Friday, March 21, 2014

Join the 2014-2015 WTG Board- positions filling now.

As you may know, Woodinville Toddler Group is governed by an elected Board of Directors consisting of parents enrolled in the program.   The success of our program depends on great leaders.  And I am pleased to announce that Woodinville Toddler Group Board recruitment for 2014-2015 has begun!  

Would you like to be a part of the leadership for the WTG community next year? 

Read here about what some of this year's board members have to say about their experience

Here is an brief description of each board position.  Board members are eligible to receive a tuition scholarship.   There are several ways you can learn more about being on the board:  Positions that are already filled have been noted.

  • President:  Position Filled-  Carly D.: The President is in charge of providing general leadership and overall supervision for WTG.  Primary responsibilities include coordinating monthly board meetings, overseeing other board positions and serving as liaison between WTG and NUCC.     
  • Safety and Operations CoordinatorPosition Filled-   Judi C.  Newly Revised Position!   is responsible for the safety and maintenance of WTG, acting as a liaison with NUCC as needed. 
  • Treasurer:  Position Filled-  Jennifer L. is responsible for managing the long term financial needs of WTG.  Key responsibilities include managing yearly budget planning, preparing monthly budget statements and overseeing tuition revisions as needed.
  • WebmasterPosition Filled-  Stepanka R. is responsible for organizing and updating the WTG website on a regular basis.
  • Secretary: Position Filled-  Jenny G.  shall keep the minutes of the meetings of the members and of the Board of Directors, see that all notices are duly given in accordance with the provisions of the bylaws, be custodian of the corporate records, and in general perform all the duties incident to the office of Secretary.
  • Registrar: Position Filled-  Kara C.: VP/Registrar is responsible for registering for current year and coordinating registration for the following school year.   Additional responsibilities include directing inquiries for WTG.
  • Marketing Coordinator:  Position Filled-  Keri P.  The Marketing Coordinator creates the marketing plan to retain current families, re-enroll WTG Alumni, and attract families from the greater Woodinville area.  The Coordinator is also responsible for advertising WTG events and activities.
  • Class Coordinator: serve as a liaison between the parents, instructors, and WTG Board.  Key responsibilities include weekly communication to class families, facilitating parental involvement, and fostering a positive cooperative experience.
    • Monday 10:45AM-  Position Filled-  Mingie H.
    • Tuesday 9:15AM- Position Filled-  Jen W.
    • Tuesday 11:15AM- Open
    • Wednesday 9:15AM-  Position Filled- Kristen W 
    • Wednesday 11:15AM   Position Filled-  Sara B.
    • Thursday 9:15AM   Position Filled-  April M.
    • Thursday11:15AM   Position Filled-  Wendy S.
    • Friday 10:15AM   Position Filled-  Julie L.
    • Class Coordinator positions for classes not listed are still open
  • Fundraising Coordinator:  Position Filled-  Kayla R. responsible for directing and implementing the WTG fundraising efforts in accordance with the Fundraising Mission Statement.



·        Email your teacher or our board President wtgpresident@gmail.com  to learn more  or express interest.

In addition to the board positions, WTG also has several other Support Team positions that are eligible for scholarships that do not require board meeting attendance, but are vital to the smooth running of our program including Monday Set-up, Thursday Put-Away, Friday Put-Away, Monthly Toy Cleaners, Admin/Purchaser and Librarian.  For more information and scholarship amounts for the Support Positions contact Tina tinkerb1@frontier.com or Susanne susannewtg@gmail.com

At WTG we are committed to enriching parenting skills, providing a rich curriculum, playing, learning, and exploring, and building a community of support.  We invite you to join us in serving in one of these positions.


Considering being on the 2014-2015 Board?


Listen to what this year’s board members shared about their experience.

