CeleSoiree

Immigrant Legal Advocacy Pproject's (ILAP) 4th annual CeleSoirée: Celebrating Immigration through the Arts. Friday, March 28th from 5-9 PM at The Portland Company, 58 Fore Street in Portland. Featuring: DELICIOUS INTERNATIONAL FOOD from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Greece donated by Portland's best restaurants A silent auction you won't want to miss with outstanding JEWELRY, PHOTOGRAPHY, PAINTINGS, SILK SCARVES and so much more Plus LIVE WORLD MUSIC including AFRICAN DRUMMING by Jordan Benissan and Sankofa! TICKETS are only $25 in advance or $30 day of. Children 14 and under are free. Advance tickets can be purchased online starting March 1st at www.ilapmaine.org or by calling 780-1593. CeleSoirée is a celebration of Maine's immigrant communities and the valuable contributions they make to the economic, political and cultural life of Maine. ILAP is dedicated to improving the lives of Maine's immigrants by providing expert legal assistance and advocacy. Proceeds raised will support ILAP's direct legal services program, education and outreach program and impact project. Please feel free to forward this email to friends and family who would enjoy attending the event. Beth Stickney Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project If you have questions or want to buy a ticket, contact www.ilapmaine.org or by calling 780-1593

Kinderconcerts

Preschool families with part-time schedules might be interested in seeing Peter and the Wolf this month... Kate and I are planning to go in Freeport at 9:30 on March 18 if anyone wants to join us! Kim

Fun & Games Committee

I am struggling to figure out how to pull together committee meetings when we are all so busy, and a friend suggested trying Doodler as a way to take a poll... If you are interested in participating, the issues in front of F&G right now are: 1) Scheduling of Matt L. concert 2) Staff Appreciation Lunches 3) Spring Fling 4) Welcome for New Students/Families 5) Roots & Shoots or other summer activities 6) Other Suggested times are: Monday (after vacation, before parent's meeting) 1:30 -- at school, before pick-up Tuesday, 8:30, at Big Sky on Woodfords Corner so younger siblings can play Wednesday 5:00 bring dinner or meet for dinner before parent's group The link to register your preference is here. (http://www.doodle.ch/8efmfnuiqc52ivft)

Girls Get Connected - a Science Conference for Middle School Girls - March 8 / Boston

Conference 2008 Girls Get Connected Technology Conference for Middle School Girls Going Green There is a lot of talk about “going green” but what does this mean? Is recycling soft drink bottles enough? What about turning out the lights when I leave the room? How about the trees and parks in my neighborhood: how do they help in going green? Do solar and wind energy help us to go green? How about all the computers we use in our homes and schools? Find out more about going green at the 2008 Girls Get Connected Technology Conference. You will learn what going green means and the science and technology behind going green. Take part in hands-on workshops led by college women. Talk to women scientists. Compete in a technology design challenge. Find out about Mayor Menino’s initiative for making Boston a green city Lunch provided 2008 Girls Get Connected Technology Conference Saturday, 8 March 2008 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Simmons College Girls must be accompanied by an adult chaperone.

Safe Toys Bill / Initiative

February 14, 2008 Your help is needed immediately to protect our children from known toxic chemicals in toys and everyday products. LD 2048 - "An Act to Protect Children's Health and the Environment from Toxic Chemicals in Children's Products" (sponsored by Representative Hannah Pingree) - would stop the unrestricted exposure of our children to known unsafe chemicals. The bill is under attack by the chemical industry. Your Maine legislators need to hear from you immediately. Please take a moment right now to send a message to your representatives. Click here to act. (Or cut and paste this link: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1305/t/2705/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=22957) If you'd like to learn more about the legislation, visit this page. Thanks for your prompt action on behalf of our children. There are also other important opportunities to support this legislation: - Thursday, February 28: Public hearing on LD 2048 in Augusta Email us if you are interested in attending at kjenkins@gwi.net - Tuesday, March 4: Environmental Health Day at the Capitol Click here to sign up to attend! The Environmental Health Strategy Center Team Join Our Mailing List! The Women's Environmental Health Initiative is a project of the Environmental Health Strategy Center, affiliated with the Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine Visit EHSC on-line by clicking here Learn more about the Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine by clicking here

