CALENDAR OF EVENTS*

2/2     Child Safety Workshop
2/3     CPRC Playgroup: Librarian @ Community Center
2/8     Potluck Dinner: at Tammie Nelson-Stringer's house; see Article.
2/10    Special Playgroup Activity: Valentine Crafts
2/14    Valentine Snacks at Playgroup
2/24    CPRC Playgroup: J.P. Hoyer
3/3     CPRC Playgroup: Librarian @ Community Center
3/6     CPRC Planning Meeting, 7:30, Community Center
3/22    Scrapbooking Workshop Fundraiser, at CUMC; see Article
3/24    CPRC Playgroup: J.P. Hoyer
4/7     CPRC Playgroup: Librarian @ Community Center
4/25    CPRC Playgroup: J.P. Hoyer
Playgroups are every Monday and Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Gast Park.  If below 60 degrees or rainy, then meet at the Cheverly Community Center.  If the Community Center is closed due to a holiday, the indoor playgroup will not be held.  Locations:
   Gast Park:  Corner of Inwood and Parkway.
   Cheverly Community Center: 6401 Forest Rd.
   J.P.Hoyer,: Bellview Ave.(near 7-11)

Letter From the Coordinator
We have a number of informative and fun events planned for February and March; a Child Safety Workshop, a potluck dinner, a scrapbooking event, and a number of fun activity days at playgroup.  Please see the rest of the newsletter for more details!

We will not be selling items at the spring flea market as a fundraiser, because no one volunteered to lead that effort. Instead, we are very excited about a scrapbooking workshop fundraiser; see the article for more details.
Check out the "How You Can Help" column and please consider helping out with one of the items in that list.  Or get even more involved and contact us to find out about the "coordinator" positions that will be open in September 2003.  We'd like to get the transition settled ASAP.

CPRC is a great organization and I have had a lot of fun being involved.  I started working on the membership database when Ann Marie was three months old, and she's now 6 1/2!  I have also worked on the web page, as treasurer, as playgroup coordinator, and for the past two years as CPRC coordinator.  It has been extremely rewarding and I have made so many wonderful friends through the years.  I am going to stay involved in CPRC, but will be stepping away from any leadership positions; it's now time for me to start attending PTA meetings!  Please consider taking over as CPRC Coordinator.  I highly recommend the position and would love to talk to anyone who is wants to learn more about what is involved!

We also will need a new Newsline Editor.  This is Jenn's second year as editor (she has done a great job!) and she is also ready to step down.  We would love for someone to step forward now and be involved in the April and June editions of Newsline.  The first one that you'd be responsible for would be the September edition.  If you have questions or want to volunteer, please contact Jenn or myself.

We will be transitioning the Welcome Basket Coordinator; many thanks to Melanie Hartwig-Davis who has done the job for 1 1/2 years, and thanks go also to Laurel Suor who is taking over from Melanie, and to Sue McElroy who has volunteered to be next in line for the position. We will be transitioning the Playgroup Coordinator job as well; thank you Donna Brown for the work you have done this year to ensure that playgroups are fun and well attended!
And of course many thanks to those who will be continuing in their positions:  Tanya Marshall as Webmaster, Randy Zuwallack as Database Coordinator, and Lisa Lincoln and Julie James as Co-Treasurers.

Our next planning meeting is on Thursday, March 6, 7:30 at the community center.  Please come help us plan CPRC's spring events!

Until Then,
Tammie Nelson-Stringer
Coordinator@cheverlyparent.org
(301) 386.3782

How You Can Help

* Help with the child safety workshop, February 2nd  Contact Lisa Lincoln at lisa.lincoln@verizon.net or 301-773-4844.
* Help with the scrapbooking party on March 22.  Contact Tammie Nelson-Stringer at coordinator@cheverlyparent.org or 301-386-3782.
* Become our new Newsline Editor.  Contact Jenn Allegro at editor@cheverlyparent.org or 301-322-4952.
* Become our new CPRC Coordinator!  Contact Tammie Nelson-Stringer at coordinator@cheverlyparent.org or 301-386-3782.
* Our next planning meeting will be Thursday, March 6 at 7:30 pm in the Cheverly Community Center.  The meetings are always fun, and we get a lot accomplished, generating new ideas and planning for existing events.  Come join us !