“It can give you work experience, help you meet like-minded parents, and it’s an opportunity to improve/hone certain skills you’d like to use.”  Resa, Class Coordinator  

“I volunteered to be on the board to help and to feel closer to the community.”  Darcy, Registrar

 “I wanted a scheduled event that got me out of the house childless.  I also wanted to use part of my brain that doesn’t get exercised as a SAHM.  I enjoyed completing my tasks and responsibilities and feeling a sense of accomplishment”  Krista, Secretary

 “Serving on the board is great because you get to play a key role in WTG- which benefits your kid! Furthermore, it is a great personal growth opportunity for you!  I love interacting with parents (and teachers) that aren’t in my class.  It’s great showing up to a WTG event and being able to facilitate parents from other classes meeting each other.”  Sonja, Class Coordinator

“I earned my bachelor’s degree when I was pregnant with my daughter, so serving on the board was an opportunity to use what I learned.  Also being a part of the board is an experience I can use on my resume.  Finally, I wanted to give back to Woodinville Toddler Group since they are about serving the community, parents, and our children.”  Brenda, Treasurer

 I'm volunteering as a class coordinator because I was so impressed with WTG during the 2012-2013 school year. We had an absolutely awesome class, and I know our class coordinator had a lot to do with that. Volunteering as a class coordinator gives me the opportunity to put my professional skills to use in a program that means a lot to my family. It's a great blend of both of my worlds”  Hillary, Class Coordinator

“It’s a great opportunity to dust off skills that you maybe haven’t utilized since leaving the working world.  It was refreshing to collaborate with other adults to work on projects and complete.  It felt great to be needed outside the home :).”  Lisa, Webmaster

“I truly enjoyed meeting the other parent board members-  they are all such great people” Resa, Class Coordinator

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Take a look at what has been going on in our youngest class, The Wobblers! (At the bottom there is a little more information about the Woodinville Toddler Group in general, so be sure to read all the way through.)
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We've been having a good (and "spooky") time in our Wobblers class!

We made some special "ghost footprints" for Halloween.  It was a fun art project and a great keepsake to remember how small your child once was!  We put some special non-toxic paint on their feet and had them step on paper--and what do you know--their footprints can look similar to little ghosts!

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And we also had a blast dressing up for Halloween.  Everyone looked fantastic! (And adorable, may I add!)
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Happy Halloween from the Wobblers!

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Please keep reading for some other important messages about the Woodinville Toddler Group.

This weekend, Saturday, November 9, from 10am-3pm at WTG, we are having an AMAZING Craft and Rummage Sale (as well as a great Bake Sale) to support WTG. This is a great opportunity to start your holiday shopping early and get special, unique gifts for all the people on your list. You can help support WTG by: shopping at the Craft Sale, donating items and buying from the Rummage Sale, baking and buying from the Bake Sale, and offering to help out if you have some time on Friday or Saturday. Anyway you can help is beneficial to WTG. Come and shop! We can't wait to see you!
If you have any questions about the sale, or you want to help, please contact me, Elizabeth Brunswick, at: wtgmarketing@gmail.com

Dates to keep in mind for the next two months:
      • November
  • Thursday, November 7, from 7:00pm - 8:30pm - Melissa Benaroya is speaking about "Fostering Empathy in Children" at Lake Washington Institute of Technology in the West Building, Room 404
  • Saturday, November 9, from 10am-3pm - Craft and Rummage Sale (as well as a Bake Sale) at 18900 168th Avenue NE, Woodinville, 98072 (otherwise known as Woodinville Toddler Group)
  • Thursday, November 14, from 6:30pm-8:30pm - Book Group with Tina at Barnes and Noble in Woodinville
  • Monday, November 25- Friday, November 29 - No Classes for Thanksgiving Break - Have a very happy Thanksgiving!
      • December
  • Monday, December 2 - Friday, December 6 - Winter Tuition is due
  • Monday, December 2, from 6:00pm-6:30pm and from 7:00pm - 7:30pm - Casper Babypants is performing at WTG - You don't want to miss this fun event!
  • Monday, December 23 - Friday, January 3, 2014 - No Classes for Winter Break
      • January
  • Thursday, January 9, from 7:00pm - 8:30pm - Preschool Information Night at the Lake Washington Institute of Technology in the East Building

