MLC Planning Meeting THIS Friday, May 20th - Please Attend

WHAT and WHEN: 
MLC is having a Planning Meeting THIS Friday, May 20th at 10 a.m. 

This will be our 2nd attempt to hold a Planning Meeting.  The first meeting (held last Friday) had a surprisingly low attendance, with only 2 people replying by email -as requested- that they could not attend.  Roughly 1 member from each TEAM attended, with the Founding Members accounting for 1/2 of the attendance.  

WHO: 

We would like to see as many returning members at this meeting as possible.

If you are unable to make it to the planning meeting, please send us an email at MindfulLearningCenter@gmail.com, so we can be sure to connect you with your other team members at some time. 

We realize that many of you are busy during this time of year or simply have little desire to help with the planning process of our co-op.  Both situations are understandable and recognized as a hurdle to jump every spring/summer.  However, we would like to be clear that in order for this co-op to run smoothly, the tasks of planning and execution should fall on every single member.

WHERE:
We will meet at the Dream Land Playground near the beach located in Lake Manawa State Park in Council Bluffs. Here is a link to Google maps for directions.  Bring a blanket or lawn chairs, and a picnic lunch if you like. There are restrooms on site.

HOW:

After we have settled in at the park, and the children are playing nicely with their friends, we would like to present each Team with a small packet of information to get you started.  It's very well laid out and super easy to follow.  Basically, fill in the blanks and your Team has officially 'planned' next year!  There's nothing to it, it's fun to get the creative juices flowing and bounce ideas off of each other.

So, go ahead, create a Pinterest board, grab a notebook, and search the web for  homeschooling co-op ideas and bring those ideas to the park!

Hope to see you all there! 

Picnic in the Park (1st Team Planning Meeting)

Hello!  We miss you all!  

With busy Spring schedules, wouldn't it be nice to take a break to see some familiar faces?!

MLC is having a Picnic in the Park on Friday, May 13th at 10 a.m. We will meet at the Dream Land Playground near the beach located in Lake Manawa State Park in Council Bluffs. Here is a link to Google maps for directions. Bring a lunch and a blanket or lawn chairs. There are restrooms on site.

We would also like to use this park day to begin planning for next year!

After we have settled in at the park, and the children are playing nicely with their friends, we would like to present each Team with a small packet of information to get you started.  It's very well laid out and super easy to follow.  Basically, fill in the blanks and your Team has officially 'planned' next year!  There's nothing to it, it's fun to get the creative juices flowing and bounce ideas off of each other.

So, go ahead, create a Pinterest board, grab a notebook, and search the web for  homeschooling co-op ideas and bring those ideas to the park!

We would like to see as many returning members at this meeting as possible. If you are unable to make it to the planning meeting, please send us an email at MindfulLearningCenter@gmail.com, so we can be sure to connect you with your other team members at some time. Communication is key! Thank you!

Announcements 4.8.16

Today was our last class day of the school year. THANK YOU to all of our wonderful member families for the work, creativity, dedication, flexibility, and good humor you've contributed to MLC this year. We are grateful and humbled to be working alongside so many fantastic people, and we appreciate all the effort you put into helping us create a good experience for all of our kids.

Next week is our summer kick-off party. If you plan to come but have not signed up, please do so BY TONIGHT.  We need a head count so we know how much food to buy. We still need helpers with several games and activities, and we are also asking families to bring a dozen cookies or the equivalent if they're able to do so.  Full details and an RSVP form are at the original post HERE.

We have a few end-of-year housekeeping details to point out:
1. If you have any receipts for which you need reimbursement, please give them to our treasurer Penny no later than the party next week. We need to close out our books for this year.

2. If any name tags have made their way to your house, we'd appreciate it if you could bring them back next week, as well. The fewer new ones we have to buy next year, the better.

3. If you or your team have any classroom supplies that belong to MLC, especially non-consumable/reusable supplies like scissors, please also return those to us by the party next week. We'd like to sort through what we have and prepare to turn supplies over to next year's teams. The more supplies we can retain and reuse, the more money we save.

Speaking of teams, if you plan to return to MLC next year and have not yet chosen a team, you can do so on the TEAMS tab of our website. Choose the age group you're most comfortable with, and 'stake your claim' early! Details on park days/planning meetings will be posted soon.

Finally, we're asking current MLC member families who plan to return next year to fill out a new membership form as soon as you're able. We start with a clean slate each year, so we ask you to fill out current information every time you renew your membership.  The simple form can be found under our MEMBER tab. 
       CORRECTION: the membership application/renewal form can be found under the APPLY tab. The Member tab linked above lets you sign up for the Team of your choice.

03.11.16 Announcements

• Our Term 4 Field Trip is this coming week, but has been moved to Thursday, March 17. Details are available on the original post. Please RSVP as soon as possible if you plan to attend.

• There are now no scheduled MLC events for Friday, March 18.

• We do meet for regularly scheduled classes on Friday, March 25m which is Good Friday. Please see our CALENDAR for a list of remaining MLC events this spring. 

• Our Summer Kick-off Party is next month. We could use around 15 adult and/or high school age volunteers to help with games and activities. Details including an RSVP form and volunteer sign-up form will be posted shortly.

• Thank you to all parents who were able to attend our informational meetings during classes last Friday. For anyone who was not able to join us, we will be repeating the meetings during both first and second periods on March 25. If you are planning to be part of MLC next year (and we hope that you are!) please try to attend that morning if at all possible. We're talking about our plans and changes for next year - ideally, we'd like to have a parent from every family attend. 