Thank You to Cheverly United Methodist Church
The Cheverly United Methodist Church (CUMC) has been a great supporter of CPRC's efforts.  They deserve a big CPRC thank you because they have allowed us to use rooms at the church, at no charge, for many CPRC events over the years.  They have been especially generous this year; we used the large hall plus two babysitting rooms for the School Information Workshop, and plan to use the large hall, a babysitting room, and two classrooms for the Child Safety Workshop.
Thank You, CUMC!

A Good Recipe for Hot Soup
Read the story Stone Soup to your child then you may want to make the following:
Stone Soup
Pour two quarts chicken or beef broth into a large pot and have your child put in a round, smooth stone that has been scrubbed clean and boiled,  Add chopped carrots, celery, potatoes, onions, zucchini and tomatoes.  Bring to a BOIL.  Then cover and simmer for about an hour.  Add seasoning to taste and ENJOY !

Playgroup News
We have started a new centralized distribution list for playgroup.  We will use this list to remind folks about the location of each playgroup, and will also occasionally use it to distribute information about child-centered events of interest.  If you wish to be added to the list, please email playgroup@cheverlyparent.org.  If you do not have access to email and would like to stay informed, please give call Donna Brown at 301-773-5036.

Playgroups have been very fun and well-attended.  We have had craft days; the kids really enjoyed creating hats and making playdoh creations (and getting messy :)).  We had a very fun and well-attended holiday potluck lunch party complete with Santa!  Jo Deutsch gave a very convincing and loveable rendition of Santa, and the kids also enjoyed Santa's elf, played by Matt Williams.  The following week we had a very fun cookie decorating day.

We have two special playgroups coming up to celebrate Valentine's Day, as well as our scheduled visits from a librarian, and days at the Parent Resource Room at JP Hoyer.   We meet every Monday and Friday, from 10:30 - 12:30.  During the winter we almost always meet at the community center (watch the calendar for Hoyer days); on warmer sunny days we meet at Gast Park.  Don't miss out; come join us soon!

COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Thank you to all whom contributed to our food drive in December. For our first community outreach event (at least recently), we did a great job. I proudly delivered two large bags of donated food items to the St. Ambrose food bank, which will distribute the items to those in our community who are in need. I also learned that the food bank receives more requests for assistance in the summer, when children who receive free and reduced breakfast and lunch at school are home all day on summer break. This sounds like a great opportunity for CPRC to do another round of collection late in the spring. More details to come.

At this time, our next project is in the planning stages. Some good ideas surfaced at our meeting in January but we are always open to hearing your ideas. Please feel free to contact me at (301) 559-3254 to share your thoughts. Look for details about our next project in the next Newsline. We look forward to everyone's participation.

MICHAEL'S - MUCH MORE THAN JUST A STORE By Cindy Popol

For craft enthusiasts, Michael's craft store is a sort of utopia. One can spend hours weaving through aisle upon aisle of flowers and frames, paints and posters, beads and buttons, stickers, stamps, stationary and so much more. Yes, you can visit Michael's just to pick-up a few necessary supplies. But beware, the "quick trip" there inevitably costs more time (and money) than you intend.

I was delighted to learn recently that Michael's also provides a wealth of craft education through a busy schedule of "how-to" classes for all ages. I wanted to learn more so I contacted Judy, the event coordinator at the Bowie Michael's. She told me that nearly every Saturday morning, there is a craft class for kids from 10:00 to 12:00. Though these events are advertised for ages 5-12, Judy welcomes children under five if they are with an adult and also invites teens to participate. In-person pre-registration is required and a $2 fee covers all supplies and instruction. Also every Saturday, Michael's offers a free craft demonstration and 4-5 times per year, there are free family events. But there is even more. Michael's offers various 2 hour craft classes for adults and children for a fee of $15 and special summer classes for kids taught by craft experts.

Each Michael's provides monthly calendars of all their events, as schedules and class offerings may vary from store to store. In the front of each store is a wall display with samples of the actual craft projects to be completed in upcoming classes. The following are the Michael's stores in our area. Feel free to contact Judy at the Bowie store with questions about upcoming events.

