Happy Valley School Ribbon Cutting!

Brand New Happy Valley School! Please join us for our Ribbon Cutting with the Happy Valley Mayor, Crafts, Face painting, Refreshments and Fun! Creative MInds Learning Center schools are excited to have our Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting on January 4th from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm. The Happy Valley Mayor will be out to help us celebrate our Grand Opening of our beautiful, new school located at 12771 SE Sunnyside Road, Clackamas, OR 97015. We will also be raffling off amazing prizes from members of our community and doing crafts, sponsored by The Lakeshore, Face painting, refreshments and family fun! We will also be having Open Houses on Saturdays, 12/29 and 1/5 from 9:00 am- 4:00 pm so you can bring the whole family out to see what makes Creative Minds Learning Centers the best schools in Oregon!  We are also offering fantastic Grand Opening specials, so please call Megan, our Happy Valley School Director at (503) 855-4512 to answer any questions you may have and schedule tours. Brittany will also be answering questions at her direct line (503) 780-8960. Don't forget to refer a friend and earn $50 off tuition for you and your friend! Space is limited for Infants - Kindergarten. Creative Minds Learning Centers are family and locally owned since 1997. Our schools have been awarded Oregon Program of Quality School, #1 Child Care by Red Tricycle, Model Program with Metro for Non Toxic Child Care Practices and are State and Love and Logic certified. To learn more about our exceptional schools, please visit our website: Creative Minds Website Some of our CMLC team! One of the murals by artist, Stephen Williams featured in our Birch classroom.

Creative Minds and the Sunshine Division to help families and children in need!

Creative Minds Learning Center schools is honored and excited to support and be a part of the Sunshine Division's Food and Clothing drive again this year! Our Fundraiser is already going on at each CMLC campus and continues through December 21st. There are bins located at the entrance of the schools for families and staff that wish to donate gently used clothing and non-perishable food items. Please see your school's Director for more information and details. Thank you for all of your support! CMLC looks forward to helping such an amazing cause and those in need!
To learn more about the Sunshine Division and how this helps so many local families, please visit their website: Programs | Sunshine DivisionSunshine Division

Learning About Tools in Alder

This month's art theme is "Building" and we were fortunate enough to have one of our classroom parents who is a "professional builder" come in for a special activity! LJ is a parent in our Alder Pre-K class and also a professional contractor! He was kind enough to take the time to come by our school and show us the tools he uses every day. 

Our special guest, LJ handed out sheets of sanding paper that we could each use to sand our individual pieces of wood, then he showed us how to screw a hook to the bottom to make a coat hook! Later we will paint these in class. 

LJ showed us the tools he uses every day for his job, like a hammer, a screwdriver, a tape measure, pliers, a wrench, and a leveler. He also showed us how to use them!

Then we each got a turn to practice in small groups with our teachers.

We practiced using screwdrivers and pliers to fasten screws to a board. We learned about what hammers are used for, and how to use a leveler to make sure something is straight before you use nails or screws to hold it in place.

LJ taught us a lot about the tools he uses to build, let us practice using some of these tools safely, and even gave us each a miniature tape measure to take home! Thank you for the visit, LJ! We had so much fun learning about tools and building, and we can't wait to hang up our hooks at home!

Love and Logic

Love and Logic Sellwood Teacher Survey

How have you implemented Love and Logic in your classroom?

“I’ve begun presenting options BEFORE a melt down, rather than during or after.”

“I use key phrases like ‘Bummer’ or ‘Uh-oh’.”

“I express more sympathy when talking about choices with the children.”

“When a friend is making a sad choice I say, ‘How sad’ as a cue to take time to rethink the choice.”

“I’ve been more likely to give directions once and let only kids who are displeased with them pout, whereas in the past I may have possibly devolved into arguments with the kids.”

“I sing the Uh-Oh song before having think time”.

“Positive reinforcement and ‘I know...’ phrases.”

Give one example of how you used Love and Logic in your classroom, what was the result?

“‘Oh no....sad choice, someone needs some think time.’ On the first day, I used this phrase while walking a child over to the think chair after a sad choice. After one or two times, the children knew that if I said, ‘Oh no,’ they needed to stop what they were doing.”

