Tag Archives: Suffolk County Childcare
Au Pairs learn Safety and Back to School Tips
On Sunday, September 18th the Suffolk County Cluster of Au Pairs gathered for a fun and useful cluster meeting. Each au pair painted a heart ornament for a holiday tree we will decorate in December. The hearts represented their country or time in the USA.
The craft project gave each au pair a chance to be creative. She also had time to socialize with other au pairs. Many of the au pairs arrived during the summer months and this was their first meeting!
Beautiful ornaments will be added to the holiday tree
Then we had a few safety and back to school tips to review:
- Playground safety
- Minimizing morning madness
- The backpack – communication between school and home
- School bus stop safety
- Distracted driving
- Driving tips for all au pairs
- September is Baby Safety Month and safety was reviewed
We also went over some upcoming great activities for au pairs this fall. Then everyone enjoyed socializing while having some pumpkin pie and apple cider.
Happy 4th of July!!
The Fourth of July or Independence Day, July 4th has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941, but the tradition of Independence Day celebrations goes back to the 18th century and the American Revolution (1775-83). In June 1776, representatives of the 13 colonies then fighting in the revolutionary struggle weighed a resolution that would declare their independence from Great Britain. On July 2nd, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, and two days later its delegates adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson. From 1776 until the present day, July 4th has been celebrated as the birth of American independence, with typical festivities ranging from fireworks, parades and concerts to more casual family gatherings and barbecues.
Here are some fun facts about the food you are likely to enjoy while celebrating the 4th of July!
Although there is no fixed menu for the celebration of the Fourth, you can count on traditional favorites such as hamburgers and hot dogs, chicken, ribs, garden salads, potato salad, chips and watermelon.
- There’s a 1-in-6 chance the beef on your backyard grill came from Texas. The Lone Star State is the leader in the production of cattle and calves.
- The chicken on your barbecue grill probably came from one of the top broiler-producing states: Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama, North Carolina and Mississippi.
- The lettuce in your salad or on your hamburger probably was grown in California, which accounts for nearly three-quarters of USA lettuce production.
- Fresh tomatoes in your salad most likely came from Florida or California, which, combined, produced more than two-thirds of U.S. tomatoes. The ketchup on your hamburger or hot dog probably came from California, which accounts for 95 percent of processed tomato production.
- As to potato salad or potato chips or fries, Idaho and Washington produces about one-half of the nation’s spuds.
- For dessert, six states — California, Florida, Texas, Georgia, Arizona and Indiana — combined to produce about 80 percent of watermelons last year.
- And the apples in your apple pie? They most likely came from Washington or New York, the two top apple producing states.
And for the children, visit this link for fun coloring pages, craft ideas, puzzles and games to celebrate the 4th of July holiday
Water & Summer Safety Cluster Meeting
This Sunday, June 12th the Suffolk County Au Pair in America Cluster learned about Water & Summer Safety. The meeting was held on a deck overlooking the beautiful Long Island Sound. It was a very windy day, the water was too rough to swim, but the au pairs learned about being safe around the water from their Community Counselor, Cindy Garruba, who was a swim instructor and lifeguard.
They also learned about prevention and treatment of sunburn by how to use sunscreen and when to avoid the sun. Also covered was identifying poison ivy, preventing exposure and what to do if a rash occurs. We discussed ticks and Lyme disease. We also discussed playground safety, and basic first aid.
A former au pair, Nikoleta Todtova, from Slovakia, talked about her time as an au pair, returning home and then returning to the USA with a student visa several years later. She is currently attending a local college with a 4.0 average!
Cindy presented Alessia Agistri with a good bye gift and education completion certificate because she is finishing her 2 years as an Au Pair with APIA!
We finished the meeting with local strawberries on shortcake with cream. Everyone had time to socialize before heading home.
Happy Best Friends Day
Crepes & Taxes for March Au Pair Cluster Meeting
On Sunday, March 13 the Suffolk Cluster from Au Pair in America met at Crazy Crepe in Mt. Sinai. Everyone had a crepe and a soft drink or coffee while we reviewed how to fill out their tax returns. Au Pairs who made more than $4000 in their stipend earnings in 2015 had to pay taxes on what they earned.
We also had a raffle for wearing their APIA t-shirt, 4 au pairs won gift cards to Starbucks!
We wished Dayanna a safe return to Mexico after spending 2 years as an au pair in Hampton Bays! We all enjoyed spending time together and look forward to our next cluster activity, seeing Rock of Ages on Broadway in April!
Happy Chinese New Year
This is the Year of the Monkey, the ninth animal in the cycle. The monkey features prominently in many ancient Chinese legends. People born in the Year of the Monkey are said to be intelligent, clever, and gregarious, but also mischievous. They are skilled and smart, but shortcomings, like a quick temper and a touch of arrogance, tend to hold them back.
Have fun and enjoy the celebrations!
Suffolk County Community College and Au Pair in America
Suffolk County Community College is an important resource for the Suffolk Cluster of Au Pair in America.
