MLC Pre-Summer Party!

Friday, April 25th, MLC is hosting a Pre-Summer Party for our members!  Let's hope the snow is melted in time.  Did I just say that?!#!*  If the weather cooperates we will have both indoor and outdoor activities and end with a picnic on the lawn at St. Paul's.

We will start at 9:30 with opening and a prayer, and begin the fun at 9:45.  Our planned activities will end around 11:30.  You are then invited to bring a sack lunch and picnic on the lawn (weather permitting).  Don't forget to bring a blanket!

Here's what we need to make this party a success...

The members who were present for the planning of this party did a great job putting together many fun activities for the children.  They plan to gather materials, shop for supplies, and organize the activities.  However, on the day of the party, we are in need of some extra hands to help with the fun!  So, if you plan to attend, throw on a pair of tennis shoes, jump in and help with the outdoor activities, assist the little ones with a race, or try your hand at tattooing the kids (temporary tattoos...of course!)

Below you will find a spreadsheet with the schedule of events and areas where we might need some help.  Following this spreadsheet, you will find a helper sign up form.  We would just like to fill in more of the helper positions prior to the party, so we are not scrambling on the morning of the party.

So, if you would like to offer your help, please let us know using the form below!  If all the positions are not filled, we will simply ask those who are in attendance to fill in where needed.

If the weather isn't cooperating, the entire event will be held indoors, including the picnic.  

So, bring a lunch, a blanket and be prepared have some fun!

See you the Friday after Easter...

Wishing you all a wonderful Easter!

Pre-Summer Party
9:30-9:45	Opening Announcements and Prayer
	Nursery Leader	PreK-1st	Person(s) responsible for bringing supplies	Person(s) leading the activity	2nd -12th	Person(s) responsible for bringing supplies	Person(s) leading the activity
9:45-10:30	Amanda	OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES:			INSIDE ACTIVITIES:
	(helper needed)	* Floatie Race	Alissa	Alissa	*Soup Toss Game	Lisa	(helper needed)
		* Balloon Games	Alissa, Brenda	Brenda	*Face Painting	Jo	Jo
		* Egg Race	Molly	(helper needed)	*Temporary Tattoos	Lisa	(helper needed)
		*Ping Pong Ball Toss Game	Lisa	(helper needed)	* Hoop Shoot Competition in Gym	Carissa	(helper needed)
		*Hole in One Golf Game	Lisa	Lisa	*Paper Airplane Contest	Lisa	(helper needed)
10:45-11:30	Brenda	INSIDE ACTIVITIES:			OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES:
	(helper needed)	*Soup Toss Game	Lisa	(helper needed)	* 3 legged race	Amanda	Amanda
		*Face Painting	Jo	Jo	* Balloon Games	Alissa, Brenda	Alissa
		*Temporary Tattoos	Lisa	(helper needed)	*Egg Race	Molly	Molly
		* Hoop Shoot Competition in Gym	Carissa	Carissa	*Ping Pong Ball Toss Game	Lisa	(helper needed)
		*Paper Airplane Contest	Lisa	(helper needed)	*Hole in One Golf Game	Lisa	Lisa
11:30-?	BYO picnic (bring blankets) - MLC provides lemonade & cups & possibly a dessert/cookie					Penny	Penny

Planning for 2014-15 ALREADY?! Yes, we are!!

Dear MLC Members,

We have so enjoyed spending our first year as a co-op group with you all. It has been a rewarding learning experience, and we’d like to thank all of you for your patience and flexibility as we’ve learned our way through this process.

We knew going into the first year that the Founding Members would need to have a plan in place in advance of the first day. Going forward, however, it was always our hope and intent to encourage more input from members and to open up more opportunities for members to take ownership of the group. Recent feedback has told us that many of you are eager for that opportunity, too.  We invite those of you who want to be more involved to become a part of the planning process for next year by joining one of our ‘ALL NEW’ 2014-2015 MLC Planning Committees.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN A COMMITTEE

One Founding Member will be the chairperson for each age group. Each committee will generate class topic ideas for Founding Member approval, will refine the class topics once approved, will line up teachers and/or guest speakers for each class, develop class descriptions for the website, and plan one of the four core field trips. This may sound like a lot, but if the committees stick to an agenda each time they meet, this could easily be accomplished with 1-3 meeting(s).

