II
• Tickets to Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Gilroy Gardens, Seymour Center, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Roaring Camp, and more
• Wine Tastings at Byington Winery and Soquel Vineyards
• Gift Certificates to Avanti, Adventure Sports, Gabriella’s, O’ My Sole, Staff of Life, Well Within, Shopper’s Corner, eBay, Starbucks, Peoples Coffee, and many more.

And, every raffle ticket contains a coupon for $2 off a Large or X-Large Woodstock Pizza. Mmmmm.

BUY YOUR TICKET NOW

Tickets are $1 each or six for $5, and can be purchased by contacting WPENSinfo@gmail.com now. Tickets will also be available for purchase on site at our Spring Raffle at Wilder Ranch on April 30th.

FAMILY FUN: THE 3PENS SPRING RAFFLE AT WILDER RANCH

Not only will we draw the grand prize winning ticket at on April 30th at our Spring Raffle, we’ll also serve up a whole lotta family fun.

Help plant the spring garden at 10:00am

Potluck picnic lunch and fun on the farm 11:00am-2:00pm

Prize Draw at 1:00pm

Wagon Rides will be available for $3 per person from 12:00-4:00pm
(children 2 and under are free)

BYO picnic blankets, chairs, plates, cups & utensils.

*The holder of the winning ticket need not be present to win.
**Grand Prize is a $675 value. Up to 8 people may stay. Prize does not include airfare

CALLING ALL HEROES
Are you a local business owner, artist, restaurateur and all around super person? Do you have a super prize for donation to our raffle that will benefit scores of amazing little kids? If you’ve been itching to be a superhero, minus the itchy tights, contact WPENSinfo@gmail.com to donate your prize. No spandex required.

Your donations are tax deductible. Our heroes will also receive visibility and recognition for their donation at our event, and in our list of prizes, as we sell tickets in the community and beyond.

Alumni Event

Join us in honoring our 3PENS teachers and the legacy of these preschools on Thursday, December 9th at the Seymour Center from 5:30pm-8:30pm. The event, “The Real Superheroes,” will have author and educator, Julie Olsen Edwards, as a keynote speaker in addition to speeches from several prominent citizens in our community, many of whom are alumni of our program. Appetizers and dessert will be provided, and wine available. This is an adult-only event.

Venue:
Seymour Center
100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz
(831) 459-3800
VIEW MAP

Date:
Thursday, December 9th, 2010

Time:
5:30pm-8:30pm

Ticket Price:
$40 per Person

Dress Attire:
Business Casual

Keynote Speaker:
Community Leader & Author, Julie Olsen Edwards

Thank you to everyone that made it to our first ever Three PENS monthly lecture. Brought to you by Westside PENS, Santa Cruz PENS, and Soquel PENS.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010
6:30-8:00 PM
Santa Cruz Community Church on Roxas Street
Costs to the public ($5-10 donation–can pay at the door)

Colleen Murphy received her B.A. in Child Development in 1988 and hasn’t stopped being involved with families and young children ever since. Some of her jobs and titles have included preschool teacher, mentor teacher, workshop presenter (locally and at state conferences), parent participant and a teacher at Soquel PENS, Certified Positive Discipine Instructor, parent educator, parent coach/consultant, and mother.

You can read more about her on her recently launched website: From the Head to the Heart.

This is a mandatory membership meeting and takes the place of our meeting which would usually be held the first Wednesday of the month.

