The Buzz - April 2008

Message from the Vice President

Happy Spring OCP! From the thin layer of yellow pollen coating our cars to the beautiful blooming flowers and trees on our school’s grounds, Spring has definitely sprung. It is so much fun to see Stephen and his friends in the Wrens’ class enjoy the season’s beauty and the warmer temperatures. “COURTYARD!” they say in unison, as their day in the classroom ends, and they follow one another to the courtyard outside of the church’s main entrance.

For me, the season of spring brings to mind new beginnings. At OCP, we are happy to celebrate a new beginning – Betty Wood, former director of Inman Park Cooperative Preschool has joined our community as Director. Betty is already getting to know us by observing classes and working with our teachers and Board members. We feel very fortunate to have such a gifted and experienced individual as part of our staff and our community, and we look forward to her getting to know each child and each family better in the coming months. Betty, we’re so glad that you are here!

Spring is as beautiful a time of year within the walls of OCP as it is outside. The children and teachers are extremely connected to one another, and the rhythm of the day is familiar and flows easily (at least most of the time). Our children are comfortable with their classmates’ parents because of their involvement in the classroom as well as the substitute teachers whom they have come to enjoy and to trust. More and more playdates are happening outside of the classroom, and the crowd at Fellini’s every other Tuesday is growing. If you haven’t come yet, please join us. We took over Fellini’s courtyard this week, and it was great fun. OCP families and children continue to deepen connections, and these connections are so much of what OCP strives to offer its families.

As we continue to strive to create “so much more than a preschool”, OCP continues to reach out to the larger Decatur community through its green efforts this spring. The Live Lightly Tour was very well-received by the OCP community as well as a handful of Decaturites, and Sara Janssen’s talents as a photographer will mean memorable class photos for our children for many years to come. On April 19th, OCP will be involved in the Earth Day festivities in Oakhurst, and we are hosting Decatur’s first Really, Really Free Market on Sunday, April 27th. Despite our small size and limited resources, OCP continues to succeed at providing innovative and interesting learning opportunities for our families as well as the larger community, and it is something of which I am proud to be a part.

Our Spring Fling celebrations on April 26th will be held at one of the “greenest” venues in our community - the Oakhurst Community Garden. Stephen, William, and I go there almost weekly, and there is so much to interest and to fascinate the kids that the event is sure to be a big success. And last but certainly not least is the annual OCP Arts Auction Jubilee to be held on Sunday, May 18th from 3:00PM-6:00PM at the Solarium in Oakhurst. It is not too late to secure donations for the event, and we hope that you are planning to bring all of your friends, neighbors and family to the event. While school auctions are happening all around us this spring, OCP seems to be one of the only events to which children are invited. Also noteworthy is that our event is free, and we have intentionally created an event which is kid-friendly and accessible to the larger community. We are partnering with several local businesses, including Color Wheel and Palate, to help make the event a success and to help these local businesses gain exposure and to thrive. It is an event not to be missed.

On that note, I wish all of you a wonderful start to your finishing the school year well at OCP. It has been a true pleasure to serve as your Vice President this year, and I look forward to celebrating the Spring with you and your children.

Cooperatively yours,
Stephanie

April 07 2008 | President's Message | No Comments »

Welcoming Message from our Incoming Director, Betty R. Wood, M.S.

Spring is a time of renewal and new beginnings. Having joined OCP as director during this season has certainly heightened my awareness of the opportunity for growth we experience in each moment of each new day. As I drive to my “new” school, my thoughts turn to the “new” children, “new” families, “new” teachers I will meet that day. These thoughts quickly shift to wondering what “new” challenges await me and what “new” information I will attempt to integrate into my cognitive construct of cooperative preschools. Upon entering the doors of OCP I welcome the openness and novelty of what is to come and trust in my confidence that the cooperative spirit will prevail.

