FEBRUARY 2024

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Dear Angie,


February brings with it so many things to celebrate! It is Black History Month, Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day, Chinese New Year, and it is also EFC’s 48th birthday, just to name a few.

FAMILY REMINDERS

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PARENTS-DESIGN-A-VALENTINE

Parents—it is homework time!! This year, we’d like all parents to design a Valentine for your child/ren to be hung up in the EFC classrooms during the month of February! This is your chance to be creative and have fun! Please decorate a 9x12 or a 12x12 sheet of construction paper with poems, snapshots, glitter or whatever else you want. We hope to see some creative artwork. Please bring us your artwork no later than Monday, February 12! Have fun! 

CENTER HAPPENINGS

I LOVE TO READ MONTH

Celebration of Books We are excited about books at EFC and love to share in the joys of reading with the children! The week of February 19-23 we will be enjoying our favorite books with fun days. 


Monday - Silly Reading Day - Read in a silly spot in your classroom while wearing silly socks to school! 

Tuesday - Cozy Reading Day - Bring in a book you’d like to curl up with as you wear your PJs to school!

Wednesday - Flashlight Reading Day - Bring a flashlight to read a favorite book in the dark! 

Thursday - Funny Book Day - Bring in your joke books while enjoying crazy hair! We will be laughing all day long! 

Friday - Dress Your Best/Favorite Book Day - Bring your favorite book to read while looking your best!


Your child may participate in any or all the “fun days,” but participation is optional. If you choose to bring in a book to share, please be sure to label it with your child’s/family’s name. Thank you!


SPECIAL READERS

We are reaching to people in the community to come in and be guest readers. If you would like to come in and read to the children, please talk to your child’s teacher or Lisa and we would love to set up a day that you can read your favorite book or read one of ours to the kids.

SPECIAL DAYS

Thursday, February 1 - Magician performance

Wednesday, February 14 - Classroom Valentine parties

Monday-Friday February 19-23 - Book celebration week 

ESPECIALLY FOR PARENTS

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 INSPIRATION FOR THE FUTURE FROM BLACK LEADERS OF THE PAST

 

My daughter’s 5th grade teacher is a huge baseball fan (instead of taking the lovely Minnesota summers off, she works at the Twins stadium to be close to the action). As she sets the tone for her classroom each year, she highlights Jackie Robinson, the first African American MLB player, and his nine core values. We are entering Black History Month, and it is inspiring to reflect on how these values shaped Robinson’s life, and how powerful they can be when cultivated in our own children.

 

Jackie Robinson’s nine core values were:

 

COURAGE

Doing what you know is the right thing even when it is hard to do

 

DETERMINATION

Staying focused on a plan even though the path to its end may be difficult

 

TEAMWORK

Working with other people toward a common goal

 

PERSISTENCE

Working toward a goal and continuing to move forward even though you face obstacles or barriers

 

INTEGRITY

Sticking to your values, regardless of what others think you should do

 

CITIZENSHIP

Making a contribution that improves the lives of others

 

JUSTICE

Treating all people fairly, no matter who they are

 

COMMITMENT

Making a promise and following through on it

 

EXCELLENCE

Doing the best that you possibly can

 

Jackie Robinson broke barriers and lived out these values in spite of the personal and professional challenges he faced during an era of deep discord over issues of race.


Martin Luther King Jr. followed behind Robinson during the civil rights era, and from a young age he was determined to develop and use his skills for justice and equality in our nation. In reading a recent biography of MLK, it is clear that he dedicated himself to and lived out many of Robinson’s same values. His persistence in fighting for equal rights, though it cost him his life, is evident. He also did so with optimism, which feels remarkable to me given what he and others encountered. In an early sermon, he asked his listeners,

 

“Life is what you make of it by the way you handle trouble. When malice or misfortune finds you, do you hold it so close to your eyes that you can’t see anything else?…Learn to handle life’s difficulties with kindness and courage.”

 

MLK implored his audience to keep working toward justice with a sense of positive and hopeful expectation.

 

While black history is American history and should not be relegated to one month of the year, Black History Month gives all of us an opportunity to focus our attention on the life stories of both well-known black heroes as well as ordinary black citizens and their extraordinary contributions to our world. We can take time on our own and/or with our children to reflect on black history, and to learn about and be inspired by the perspectives and values of the people who lived it.

TWIN CITIES

FAMILY EVENTS

Now-2/4 Winter Carnival, Saint Paul

Now-2/10 Winter Fete Activities, Bloomington

Now-2/11 Art Shanty Projects, Lake Harriet, Mpls  

Now-Late February Ice Castles, Maple Grove

Now-2/24 Night Trains, TC Model Railroad Museum, St. Paul      

Now-2/25 Dragons Love Tacos, Stages Theatre, Hopkins

2/3-2/4 Loppet Winter Festival, Mpls

2/17 Live Music with John Penny, Midtown Global Market, Minneapolis

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Especially for Children - Coon Rapids

8885 Evergreen Blvd

Coon Rapids, MN 55433

(763) 784-0901

efc13@especiallyforchildren.com

Center Director

Lisa Ward