Girls Rock Weekend / Middle School Girls Conference ~ April

Girls Rock! Weekend Hardy Girls' Girls Rock! Weekend will celebrate girls' voices in music, art and literature and we hope you will be a part of it. We have put together three fabulous days of events, so there are many opportunities to take part. Also be sure to visit the Blue Marble Gallery to see an exhibit of art produced during this spring's Media Makeover Workshops. The exhibit will open during Girls Rock! Weekend and will be on display through late May. Friday, April 4 - Girls Rock! Weekend kicks off with the opening of Girls Rock! the movie, an audience favorite at MIFF last summer. Festivities will begin at 6:30 pm at Railroad Square Cinema with a live performance by Portland girl-rocker Marie Moreshead, followed by the showing of Girls Rock! This documentary follows a rock 'n' roll camp for girls where they are taught that it's OK to sweat like a pig, scream like a banshee, and wail on their instruments with complete and utter abandon. Following the film there will be a reception for all at Buen Apetito. Tickets for the entire evening are $15 for adults, $5 for kids under 18. Watch the trailer for Girls Rock! Saturday, April 5 - This incredible weekend continues with the 10th annual Girls Unlimited Conference, a conference for all girls in 5th-8th grade. This year's conference, Media Makeover: Changing the Face of Art, will include workshops on sculpture, step dance, poetry, photography, and other amazing visual and performing art forms. The conference will take place from 9:00 am - 3:30 pm in a variety of locations in downtown Waterville. Save the date for this incredible day-long conference for girls in 5th-8th grade: April 5th, 2008 Sunday, April 6 - Girls Rock! Weekend wraps up with the First Annual Girls Poetry Mashup, from 1:00 - 3:00 pm at Soup to Nuts on Main Street in downtown Waterville. This open mic will be the culminating showcase for Winslow Jr. High School students who will be spending the spring semester writing poetry with students from Colby College. Don't miss this amazing performance, which will also feature Colby's Poets Rest at Dawn. Admission is free so bring your friends! back to top Save the Date for GU08! On April 5, come celebrate our 10th annual Girls Unlimited Conference, open to all girls in 5th-8th grade. Thanks to generous support from Colby College, the Hudson Foundation, and EES, Inc, this year's conference, Media Makeover: Changing the Face of Art, will engage girls in creating art that reflects their own aspirations, frustrations, dreams, desires, and experiences. Workshops will include sculpture, step dance, poetry, photography, and other amazing visual and performing art sessions. Also be sure to visit the Blue Marble Gallery to see an exhibit of art produced during the run-up to Girls Unlimited, the Media Makeover Workshop series. The exhibit will open during Girls Unlimited and will be on display through late May. We hope to see you there! Save the date for this incredible day-long conference for girls in 5th-8th grade: April 5th 2008 back to top

February Vacation Camp

Maine Audubon offers February Vacation Camp - one day or all week. and, from the Portland Museum of Art: February Vacation Mini Art Camp Tuesday through Thursday, February 19 through 21, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cost: $130 for all 3 days, $50 per single day. Our three-day vacation program is for children ages 6-12. Art campers will look at art in the current exhibitions in new and fun ways. Share other ideas in comments!

