Back 1 hour
When local daylight time is about to reach
Sunday, November 6, 2016, 2:00:00 AM clocks are turned backward 1 hour to
Sunday, November 6, 2016, 1:00:00 AM local standard time instead
Sunrise and sunset will be about 1 hour earlier on Nov 6, 2016 than the day before. There will be more light in the morning.
Also called Fall Back and Winter Time.
More info:
USA & Canada: DST Ends on Nov 6, 2016
With a well-rounded summer vacation ending, parents spend a lot of time getting their kids ready for school. New school supplies, haircuts, and special end-of-summer outings all play into the back-to-school routine. There are some other things that parents can do for themselves and their kids to ensure a smooth transition into the school year, too. Take a look below at few ways to get this year off to a great start in your house.
Set up a bedtime and wake-up routine in advance. If possible, it’s best to establish bedtimes and wake-up times two weeks in advance of the start of school. By the time the first school bell rings, kids will already be on the right sleeping schedule and it will be one less worry for your family.
Get to know new teachers. There will be open houses, orientations, and other meet-and-greet options at the beginning of the school year, but none will give you the chance to spend some quality time getting to know your kids’ teachers. Try to find a few minutes before or after school to connect one-on-one with the teachers. At the very least, send an introductory email that includes how you can help during the school year, however big or small.
Plan healthy lunches and snacks. The better you plan out the meals in your home, the healthier choices you will make for your kids. When you pack protein-rich snacks and lunches, balanced with fruits, vegetables, and other wholesome items, you ensure that your children will have the energy and brainpower to make it through their school days.
Organize clothing. Of course you will need to donate or otherwise get rid of the clothing that your kids have outgrown, but you should also take the time to carefully organize what is left. From there, decide what items you may need more of before school begins.
Set up a staging area. Find a central spot to store everything related to school, including backpacks, upcoming outfits, and a dry erase calendar with family schedules. Try to keep this area free of clutter and other non-school items so that you can find what you need, when you need it—and quickly. Have the kids help you stock it with school-related items and keep it clean and functional. Find some inspiration here.
Update medical records. Most schools will let you know if your shot records are out of date, but why not go beyond that? Make sure teachers and administrators have a complete list of any medical concerns regarding your kids, including allergies. You will also want to be sure that all emergency contacts are up to date.
Talk to your kids about bullying. Research shows that one in three kids experience bullying at some point in their school career—and in the increasingly digital world, the consequences can be extreme. Make sure your kids understand the right way to treat their peers, and when to speak up if they see someone else being bullied. Also make sure they know when to come to you if they feel they are being bullied.
Ask your kids about their concerns. The start of school is exciting, but can also bring some anxiety—especially when it comes to the unknown. Take a few minutes to ask your kids what they are most looking forward to during the school year, and what things may be worrying them. By giving them a forum to express their concerns, you can help them work through any worries in advance of school starting and clear up any issues that could lead to a bumpy start to the year.
CHEER ON YOUR HOME COUNTRY AT THE OPENING CEREMONY
AUGUST 5, 2016
Wawa Welcome America July 4th Concert
Date: July 4, 2016; 5-10 p.m.
Location: 20th Street to Eakins Oval
The Wawa Welcome America July 4th Concert goes retro with a family-friendly, only-in-Philadelphia lineup of talent. Among the performers during the free five-hour concert: two homegrown celebs — Leslie Odom, Jr., Hamilton star, and Yazz (Bryshere Gray) from TV’s smash hit Empire. The O’Jays, Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes and other hit makers will lead a tribute to the musical team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, creators of The Sound of Philadelphia. The Philly POPS will round out the evening
More on the Wawa Welcome America July 4th Concert
Wawa Welcome America July 4th Grand Finale Fireworks
Date: July 4, 2016; 10 p.m.
Location: Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Benjamin Franklin Parkway at Eakins Oval
Showcasing patriotism and important moments in our nation’s history, the Wawa Welcome America July 4th Fireworks will take revelers on a 240-year journey from July 4, 1776 to July 4, 2016. Accompanied by a powerful soundtrack that combines rousing musical works and powerful quotes, this fireworks display will light up the skies over the iconic Philadelphia Museum of Art for the grandest of grand finales.
More on the July 4th Grand Finale Fireworks
Read more: http://www.visitphilly.com/articles/philadelphia/fourth-of-july-in-philadelphia-wawa-welcome-america/#sm.0001pl3x3g9vpep4qji2714mk737m
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Sticking Around?
You’ve been here for a while now, – you know your way around town, you’ve gone to school, made friends, and are having a great American experience. And then . . . the question:
Would you like to extend?
If you have time for it in your life, and you meet the requirements, the extension program might be the right option for you.
The basics: You can choose to extend for 6, 9, or 12 months, and you may choose to extend with your current host family (if they are interested, of course), or with a new family – some au pairs dream of seeing another part of the country, finding different education options, or just experiencing another American family.
Some Frequent Questions
MEDICAL INSURANCE:
Your medical policy expires for the first year, and you start your new policy during the year you extend.
For example:
-If your first year began February 2013, your insurance policy is the 2013 policy until Feb 2014.
-If you start your extension in February 2014, you start the 2014 policy in February. (be aware of the changes in the policy look on the blog for the brochure).
Your insurance card expires after one year, so you should receive a printable card when you start your extension year. If you do not receive it call the agency for a new card.
If you purchased the upgrade insurance in your first year, you must purchase it again in the second year.
If you purchased the sports insurance in your first year, it lasts only 12 months from the time you bought it. Depending on when you bought it, you will probably need to purchase it again.
EDUCATION
If you extend for 9 or 12 months you must earn 6 credits again or 72 hours of education to complete the program requirements.