4501 Mitchellville Road in Bowie
(301) 809-1806

7665 Arundel Mills Blvd., Hanover
(410) 796 2472

13850 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring
(301) 603-8001

1509 Rockville Pike, Rockville
(301) 881-8100

Child Safety Workshop for Kids and Parents

CPRC is holding a 2 hour Child Safety Workshop on Sunday, February 2, 2003 from 2-4pm at CUMC.  We will be presenting a program for 3-7 year olds about bike helmets, car seats, stranger safety, gun safety, and poison prevention.  Children's activities will include stories, puppets, games and arts & crafts as well as a visit with a police officer.  There will be a parent breakout session to talk with the police officer and also a discussion with an injury prevention specialist about the greatest risks to kids and interventions to keep kids safe.  We will have babysitting available for children under 3.  Parents who only have children under three and are interested in just the parent's portion of the workshop are welcome to attend (2:30-3:30) and utilize the babysitting.  If you did not receive an evite and would like to attend, please contact, Lisa Lincoln at lisa.lincoln@verizon.net or 301-773-4844.

CPRC Potluck
Saturday February 8th, 6pm - ???
The kitchen has been reconstructed!  The soot was washed away!  The painting is done!  The cabinets are installed!  The boxes are unpacked!  Can you tell I'm excited?

So now it's time to host a potluck dinner!  Come to our house, 5714 Forest Road, on Saturday February 8th, from 6:00 -whenever.  Please RSVP to Tammie Nelson-Stringer by Feb 6 via E-vite, email: tammienelson@comcast.net or phone: 301-386-3782

2003 TOT SOCCER SEASON

The winter indoor soccer season is upon us!  The Cheverly Soccer Club offers the Tot-Soccer Program for 3-5 year olds on Wednesdays from 5-6pm at the Cheverly Community Center.  The cost is $35 for the season, which last for six weeks, (includes ball and shirt)  For more information contact: Andy Lincoln (301)773-4844 or at Andrew.Lincoln@verizon.net

Scrapbooking Party Fundraiser
Saturday March 22, from 7pm to 12pm.
By Tammie Nelson-Stringer
As our winter fundraiser, CPRC will hold a scrapbooking party.  This will be a lot of fun, and we hope to raise a good amount of money for CPRC.  In addition, we will raise some money to give to the Cheverly United Methodist Church (CUMC) as a thank you for the use of their space.

Admission to the event will be $15.  $5 of your ticket will go to CUMC, and $10 of your ticket will go to CPRC.  For your $15, you will get a nice work area for doing your scrapbooking, free of kids, phones, housework, and other distractions!  There will be a table with paper cutters, circle and oval cutters, border cutters, etc. that you can use.  There will be snacks and beverages.  Each person will win a door prize.  In addition, we hope to have some items to raffle off, so bring a few dollars to buy raffle tickets.

So what is "scrapbooking"?  It's just a trendy word for putting photos in your photo albums.  Come join us, whatever state your photo albums are in.  If you aren't even organized enough to have an album, you can still come with boxes of photos that need to be organized!  It's a lot of fun to work on photo albums together with friends, and you may be surprised at how much you accomplish.

I will send an e-vite to track RSVPs.  Or you can call 301-386-3782.  We will have a limited number of spaces, so get your reservation in early!

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS

Anna Lovejoy and  Andy Czjawoski welcomed lil'Eleanor Lovejoy Czjawoski at the end of Dec. just in time for tax season.

The CPRC welcomes all of these little ones and wishes a good night's rest to their parents!!  In the future please send all baby announcements to Laurel Suor at welcome@cheverlyparent.org

Parent to Parent Bookclub
The next meeting of the Parent-to-Parent Book club will be February 6 at Judith P. Hoyer.  This club  focuses on books about parenting issues for all ages.  The February book is Awakening Your Child's Natural Genius by Thomas Armstrong .  The meetings are help at 7:30 pm. in the Parent Resource Room at J.P. Hoyer.  For more info. Contact Jean Caswell, JHCASWELL@AOL.COM

Creative Memories "Beginner's Class" By Tammie Nelson-Stringer

To kick off my new business venture, I will be hosting a Creative Memories "Beginner's Class" at my house on Sunday February 9 from 2pm - 4pm.  I'll talk about the way I do my photo albums, show you what I have done, and walk you through creation of a page.  You bring the photos to create a page, and I provide the supplies.  You'll also get a small packet of supplies to take home!  The cost is $10.  It costs me $7 in supplies, and I will donate the remaining $3 per attendee to CPRC.  I will also donate 10% of my profit from anything I sell at this class to CPRC.  If you are interested in the Beginner's Class, please give me a call or send me an email.  301-386-3782; tammienelson@comcast.net

