Download PAC Newsletter - March 2015

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NSC PARENT
ADVISORY
COUNCIL
COMMUNITY
NEWS
MARCH
2015
The Early Life of the Brain Irene Wagner, Parent Educator
The brain is wider than the sky,
For, put them side by side,
The one the other will contain
With ease, and you beside.
The brain is deeper than the sea,
For, hold them, blue to blue,
The one the other will absorb,
As sponges, buckets do.
The brain is just the weight of God,
For, lift them, pound for pound,
And they will differ, if they do,
As syllable from sound.
—Emily Dickinson
For centuries the human brain has been a source of wonder and curiosity to many. Homer and Aristotle speculated about the significance of the
brain. In the late 1800’s Broca and Wenicke, two physicians, discovered the
language center of the brain through deceased stroke victims. With the advent of imaging medical technologies, the secret life of the brain has been unlocked.
The baby’s and child’s brains are of particular interest to parents of
infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
Do you know that a three year old brain is twice as active as an adult
brain? And do you know that the brain’s activity level drops during adolescence? Do you know that through your love, physical touch, and support that
you are assisting in your child’s brain development?
During infancy and childhood the brain experiences tremendous
growth as abilities to move, communicate, and think are rapidly developing.
Infancy and early childhood are the first stages of brain development, analogous to building the foundation of a house. It is certainly not the last stage of
brain development.
The brain contains most of its billions of neurons at birth. In fact, a
fetus begins to develop neurons at four weeks. These same neurons stay with
us throughout our lives. Neurons can live up to 127 years.
Continued on Page 2...
Donate to our Scholarship Fund
There continues to be a high need for
scholarships in our co-op community,
and as always we are limited by our
budget. These scholarships support
families who may otherwise be unable
to attend one of our fabulous early education programs. If there are preschool
classes with excess funds, we strongly
encourage that some of this excess be
donated to PAC. Individual family donations to the scholarship fund are always
welcome. For instructions, visit http://
coops.northseattle.edu/fundraising/
support_scholarship.html
Thank you!
IN THIS ISSUE:
The Early Life of the Brain
Scholarship Donations
Calendar of Events
Facebook Connect
Open Registration Flyer
Free Literacy Worshops
Lecture Flyer
1
1
2
2
3
4
5
NSC Free Class
6
Calendar
March
28 Open Registration
April
6 PAC Meeting
13-17 Spring Break
27 Lecture: Julie Tubbs Luthy
May
18 PAC Meeting
25 Memorial Day
PAC Lecture Series : For our
next lecture, PAC presents
Julie Tubbs Luthy speaking
on sharing nature with your
children April 27th, at Grace
Lutheran Church from 7 to
8:30 pm. Julie has been a
naturalist for over 30 years.
She holds a master’s degree
in Environmental and Science Education. Her field
experience includes work in
national parks from Hawaii
to Alaska and Washington’s
own Olympic National Park,
numerous nature centers
and Seattle’s Discovery Park.
The Early Life of the Brain — continued from Page 1
The “wiring” of the brain has been compared to the wiring of a telephone .Billions
and billions of neurons are reaching out to billions and billions of other neurons to make
connections. These synaptic connections are enhanced by repeated use through our experiences in our environment creating pathways. These repetitions create pathways of
memory. The development of your child’s brain is interdependent upon the genetic structure and life experiences, especially with you, the parent.
As we know early loving care has an effect on how children develop and learn,
how they cope with stress and how they regulate their own emotions. For example, a
child’s secure attachment with a loving adult can have a protective biological function
helping a growing child withstand stressors.
Language is one of several skills that children master. “Syllable from sound-the
mastery of language is nothing short of a miracle. Nearly all children learn to speak as easily as a bird learns to sing.”
Patricia Kuhl,PH.D, University of Washington, refers to babies as the “citizens of
the world” since their brains can adapt to any language in the world. Then at about 11
months of age and onwards babies hear the same sounds as their parents. Introducing a
foreign language to a child 5 years and under assists them to create the “foreign pathways’ so they will have the ability to speak a foreign language without an accent.
Childhood can be the greatest time in one’s life because a child has everything to
learn. As a parent your loving, supportive interactions with your child directly affect the
way your child’s brain is “wired”.
“The brain is the seat of our consciousness and who we are. In understanding where it
comes from, we understand where we come from.”
—Susan McConnell, neurobiologist, Stanford University
LIKE US ON FACEBOOK!
Stay connected with NSC and help
us get the word out about co-op
preschools, free parent lectures
and more.
www.facebook.com/coops.northseattle
Contact Us!
To submit words, photos, and suggestions
e-mail Stephanie at [email protected]
Free Financial Literacy Workshops
Want to learn more about setting financial goals, budgeting, and emergency financial resources?
Attend the workshop “Financial Goals, and How to Budget for Them” on any one of these dates:
March 12th from 1:00 – 3:00pm
April 29th from 9:00 – 11:00am
May 14th from 1:00 – 3:00pm
June 24th from 9:00 – 11:00am
Or maybe you want to get an introduction to credit, credit cards, credit reports and scores, and
the biggest financial traps to avoid? Attend “Stay Informed, Stay Out of Debt” on any one of these
dates:
March 25th from 9:00 – 11:00am
April 16th from 1:00 – 3:00pm
June 3rd from 9:00 – 11:00am
June 11th from 1:00 – 3:00pm
To sign up for a workshop, contact Caroline Dixon at 206-934-7478
or [email protected]. Room number given after signing up.
Co-op Teacher Job Openings
Please feel help us spread the word with
anyone you think may be interested.

Meadowbrook 5's Class teacher opening
for Fall 2015. Please see the flyer on NSC
co-op website for information regarding
the position and how to apply.

Sandhurst Cooperative Preschool is now
accepting applications for our Toddler and
3-5’s Teacher positions beginning in September 2015. Please see the flyers on the
NSC co-op website for more information
on how to apply.
Check out our new logo!