McPhereson Community Center Activities

Lots of fun classes and activities for adults and children going on at the Community Center!


Community Center site:
http://www.51fss.com/community.htm

Calendar of Events:
http://www.51fss.com/images/cc_cal.pdf

Town Hall Meeting

Good Afternoon,

-The 51st Fighter Wing Commander will be conducting a Town Hall Meeting for

all Osan Air base Residents to discuss any and all issues affecting them and

their families. Special emphasis will be for parents of children in the

Osan DoDEA schools.



- Purpose: Provide Osan residents with vital information on what is

Happening on the base that will affect them and their families, a forum for

their questions and concerns, plus a special visit by the DoDDS

Superintendent for Korea on the academic programs for the new school year.



- Date/Time: Wed, 25 Aug / Start 1800 hrs, Finish 1900 hrs

- Location: Base Theater

- AAFES will delay start of movie, The Expendables, until 2000 hrs

- Seating capacity 600+








//SIGNED//

JOE P. BUFFINGTON, MSgt, USAF

First Sergeant, 51st Operations Group

DSN 784-6794; Comm 031-661-6794

Parent Advisory Board Quarterly Meeting

Parent Advisory Board Quarterly Meeting

Tues., Aug 24 at 10:00
Where:  Youth Center

Topics include: Upcoming events at the CDC, SAP, Youth Center, Youth Sports and Teen Center; Current status of the Part Day Enrichment Program; and more.  There is a seating area that will have a movie playing for kids if needed.  Ouestions?  Email: eswoodley@yahoo.com

Osan American Elementary school info 2010

For those of you who haven't seen it yet, here is the (elementary school) supply list for this year :
Grades PreK thru 5th


-Pens and Pencils
-Rubber eraser
-Colored pencils
-Glue (sticks, bottled)
-Pocket folders
-Highlighters
-Book bag or backpack
-Spiral notebooks
-Plastic supply box
-Notebook dividers
-Bound composition book
-Gym shoes
-Notebook (3 ring binder)
-Paints (watercolor)
-Colored markers
-1 box Tissue
-Paper - loose leaf
-Child's rounded scissors
-Crayons
-Bath towel
-Paint shirt
-Planners *


* Student planners may be purchased using appropriated funds with the Superintendent's authorization.  Authorization may be granted only when their use is essentially equivalent to a consumable textbook and are used as an instructional resource in a regularly scheduled course or program conducted and monitored under the guidance of a member of the school faculty. 

Calendar:

Tues, August 17- New Parent/student Orientation @ 1300 in Cafeteria
Wed, August 25 - Reporting date for non administrative educator personnel for orientation and classroom prep
Fri, August 27 - Meet & Greet 1330-1430

Mon, August 30 - First day of School (1st - 5th)

Tues, Sept 7 - Kindergarten first day!
Mon, Sept 13 - Open House @ 1700-1800
Thurs, Sept 16 - Sure Start first day!

For the Love of our Children

I recently read an interesting book called The Five Love Languages of Children by Ross Campbell and Gary Chapman (a refocused version of Chapman’s The Five Love Languages which was targeted to adults.) This book was fascinating because it gets at the heart of what we always say with confusion about raising our children….”they are so different!” It shouldn't be a great surprise then that different children have different emotional needs, including how they need to feel love.

The authors develop the idea that because each person has unique needs it is important for us to identify how that person best receives our love. When we are responsible for the self-esteem and emotional growth of our children, it can’t hurt to think more about this issue.

Campbell and Chapman identify the five love languages and discuss how they relate to children:

1. Physical touch

2. Words of affirmation

3. Quality time

4. Gifts

5. Acts of service

I think we would all unequivocally say that we love our children with all our hearts, but what I didn’t spend a lot of time considering is the way I demonstrate my love for my children. I give lots of positive affirmation, hugs and a kiss, and time, because that is what is important to me and I thought that is what they would like. But I never stopped to think that these things may not be the most important thing to them.

For example, for the longest time, I was complaining that my son was just so DEMANDING! Why couldn’t he wait for anything? It was so frustrating because I never felt I could finish anything without interruption and I was feeling like his own personal hand maid. What was worse is that if I didn’t tend to the request quickly, the intensity of the request would mount and also additional requests were added to my “to do” list.

After reading about the love languages, it occurred to me that perhaps his love language was acts of service in which someone feels the most love when he/she is shown love through actions such as providing meals, offering a drink, making the bed. I thought this was a little wacky, so I gave it a little test and was quickly surprised by the results.

For 24-hours, I made the decision to respond to each request without waiting. Verbally acknowledge each request and not ask him to wait (which is what I would usually do). I would even offer preemptive acts of service by asking in advance if he would like a drink, a snack, or some other act of service, such as making sure he had his favorite “lovey” toy.

Interestingly enough, the requests instantly started to diminish and he seemed happier. Stress was reduced and he began acting lovingly towards me with hugs and other acts of love. It was so satisfying for both of us. The rewards were immense.

While all demonstrations of love are important there appears to be a primary or preferred language that meets the emotional needs of each person. We can learn a lot from learning about which methods appeal most to each of our children. What an easy way to nurture their spirits and to help us be more effective parents.

There are many versions of the Five Love Languages concepts such as for teenagers, for men, for couples, for singles, etc. For further resource information: http://www.fivelovelanguages.com/

Helen, guest blogger

Services for 0-3 Year Olds

EDIS (Educational Developmental Intervention Services) ~ our primary focus is on early childhood. We do work with kids 3 and older; however, at that time we collaborate with the school. From birth to three, we are kind of the "one stop shop." Any questions or concerns a parent may have regarding development, growth, behavior, toys to buy, sleeping, toileting, etc. EDIS is the place to call.

If parents are concerned with developmental delays, EDIS will do a screening, which briefly looks at the 5 areas of development (social/emotional, adaptive, cognitive, motor, and language) to see how the child compares to other children their age.

If the child appears to be low in one or more area or if the parent would like a complete developmental evaluation that can be done as well. In order to qualify for on-going EDIS services (e.g., speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, etc.), a full zevaluation needs to be completed. However, an evaluation does not need to be completed in order for a parent to ask questions.

Beginning in Jan., EDIS is going to implement "Well Baby Clinics," which will be an opportunity for parents to meet with an EDIS professional to discuss any questions or concerns they may have. They will be once a month at the clinic on base (Osan). I will give you more information on that as it becomes available.

In order to contact EDIS, parents do NOT need a referral from their pediatrician. They can contact at any time for any questions or concerns they may have. For contact information, e-mail coordinator@osanparentnetwork.com.

Elizabeth Schnobrich, Psy.D., ECSE - Licensed Psychologist, EDIS, Seoul, Korea