Attributes of an Authoritative Parent

They mix kindness and firmness together.
They say what they mean and follow through with dignity
They strive to remain in command of themselves but not in control of others.
They strive to remain calm.
They take time outs to cool off when buttons are pushed.
They decide what THEY will do in the situation not what they will make OTHERS do.
They take in the child’s perspective by being willing to listen.
They go into situations asking questions first rather than yelling orders.
“What happened?” “I’m hearing some angry voices. How can I help?”
“What do you need so you can clean this up?” “How is this problem going to be solved?”
“Is there anything else you need to tell me so I’ll understand?” “What’s your plan about getting homework done?”
They do not take the child’s behavior personally.
They adjust their role of parent as the child matures, giving the child more and more power over his/her life
Micro-manager for the baby years
Manager for the young childhood years
Coach for the tween and teen years
Cheerleader for the adult years
They understand that what they do and who they are speaks volumes over what they say.
They understand the importance of modeling for their children how they would like themto be as adults.
They model how to recover from mistakes by taking responsibility, and apologizing when necessary.
Self-care is built into their lives.
They take mini breaks from their parenting role.
They have a circle of friends to vent to when the going gets tough, rather than taking it out on the children.
They have outside interests they pursue.
They are emotionally honest and transparent.
They say out loud what they are feeling without tacking on blame.
Their facial expressions match what they are saying.

Helping Your Child Work Through Disappointment So That They Can Find Acceptance And Adaptation

Information gathered from the works of child psychologist, Gordon Neufeld

Quotes and text from Susan Stiffleman’s book Parenting without Power Struggles

“Childhood is full of frustrating moments. Nature has designed life for children in such a way as to guarantee that they’ll have their wishes denied many times a day… When parents intervene because their children are frustrated- believing they’re doing so out of love and care- they prevent them from learning the lesson of adaptation.”

Children that don’t experience disappointment, and that aren’t given the opportunity to experience the sadness, tears and grief that go with not having things turn out the way they want, will not learn how to cope and move on to something else. They will most likely grow up into adults who don’t know how to cope when things don’t conform to their liking. They often adopt aggressive strategies to force things their way or to “numb out” with substances or distractions to avoid dealing with life’s difficult moments.

Wouldn’t it be better to find the value in the tears and the tantrums, to let the children work through all their feelings in order for them to accept the facts as they are? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to let our children discover early on in their lives that life may not always unfold to their liking, but that they can adapt to it and find their way back to joy?

Walking your child through all the stages of grief over life’s disappointments and helping them hit the Wall of Futility (accepting that there is no use in fighting it anymore) is how to get them from being stuck in anger and aggression and onto making new healthy choices.

The Stages of Grief and What It Sounds Like:

Denial – “No!” “It’s NOT bed time!” “You’re NOT the boss of me!” “I AM going

to have some ice cream!”

Anger – “Go away!” “I don’t like you!” “You’re mean!” “Stupid head!” “I’m

gonna scream until you give it to me! AAAAAAHHHH!”

Bargaining – “PLEASE!” “I promise just this once!” “One more minute!”

“But WHY?”

With your help, this is the point where the child hits what’s called The Wall of

Futility. When children get passed the first three stages, they shift from trying to

change things to accepting things. This is when the tears often come.

Depression – “But I really wanted that blue ball!” “I wish my toy didn’t break!”

Acceptance – “Okay.” “I think I want to play outside now.” “But I get to pick out the

book to read for bedtime, okay?”

Tips for Parents to Help Children Find Their Tears

Remain calm and clear about your position.

“It really is bed time right now.”

Don’t engage in any bargaining or heated negotiations.

“This isn’t up for discussion.” “No, sweetie, not this time.”

Explain your position once but no more than that.

“I’ve already told you why.”

Don’t lecture, advise or teach when your child is frustrated. It will get you nowhere. Silence is very powerful. Silence with listening ears is even better.

Listen for the feeling behind the words, not the words themselves. Empathize.

“I know it makes you sad to have to leave your friends.” “I understand this is

frustrating for you.”

Refrain from rationalizing them out of their feelings. Lovingly accept their emotions and empathize with loving words and sounds.

“I’m so sorry, honey, that this is hard for you.” “I understand you’re mad at me. I’m not giving you what you want and that’s disappointing.” Quietly nod your head and express empathetic sounds as they emote, “Oh……mmmmmm……sweetheart…”

“…there’s value in helping (children) chalk up another adaptation, knowing that each time they do, they’re adding to the internal reservoir of confidence and resourcefulness that will help them navigate life’s ups and downs.”