If you join a planning committee, it does not mean that you will be required to teach. By joining a planning committee, you are simply participating in the conversation. We know that not everyone is able to help in all capacities; rather, we encourage you to offer your ideas, thoughts, and talents in ways that you are comfortable with. With that said, however, we do want to open up teaching opportunities to more of our members, to increase the range of ideas and possibilities that we can offer to our students. If you would like to consider teaching next year, we would encourage you to join a committee. If you do not want to teach, you are still more than welcome to join a committee, and there will still be plenty of other areas where your help will be wanted and needed during the school year.

Please note that for the 2014-2015 MLC Calendar Year, we plan to separate the age groups a little differently, adding another class for the younger grades. We would like to have a separate planning committee for each of the five age groups as follows, plus Fun & Fit:

Nursery & Toddlers   |   Chairperson Brenda Wurdeman

PreK-Kindergarten   |   Chairperson Jenny Trail

1^st-2^nd Grades   |   Chairperson Jo Raymond

3^rd-5^th Grades   |   Chairperson Lisa Orsi

6^th-12^th Grades   |   Chairperson Leah Shannon

Fun & Fit   |   Chairperson Jo Raymond

Please prayerfully consider where your ideas, time, and talents might be used to benefit all of our students in the following year. Thank you for your participation and enthusiasm. We’re excited to see how things develop for next year!

CLICK HERE TO JOIN A COMMITTEE

OR Feel free to sign up Friday morning, April 11^th, where a paper sign-up sheet will be available.

Please sign up before April 16th.

Committees will begin meeting after April 16th.

All planning for 2014-15 Terms 1-4 will be completed by July 2nd.

FOR MORE INFORMATION or TO JOIN, PLEASE VISIT OUR NEW 'COMMITTEES' WEBPAGE.

Mindful Mom's Night Out - Wilson & Washburn

Mindful Mom Members will be gathering at Wilson and Washburn, 1407 Harney Street in Omaha's Old Market at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, April 14, 2014. The menu can be found here.

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.

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.
This event requires an RSVP.
Please RSVP using the form below. 

Summer Terms and Swap Shop

Hello! Summer is upon us, and we couldn't be happier, right?! :)

After going through the responses from our recent survey, it seems that some of you are interested in participating in our Summer Term(s). However, we are unsure if we will have enough students consistently to hold regular co-op classes.

Instead, we would like to propose an alternative to classes, allowing us to gather in a more fun and relaxed way throughout the summer.

On our calendar, we will post "Summer Activities" that will be held on certain Fridays between the hours of 10am and 1pm. Each time we meet, we can plan our destination for the next time we get together. We could meet for picnics in the park, go to the zoo together, visit a splash park, take a walk on a trail, have scavenger hunts for the kids, go bowling on a hot day, or come up with other fun ideas! The kids will get to play and enjoy each other in a less structured environment, which I am sure they will enjoy!

There won't be any registration for the Summer Terms and attendance will vary.
If an RSVP is necessary, one will be posted for that activity.
More than likely, though, it will be a 'come if you can' sort of thing!

So, join us May 9th for our first Summer Activity. We will have a Picnic in the Park at Big Lake Park in Council Bluffs. Location, dates, and details can be found on the calendar.

On another note, due to popular demand, we are having a Swap Shop this Friday, April 11th, during co-op classes. 

However, we are changing it up a bit by requiring that you take with you any items you bring that are not swapped.  We think this will eliminate the somewhat chaotic ending to what is otherwise a rather fun and exciting treat!  

You know the saying, "One homeschooler's junk is another homeschooler's fancy new goodies."  Ok, I made that up, but you get the idea...  So, please feel free to share your goodies, but remember to carry out your unwanted items when you leave.  

 

Friday, April 11th

This Friday, April 11th, is our last co-op class for Term 4.  

We would like to thank everyone for making this school year amazing.  It is with your help that this co-op has been a success and will continue to exist and thrive within our community.  We would also like to thank St. Paul's Lutheran Church for their continued support of the homeschool community and the Mindful Learning Center.  We are grateful to have been offered such a wonderful facility to hold our classes this year.   

As for this Friday, we are asking that members who are free during class times help to coordinate our Pre-Summer Party, which will be held April 25th.

We will have a spreadsheet ready... all you will need to do is fill in the blanks with your ideas and discuss who wants to gather materials, make goodies, coordinate activities, etc.  You will have a budget to work with.  This is a fun way to work together and create a memorable day for our kid-os!

We are considering the possibility of having this party outside or at a park, weather permitting.  Might make a nice backdrop for some planned physical activities, games and/or competitions! We would like everyone's thoughts on this idea.  So, come and join in the conversation!  

See you Friday! 

2013-2014 Member Survey