Field Trip to Boys Town

Join us for a tour of the historic village of Boys Town. We will meet at the Visitor's Center and take a driving tour to the west side of the Boys Town Campus. The tour includes the Hall of History, Father Flanagan's House and Dowd Chapel where Father Flanagan is entombed.

Members are free to bring a sack lunch and enjoy a picnic on the grounds surrounding the lake. In the event of bad weather, we will be able to picnic inside the Boys Town Field House.

There will not be any co-op classes on October 18th.

So, come out and soak up some Omaha history!

FIELD TRIP:	Historic Village of Boys Town
WEBSITE:	www.boystown.org
DATE:	10/18/2013
MEETING TIME:	10 am
ADDRESS:	13628 Flanagan Blvd Boys Town, NE 68010
MEETING PLACE:	Visitor's Center
COORDINATOR:	Penny Julian
PHONE:	402-960-5761
RAIN OUT DATE:	none
ADMISSION:	$2 per person, no charge for infants
PAYMENT DUE:	10/18/2013
SUBMIT PAYMENT TO:	Members will pay the venue directly on the day of the field trip.
PAYMENT(S) ACCEPTED:	Cash, Checks, Credit Cards
HOW TO RSVP:	Use the online RSVP form on our NEWS page for this event.
PERMISSION SLIP:	Boys Town requires a permission slip from each family. This must be printed and brought with you on the day of the field trip. This will be emailed to you after you sign up for the field trip.
CANCELLATIONS:	Prior to the day of the field trip, send an email to MindfulLearningCenter@gmail.com to notify us of the cancellation. On the day of the field trip, please call or text (402)960-5761 if you can’t make it. This way we won’t be waiting at the entrance for those who are not able to make it.
RSVP DEADLINE:	10/10/2013
LUNCH:	Bring a sack lunch and enjoy a picnic on the grounds surrounding the lake (weather permitting and permission form required). In case of bad weather, we will be able to picnic inside the Boys Town Field House.
GROUP SIZE LIMIT:	40 adults and children (infants not included)

Calling All Mindful Members...

...to plan a Mindful Field Trip!  Who doesn't love a good field trip?  Gives parents a break from the norm, but keeps our children in that learning environment they crave!  Win-Win, right?!

At the Mindful Learning Center, we have decided to make it super easy for our members to host a field trip for the group.  We are counting on your community connections and personal relationships to help make our field trips a success.

Coordinating a field trip?!  Sounds like work, huh...Well, actually, it's not at all.  With our three two step online process, coordinating a field trip has never been easier.

Remember, not all families can make each field trip, so there is no limit to the amount of trips we can offer.  Get creative, have fun with this!  Think of it this way, you might coordinate one field trip a year, yet have the opportunity to go on many exciting adventures with your kids and other fun parents!

Several field trips can run on the same day, there is no harm in that, but please do not plan field trips during co-op class days.  Our online calendar is available to assist you in planning your field trips.

READY TO GET STARTED!?!?!  CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR FIELD TRIP PAGE

If you have any questions about planning your field trip, contact us at MindfulLearningCenter@gmail.com or by using the contact form to the right on this webpage.

Two Thumbs Up!

Well, the OPEN HOUSE was a huge success!  Two thumbs up to all those who came out to meet other Mindful members, tour the facility, ask questions, apply for membership, and eat chocolate!  Wow, did we put away some chocolate that day...

Ok, so, many of you had some great questions at the OPEN HOUSE!  We have decided to share some of those questions in this post.  If one person is thinking something, chances are more of you have the same question.  So, here goes...

Do I have to teach a class?
The short answer is no, this year is 'taken care of.'  If you are joining us NOW, you will not be asked to teach a class for this year.  We plan to have classes and teachers lined up by mid-summer of each year.  We plan to recruit teachers for next year from this year's membership.  Now, you could be asked to substitute teach if a circumstance arises.  (If substituting, you would only have to teach something you are comfortable with, and if you prefer to play board games instead, we are fine with that.  Life happens, right?!)

So, if I don't have to teach, what do I have to do?
Great question.  Ideally, all parents will be helping in a classroom, the nursery or the gym during class times.  Each class needs a minimum of two adults, including the teacher.  Younger students and/or larger class sizes may need three or more.