As I begin to meet each of you and your children and begin working with the teachers and board in creating a working relationship, I am reminded of the fox and the prince in Antoine de Saint Exupery’s The Little Prince. When the fox and the prince first meet they realize that they know very little about each other. The fox teaches the prince how to “tame” him through regular meetings or rituals which enable them to become friends and become responsible to each other. We will continue to learn more about one another as we work closely together. However, it may be helpful for you to learn a little more about my professional background as we create our new relationships.

I have over thirty years experience working with children and their families. In the late 1970s I was part of an interdisciplinary team in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania responsible for identifying preschool children who were at risk for educational handicaps. Since that time, I have continued to work with children in public and private schools to ensure that each child’s educational needs are met. I hold a Masters Degree in School Psychology and Clinical Psychology and have been in private practice in Atlanta for eighteen years. Most of my work involves coordinating parents’ and teachers’ efforts in providing the best educational experience for their children. I am committed to the philosophy that children thrive when the family and school work together in the best interest of the child. My work as director of Inman Park Cooperative Preschool for the past six years has reinforced my belief that it does take a village to raise a child.

As a mother of a twenty-six year old daughter, I know that the support I received from my daughter’s preschool family at The Suzuki Learning Center when her father and I divorced was essential to my ability to co-parent with her father and raise a happy, confident child. In our culture where most extended families live far away, the cooperative preschool is an invaluable resource to young families. I feel privileged to be part of an extended support system to the families at Oakhurst Cooperative Preschool as each parent creates the best opportunities for their children and family. I look forward to serving you as your director and know that we have a successful future ahead.

I invite each of you to arrange a time to meet with me so that we can learn more about each other as we complete this school year and plan for next year.

Cooperatively Yours,

Betty R. Wood, M.S.

April 07 2008 | Director's Message | No Comments »

Grandparents and Special Friends Day Gallery

April 07 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments »

April Classroom Updates

OCP Chickadees Class

The Chickadees have spent several weeks exploring the wind and the changes it will bring - namely Spring! We’ve made wind ribbons and pinwheels and learned wind fingerplays. On nature walks, we’ve noticed the signs that Spring is coming. We just planted seeds and hope we’ll see them sprout soon. The children are enjoying the warming weather and spending more time outside. Next, we’ll turn our attention to the birds!

OCP Wrens Class

The Wrens have really been enjoying creating stories during snack and lunch time. We say a sentence or two, then pass it on to the next person. Kate has been writing the stories down, and reading them back at the end. She has also added a writing center. The children are sitting down with index cards and pens, and writing notes and stories for each other.

Our radish seeds have sprouted with gusto. We made our own little pots from newspaper, planted the seeds, and have been diligently watering. We will be planting them out in our garden bed on the play ground this month.

OCP Owls Class

The Owls have been jumping into spring with new fingerplays, songs and observations of flowers and trees growing new leaves. It is an exciting time to see all the changes afoot outside and sometimes the excitement spills over into their classroom play! The children are busy working on a classroom collage/mural of animals and their habitats, creating homes and spaces for creatures such as “fuzzles” and engaging one another in imaginary worlds. We are going to move into making masks after the break after looking at how other cultures have used animals as inspiration for mask making.

We are also going to be playing with letters, sounds and writing due to a budding interest in reading. This will include writing the children’s stories and giving them the opportunity to act them out! We have a new fish family and the children are problem solving to determine how and what to name the fish. We are also learning how to care for the fish and the children all participated in cleaning the new habitat so it would be ready for our new friends. Gardening is also on the horizon and we will be planting in our recycled pots soon!

April 07 2008 | Class updates | No Comments »

OCP Events & Announcements for April

Upcoming Events

• May 9 - Parents Night Out, Place TBD!
• Family Pizza Nights at Decatur Fellinis - April 1, April 15
• Spring Fling - Sat 4/26 at Oakhurst Community Garden. The April general membership meeting will be held at the beginning of the Spring Fling. Members are strongly encouraged to attend in order to vote on the new board and the revised bylaws!

Happy Birthday!

