Misc

The latest issue of Intersections, Carleton’s email newsletter for the Northfield community, is out now. You can read the issue online or subscribe to the newsletter via the College's Community Connections website.

Stories in the February 2012 issue:

• Chronicle of Higher Education: "In an Old School Building, Carleton College and Its Community Enjoy New Lessons"
• Carleton Joins St. Olaf, NDDC in College-Community Collaborative Plan
• Getting to Know: Sameena Ahmed '12, ACT Volunteer
• Video Feature: Tour of Perlman Teaching Museum, Sneak Preview of Winter Term Exhibits
• Carleton Announces Formation of Center for Community and Civic Engagement
• Carleton, St. Olaf Make Annual Donation to City of Northfield

Read the full newsletter online.

Survey and Raffle!

Answer questions about diversity, immigration and what it means to be a citizen for the chance to win one of the two $50 Target gift certificates. Survey closes on at 5 PM on March 31, 2012. The survey takes between 5 and 10 minutes to complete.

This is not a political survey: we gather information only for academic purposes. The survey is anonymous. The information you provide for the raffle is kept separate from your answers and is not handled by those who conduct the survey.

To view the survey, click here: http://tinyurl.com/nfld2012

If you have any questions or need help with filling out the survey, please contact Anna Moltchanova by phone (507) 222 7163 or e-mail amoltcha@carleton.edu.

Four teenagers who organized a benefit concert for a family who lost their home in a fire are the December 2011/January 2012 recipients of the Healthy Community Initiative’s  “Making a Difference” Award.  The award celebrates those groups and individuals in the community who have a positive influence on Northfield youth.

Within hours of learning of the Thanksgiving Eve fire that destroyed the home of the Haslett-Marroquin family, ARTech students Gabby Frenstad and Olivia Upham and Northfield High School students Jasmine Barksdale and Jon Fried rallied support for the family through a Facebook page and organized a concert and bake sale.  Their efforts have raised more than $6,500.

"What is Your Legacy?" will be the theme of the annual meeting of Women in Northfield Giving Support (WINGS) to be held Saturday, Jan. 28, at the Weitz Center for Creativity at Carleton College. The event will run from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and is open to the public.

The Northfield Healthy Community Initiative (HCI) Board recently approved mini-grants to support five projects and activities designed to benefit Northfield youth.  Funded applicants included:

•The Northfield High School for the 10th Grade Career Fair.  The high school will host a career fair for all 10th grade students, giving them an opportunity to explore career interests and make connections with adult community members.  At the career fair, community members will speak to students about their careers and answer any questions that the students may have.  Juniors and seniors from the high school will be involved with the planning and implementation of the career fair.  The event follows a “Career Opportunities” lesson taught in all 10th grade classrooms.

"A fresh start", "time to get organized", "my cupboards are a disaster".  Have you used any of these phrases lately?  Why not begin the new year with a fresh look for your medicine cabinet by properly disposing of unneeded and expired medication?  Disposing of medications in an environmentally safe way is easy for Rice County residents.  Getting rid of unneeded or expired medicines helps keep them away from people who might abuse them.

The Take It to The Box program opened on September 22, 2009, with disposal boxes located in the lobbies of the Northfield and Faribault Police Departments.  Since that time, the program has collected and safely disposed of 5,670 pounds of medication!

Recently, the Mayor’s Youth Council (MYC) successfully applied to have Northfield named as one of the “100 Best Communities for Young People.“  As a result, the MYC received funding to support efforts in the community to encourage high school graduation.

With this funding, the MYC is making grants available to groups to help promote graduation and increase our local graduation rates.

A total of $2,000 is available for Northfield projects.  The application is designed to be short and easy to complete.  It can be found HERE.

Applications are due by Friday, January 27, 2012.

Questions?  Call 664-3524 or email nfldmayorsyouthcouncil@gmail.com

Well, not really! According to a study from the Minnesota Department of Education, almost 50 percent of children in Minnesota are not fully prepared for kindergarten. Additionally, research indicates that investments in high-quality early education yield a high public return in terms of lower educational costs, crime rates, and social service expenses, and the highest returns come from investments in at-risk children.2 If we do not create an early childhood care and education system that supports these children in the early years, the state will face more costly expenditures on these same individuals when they are adults.  And Northfield is no different!