Play at Pineland

Families are invited to play at Pineland Farms on March 6th (in-service day for FSP). There is a farm program that can include 20 children (first come / first serve -- a sign up will be in the hallway after vacation) but there is also a sledding hill, snowshoe and cross-country ski paths / rentals and even a branch of the Casco Bay YMCA (passes in the sunrise guide). The farm program begins at 10:00 am and will last about 90 minutes - it will focus on cows. The cost is $3.00 per child and $4.00 per adult -- carpooling, sharing childcare, etc. is encouraged! Moo to You Let's discover what it takes to get milk from a cow to your table. Come meet our Holstein herd, get a kiss from a calf, milk a cow and read a story. We are welcome to bring bag lunches or buy lunch and encouraged to eat in the commons (not Foley's because of space) -- plan to gather around 11:45-- campus maps are here. Get directions here. If anyone feels inspired to suggest a plan for Friday the 7th or March 24th please feel free or send them to me and I'll share the ideas and possibilities at the next parents meeting. Kim kcs@maine.rr.com

Action for Paid Sick Leave planned for Tuesday

If anyone is interested in taking action in support of Paid Sick Leave, please contact me (Kim, ksimmons@bates.edu). You can get more info from the Maine Women's Lobby or The Healthy Families website.

Printmaking from the Portland Museum of Art

saturday feb 9, 2008 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm artmaking program Family Printmaking Workshop for adults and youth description: Get inspired by the woodblock prints of In Winter, Silk Linings and create your own edition of linoleum reduction prints. Examine patterns, create images, and learn transfer and safe carving methods for producing printable blocks. For families with children ages 7–12. fee: One child/one adult - Members: $45; non-members: $56; each additional family member: $15. Reservations are required and available online, on-site, and at 503.276.4254.

Summer Day Camp

A parent asked for a place to share summer camp ideas, experiences, etc. Here are some - -please add! *** FRIENDS SCHOOL OF PORTLAND CAMP == TBA ** BROADTURN FARM CAMP ** Fish Camp ** Audubon Camp ** Davinci Camp ** Wolf's Neck Farm Camp ** Pineland Farms Camp ** Children's Museum of Maine ** Fiddlehead Center for the Arts (camp info not yet posted) ** United Ways Summer Champs lisiting

FEDCO LINK

If you want to circulate the SEED SALE info via e-mail, here is the link to the pdf!

Lunar New Year Picture Books

The Maine Humanities Council Born to Read program published a list of great picture books for children that explains the ideas and ideals of the Lunar New Year. Also, an event: When: Saturday February 9th from 11:00am-4:00pm Where: Catherine McAuley High School 631 Stevens Avenue, Portland ♦Chinese Crafts for Children ♦Exciting Chinese Music & Dance including Authentic Dragon Dance ♦Interactive Workshops & Demonstrations ♦Yummy Chinese Food & Chinese Merchandise Available Cost for Adults $5/$3 for CAFAM members Children 2 & over $3/$2 for CAFAM members (children under 2 free) Questions? Call 207-799-0684 or watch our website for specific events and times as they are finalized CAFAM is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization CHINESE AMERICAN FRIENDSHIP ASSOCIATION OF MAINE Twentieth Annual CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION The Year of the Rat

Great Parents Meeting

We had a fabulous parents meeting last Wednesday night, with just the right combination of "chance to talk" and getting new information. Melanie helped us think and share about our particular strengths that we bring to the parents group. We also began the conversation about what the Parents Group brings to the school and to each of us. Nat Shed came from the Friends Camp to share information with us about the wonderful opportunities for regular sleep-away (well, it didn't sound too regular, so perhaps I should say zany-fun sleep-away) camp for kids ages 7-18 and also family camp which welcomes adults and littler people. James spoke about reenrollment and we were reminded to keep thinking about creative fundraising possibilties. Currently, we have the opportunity to make %50 of returns on a special Fedco Seed Sale. And, Auction Donation Forms are available -- all creative ideas and donations welcome! Finally, we are planning a ****DANCE PARTY*** for the Feb 29th potluck evening and are hoping to organize a skating party, gymastics event (for younger children) and an event for older kids during the March in-service days. Official minutes will be circulated via e-mail (these were just my notes)...