• Zoe S., Owls - April 15

April 07 2008 | upcoming events and Birthdays and Births | No Comments »

The Buzz - March 2008

Message from the President

Spring is coming, and change is in the air! I stepped outside my door this morning and heard a familiar sound - the sandhill cranes were flying overhead, already on their way up to northern Canada for the summer. If I had stopped and thought about all the signs I should expect to see and hear at this time of year, I guess I would have remembered to listen out for these guys passing overhead. But it seems that even the expected changes are always a surprise. Crocuses & daffodils popping up out of the ground, tiny red leaves unfolding at the end of my maple tree’s branches, pesky weeds already trying to get a head start in my flower beds - it all happens the same every year. But still I find myself saying, “Wow! Look at that!” It’s a big deal every time.

Of course, there are some truly unexpected surprises that are emerging around my house, too. Like new plants I personally never planted, but which are volunteering themselves in my rock garden, either finally waking up after years of lying dormant there, or brought in by some passing breeze or bird. These are the really fun surprises, and I’ve learned to go out looking for them every year. You never know what you’ll find!

In another sense, we’re experiencing changes and unexpected developments right now at OCP. Our children are at the point in their course through the year where they have really settled into their classes and groups of friends, and are doing lots of new things they weren’t able to do when they first started school in the fall. I am surprised when I hear stories about how Zoe resolved a conflict with a friend by using only her words, or cut out a shape with the scissors. Yes, I know I should expect to see these things, but it sure is a fun surprise when they actually happen!

There are other new developments taking place, too. We’re meeting new potential members for next year, and seeing all of the new personalities, skills and gifts they can bring into our school. We’re meeting new potential teachers as well, and anticipating what gifts they might bring to our children and to our co-op family next year. We’re finding some amazingly talented director candidates, and envisioning how our school might look under their leadership. And among our own membership, we are seeing skills and talents emerge that we didn’t know were there, as people are working on the art auction or taking on new roles and responsibilities for next year’s board. It’s a huge time of change for us, and I’m reminded to expect the unexpected things that will be popping up all around me.

I hope you all are enjoying the changes around you as we move closer to a new season that will actually start later this month. It is so much fun to engage our children in a search for the signs of spring - the leaves, flowers, birds - simple and profound, predictable and yet surprising, all at the same time. I’m going to take Zoe with me this year as I go out looking for the Really Fun Surprises around my house. I wish you all lots of new discoveries as you do the same. Happy Spring!

Cooperatively Yours,

Becky

March 11 2008 | President's Message | No Comments »

Announcements and Events for March 2008

March Events

• Grandparents and Special Friends Days was scheduled for March 6 for the TT students and March 7 for the MWF students. It was a huge success and thank you to everyone who made the event so special!
• Save the date for our first OCP Parents Night Out on Friday, March 28th. Book a sitter, grab your spouse, and come on out or escape from your family and come solo! More details on time and location will be emailed to everyone soon.
• Mark your calendars! Spring Fling is set for Saturday, April 26th from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. at the Oakhurst Community Garden. Bring your blanket and pack a picnic dinner. We will have an art activity to help celebrate Spring.

Happy Birthday to . . .

• Lilly A., March 7 (Sparrows)
• Owen B., March 31 (Chickadees)
• Oliver C., March 1 (Sparrows)
• Harrison F., March 19 (Sparrows)
• Nia L., March 27 (Sparrows)
• Zoe M., March 17 (Sparrows)

March 11 2008 | Info and Birthdays and Births | No Comments »

Books, Books and More Books!

Thanks to the generous donations of many OCP families at the holidays, our library is brimming with new books. Many of these books have already found their way into the classrooms and the teachers’ lesson plans, and we thought it would be nice for families to know what books were donated. The list was carefully crafted by our teachers and several OCP members who have an affinity for and knowledge of children’s books. We used our curriculum’s emphasis on nature, the seasons, community, and diversity as our guide, as we selected lasting and well-loved classics as well as books more recently published and with more modern themes. The list is long, so here we go:

A wish list of other books we would like to see at OCP is being maintained, and if you would like to donate a book to OCP in honor of your child’s birthday or another special occasion, please feel free to contact Stephanie Roach at sroach3@yahoo.com for an updated wish list. Happy Reading!