The Northfield Early Childhood Initiative Coalition will be hosting a dinner meeting to provide a time for networking with child care providers, and early childhood staff and district K through 3 teachers to ensure that all Northfield children are school ready.

Get ready. Get set. Get going to register for winter session classes that start next week at the Northfield Area Family YMCA!

A variety of preschool and youth sports programs kick off the week of Jan. 9 at the Northfield National Guard Armory, 519 Division St.

Among the classes offered during the January winter session—which runs from Jan. 9 to Feb. 10—are new courses Biddy Sports, Music Exploration and Art and Pee Wee Sports, as well as basketball, floor hockey, boxing, Messy Play/Afternoon Gym Time.

The registration deadline for the Drum Making and Group Drumming class being offered by Laura Baker Services and the Northfield Area Family YMCA is Jan. 6.In Drum Making and Group Drumming, participants will build their own drums and engage in group drumming experiences.The five-week class—open to people of all ages and abilities—starts at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, and will be conducted at Laura Baker Service’s Millis Dining Hall, 211 Oak St., Northfield.

Jennifer Pelletier, a music therapist at Laura Baker Services who has experiences working with people of all ages and abilities, will lead the hour-long class. She will be assisted by Laura Baker volunteers and YMCA staff.

Each week, participants will work on drums they will design themselves and take home on the final day of class, which is Feb. 25.  Participants will also have a chance to work with others in group drumming exercises.

Cost of the class is $55, which covers drum-making materials and instruction.

In a cooperative initiative, the Northfield Healthy Community Initiative (HCI), with financial support from WINGS (Women In Northfield Giving Support), agreed to fund six mini-grants to aid service projects developed by students at Northfield High School.  All students are enrolled in Sarah Swan-McDonald’s Service Learning Class, which concludes its semester with group service projects designed by the students.

Bullying prevention was a major theme that the students wanted to address with this year’s projects.  Funded projects included:

The Northfield Healthy Community Initiative (HCI) has released its 2010-11 Mini-Grants Report.  The document highlights results from the over 70 projects that HCI helped to support through its mini-grants program during 2010-11.  For a copy of the report, click HERE.

Funded HCI mini-grant projects:

• allow Northfield young people to develop positive intergenerational relationships with caring adults and/or
• connect Northfield youth with their communities (ex. neighborhood, school, greater Northfield)

A record number of projects — nearly 70% — were designed and/or implemented by youth themselves.

The holidays are coming up, and with them, another long break from school.  This is a great opportunity for youth to relax and spend time with friends and family.  As adults in the community, we want to accommodate our children and their friends with fun and safe activities.  Unfortunately, school breaks can also be a time when underage drinking parties occur more frequently.  According to national surveys conducted by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), more than 53% of youth ages 12-20 who drank in the past month did so in someone else's home, and more than 30% drank in their own home.

Come to the library meeting room to play games of all sorts with Library Pages and other kids! Wii, board games, Reindeer Bingo and more!  First Steps play area will be available for the littlest reindeer and elves.

Dec. 27, 28, 29 & 30. 10 am to 1 pm. Northfield Public Library 210 Washington St.

645-1804 www.northfieldmn.info

No charge. Bring a new game for us to try if you'd like!

The Northfield Area Family YMCA’s popular School’s Out Days program will be in session during Winter Break next week. All-day sessions of School’s Out Days are planned for Monday, Dec. 26, through Friday, Dec. 30, at the Northfield National Guard Armory, 519 Division St.

Parents can register their children for one day or all five days. The program is open to children in kindergarten through third grade and runs from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Each day, participants will take part in games, crafts, sports and other fun activities in the morning, then head out for a field trip in the afternoon.

Cost for the program is $25 per day for YMCA members, $30 for non-members. That includes the field trip, admission, two snacks a day and all program supplies.