If you extend for 6 months you only need 3 credits or 36 hours of education.
DRIVERS LICENSE
Check on the expiration of your driver’s license, you must renew it before it expires (DO NOT LET YOUR LICENSE EXPIRE). Most likely you will need to renew it before you start your extension year. Check with your new host family for laws in your new destination state.
VACATION
Vacation for a 6 month extension is 6 days.
Vacation for a 9 and 12 month is 2 weeks.
TRAVEL
Check on the expiration date of your visa. If it expires before your second year starts then you should not travel outside of the USA – there is a risk of not being able to return (Canada, and Mexico and contiguous islands are okay to travel to). With the exception that if you return home during your first year after your approval for extension, you can get your visa renewed for another year. You must ask the agency (contact Evelyn Blum) for the paperwork required for this renewal.
Here’s a fun activity and safe too
Make your own playdough
HAVE FUN WITH YOUR HOST KIDS!!
Mar 13, 2016, 2:00 AM
Start DST: Sunday, March 13, 2016
1 hour forward
End DST: Sunday, November 6, 2016
1 hour backward
When kids are stuck inside all day due to inclement weather, parents and au pairs will find a little creativity and preparation go a long way to prevent boredom. Whether it’s cold and blustery or raining and miserable, the following ideas for winter activities for children might inspire you:
Baking – the fun project that’s its own delicious reward! Baking together is an opportunity to learn about weights and measures and explore new foods. It involves math and science, culture and fun! If you have a stocked pantry or at least keep staples on hand, baking is a great way to keep children entertained. Deciding what to make can be a game in itself! With multiple children or family members involved, everyone can write their idea on a piece of paper and draw the winning recipe from a mixing bowl. You can even make homemade playdough which gives you something to look forward to later.
Arts and crafts – it’s a good idea to have items on hand: Origami paper, coloring books, sketchpads, colored pencils, paint brushes, etc., but recycled items make great crafts projects too. Try turning your egg carton into a caterpillar or paper napkins and tissue paper from old gifts into flowers. You can go online to sites like Pinterest to find projects to suit the age and interests of your children.
Imagination – pretend you are famous painters and create your own works of art! Read a book together or write a story together. You can illustrate your story after for children who enjoy this sort of thing. If you or your child has an interest in music, compose an original song, have a sing along, or learn to play something together. You can write it down or improvise as you go.
It’s easy to add an extra educational piece to these activities. Select a famous artist, musician, or author and do a little research project together to create a short bio. For example, if your child loves the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, you can pick any one of their Renaissance namesakes and share a few details about the time period, artistic style and famous works of the artist. Next draw anything related to the topics you discussed – even turtles!
Build forts! Reading or playing inside your own personal fortress is always a good time and a good chance to help children learn to enjoy peace and quiet.
Get moving – up for an adventure? Turn your house into outer space looking for aliens and avoiding stray asteroids! Want more of a challenge? Boom! The floor is lava and you have to navigate without touching it. Blast your favorite music and have an impromptu dance party. Show off your best moves. Maybe your child is in dance class and she can teach a class to show all she’s learning. Maybe an au pair has a dance background or a trendy or cultural dance to share from her home country. Anything loud and rowdy will help everyone avoid the doldrums from being cooped up in the house and provide great transitions into quieter activities once the kids burn off some energy.
A fantastic game for kids of all ages is the lights out dance party. The rules are simple; someone is “it” and controls the light switch. When the lights are off, everyone dances around whoops it up. When the lights switch on, you must stay still like a statue and silent. If the person that’s “it” doesn’t see anyone move, the lights go off and everyone dances again. This continues until someone is caught moving and must switch places with the person that was “it.” This game gets kids moving. You could easily turn music on and off instead of flicking a light switch – or combine the two!
After a few hours of play and activities, the kids may want to snuggle in with a cup of cocoa, watch a movie together or read stories quietly. I know it’s a struggle to limit kids “screen time” these days, but on a day when the weather has it in for outdoor fun, a couple episodes of a favorite show or a good movie can be so satisfying.
In our area it will be cold most of the winter and there could be snow, any time from now through March. If you have not already bought a coat, hat, gloves and boots, you will wish that you had.
It does snow in Philadelphia and the host parents do expect that you will be outside rolling in the white stuff with the kids. Because we don’t get as much snow as the Alps — we freak out a little here when it does snow. School will be canceled for only one inch of snow. The girls from Germany and Austria will laugh. The kids get soooo excited by this event they will want to stay outside and use every inch of snow in the yard to build a snowman.
There are a lot of great sales going on, look for coats and cold weather accessories. Some cheap options are: Ross, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Burlington Coat Factory, WalMart and Kohl’s.An even more affordable option would be to go to a thrift shop. There are many in the area and you can often find a very warm jacket for a small price compared to buying one new.
Dress in Layers – Consider buying sweaters, lightweight jackets and long underwear. If you wear several layers, you can take off things to be comfortable. For example when it might be too warm for a heavy jacket, but too cold for just a sweater, you can combine different pieces of clothing.
Set a Good Example – it is the expectation of most host parents that you set the example for your kids and you wear a coat when it is cold outside. You should have a winter coat, hats, gloves, boots and scarves. Your kids will fight wearing a coat if you don’t wear one. Think of yourself as a celebrity and everyone wants to look like you — especially your kids.
Check the “Emergency Change of Clothes” – With young children, we often keep an emergency change of clothes in the car, diaper bag or at their school. If you haven’t already switched out the shorts and t-shirt for something warmer, this would be a good idea.
Get yourself some warm winter clothes now. Prepare for the snow!