How do I sign up to help?
Signing up in advance is not necessary.  Each morning of the co-op classes, we will meet for announcements.  After the children are dispersed to their classes, the parents will be left in the fellowship hall.  At this time, we will announce the places where helpers are needed and members will volunteer for those positions.  Why do it this way? Maybe Jane Doe's baby boy is particularly fussy today and she'd rather stay in the nursery with him this week, but next week she wants to help in the 2nd grade class, and the following week she is on vacation.  We realize there might be more 'helpers' than needed in a week.  So, when this occurs, you are free to mingle with other members in the fellowship hall where we will serve coffee (maybe some more chocolate) and occasionally have a 'Swap Shop', etc.

Do we have to help clean up?
Yes and No.  We want to leave the facility as we found it.  It's that simple.  We do not have to do any deep cleaning of restrooms or the like.  The trash doesn't need to be emptied if it's just dry trash.  We have allowed ten minutes at the end of each class hour to clean up.  We would like students to clean their own areas.  Teachers will then do minimal straightening and we should be good.  If we find that more help is needed in this area, we will simply ask for more help from members.

There were so many more questions.  We are hoping to have an FAQ page soon!

Again, thank you to all those who came to the OPEN HOUSE.  As a cooperative, it is our hope that all members will want to help ensure the success of this great group of people.  We are super excited about  this year! More to come...

OPEN HOUSE THIS FRIDAY!

Mark your calendars for AUGUST 23rd!!!

Grab a friend and head on over to the Mindful Learning Center's OPEN HOUSE!  We are excited to be offering a chance to get to know other MLC members before the first day of classes (which start Sept. 13th).  

At the OPEN HOUSE, you will be able to pay your annual membership dues, eat chocolate-y treats, register for classes online, eat more chocolate, meet new people, maybe eat their chocolate, tour the facility, have coffee with your chocolate, meet some of the teachers... it's going to be delicious, I mean great! 

Hope to see you there!

We will have signs to direct you once you are in the area, so look out for those!  

TIME: 9:30 A.M. to 11:30 A.M.

PLACE: St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 239 Frank Street in Council Bluffs

PARKING: There is a lot located on the south side of the property off Frank Street.

ENTRANCE: Please use the double wooden doors on the EAST side of the property off Perrin Avenue.  You will find an awning with a drive-up/drop-off area with MLC members (and chocolate) right inside those doors!

2013-14 Online Class Registration Available NOW!!!!

I think the title says it all!  

We have developed a user-friendly online Class Registration system!

On our CLASSES page you will find important information about how we operate the co-op, a daily schedule, followed by class descriptions. 

When you are ready to register for classes, simply click on the 'computer' on the CLASSES page to be directed to 2013-14 Class Registration. 

PLEASE read all information on the registration page before filling out the forms.

Ready to register?  Go to our CLASSES webpage to get started.

We hope you will be pleased with the flexibility and ease of this process.  Please let us know if you have any questions, we are happy to help.  Email us at MindfulLearningCenter@gmail.com 

Save Your Box Tops!

Save your Box Tops for the Mindful Learning Center!  We will collect them at any Mindful event.  Simply hand them to a founding member or drop them in our 'Box Top Drop Box' at St. Paul's during co-op classes.

We will receive $.10 for every Box Top collected.  The money received will help provide holiday parties or extra events for our student members. 

So start clipping those Box Tops today! 

Get your kids involved!  Have a kitchen scavenger hunt for box tops.  They could raid Grandma's kitchen, too!

Mindful Mom's Night Out - Sept. 9th

Mindful Mom Members will be gathering at Tish's Restaurant, 
1207 South 35th Street in Council Bluffs at 6:30 p.m. on September 9th.

While there is no doubt we love spending time with our children {isn't that why we homeschool?!}, we are looking forward to an evening without potty interruptions, sticky fingers, and sibling quarrels.  With that said, only nursing babies are allowed to join the Moms on this night.  So, get a sitter and come join us for some good old fashioned face time.

Click here for Tish's menu options online.
Look forward to seeing you there!

If you have any questions about the Mindful Mom's Night Out,
please email us at MindfulLearningCenter@gmail.com

This event is now on our CALENDAR.
RSVP using the form below.