At the beginning of the month, Wall Street Journal reporter/blogger, John J. Edwards, and his family began their search with APIA for an au pair. The story has a very happy ending…here’s the link to the rest of the story:
Au Pair Search: We’ve Found the One!
The process is moving forward: We’ve made a match with a young woman from South Africa, who’ll be join… |
On January 29th many members of our cluster and some friends got together at the Royal Palace Restaurant to enjoy their amazing buffet. There were so many choices and it seemed that most in attendance wanted to taste everything. Some actually managed to do that!
Between lots of good food and ongoing conversation, it was a most delightful afternoon. See for yourself – here’s the link to more photos:http://s791.photobucket.com/albums/yy197/MS-APIA/2012%20January%20Indian%20Buffet%20Luncheon/
On 21 December several Au Pair in America’s Westchester clusters gathered for an amazing dessert buffet to celebrate the holiday season. The delicious diversity of international creations was a testament to the culinary skills of the au pairs who prepared their favorite treats to share. Everyone ate too much because there were simply too many temptations and so many interesting new desserts to taste!
Here’s the link to photos from this evening: http://s791.photobucket.com/albums/yy197/MS-APIA/Gala%20Holiday%20Dessert%20Party%20-%202011/?albumview=slideshow
Chanukah is a Jewish celebration, also known as the Festival of
Lights. Chanukah starts at sundown today and lasts for eight days. It is
traditional to exchange gifts or gelt (Yiddish for money) in the form
of real coins or chocolate wrapped in gold foil, to play a game of put-and-take
with a four sided top called a dreidel, and to light candles each
night.
This year’s Thanksgiving dinner was amazing. Au Pair in America counsleors provided the turkeys, that were skillfully carved by Jim Hamlin, and lots of apple cider. Au Pairs, who were asked to bring side dishes and desserts, outdid themselves with a wonderful array of treats from around the world. We all ate well, some discovered new foods, and everyone agreed that it was a most enjoyable evening.
Here’s the link to the 2011 International Thanksgiving Photo Album: http://s791.photobucket.com/albums/yy197/MS-APIA/2011%20International%20Thanksgiving%20Dinner/?albumview=slideshow
Au pairs are required to complete six (6) semester hours of academic credit or the equivalent during the year. EduCare Companions must complete twice the requirement (12 hours), and Year2 au pairs are expected to take an additional three (3) credits for a six-month extension or six (6) credits for a 9- or 12-month extension. Your counselor can advise you of local educational opportunities. You can also review education options for your state on the Au Pair in America website at http://aupairinamerica.com/state/index.asp and there are links to local colleges in the column to the right under Education Options.
Don’t use the internet to vent. Remember anything you post on Facebook or other social networking sites can be seem by millions of people. Don’t be fooled into thinking that a post in your native language won’t be understood! If you are having a bad day, call your counselor and she can help you find a solution.
Many of you have been here for several months, don’t; let yourself get into a routine of not doing your best. Take initiative – don’t wait to be asked, anticipate children’s needs, offer to help when you are sharing “family time.”
Host families are required to provide transportation, to and from classes, complete your educational requirement, even if the $500 education allowance has already been spent and you are paying for classes to meet the au par requirement.
These costs may include one or all of the following: gasoline for the car, parking fees, or public transportation fare. The cost of transportation is in addition to the $500/$1000 allocated for tuition.
Stickers or stars are put on a piece of paper to show behavioral improvements. This is called a behavior chart. It works well with chronic problems –such completing chores and homework or for starting routines. Once a goal of quantity of stickers has been set, a reward is given. The reward should not be food or toys; it should be more time doing a favorite activity, such as going to the park.
You should only focus on improving one behavior using the chart method at a time. It takes a lot of work and consistency to maintain an effective chart, so if you don’t know enough about charting, research it before you start.