“I give choices! For example, at lunch when passing out food, I offer ‘Would you like the beans on the side or on top?’”.

“I’ve been able to express more compassion/sadness along with the child as a result of his/her loss of privilege  which seems to effectively shift their frustration from me or the consequence to the choice that they made.”

“We say, Uh-Oh, when we see a child engaging in an unsafe choice such as standing in a chair, pulling a friends hair, or not sharing. The Uh-Oh is often followed by some time to calm and think on their own. After hearing Uh-Oh several times, the children begin to catch on and stop the unsafe action immediately upon hearing the words.”

“When a friend is upset and the feelings are escalating I say, ‘I only talk to friends who talk calmly’”.

“A child was having a hard time lining up at the park. I said, ‘Oh how sad’ and spoke with the child about the importance of lining up with their classmates and discussed their consequence for not doing so. After some time, the child lined up with the class. The following day, the child was not able to be the line leader, their classroom job for the day. While the child was sad to have lost this privilege, they made a stronger effort the next week at the park to line up with their friends when asked for the first time.” 

How can parents carry over your Love and Logic classroom techniques at home?

“Talk with your child’s teacher to ensure that there is consistency with the Love and Logic techniques at school and home. Use empathetic statements and continue to have children follow the rules that are set for both locations.” 

“By using similar word cues like, ‘How sad’ and ‘I know a friend...’”.

“The best way to reinforce Love and Logic based teachings is by following through with consistent rewards and consequences, and reminding children of lessons they learned through these rewards and  consequences while at home.”

“Use key phrases (consistent with the Teachers), give empathy, and be firm on choices.”

“Try using the Uh-Oh strategy at home. You will be amazed how the children respond!”

A warm letter from Mufindi...

We received this letter from Jenny at The Mufindi Highlands Orphans Project and wanted to share:

"...On the work front, loads has happened- seminars, basket day, adult
English class is in full swing, and we just got back from a 'field
trip' with our older kids to go look at some volcational schools.
They are all now inspired to be electricians and plumbers and
seamstresses and radio DJ's:)

I will work on a wish list to send to you- but things off the top of
my head already are cloth diapers with plastic covers, shoes (crocs
are best for the weather here), rain gear, and backpacks, and any kids clothes (all sizes), as we are always desperate for those things.

The educational complex you saw is going along well- we are just
making a blackboard and bookshelves, and have received tons of great
beginner reader books for the school and my adult English class, and
then, hopefully, by the end of August, we will open to the public!!!
We have decided that the middle level will be a playground only, so
the kids won't have to look out the windows at a roof of any kind, and
the bottom level will be dedicated to the nursery school only.  That
way, its all education.  The kindergarten room will have a small
divider, and half of the room will be for the kindergarden and the
other half will be our community library/computer room, open in the
evenings and on the weekends to the public, but will also host study
hall for our kids M-F evenings.....The health clinic will be moved up
the road a bit, so that way if a kid is needing a shot or anything,
the other kids won't hear the cries, and the patients will have a bit
more privacy.  We are just now working on building our fence
surrounding the area, and then we will paint it....everything is
falling into place..... 

With the opening of the social center/kindegarten/computer
room....access to internet will be better, and if we teach our kids
how to email, we could start of a letter in form of email exchange, or
do a collabrotive project with our two classes.....so many ideas!

As soon as I get some time, I will put some photos together and send
them your way!  I would LOVE for your kiddos to see my kiddos:)"

Response to CMLC donations:

"Oh my gosh!  That is amazing!!!!  These donations will help start up
the preschool block completely!!!!  We have just finished the
kindegarten/library building...plans have sort of changed (but
completely for the better..) The top level will be 1/2 kindergarten,
1/2 library/study hall/computer lab.  They built a nice little fence
blocking it from level two, but opening up into a HUGE open field,
where we will have a learning garden, sandbox, and outdoor craft
space.  The middle area will be left open- we are going to make that
into the area to have the playground equipment, litke swings and
teeter totters etc, and the bottome level will be the classrooms for
the babies-3/4 year olds.  How did your school divide up the
classrooms again?  Do you guys do 8 months-16 months? then 17-2.5,
then 2.5-4?  We are trying to think of the best way/most feasable way
to seperate the kiddos....advise?  Then, we are building Dr Leena's
health clinic BEHIND the top level, on the other side of the road,so
that her clients will have a bit more privacy...nobody at school wants
to hear their friends getting shots or crying, right?  and directly
behind the kindegarten, we will be building our admin. block, to use
as a reception for both the school and the workers/cases for the
orphanage.  I'll send you some pictures very soon!"

Thanks again to all of our families who helped contribute to this wonderful program for children! To learn more about Mufindi, please visit their website:  Mufindi Highlands Orphanage Project

Creative Minds Infant Sleeping Coves designed for safety

Creative Minds Learning Center schools have always been progressive with offering the children we serve the very best in research and development. When Creative Minds offered Infant Programs at our Sellwood, Westmoreland and Happy Valley schools, research was done to ensure the very best learning environment for babies. One important and surprising discovery was the risks of cribs for infants. Due to the statistics of crib injuries and deaths, Creative Minds worked successfully with the State of Oregon to implement infant sleeping coves rather than cribs. This has been successful in the classroom and keeps the floor space open for the needs of the babies and helps their gross motor development skills and floor time for crawling and movement. 

One of our little guys who enjoys the sleeping cove area when he needs rest.

This article by James Kelleher offered insightful data in regards to cribs:Researchers found that between 1990 and 2008, some 181,654 children under the age of 2 were treated in U.S. emergency rooms for injuries related to cribs, playpens and bassinets -- the majority as a result of falls from cribs that caused injuries to the head, neck or face.Only a small fraction of the injuries over the 19-year period -- just 5.5 percent -- were the result of child becoming caught or wedged in the crib's protective bars. But such accidents accounted for the greatest number of fatalities that could not be related to some other cause, such as sudden infant death syndrome.The vast majority of the children admitted to the ER for crib-related accidents during the study period -- nearly 94 percent -- were treated and released. But an estimated 2,140 died as a result of their injuries.


Another article by Brenda Goodman, MA on Feb. 17, 2011, highlighted information regarding crib injuries and deaths. Nearly 10,000 children are taken to the emergency room each year -- an average of one every hour, after falling or becoming wedged or caught in cribs, playpens, and bassinets, a new study shows.“It’s certainly a very common source of injury,” says study researcher Gary A. Smith, MD, DrPH, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. “We also recognize that this is an underestimate,” Smith says, because the study only looked at injuries reported to emergency rooms, not those treated by urgent care centers, doctors in private practice, or those that went without treatment at all. “So we’ve got a real problem.”Experts say the study, which collected reports of injuries to children from hospital emergency rooms across the U.S. over 19 years, represents the first national look at this problem. The study comes in the midst of a flurry of regulatory activity over cribs and crib products that has culminated in the recalls of millions of items and the first new government-mandated safety standards in cribs issued in nearly two decades.The study was published online in the journal Pediatrics.The research was praised by government regulators and industry representatives for helping to increase awareness of dangers to children posed by unsafe sleep environments.“The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association applauds any study which raises awareness of crib and sleep environment safety for parents,” Amy Chezem, communications director for the JPMA, which represents many crib manufacturers, says in a statement.
Researchers who were not involved in the study also praised its scope.“I thought that it was an important study,” says Rachel Y. Moon, MD, a pediatrician and expert on sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.“You have to be careful no matter where your baby is. There are a lot of things that can be done to cribs, playpens, and bassinets that can make them safer,” Moon says.

Steps Parents Can Take at Home

Experts advise parents should be wary of hand-me-down cribs or equipment purchased at yard sales.“Parents should check any previously used equipment at the web site Recalls.gov to make sure it hasn’t had safety issues,” Smith says.When using any crib, new or used, experts advise parents to double-check the bed is assembled correctly and that the hardware is not loose. Mattress size is also important. There shouldn’t be any gaps between the mattress and the frame.And as your child grows, move the mattress down so the bars stay too high to climb over.“When your child gets to 35 inches in height, it’s time to transition them to a toddler bed,” Smith says.

