Welcome back to school, and a brand new year! We hope your family time was wonderful and you took time out to “smell the roses” and enjoy! It’s amazing that we are back to schedules and routines, and the holidays are just a memory.

January is a busy time here at school. We will be preparing for our annual Father/Child breakfast (January 26th). The kids will fix a breakfast for their Dads, so make sure the date gets put on the planner. A separate invitation will be sent out later in the month.

We will also be having a SNOW day at Brush Creek where we bring in big tubs of snow to play in. You will be seeing a lot of winter projects and we will do our best to be cozy together. If you have any old hats/scarves or mittens you’d like to donate to our dress up corners, please do so! --- Have a wonderful month.

CLOSING DATE
We will be closed Monday January 21st in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

MITTEN DAY
Everyone needs to bring their mittens or gloves on January 15 and 16 for our special Snow Day. We’ll have the chance to play in buckets of snow (shaved ice) and it’s going to be lots of fun. If you send the gloves in a zip lock bag with your child’s name on it, we can send them back home wet without a big mess!

FATHER CHILD BREAKFAST
Our annual Father/Child breakfast will be held on Saturday, January 26th. As stated above we’ll all join together for a great meal and some visiting. No need to sign up, we’ll just be expecting you. Each child is encouraged to bring their Dad, Grandpa or a special male friend.

We will serve all MWF morning class children (front and back) at 9am. All TTH morning class children (also front and back) are to attend at 9:45 am. All afternoon children are scheduled for the 10:30 shift.

If you cannot make it to your assigned shift, please feel free to come at the time that works for you.

Please bring two pieces of fruit on January 24th or 25th for a fruit salad. This way your child can participate and bring the fruit they like. PLEASE DO NOT SEND THE FRUIT WITH YOUR CHILD THE MORNING OF THE BREAKFAST!!

JANUARY BILLING
Bills are obviously getting out late this month due to Winter Break. Tuition is now due, but no late fees will be placed on accounts until the morning of January 16th. This should give everyone a little extra time to get back into the bill paying routine…..

CLASSROOM SCHEDULING
I just want to take a moment to thank the staff and all of the great parents and substitutes who have helped fill our classrooms this past fall as we had some scheduling issues. I think the classes have been enriched with all the effort everyone has put forth.

Good news to start the year: Birte has finally been given the green light for her long anticipated surgery. The insurance company saw the error of their ways, thank goodness. She has a scheduled date in the spring, which she is hoping to move up. We’ll keep everyone posted. But again, thank you to those of you who have filled in and helped us out. You’re amazing.

Employee Recognition Program — Julie MacDonald
It seems really strange for me to write this profile because I’m writing about myself, and also it’s time for me to celebrate my 30th year at Brush Creek Nursery School.

Let me tell you a bit about myself and then I’ll get back to the part about the 30th anniversary.

I was born at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. My Mom and Dad were junior high sweethearts and married right out of high school. I’m the middle daughter of three born to them at age 22.

I’m a fifth generation Sonoma County resident. My Mom’s side of the family is one of the pioneer families of Windsor (the Hembrees). My Dad was born and raised in Lake County. We are truly local yokels

I did not attend preschool (the irony is not lost on me). I did attend local schools, graduating from Montgomery High in 1977 (go Vikings!).

I’ve always been interested in working with young children. I babysat from about the age of 12 and one of the families I eventually babysat for was local pediatrician Fred Brewer. His oldest son was attending Brush Creek, and I was taking a Child Development class at SRJC. I decided to check out the school, and immediately I knew I’d like to work here. It was January, 1978. I was eighteen years old and I started out by volunteering for 6 weeks to fulfill a class requirement.

I was offered a teacher’s aide job (I guess they liked me too). Over the years I worked my way from Teacher’s Aide to Teacher to Head Teacher and finally to Program Director. Throughout the entire time my goal has been to provide the best possible start for the young children in my care.

In my personal life, I love to spend time with my two sister’s families. My two nieces and one nephew all attended Brush Creek and it was my great joy to see them benefit from all this school has to offer. I’m affectionately known as “NeeNee” in my family. I also spend a lot of time with my Mom and my 92 year old Grandpa who lives right down the street from me. My family all live in SR and we are as close as any family can be. We love to hang out together and we laugh a lot.

I enjoy traveling, and this past summer I took my first trip to Europe. We have family in Italy (Tuscany) so I traveled there as well as a few days in Paris.

I love to explore this big state of ours as well, and have stayed in 50 bed and breakfasts all over (so if you ever need a recommendation, you know who to ask….).

My sister has a second home in Sea Ranch, so on some weekends our family relaxes together there.

As I am able to, I volunteer some of my time to our community. I work with Assistance League of Sonoma County Redwood Empire Auxiliary. It’s a long title for a local agency that does great work with teen parents as well as a drug/alcohol rehab for Moms with children.

In any other spare time I may have I love to read and tend my garden. I love my SF Giants and last year I probably attended 15 home games including the big game where Barry Bonds broke the home run record. I enjoy poking around at antique auctions and I collect several things (which coincidentally collect dust at my house). I love to scrapbook, make cards and go to the movies. Those who know me well know I have a secret crush on actor Johnny Depp…only now it’s not so secret.

Okay, now to the 30 years at Brush Creek. I really cannot believe I have done ANYTHING for thirty years. The time has truly flown by. There have been some bad times for sure (like the school burning down and the support I needed when my father died too young at 51) but so many more good times. I obviously have grown as a person and as a professional in my time here. I have been lifted by Board, staff and families over the years and many of my most treasured relationships have started here. We have created something here that is truly unique and special. I’m so proud of the school that Brush Creek is, and I know it has given me so much over the years. I hope I’ve given back something as well and that I’ll be here for many years to come.