This Week @ MOPS 11.25.14

This morning one of our very own MOPS moms, Brittani Harnden, shared her experiences with missions and how to include children in missions and everyday outreach.

Through the various missions and outreach she has done both here and abroad, Brittani has enjoyed seeing how kids get to be part of something big God is doing. She encouraged us to help kids be fascinated with God by including them in outreach.

Outreach with children can be done anywhere, not just through Missions. Ideas include praying for those around you, participating in giving activities such as Operation Christmas Child (children can help pack boxes of food or gifts), handing out candy canes and saying Merry Christmas to people, saying 'thank you' to workers you come in contact with, etc. Whatever you choose to do, have proper expectations and have grace for yourself.

Brittani shared these tips for doing outreach with kids:

Start S.M.A.L.L.
S: Simple activities.
M: Model it. Your kids watch how you do things.
A: Allow kids to help out (even when it's not the most efficient way to handle a task).
L: Love the person in front of you.
L: Learn. Take note of what works and what doesn't work. Be constantly learning.

For additional ideas to spread kindness, Brittani suggests visiting this blog to view "Light 'Em Up 2014- Top 10 Ideas."
http://courtneydefeo.com/light-em-2014-top-10-ideas/

  

 

Thanks to April for organizing a fun craft!

We made these festive votive holders using decorative washi tape, ribbon, and embellishments.

Many thanks to one of our own MOPS moms Andrea Rollandini Self for sponsoring our meeting!

Mary & Martha has high quality inspirational products with a Christ centered theme. There really is a little bit of Mary and a little bit of Martha in all of us. This Christmas we want to entertain beautifully but focus on what is most important and that is the relationships with those around us. Let Mary & Martha inspire you to have Meaningful Entertaining Made Simple!http://www.mymaryandmartha.com/shop/catalog.aspx…

Next Meeting: Dec. 9th 

We will wrap up the semester with our annual Tea & Testimony. Allison and Erin's groups will be providing brunch. This will be the last MOPS meeting of the year--next meeting is Jan. 13th.

• Yankee Candles should arrive in time for this meeting. If you placed an order but cannot attend the meeting, please arrange to have someone else from your small group pick up your order.
  
• Please remember to bring gifts for your child's childcare workers. See your small group leader if you have questions.

Upcoming Dates:

December 2nd - Small Group Play Dates

December 9th - Tea and Testimony (Last meeting of the semester)

December 16th - Small Group Play Dates

January 6th - Small Group Play Dates

January 13th - Preschool Panel

January 20th - Small Group Play Dates

January 27th - Jenny McClendon - Balance and Taking Care of Yourself

From all of us at Crossroads MOPS,

we hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

This Week @ MOPS 11.11.2014

 This morning Crossroads member and photographer Shannon Foster-Bradley spoke to use about photographing our children.
Her goal is to capture children's unique personalities to create lasting memories.

A few tips...

Cloudy days are great as far as lighting!

When considering clothing for a photoshoot, let color bring out your personality.  She suggests coordinating colors but not necessarily matching.  Some good combinations are yellow/teal/brown, orange/teal/brown, red/black/grey.

Let them play and have fun, not just poses.

Shannon is offering a special package to MOPS mom on Tuesday, November 18th from 2-4pm and Friday, December 5th from 9-11am.
The sessions will be at the church (outside or inside depending on the weather) and will last 15-20 minutes.  You will get 5 images for $20; the images will be uploaded to a gallery page.

Outside of this special, she has 3 packages:
A: $100 for 10 edited images

B: $125 for 15 edited images

C: $150 for 20 edited images

This includes sitting fees, etc and there are not additional charges per person.

In the gallery, prints can be ordered, and there is an $10 to download for all pictures

http://www.shannonbradleyphotography.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shannon-Bradley-photography
shannon@shannonbradleyphotography.com

A few other notes...

We wrapped up our fundraiser today!  Thank you for all your hard work!

