HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM ARLINGTON AND FALLS CHURCH
AU PAIR IN AMERICA CLUSTERS
AND
BEST WISHES FOR 2014!
Yearly Archives: 2013
A Holiday must-see!
Au Pair In America is going to the Warner Theater today!
Septime Webre’s The Nutcracker transports you back in time to historic Washington with George Washington as the heroic Nutcracker. Glorious music, swirling snowflakes, magnificent sets and costumes have made this Nutcracker a DC tradition with raves from critics and sold-out crowds.
BLACK FRIDAY 2013
From Wikipedia:
Black Friday is the Friday following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, often regarded as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. In recent years, most major retailers have opened extremely early and offered promotional sales to kick off the holiday shopping season, similar to Boxing Day sales in many Commonwealth Nations. Black Friday is not a federal holiday, but California and some other states observe “The Day After Thanksgiving” as a holiday for state government employees, sometimes in lieu of another federal holiday such as Columbus Day Many non-retail employees and schools have both Thanksgiving and the day after off, followed by a weekend, thereby increasing the number of potential shoppers. It has routinely been the busiest shopping day of the year since 2005, although news reports, which at that time were inaccurate, have described it as the busiest shopping day of the year for a much longer period of time.
The day’s name originated in Philadelphia, where it originally was used to describe the heavy and disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic which would occur on the day after Thanksgiving. Use of the term started before 1961 and began to see broader use outside Philadelphia around 1975. Later an alternative explanation was made: that retailers traditionally operated at a financial loss from January through November, and “Black Friday” indicates the point at which retailers begin to turn a profit, or “in the black”. For large retail chains like Walmart, their net income is positive starting from January 1, and Black Friday can boost their year to date net profit from $14 billion to $19 billion.
For many years, it was common for retailers to open at 6:00 a.m., but in the late 2000s many had crept to 5:00 or even 4:00. This was taken to a new extreme in 2011, when several retailers (including Target, Kohl’s, Macy’s, Best Buy, and Bealls) opened at midnight for the first time In 2012, Walmart and several other retailers announced that they would open most of their stores at 8:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day (except in states where opening on Thanksgiving is prohibited due to blue laws, such as Massachusetts where they still opened around midnight), prompting calls for a walkout among some workers. Black Friday shopping is known for attracting aggressive crowds, with annual reports of assaults, shootings, and throngs of people trampling on other shoppers in an attempt to get the best deal on a product before supplies run out
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL
Thanksgiving, a uniquely American holiday, dates back to the first European settlers in North America.
After much hardship, illness and hard work, the Pilgrims were finally able to celebrate a successful harvest which they shared with their Native American friends who had helped them through their difficult beginning in America.
Today this day is set aside to feast and to give thanks-something we can all share, as we too celebrate our cross-cultural friendships.
Here are some activities you can do with the children to celebrate Thanksgiving. Click here to find crafts, coloring sheets, spelling worksheets, math puzzles, nametags and more:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/thanksgiving/
http://www.parenting.com/gallery/thanksgiving-crafts-ideas
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mikespohr/23-clever-crafts-to-keep-the-kids-busy-on-thanksgiving
AU PAIR WEBINARS
Lookout for the Au Pair Webinar Postcards coming your way…
Throughout this past week we have been sending out postcards to all of our au pairs. This postcard feature information about the webinars we are now offering our au pairs on a regular basis. These webinars are organized and hosted by our Orientation Trainers. Please encourage your au pairs to participate in these helpful and informative online sessions! For topics, times and details, visit the au pair webinar site at www.aupairinamerica.com/apwebinars
AU PAIR IN AMERICA WILL BE THERE.HOW ABOUT YOU?
Au pairs will be there to entertain your kids,so please join us for a fun morning at Bluemont Park:
Kinhaven School 5K & Fun Run
Sunday, November 24, at 9:00 AM
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This Week is International Education Week
This week, November 11-15, marks the 14th annual International Education Week (IEW) – an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. This joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education is part of the U.S. Government’s effort to promote programs in the United States and overseas that prepare Americans for a global environment and that attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the United States.
The IEW Website
The IEW 2013 website includes promotional materials, suggestions and resources for activities to hold during the week and beyond, information on a free virtual college fair, and opportunities to post and view planned events celebrating international educational exchanges around the world.
Be Inspired and take a moment to watch this video clip!