Friday, October 18, 2013



We have all been enjoying the Woodinville Toddler Group so far this year. There are so many new things to learn, and we are all enjoying exploring alongside our classmates and fellow parents. The teachers, Susanne and Tina, are so wonderful in all they teach, and their patience with everyone is outstanding. Every class has a class coordinator who tirelessly works to make sure that the class is informed of the activities happening throughout the week, the class is organized, and all the parents are aware of the parent education topics and evening events. Not only are the class coordinators amazing at keeping the rest of us on track, but they are also dedicated, involved parents in our classes. Here are some of the things our class coordinators are saying about the Woodinville Toddler Group:
“The first few weeks of WTG have been busy and fun! Mia has grown so much from last year and this is her favorite place to be. She loves bringing home art from school to hang up on the art wall alongside her brothers' stuff!” – Shelley, Thursday AM Class Coordinator
"I really appreciate that this program offers children a routine--especially since I find it difficult to stick to routines at home, and I know how beneficial they are to children.  Also, even though many aspects of the class offer children regularity, the class environment (toys, activities, etc.) is always new each week!  This is also fantastic because it keeps things fun for tots and parents alike." – Resa, Wednesday PM Class Coordinator
“It's the first day of Woodinville Toddler Group, and as I pull into the parking lot, I wonder how Sebastian will react to returning to class after having the summer off. After we enter the building and we see Tina and the familiar hallway, he's off, running through the gate to play and explore. Turns out, I wasn't the only one who missed Toddler Group.” – Florence, Wednesday AM Class Coordinator
“We are loving toddler group this year!  Circle time, the sand table, and outdoor play are just a few of my daughter's favorite activities.  We look forward to our Mondays at toddler group and my daughter is excited to get in the car when I say it's time to go to school.” – Carly, Monday AM Class Coordinator
“Nearly every day my two and a half year old twins ask, ‘We go to school today?’ They love and look forward to coming to toddler group every week!  Some of their favorite things to do are playing in the sand table and riding on the toys in the hallway (the tractor is a favorite!).  But I think the most favored [avtivity], because they talk about it the most at home, is circle time. They love all of the fun songs and games that Teacher Tina does.  I have learned so much and grown as a parent through the Parent Ed!  It gives me more confidence in my parenting and the values our family has developed.” – Mary Ann, Friday AM Class Coordinator
“It's been so fun to watch my almost two-year old recognize that we are at school, interact with his friends, sit through the snack, and engage in circle time. None of this would have happened at this time last year in the Wobblers class. What a difference a year makes!” – Christi, Thursday PM Class Coordinator
“Luke is enjoying class so far. It's been fun watching him play with his friends from class last year and also form new relationships with new faces. I've enjoyed watching the changes in his development from the end of school last year to the start of school now.” – Sonja, Tuesday PM Class Coordinator