March 11 2008 | books | No Comments »

OCP Green Space March 2008

Soylent Greenwashing is People!

Guys, this article is bitingly important. Don’t be fooled. I’m no expert / Charlton Heston, but even I am constantly grinding my teeth when I pick up a product with pretty claims, and read a little more of the box to find that the claims have little behind them. Like Kristin’s awesome advice in the last Greenspace, I would ask you all to READ YOUR LABELS and thereby empower yourselves. Know what you eat. Know what you wear. Just KNOW.

Link to Article Source: © 2008, Grist Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. Updated 12:16 p.m. ET, Thurs., Jan. 31, 2008

“How can you tell if it’s really ‘green’? Everything seems to be marketed with an eco-spin, but is it really? Laundry detergent made from flowers! Cars that don’t pollute! Potato chips fried in organic oils! These days, everything seems to be marketed with an eco-spin — even products that are notoriously bad for people and the planet. So are companies truly seeing the green light, or are they just “greenwashing”? If green is the new black, then greenwashing — the practice of putting an eco-friendly spin on a not-so-eco-friendly product or company — is the new gray area. Fortunately, you don’t have to devote all your time to investigating every company’s corporate record to figure out who’s really making change and who’s just talking a good game. Here are a few red flags to watch for, and a few tips for shopping smarter — put them together, and you can feel more confident about choosing products that really make a difference.” Read Article

Sites to be Seen

• Check this puppy out! Cool maps that can help you decide where NOT to buy that beachfront property. Link
• More fodder for the Sippy Wars! Link and Link
• Finally, consignment season is underway. Check out www.thebargainwatcher.com to see about upcoming sales in your neighborhoods (like our very own Kathryn Brannon’s recently). Consignment sales are a great place to not only get gently worn clothing and goods but new clothes, tag and all, as well as new toys. Consider stocking up on new items at a fraction of the price and keeping around for those birthdays and celebrations.

Tips o’ the Green

For those of you wanting to get local with your produce, there are several markets to visit, especially as spring does its thing.

• The Morningside Farmer’s Market, open Saturday mornings from 8 to 11:30, is a wonderful place to start.
• The Decatur Organic Farmer’s Market is another great option, open from 3 to 6 pm on Wednesdays
• The East Atlanta Village Farmer’s Market, not only has produce but baby food, jewelry, handmade clothing for children and all sorts of other stuff. It’s no longer located behind the Earl but is now behind Village Hardware on Glenwood, where there is more shade.
• If you haven’t heard about Moore Farm and Friends, it’s a great way to shop. You can set up an account easily online and add to your shopping cart whenever you wish. They deduct the amount from whatever amount you’ve sent by check, so you can just pick up your items with no hassle. They have several pick-up points, including Toco Hills, Virginia Highlands and East Atlanta. Moore Farms works with many different farms across Georgia to provide produce, meat, honey and jams, cheeses, herbs, bread, raw milk, eggs, and even gift items.
• Finally, there is some talk in Lake Claire about having our own CSA pick-up spot at a neighbor’s house for sustainable farming. If interested, email Leili and I’ll add your email to our list of interested peeps.

Born Free baby bottles are a great way to go if you’re concerned about harmful elements in plastics. They’re safe for baby and I’ve found that the nipple is particularly easy to take to if your baby is primarily breastfed and has trouble with other bottles.Through trial and error, I can tell you that Sigg bottles, while great for juice and water, are not a good alternative for storing your child’s milk. It’s very difficult to clean them properly when it comes to milk items. Instead, try the Kleen Kanteen for your child’s milk. It’s dishwasher- safe, while the Sigg is not, and milk doesn’t pose a problem.Using old washcloths or cut- up rags is a great alternative to pricey wipes, especially if you’re washing cloth diapers, too. I fold washcloths in my wipe warmer and add a couple of drops of lavender and tee tree oil to about a cup of water. The clothes soak up the water and you have these really fragrant, warm clothes to use on baby’s bottom.When done with your cloth diapers, consider reusing and recycling by auctioning them off on Ebay. It’s a great way to get some of your investment back. They sell very well on the site, especially FuzziBunz, and especially when in bulk.