IEW promotional video “International Education is for Everyone” shares video messages from both Secretary Kerry and Secretary Duncan, will also be featured on the site!
We encourage the participation of all people and institutions interested in international education — schools, colleges and universities, embassies, international organizations, businesses, associations, and community organizations. Please be sure to visit the IEW site and submit your events.
The latest Open Doors report reaffirms the United States as the destination of preference for international students and cites international student enrollments in U.S. higher education institutions are at the highest levels ever with 819,644 international students studying in the United States during the 2012-2013 academic year (Open Doors 2013). U.S. students who study abroad are choosing increasingly diverse locations overseas; 283,332 U.S. students studied abroad for academic credit during academic year 2011-2012 (Open Doors 2013).
Help IEW with their goal of reaching 15,000 fans before the end of IEW by liking the Facebook page today! You may also follow Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Ms. Evan Ryan on Twitter (@ECA_AS) and use hashtag #IEW2013 to join the discussion and receive updates on IEW.***
If you have questions or comments regarding IEW, contact feedback@state.gov or through our Facebook page.
Thank you for your support of International Education Week!
Regards,
The IEW Team
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International Education Week
Twitter: use #IEW2013
http://www.iew.state.gov
http://www.facebook.com/InternationalEdWeek
http://www.facebook.com/InternationalEducationWeek
Au Pairs from around the world will be participating this month in International Education Week!
IEW is an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. A joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education, the week is designed to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn and exchange experiences in the United States. Au Pair in America prides itself on advancing this mission with its’ unique cultural experience and is proud to participate in this very special week.
The community counselors for Au Pair In America in Arlington and Falls Church will kick off this event by hosting an International Pre-Thanksgiving Potluck for their au pairs. These potlucks are always a nice way to share traditions and cultures with one another.
Next, au pairs will be organizing a county wide food drive for AFAC ( Arlington Food Assistance Center) as well as a county wide shoe drive for the non-profit organization Art For Humanity.This will expose them to the idea of volunteerism and community outreach (If you are interested in donating items for the food drive or the shoe drive,please contact Dominique Ortiz at dominiqueortiz@gmail.com.)
They will also attend a presentation by the Georgetown University Academic Advisor for the Continuing Studies English,Ellen Hunt,and learn more about class opportunities available to them.
And last, a few au pairs volunteers will help out on November 24th at the Kinhaven 5K Race and Fun Run held at Bluemont Park (http://www.runkinhaven.com)
If you are interested in participating in International Education Week and would like your children to experience the world without leaving town,we also have a wonderful program in place called Global Awareness. This program is designed to foster a greater knowledge of diversity and bring multi-cultural understanding into the schools.
To set up a classroom visit during International Education Week
Please contact Community Counselors Kristina Jarosova (kristina.apia@gmail.com) or Dominique Ortiz (dominiqueaupair@gmail.com).
To learn more about International Education Week, visit http://iew.state.gov/.
HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS
Halloween is celebrated around the United States on October 31st.This is a fun time to dress up in costumes, go trick-or-treating, attend parties, and eat yummy treats.
Before heading out with your host children this year,please read the following tips offered by the CDC( Center for Disease Control and Prevention):
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Swords, knives, and similar costume accessories should be short, soft, and flexible. |
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Avoid trick-or-treating alone. Walk in groups or with a trusted adult. |
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Fasten reflective tape to costumes and bags to help drivers see you. |
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Examine all treats for choking hazards and tampering before eating them. Limit the amount of treats you eat. |
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Hold a flashlight while trick-or-treating to help you see and others see you. Always WALK and don’t run from house to house. |
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Always test make-up in a small area first. Remove it before bedtime to prevent possible skin and eye irritation. |
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Look both ways before crossing the street. Use established crosswalks wherever possible. |
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Lower your risk for serious eye injury by not wearing decorative contact lenses. |
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Only walk on sidewalks whenever possible, or on the far edge of the road facing traffic to stay safe. |
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Wear well-fitting masks, costumes, and shoes to avoid blocked vision, trips, and falls. |
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Eat only factory-wrapped treats. Avoid eating homemade treats made by strangers. |
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Enter homes only if you’re with a trusted adult. Only visit well-lit houses. Don’t stop at dark houses. Never accept rides from strangers. |
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Never walk near lit candles or luminaries. Be sure to wear flame-resistant costumes. |