The shipment will be here for our December 9th meeting.

Cold and Flu season is back!  In order to preserve the good health of those in MOPPETS, both moms and workers should be aware of general health concerns and policies.  Please note the following policies, which determine whether or not a child should be in MOPPETS.  If your child has any of the following symptoms and/or illnesses, they should NOT attend:

• Fever, vomiting, diarrhea, or runny nose in the previous 24 hours
• Has been receiving antibiotic medication for less than 48 hours
• A fresh cold with sneezing or requiring frequent nose blowing/wiping
• A questionable rash (Impetigo, measles, mumps, active chicken pox or conjunctivitis (pink eye))

Please don't be offended if our childcare workers show concern about whether a child should be dropped off or not.  We miss you when you are not here, but we want to keep everyone as healthy as possible!

 Many thanks to one of our own MOPS moms Angie Cleveland for sponsoring our meeting!

We will have a special raffle at our December meeting!  You can "earn" entries into the raffle by inviting friends to MOPS: one entry for a friend visiting and 4 additional entries into the raffle if that mom registers for MOPS and pays her dues. It doesn't have to just be a friend; it could be moms you meet at the park, library, or anywhere! 

See you at our next meeting on November 25th!

Tracy & Heather F's groups have brunch for November 25th.

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d48aaad2ca13-crossroads

Upcoming Events @ Crossroads

Have you thought about foster care but don't know where to begin?  We invite you to attend Foster Care 101 hosted by Crossroads' Chosen by Grace Ministry and Wake County Human Services.  Join us for this informational meeting on Thursday, November 13 from 6:30-8:00pm in Room 751, Millbrook Campus to learn more about foster care and adoption. Our community has an ever-growing number of children in foster care who need safe, loving and supportive homes. Free childcare is available for children 10 and under. More information and registration is available online at www.crossroads.org/adoption

 

Are you overwhelmed with the Christmas rush?  Join us for a morning to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas on Saturday, November 15th from 9:30am-12:00pm in Room 217 at the Wake Forest Rolesville Campus.  We've planned this Christmas tea to help you focus on the first and best gift of all - Jesus. You'll leave feeling refreshed and full of the REAL Spirit of Christmas! We also hope to inspire you to share this message with your friends and neighbors by hosting your own tea.

Cost is $5. This event is for ALL women of Crossroads. We want you there!

To register, go to http://crossroads.org/wfr-women-forum
 

The Holidays are a happy time for some and sad for others. The Surviving the Holidays event will help you navigate the emotions and memories you may experience in this difficult season of loss. We have separate Surviving the Holidays groups for those who have lost a loved one or for those dealing with separation or divorce. Join us on Sunday, November 16 from 3:00-5:00pm in the North lobby of the Millbrook Campus.  The Surviving the Holidays seminar features practical suggestions, guidance and reassurance through video teaching and group interaction targeted to your specific situation. There will be opportunities to connect and share with others going through similar experiences. Each participant will receive a 33-day personal Holiday Survival Guide and we will enjoy a time of fellowship and refreshments. The cost is $5.00. More information and registration is available online at www.crossroads.org/surviving-holidays

 

This Week @ MOPS 10.28.14

More like last week at MOPS at this point!

Been one of those weeks when I wish I had a few extra arms or a stunt double... just for a few hours!

Our speaker was Tamani Anderson Powell, director of Marketing and Communications for Wake County Public Schools, and she spoke on WCPSS' magnet programs and kindergarten registration.

As a momma of a rising kindergartener, I found it very helpful and hope this post will help for those who were not able to come!

Rising kindergarten parents need to go to your base school to register starting January 15, 2015.

Go here to find out your base: http://www.wcpss.net/parents/student-assignment/

All registration forms for kindergarten can be found here: http://www.wcpss.net/parents/kindergarten/

It's easier to fill them out beforehand, especially if you're juggling kids with you when you go!