On Friday evening Cindy Garruba and Kristi Halpern, two Community Counselors for Au Pair in America, attended the Suffolk County Community College ESL Graduation. SCCC has a wonderful ESL program that has a multi-level program. If a student passes all the levels, they are awarded with a certificate and an inspiring ceremony. Twice a year SCCC ESL program holds this ceremony, in January and in May. Each time, several au pairs graduate from the program.
Every au pair is required to earn 6 credits or 72 – 80 hours at the college level. Host families contribute toward their education financially and support their attendance through scheduled time off and transportation to school. One semester of ESL at SCCC satisfies this requirement and the au pairs learn so much. The school has dedicated teachers, many options for classes and three campuses in Suffolk County.
Graduating this semester were Andresa Costa, Dayanna Davilla, and Caroline Martineli dos Santos. Several of their au pair friends joined Cindy and Kristi in the audience to cheer on their fellow au pairs! Many of the au pairs are signed up to start classes this month at SCCC.
Basket Ball Game at SCCC
On Sunday, Cindy’s cluster attended a Boy’s Basketball game at SCCC on the Selden Campus. The team played LaGuardia college and everyone enjoyed cheering on Suffolk’s team. Kevin Foley, the Athletic Director of Suffolk County Community College noticed our lively group and stopped by to sit with us in the stands. At half time, he invited us into the Alumni Room and gave each au pair a SCCC Athletic T-shirt. The game was close but SCCC won and everyone was very excited. As we excited the gym, the first few snowflakes of the season were falling. Some of the au pairs had never experienced snow and that was a thrill, too.
Kevin Foley, Athletic Director of SCCC with the APIA Au Pairs
Au Pair Holiday Party 2015!
This past Sunday, December 13th the Suffolk Cluster of Au Pair in America enjoyed a holiday party at Community Counselor, Cindy Garruba’s home. There was an International Feast with dishes prepared by au pairs from all over the world. 
We played a little game and the au pairs won some prizes. A grab bag gift exchange and then Cindy played Santa and gave out gifts to each au pair!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Happy Hanukkah 2015!
Hanukkah begins at sundown this Sunday, December 6th and ends on Monday, December 14th.
Hanukkah is the Jewish Feast of Lights or Feast of Dedication. The Hebrew word Hanukkah means dedication. The holiday begins on the eve of the 25th day of the Hebrew Month of Kislev and lasts eight days. Hanukkah usually falls in the month of December, but occasionally can start in November.
The history
The books of the Maccabees tell the story of Hanukkah which occurred in 165 B.C. After three years of struggle, the Jews in Judea defeated the Syrian tyrant Antiochus. The Jewish people held festivities in the Temple of Jerusalem, and rededicated it to God. After removing all Syrian idols from the Temple, the Jews found only one small pot of oil to light their holy lamps. Miraculously, the small pot provided oil for eight days. Judas Maccabaeus, the Jewish leader, then proclaimed a festival to be observed by Jewish people.
Hannukah Traditions
The Menorah
The centerpiece of the Hanukkah celebration is the Hanukkah or menorah, a candelabra that holds nine candles. Eight candles symbolize the number of days that the Temple lantern blazed; the ninth, the shamash, is a helper candle used to light the others. Families light one candle on the first day, two on the second (and so on) after sundown during the eight days of Hanukkah, while reciting prayers and singing songs. The menorah — either store-bought or homemade and crafted of metal, wood, papier mache, or clay — is filled from right to left, but lit left to right so each new candle is lit first.
Singing Songs
Hanukkah — one of the most family-oriented of Jewish holidays — comes with its own set of carols sung around the glowing menorah. These celebrate everything from the glory of God and the ancient Temple of the Jews (“Maoz Tzur”) to the simplicity of a dreidel (see below), as in “Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel/I made it out of clay/And when it’s dry and ready/Dreidel I shall play.”
Yummy Treats
There’s nothing low-fat about Hanukkah – many of the traditional foods of the holiday are deep-fried. In honor of the oil-y miracle people celebrating Hannukah like to eat foods that are fried in oil like latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganyot (jelly-filled doughnuts) and different fried breads. Want to have a go at making something? There are lots of recipes for yummy treats here: http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/454611/jewish/Chanukah-Recipes.htm
Spinning Tops
It’s customary to play with dreidels (spinning tops) during the holiday, even wage gambling games in which players guess which side of the top will fall face up. Legend has it that during the Greek-Syrian dictatorship in Israel of yore, Jews got around the ban on reading the Torah by bringing spinning tops to study sessions so their oppressors would think they were just playing around. The Hebrew characters carved into the four sides of today’s dreidels are the first letters of “Ness Gadol Haya Po/Sham,” which roughly translates to “Great Miracle Happened Here/There” (depending on whether you’re in Israel or not).
For fun and educational activities for children go to http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/hanukkah/
Directions to play the Dreidel game (Play for Hershey kisses, a great way to have fun with the kids): http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/hanukkah/dreidel-game.html
A very Happy Hanukkah to all!