March 11 2008 | GreenSpace | No Comments »

The Buzz, February 2008

Message from the Vice President

Dear OCP Families,

I hope that you have enjoyed our taste of winter this month – the snow was so wonderful for the young ones to see in their own yards. My three year old Stephen is still looking for the small piles of snow that were once snowmen in his friends’ front yards. The month of January has been a busy one at OCP – the kids are settling back into the routines of school (as are the parents, I hope). Coffee chats in the office and Pizza Night at Fellini’s have begun, and I hope that you all will take part in these very casual gatherings as your schedule allows. Both gatherings should offer OCP parents the opportunity to get to know one another a little better, as the crowd is smaller and the gathering spot more intimate.

January also has many of us already thinking about the next school year. While I know that the entire OCP family won’t be returning next year, re-enrollment has been brisk, and as January draws to a close, we are opening our doors to prospective new members to hear more about OCP. As part of the enrollment sessions, I was given the pleasure of talking with prospective new parents about some of the unique elements of OCP. Even though I’ve been a part of OCP for three years and feel like I know it well, it always is reinvigorating and reassuring for me to take a moment and reflect on what a special place we are creating together for our children and families and for future generations. I’d like to take a moment of your time on a cold winter day to share with you my thoughts on what makes OCP such a special place.

First and foremost in my mind, OCP’s strong commitment to developing and supporting community is amazing and very unique. From the intentional creation of a small class size to the overlap of children, teachers, and parents who gather to play on the playground and in the Big Room on any given school day, our children are enveloped in a community in which they feel safe, secure, and loved. There aren’t too many places in our world these days where a child can feel cared for and cared about by so many – OCP is that place for my son Stephen, and I hope for your children too. As an OCP parent, I also feel the many layers of support and friendship – from the small group of parents in the Wrens’ class to the Board of Directors of which I am a part to the all-school gatherings. Having personally benefited from the OCP food train upon William’s birth, I can certainly attest to the commitment to the community that our members, old and new, share.

I also feel like OCP’s commitment to the larger community is significant, given how young we are as an organization. Both of our major fundraisers for this school year have components that reach out to the larger community. In September, we held our first annual “Beat the Street for Little Feet” road race which included a free children’s festival which was well-received by many local families. On May 18, we are holding our annual Art Auction at the Solarium which also will be open to the entire community and will include free art activities for children. Coupling our commitment to the environment with our commitment to the larger community, OCP will be using money received from a Decatur Beer Festival grant to provide free workshops on environmental issues to the greater Decatur community.

While “being green” no longer feels very unique these days, I do feel like OCP is unique in its green efforts, because our commitment to the environment began from the school’s inception. We have always been intentional in our choices of toys and classroom materials as well as the supplies we use. We also are fortunate that we are housed in a facility which is as eco-conscious as Church of the Epiphany is. Throughout our curriculum, teachers help to empower our children to be eager and thoughtful caretakers of the planet, as they actively explore and appreciate nature, participate in our recycling program, and begin to understand their own impact on the world around them. Since children learn by example, we also encourage our parents to be conscious stewards of the environment, and we strive to provide education and support on how to live green. Without Sarah White, our Green Committee Chair, I would still be using too many paper towels in my house! And Becca Shepard, our Chickadees’ teacher, has single-handedly organized OCP’s access to a buying coop for earth-friendly products for OCP families trying to live a greener lifestyle.

Having the opportunity to be a part of such a young and vibrant organization is something that doesn’t happen every day, and I feel lucky that our family stumbled upon OCP over 2 1/2 years ago, before Stephen was even walking. As we all know, there is work involved in being a part of a cooperative preschool but that is one of the main reasons that OCP is unique. Each of you has placed your own special mark on our school through your talents, your enthusiasm, and your family’s presence. Thank you to each of you for helping to make OCP “so much more than a preschool.” Looking forward to seeing you soon.

Cooperatively yours,
Stephanie Roach

February 05 2008 | President's Message | No Comments »