You need to bring proof of residence when you go (utility bill, etc) from within 30 days.

You can contact the school ahead of time to find out when exactly the specific school will start registering as some wait until after current students arrive.

If you are happy with your school assignment, no action is required after you register.

If you wish to apply for a change in this assignment, you must participate in an application process.

If you would like to transfer to another school, including a school with a different calendar, request a calendar change online from February 20-26, 2015.  Selection is based on seat availability. 

What is taught in all WCPSS schools is the same; what makes Magnet Schools different is how that curriculum is delivered.  Request a magnet school from January 26 - February 5, 2015.

With both of these transfer options, you MUST have registered at your child's base first as you will need their ID number. 

There are 3 new elementary magnets this year:

Jefferey's Grove - Spanish immersion (not all K classes and beginning with just K this year)

Stough - Mandarin Chinese immersion (not all K classes and beginning with just K this year)

Hodge Road - Dual Language Spanish

Broughton High School and Daniels Middle School will be remagnetized. 

All magnet elementary schools are on traditional calender except for Partnership that is on a modified year round calendar.

The biggest thing I took away from the meeting is the no decline option.  Once a student is selected for a school that school becomes their assigned school.  To attend a different school or return to the base, they must apply during the early or final transfer rounds.

WCPSS offers transportation for all base schools.  Some magnets also offer transportation.  When you look up your base schools it will tell you if you're eligible for this next to the magnet school name.  This could be neighborhood transportation ("normal") or express busing (meet the bus at a satellite location).

Click on the documents Tamani passed out to enlarge for easier reading.

Note in the dates below that the large magnet fair has already happened but there are 2 mini-fairs for rising K families on December 2nd and 9th.

 The document below shows the feeder patterns for magnets from elementary to middle to high.

There was one other document she passed out that she did not e-mail me.

It was descriptions of all the different magnet times but you will find all this information at their site:

http://www.wcpss.net/what-we-teach/programs/magnet/

To find out more information about schools, look up individual scores here:

http://www.wcpss.net/school-directory/

Once at the school's page, click on "test results."

Tamani gave a word of caution as to narrative comments on websites such as GreatSchools.net.  The test results are accurate but keep in mind the narratives are written by parents and may not necessarily reflect the entire school.

Contact Information for Tamani & Other Links 

919.431.7349 (office)

tanderson-powell@wcpss.net

www.wcpss.net/magnet

https://twitter.com/wcpssmagnets
www.facebook.com/WCPSSMagnetPrograms

A few other notes...

Our Yankee Candle fundraiser is about to wrap up.

All forms and money must be turned in at our next meeting on November 11th.

http://crossroadsraleighmops.blogspot.com/2014/10/yankee-candle-fundraiser.html

We will have a special raffle at our December meeting!  You can "earn" entries into the raffle by inviting friends to MOPS: one entry for a friend visiting and 4 additional entries into the raffle if that mom registers for MOPS and pays her dues. It doesn't have to just be a friend; it could be moms you meet at the park, library, or anywhere! 

 

If you haven't done so already, please pay your dues. There is a $24.95 MOPS International fee, and local dues are collected in the fall and the spring ($50 each) to cover child care, craft and other expenses.  You can pay online with a card at http://crossroads.org/mops (click "Register") as well as with exact cash or check made out to Crossroads MOPS at our next meeting.

Please don't let finances get in the way of joining something incredible. We have scholarships readily available. Please email here for more information.  

Many thanks to Sarah Rose with Discovery Toys for sponsoring our meeting. These are high quality educational toys for children of all ages. This is a great time to get some Christmas and Birthday gifts - or to check them out as suggestions for the grandparents!

She is also happy to book shows for anyone who is interested.

 dtwithsarah@gmail.com

Our speaker for the next meeting is Shannon Foster Bradley. 
She is a photographer and member of Crossroads who will be giving some pointers about photographing our families.

http://www.shannonbradleyphotography.com/