Capital Hill Arts Workshop

Are you tired of going to the large, impersonal and always crowded movie theatres with your kids in tow?  Well, there's another option!!  There is a program on Capitol Hill called The Capital Hill Arts Workshop, which offers Films On the Hill..  All films are 16mm, tickets are only $5 and they sell popcorn and candy at very reasonable prices.  They typically show a cartoon before and then a classic movie.  The last one we saw was the 1942 film, Gentleman Jim starring Errol Flynn as the colorful boxing character James Corbett.    The cartoon preceding it was a 1938 Porky and Daffy clip.  For more information, credits, and lots of pictures see their website: http://www.filmsonthehill.com, which also has some background information on the historical events and people.  The Workshop is located at 545 7th Street, SE 202.547.6839.

Lacrosse Clinics Offered!!

The Prince George's Lacrosse Club (PGLC) is offering FREE  clinics for boys ages 8 to 15 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. February 2nd at the University Park town field also from 2 to 3:30 p.m. February 16th at Hamilton Field in Hyattsville and from 2 to 3:30 p.m. February 23rd at Greenbelt Middle School.  No lacrosse experience is necessary and equipment will be provided.  For more information, visit the PGLC Web site at www.pglacrosse.com

Belfast Children's Summer Program
The Belfast Children's Summer Program is a great exchange student program started in 1982.  They are a volunteer organization working to promote peace in Northern Ireland.  They bring ten-year old children from Northern Ireland to the metropolitan Washington DC area so they may experience living in a prejudice-free environment.  It's a great experience for them and for your own kids, it teaches them the value of reaching out to others.  If you would like more information check out www.belfastchildren.org  or to talk to a previous  host family contact Jennifer Allegro 301.322.4952.

Understanding Changes and Challenges in the Preteen Years

Adolescence can be a challenging time.  At this stage, children cope with physical changes, peer pressure, and the stress of academic or social expectations placed on them by parents, teachers, and other adults in their lives.

To make the successful transition from adolescence to adulthood, children need to develop self-reliance.  As a parent you can help by understanding healthy adolescent development and knowing where to turn for help if it is needed.

Here are some signs that your child might need help:
 

•      Large amounts of time spent alone;isolation from family and friends.
•      Sudden changes in academic performances.
•      Drastic mood swings or behavioral changes.
•      Changes in your child's peer group.
•      Lack of interest in hobbies and activities.

These signs do not always mean your child is in trouble.  Open the lines of communication by talking in a nonconfrontational manner about the changes you notice and express your interest in helping.

If you see signs of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, or drastic changes in sleep patterns, study habits, or grades - pay attention.  For help, talk with your child's teacher, guidance counselor or doctor.

Winter Swimming
There are some great Swim Clubs offered at the Prince George's Community College Bickford Natatorium. If your child has swam in at least one summer season of competitive swimming check them out.  There are The P.G. Kings with Beth Sellars or The Bayly Swim Club with Patti Bayly.  Both are a great way to keep in shape for next season.
 
 

The Cheverly Parent Resource Center is collecting dues for September 2002 through August 2003. These dues will help us continue our regular activities such as the twice-weekly playgroups, educational seminars, and new initiatives. To continue receiving Newsline and to support CPRC's efforts to make Cheverly a great place for children, please send your $10.00 check made payable to CPRC using the CPRC Membership Form. If you're not sure if your paid up or not, check your label on the newsletter.  The last two digits reflect the last year you paid your dues.  XX means we have no record of payment.

Tammie Nelson-Stringer, Coordinator, (301) 386-3782, coordinator@cheverlyparent.org

Lisa Lincoln, Treasurer, (301) 773-1642, treasurer@cheverlyparent.org

Donna Brown, Playgroup Coordinator, 301-773-5036, playgroup@cheverlyparent.org

Tanya Marshall, Web Page Coordinator, (301) 772-4025, webmaster@cheverlyparent.org

Randy Zuwallack, Membership Database Coordinator, (301) 772-4025, database@cheverlyparent.org

Laurel Suor, Welcome Coordinator, (301) 386-5387, welcome@cheverlyparent.org

Jennifer Allegro, Newsline Editor, (301) 322-4952, editor@cheverlyparent.org