These articles can be found at: 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/17/us-babies-cribs-injuries-idUSTRE71G7DV20110217

Cribs Frequent Cause of Injury for Babies, Toddlers

* Visit www.recalls.gov to make sure your crib at home has not been recalled.

A view under our Sellwood school's infant cove.

Give a big cheer for a new school year!

Here at Gateway things are taking off in the new school year! We have some new and familiar faces around the school and lots of exciting things to look forward to in the upcoming months! We ended our summer program with a splash at our Hawaiian Luau Splash Day.  Everyone dressed in their bathing suits and we had some fun in our new sprinkler, played with water toys, and even ate delicious fruit kabobs!

The kiddos are finding their way into their new classes with new teachers who spent teacher planning day getting the classrooms all gussied up for the new arrivals.  This week, school-wide, teachers have been focusing on establishing a positive classroom/school community, creating class rules with input from the kiddos, and lessons on what it means to be a good friend.  Starting the school year with consistent reinforcement and positive attitudes will create the classroom environment every child will want to be a part of!

We also celebrated Grandparents Day this Friday and had an amazing turnout! The grandparents joined us for muffins (and coffee for them) and afterward did a special craft with their grandchild's class.  Some even stayed longer to join us outside in chalk drawings and playtime. Thank you to all the grandparents who came to support their CMLC kiddo!

Things have started off wonderfully here at our Gateway school and it can only get better from here! We have a lot of fun and exciting events to look forward to such as; field trips, dress up days, family potlucks, holiday parties, etc... We can't wait to dive into more fun with our awesome CMLC kiddos and families! 

CONGRATULATIONS CMLC TEACHERS AND DIRECTORS FOR BECOMING LOVE AND LOGIC CERTIFIED!

Congratulations to our Teachers and Directors for achieving Love and Logic Certification! We are so thrilled to offer schools and teachers that are Love and Logic Certified! Thank you to A Learning Community for certifying and training our team! We look forward to them offering Love and Logic "Taster" Introductory Parenting Courses this September and the full Love and Logic Parenting Courses this October! Please see your school's Director for more details!

WAY TO GO, CMLC TEACHERS AND DIRECTORS!

We are so proud of our team!

Brittany Galego

CMLC Regional Director

Becoming Love & Logic Certified

In all of the years that I have been teaching young children, I have always used the principles of Love and Logic. I even used these guidance principles with my own children. As Creative Minds programs have evolved with input from families, teachers and children we searched for ways to help children make responsible choices and get the most out of their day with us and their friends. Love and Logic techniques are consistent responses to the children's choices. The children can expect the appropriate positive consequence to their choices. We do not want to divert classroom struggles but take these opportunities to learn about behavior management techniques as a group and school. We have been asked on many occasions by parents how to apply techniques at home to avoid power struggles and melt downs. We believe that working hand in hand with each family on their child's growth and development is imperative to the child's social and emotional security and feeling responsible for their actions as their own person. We are excited to partner with A Learning Community to bring the Love and Logic classes to Creative Minds Learning Center schools. All of our schools will be certified in Love and Logic before the end of this year. Creative Minds will pay for all teachers classes through A Learning Community to help them achieve certification and we are encouraging all of our families to sign up for parenting classes through A Learning Community to learn tips and tricks in behavior management. Our teachers will be going to a Love and Logic class this weekend so we are excited to see this unfold at our schools. Parenting classes will be offered soon! I wish this kind of support existed when I first became a parent but I am excited that we can offer this to our CMLC families! Please check out Love and Logic's website for more information: Love and Logic

Jacqueline McKinster
CMLC founder

Karibu! Welcome!

I left my experience in Tanzania certain that it was the most beautiful place on earth, full of welcoming and joyful people. I was continuously reminded of the innate ability for human beings to feel, live, and project happiness. Happiness is what I witnessed and experienced during my time in Africa. 