In addition to all the wonderful things that the class coordinators are saying about the classes, we would like to share some other exciting news and reminders with you. We have been working very hard through the beginning of the year on a number of fun, easy ways to do fundraising to benefit the Woodinville Toddler Group. Our first two sales of the year, Chinook Books and WTG shirts, have been very successful. Other ways that we can raise money for WTG will come up throughout the year. Also in October, if you, a family member, or friends work for Microsoft, remember that October is Microsoft’s Giving Campaign. Many of the companies in this area are wonderfully generous and will match donations that you make to non-profit organizations. Woodinville Toddler Group is one such organization. Microsoft, for instance, will match donations made throughout the year, but in October they work especially hard to give to wonderful causes and non-profit organizations, as well as encourage their employees to make donations both of money and their own time. If you or your family members work for such a company, please make sure to fill out any paperwork following donations made, so that WTG can benefit twice from the same donation. This is one easy way to bring in some extra funds.
Our next big WTG fundraiser is coming up in just three weeks. We have a Craft and Rummage Sale inside WTG/ Northshore United Church of Christ on Saturday, November9, from 10am-3pm. Two really easy ways to support WTG’s Craft and Rummage Sale are by donating items to the rummage portion of the sale and by coming and shopping at the sale for wonderful, special, unique items. We will have a number of crafters/ vendors selling items such as: Thirty-One (purses and bags), crocheted hats, hair bows and clips, books (Usborne and an author in person), sewn items, pottery, jewelry, greeting cards, doTerra (essential oils), polished rocks, accessories for moms and babies, and paintings. With the holidays just around the corner, this is a perfect event to bring your family to and a great way to spend a Saturday. If there is anyone who wants to help (or any last minute vendors), please contact me at: wtgmarketing@gmail.com.
Another really easy way that WTG can make some extra money with very little effort put forth by you is by shopping on Amazon. On the Woodinville Toddler Group website (WTG link), at the bottom of the homepage, you will find a link to Amazon. Each time you shop at Amazon, please go to Amazon by clicking on the WTG’s link. (Starting from this link will not affect any previous account settings.) A percentage of each sale goes to WTG if the shopper starts from the link on our homepage. The more that is purchased using the WTG Amazon link, a higher percentage of funds will go towards the Woodinville Toddler Group.
A final easy way to help WTG is to share your great experiences at the Woodinville Toddler Group with your friends or families who may want to join in the future. Remember that currently, our only class that has space is our Wobblers Class, which meets on Wednesdays from 11:15am-1:15pm. This class is for children currently aged 9-18 months. We would love to have people come for a FREE trial Wobblers Class to see how amazing our program is, and hopefully to join our WTG community. Please encourage anyone you know who may fit in our Wobblers class to take advantage of this wonderful offer. Keep spreading the word about WTG!
We hope that you are enjoying the Woodinville Toddler Group as much our class coordinators and their children. Thank you for all your support and help in raising money for WTG, it goes to such great things for everyone.
Here are some of our upcoming events, please read your emails for more information about them:
·         Thursday, November 7, from 7pm – 8:30pm, Melissa Benaroya is speaking about Fostering Empathy at the Lake Washington Institute of Technology
·         Saturday, November 9, from 10am - 3pm – Craft and Rummage Sale at WTG, please donate items and come shop for great gifts (for yourself or others)
·         Thursday, November 14, from 6:30pm – 8:30pm, Book Group with Tina at the Barnes and Noble
·         Monday – Friday, November 25 – 29 – WTG is closed for Thanksgiving Break
·         Monday, December 2, from 6pm-6:30pm and again from 7pm-7:30pm, Casper Babypants is performing at WTG for WTG families only!
·         Monday – Friday, December 2 – 6, Winter Tuition is due

Thursday, September 12, 2013



We are so excited that the beginning of the Woodinville Toddler Group school year is in just a few days! At this point hopefully most everyone has attended your respective Orientation Nights, so you have a good idea of all the fantastic things that are in store for us. Though much of this may be repeated from Orientation Night, we know that you were given a great deal of information to process, so hopefully you can take a little more time to read and learn about some of the things to look forward to for throughout the year. This post will focus mainly on some of the great FUNdraising efforts that we have going on at the beginning of the school year.
The first thing that you can keep in mind is you can buy and/or sell Chinook Books. The book of fantastic coupons can be purchased for $20, the same as you would buy for it at any store. Another option that is available is you can buy and/ or sell the mobile application for $15, to use on your Android or I-Phone, which gives you many of the same coupons and some limited time offers that are unavailable in the book version. Even better, you can buy and/or sell the combined package of the Chinook Book and the mobile application for $30. If you do that, you get twice the number of coupons, plus some special limited time deals. For each item or combined group of items that is sold from the Woodinville Toddler Group, half or the money goes directly into the Woodinville Toddler Group’s FUNdraising efforts.  We have until Friday, October 4, to buy and/or sell the Chinook Books and Chinook Mobile Apps. This is not a requirement by any means, but it is an easy and useful way to spend and ultimately save money. If you know of anyone who is interested in buying a Chinook Book, please help steer them towards buying from the Woodinville Toddler Group, instead of at their local market. Thank you for your help and support in this wonderful effort!
Another great and useful way to spend a few extra dollars is to buy a Woodinville Toddler Group shirt. Here is our advertisement for the shirts:
Show your school spirit!
WTG logo wear available for order now!