Updates and News for All TEAMS

First off, the Founding Members want to shout out a HUGE THANK YOU to all of our TEAM members this year. It's an adjustment process and a learning experience for everyone, but in general we feel that it's working extremely well so far, and that's all because of the effort and dedication that YOU are all contributing. 

Based on some feedback that we've received and some observations that we've made, we want to offer a few thoughts that seem good to share as we look ahead to Term 2:

• Several teams have added new members in recent weeks. The most current and up-to-date list is always on the TEAMS tab on the website. If you're a returning member who helped get your Team started back in the spring, your Team may have new members that you aren't aware of yet. Obviously, your teaching plans were probably pretty well settled before the year began, but it's still important to get new Team members involved in some way. All Teams should help get their new members up to speed, find ways for them to contribute, and keep communication flowing within their Team. 
• If you find that your family needs to be absent from MLC, especially if the absence is last-minute or unexpected, your Team members are the ones you need to contact. If you're absent and were supposed to teach or do some other key job that morning - again - your Team is your safety net. Each Team should be prepared to cover for each other in a pinch.
• To that end, each Team should also have one or two emergency back-up plans set aside for last-minute teacher absences. Those back-up plans don't necessarily need to 'match' the planned class topics - they can be a one-off alternate activity. Ideally, they should also be something that almost anyone could step in and lead with little or no advance preparation. As a hypothetical example, a Trivial Pursuit/Jeopardy type activity might be a good emergency plan for some age groups. 
• Each team is responsible for maintaining a 'kit' of any school supplies that are needed for your classes. The kit should be in a container labeled clearly with "MLC" and stored neatly in your classroom. We don't want to impose on St. Paul's space any more than necessary, but we also don't really want those supplies going home with members each week. The kit doesn't do your Team any good if it's at your house and you're unexpectedly absent, right? 
• If your emergency back-up plan (as mentioned above) requires any materials, those should be kept with your kit, too. In our hypothetical example, the emergency plan doesn't do any good if the Trivial Pursuit cards are at the home of the person who is absent.
• Receipts for any purchases that you make for your Team should be turned in to Penny Julian. The receipts MUST be marked with your Team so they can be applied to the proper budget. No reimbursements will be made unless the Team is indicated.
• Please be aware that most of the classrooms we use are full during BOTH CLASS PERIODS. If you are teaching Second Period, your classroom will probably also be in use First Period, as well. You're still welcome to drop your materials in the room, but you won't be able to set everything out in advance, as the tables will be needed.
• The upcoming visit from the CB Fire Department is a great example of different Teams working together to share resources. Since several Teams have classes based around the theme of 'Our Community' this year, it's a good idea to collaborate on any guest speakers we invite.

As always, we're very open to useful and constructive feedback. 

We are so, SO GRATEFUL for the flow of great ideas we're seeing this year, for the fun activities and learning that are being offered to all of our kids, and for the willing, enthusiastic, collaborative attitudes we're seeing in so many of our members. We cannot say it enough - you guys are all AWESOME, and we're humbled and delighted to be working with such an amazing group of homeschooling families. 

Here's How You Can Help

IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY ON A TEAM THIS YEAR, THIS MESSAGE IS FOR YOU:

Welcome, New MLC Members!

And, Welcome to Members who have been part of MLC in the past, and are returning after a break.

We're so excited to have you in the MLC family this year! Many of you have asked how and where you can help, and we're happy to share several ways that you can contribute to this year's success.

If you've been involved with co-ops in the past, you may have been asked to volunteer to teach immediately after signing up. That's not how MLC works. We want you to have a chance to settle into the group and get acquainted before committing to teaching. That's why we ask our Returning Members, who have been with us for a year or two, to help cover our teaching needs.

However, there are several areas where your help is greatly wanted and needed. A homeschool co-op is a cooperative venture, where many hands make light work. Everyone's participation is needed in order to offer positive activities for our kids. 

The great news is that the areas where we need New Members' help are fairly simple commitments, requiring little or no preparation in advance!! With the number of members we have to share the load, you should be able to pitch in several times during the year and still have plenty of opportunities to relax in the coffee room. Helping in these areas is also a great way to begin to get acquainted with the other parents working alongside you.

First, there are several spots to fill in the Nursery each week. We feel very strongly that this is an important ministry to offer to our members, several of whom must leave their little ones in the nursery while teaching other MLC classes. Samantha Sellers and Ashley Nielsen are the Returning Members leading the Nursery Team this year, and they'll be glad to show you the ropes. 

Second, there are also two periods of PE and Games and Crafts each time we meet. If you're still getting familiar with our schedule, the PreK-K and 1st-2nd Graders are all in PE / Games first period (which is a big group!), and 3rd-5th Graders are in PE / Games second period.  Rachelle Johnson is leading the PE/Games Team, and has some great ideas and enthusiasm to share with you. 

THANK YOU for your willingness to help make this a great year for all of our kids! We're so excited to have so many New Members on board, and we look forward to seeing you and your kids at MLC!

Please use the simple form below to choose the area in which you would most like to help, and your Team Leaders will contact you soon about scheduling dates. 

To see a list of the current TEAMS and team members, CLICK HERE or simply click on the TEAMS page above.