Flynn PTO Update 4/27/14

Hey There Flynn Families - Hope you had a relaxing break from the daily grind.  6 more weeks of school and lots of learning still to come...

PTO meeting this Thursday at 6:30 in the library.  Light supper and childcare available.  Hope to see YOU there!

The Play committee met just before break to wrap up Tom Sawyer and lay plans for next year.  The play for 2015 was chosen: The Marvelous Land of Oz (Book 2) by L. Frank Baum.  Most people are not aware that Oz was written as a series.  Summer would be a great time to work your way through the series- maybe connect it to the Fletcher Free Library Reading program - the series is available at the FF Library on College Street.

Forgot to order your DVD?  You still have time - print the DOC below and send it into the PTO mailbox or let me know and I will get one sent home to you via your child.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SuWZ2eRumpaB5EOTO8kZDZt9xaTKMaKFsedJ8XaVOV0/edit?usp=sharing

Save the date!! (while this is a Hunt event, all of our kids will end up at Hunt middle school in a few short years.  Events like this raise money to support the Healthy City Teaching Garden, field trips, teacher grants, outdoor classroom, summer programming and mmm)

Perennial Plant and School-wide Yard Sale at L.C. Hunt Middle School

Saturday, May 24th from 8:30-2:00pm

How can Flynn families help? Starting May 9th, bring divided perennial plants from your perennial garden, such as hostas, lily of the valley, pachysandra, phlox, astilbe, coneflowers, and herbs, to the green area between the parking lot at Hunt.

You can drop your well watered plants at Hunt any time of day. Donated plants survive best when they are kept in their own root ball of soil, are well watered when left at Hunt, are re-potted right away by a volunteer, and not left for too long in the hot sun. Please be sure to notify susanrutherford@hotmail.com when you drop off plants for donation. 

How else can Flynn families help? Start cleaning out those closets at home and save all those unwanted and unused household items including sporting goods, kitchen items, games, DVDs, kids and teen books, holiday decorations, tools, and other yard sale items in clean and good working condition. We will gratefully accept these items on Friday, May 23rd from 3:00pm-7:00pm. 

Questions? Contact Susan Rutherford at susanrutherford@hotmail.com or 951-2571 or Gabi Baumann at gamabaumann@burlingtontelecom.net or 660-9189 to volunteer or with any questions.

Children and Food. Another Relationship to Consider. (from   Parenting   on   Track   blog)

“You know, all those kids whose parents were sending them to school with carrot sticks and avocados and 3 oz of lean turkey 5 years ago are now showing up in my office as pre-teens with serious eating issues.  They are starving and now they have this wonky idea about the role food plays in their lives.  I wish I could record some of the conversations I have with these kids, so their parents could hear how messed up their views on food and nutrition are. I spend half my time trying to re-educate them, but many of the kids say they have to sneak to eat anything that isn’t sanctioned by mom or dad.”

I almost fell out of my chair when my friend who is a nutritionist and pediatrician shared this with me.  I asked her to share three tips she would give parents that would help correct this dangerous trend.

I have listed her suggestions for creating a more balanced approach to nutrition.

1.  Keep your own eating issues out of the equation. When talking to the parents whose kids communicate unhealthy ideas around food, eating and nutrition, it is immediately understood that it is the parents’ issue that is driving the decisions around their child’s nutrition. Either parents are afraid kids will struggle with weight issues and start focusing too heavily on calorie counting at a very young age or they are hyper vigilant about disease and limit any and all processed food. Parents must first examine their own relationship with food, health, nutrition, and disease and deal with those issues personally.  Then, seek out a nutritionist who can help address concerns and assist in helping the parents create a more balanced approach to nutrition.  With all this focus on obesity, it’s easy to understand how we can let fear drive our decision making process around nutrition, but it’s important that we recognize that swinging the pendulum too far the other way is just as dangerous.

2.  It’s tempting to connect nutrition, food, and fuel for the body, to body size, body type or body weight in order to “motivate” kids to eat in healthier ways. Unfortunately, the minute parents begin making those connections is the minute many kids start thinking there is something wrong with their bodies.  Teaching kids about healthy nutrition starts by inviting them to look at cookbooks to find tasty meals, weighing fruit and veggies at the grocery store, selecting healthy snacks and sometimes, not so healthy snacks, and then being invited into the kitchen where they have the opportunity to develop a healthy relationship with food.

3. Everything in Moderation. Whether you are Vegan, Paleo, or somewhere in between, your kids need a variety of food to not only stay healthy, but to develop that healthy relationship with food. Limiting certain foods or denying them all together will only create power struggles and eating problems. When kids see their friends eating those tasty treats and they know what the “food policy” is in their homes, the more tempted they are to sneak which leaves them feeling badly about who they are and nervous about talking to their folks.

Save the date...

April 28 - Back to School!!!

April 30 - chess club - 7:30am in the cafeteria

May 1 - Meeting about 5th grade Bridging Ceremony - 5:30pm in the library (any 5th grade parents welcome to attend and help plan!)

May 1 - PTO Meeting at 6:30pm in the Library - light dinner and childcare provided
May 6 - chess club - 7:30am in the cafeteria
May 9 - Kindergarten Orientation
May 18 - Springfest at Flynn
May 22 - Staff Appreciation Luncheon

June 11 - Last Day of School (note date change due to last snow day...)