This year's selections features a long list of choice in colors, style and size...the only hard part will be picking out what you want!  Besides the fact that your kiddo will love wearing the super-cute train logo, it's also a great way to protect clothing from all those messy paint and art projects at school.  Check out the T-shirt information board on display in class for colors and pricing.

Supporting WTG has never been easier…Don't miss out, be sure you to place your orders at the next class! 

Although Toddler shirts are true to size, they are 100% cotton, but NOT preshrunk…you may want to adjust for potential shrinkage. It is recommended you order one size larger than the size your child currently wears.

Completed orders & checks can be dropped off at the sign-in table at school. 
Orders due by Friday, 10/18

These shirts are such a wonderful way to again spend a little money, but to save a good deal of money in the long run. The number of outfits that you can save by knowing that this one shirt is your child’s Woodinville Toddler Group shirt for all the fun art projects, makes it well worthwhile. Please consider buying one for your child if you are so inclined, and maybe even buy one for yourself!

These two beginning of the year FUNdraising activities are beneficial to you, saving you money, and making some money for the Woodinville Toddler Group at the same time!

Finally, we would like to remind you of all the great ways to keep in touch with all of the incredible things going on with the Woodinville Toddler Group.
·         Check your email for weekly updates from your class coordinator. Make sure to read the whole email, so that you are aware of all necessary information.
·         Our website is updated often, so make sure to check in regularly.
·         If you haven’t already, please like our Facebook Page. There will be frequent updates as to events, including family fun activities, parent education nights, and other fundraising opportunities.
·         Our Pintrest board is a great place to find toddler appropriate games, activities, recipes, articles, and so many more helpful and fun ideas for your toddlers.

Thanks so much for joining our wonderful Woodinville Toddler Group community!

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Hello Woodinville Toddler Group Friends! Welcome to our WTG blog, we hope that you can use this page to keep up with all the wonderful activities and events associated with Woodinville Toddler Group. We will be updating this blog frequently throughout the year, so if you are unsure of any information, please feel free to check the blog, the WTG website, or our Facebook Page. Thank you for your participation in the Woodinville Toddler Group!

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Rummage and Craft Sale at Woodinville Toddler Group

Come join us Saturday May 18th from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
for the Woodinville Toddler Group
 
Rummage and Craft Sale
 
 
 
Time to clean out your closets and garage!  You can donate your items to be sold (WTG keeps the profits and you get a tax receipt for deductions) OR you can sell your own items and donate 10% (or more!) of your proceeds to WTG.  It's a win win!
 
You can start bringing your items to your class starting Monday May 13th.  In addition items may be dropped off the evening before the event from 6 - 9 p.m. or the event day between 6 - 9 a.m.  All child, parent, and household goods can be sold, so again clean out those closets, garages, bookshelves, etc.  Give some meaning to your spring cleaning!

If you know of any vendors who would like to sell their wares it is $25 to attend, $30 if they need a table.  We are asking vendors to either donate 10% of their proceeds or donate one item for sale at our WTG table.  Please have them email Stacey at staceyvande@gmail.comWe have several great vendors signed up who will be selling their fabulous handmade goods!!!!

Last but not least we NEED VOLUNTEERS to help set up and work the sale, hopefully a few parents from each class.  Please email your class coordinator to volunteer.  We ask everyone to help by sharing the event via email (family, friends, co-workers, any and all contacts) and social media so we get a good turnout.  You WILL ALSO WANT to stop by to shop to find some great deals and support WTG in the process.

Can't wait to see everyone there!