One aspect of my experience that I hope to share with you involved my time in the Southern Highlands, a remote mountainous area, in a small community in the Mufindi region. In Mufindi I stayed with Jenny, Geoff, and their two beautiful redheads who run an NGO (non-governmental organization) called The Mufindi Highlands Orphans Project (MHOP). The focus of the organization is to provide shelter, sustenance, education, and medical care for orphans, other vulnerable children, and people living with HIV-AIDS within the project area (villages throughout the Mufindi region). Through education, orphanages, women’s empowerment initiatives, and HIV/AIDS support, the NGO hopes to curtail the spread of HIV-AIDS, teach life skills, and create hope and opportunities for future generations. 

I feel so fortunate to have been able to spend some time in these villages where I was able to see how volunteerism, involvement, support, and compassion can directly impact the lives of so many Tanzanians. 

If you have any questions about MHOP, ways to be involved, or are just interested in hearing more about my experience in Africa, do not hesitate to call or stop by the Sellwood School!

In Kiswahili, Asante (thank you)!


Meredith, Sellwood School Director

Please don't forget to visit us at CMLC's Annual Yard Sale this Saturday, July 28th from 10 am- 1pm at our Woodstock School. All proceeds from the Yard Sale will go directly to the Mufindi Highlands Orphans Project.

Cakes 4 a 'Cause

Last weekend CMLC held their first annual, Cakes 4 a 'Cause! This was an all-you-can-eat pancake event with t-shirts, cake pops, a raffle, and tons of fun! CMLC held this event to benefit one our own teachers who is battling Stage 4 Metastatic Cancer. 

Sellwood's Teacher Traci was originally diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2007. After months of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, Traci was a given a clean bill of health. That was until December of 2011, where she found another lump, and her fight with cancer began all over again. After many tests and doctors, Traci was diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastatic Cancer, which had spread to her lungs and sternum. 

Throughout these last few months Traci has remained positive, inspiring the staff, parents, and children around her. She truly is an inspiration! 

CMLC would like to thank the numerous families, countless volunteers, and businesses who participated in the event. Due to your kind generousity, we were able to raise $1,557 for Traci! 

Cakes 4 a 'Cause is an event that CMLC holds near and dear, and we plan to continue the tradition of holding a fundraiser each summer! Each year CMLC will put on a Cakes 

 a 'Cause to benefit a different cause, hoping to help those in need as much as we can!

Red Class Woodstock School camping update!

In Red class (pre-k) at the Woodstock School, our camping unit is in full swing! Our visitors from Yellow class (preschool) got a chance to explore our new unit last week. To go along with our camping station, we are working on making a log cabin out of a huge cardboard box and lots of toilet paper tubes. Check out the pictures to see our progress!

Camping in Red Class at Woodstock!

In Red Class over at the Woodstock School we are in full swing with the new theme "'Camping". Our pre-k kids are really enjoying our new dramatic play camping themed station. Teacher Tiffany and myself (Teacher Lisa) gathered some of our personal camping gear and combined it with some materials from the kitchen station to create an exciting new station. Some of the things in the station include flashlights, binoculars, play food, camping pots and pans, pretend campfires, a tent, camping chairs, and so much more! Check out these fun pictures of our kids' first chance to explore this station.

Parent Date Night Out (6/23/12)

Thank you so much to all of the families and businesses that participated in our Parent Date Night Out last Saturday, June 23rd! We got so much positive feedback from everyone involved and hope to host this event again soon!

Here is what our CMLC staff and children enjoyed doing while the parents spent a relaxing night out:

We ate delicious cheese pizza and garlic bread sticks from Bellagios Pizza!

We made some Crazy Dough and added Kool-Aid to make it colorful and smelly...the good kind of smelly!:)

We got messy while exploring with shaving cream!

We played with our favorite toys!

We made Lobster Art! The teachers tickeled fingers and toes while painting the kiddos' hands and feet for this project!

Thanks again to Staccato Gelato, Nectar, The Green Microgym, A Cena, Mike's Drive In, Iron Horse, and Philadelphia's Steaks and Hoagies for helping Creative Minds give our valued parents a night of fun and relaxation! We love our local businesses!