Featuring Cathy Holt… Do you ever struggle to get your kids to cooperate without resorting to blame, judgments, and criticism? Do you ever use rewards or withdrawal of privileges to get compliance? If so, you’re not alone! In fact, such methods of managing kids are considered “normal,” even though we would not talk this way to an adult. The result: we may get compliance in the short term, only to find that our children are more distant, occa-sionally defiant and rebellious, and not becoming the caring, courteous, connected people we hope for. Why is it so hard? Most of our parents said things like: “Because I said so!” “Don’t be a baby!” or “Stop that or I’ll give you something to cry about!” How often did we, as children, hear acknowledgment of our feelings and needs? “Are you sad because you wanted to be in-cluded?” “Are you having fun and don’t want to stop?” “I hear that you’re angry about not staying up later. Would you be willing to take a deep breath with me?” It’s my belief that all behavior is an attempt to meet a need. Children are always learning from our words and behavior toward them. We can model emotional regu-lation and compassionate listening while still setting firm limits and refusing to accept poor behavior. I’m a coach in the Connection Practice, a social-emotional skillset combining the power of empathic communication with the insights that come from the heart. We can access our empathy through connecting with the feelings and needs of others and ourselves. Insight arises through “heart-brain coherence.” Coher-ence, according to the HeartMath Institute, occurs when we breathe slowly and evenly to balance our nervous system, while focusing on our heart and a feel-ing of appreciation. It can be done in minutes! Togeth-er, these powerful practices create true connection in relationships, and can even heal old wounds within couples or families. I’m also trained as a coach in HeartMath, which uti-lizes biofeedback and various practices to help us at-tain and sustain coherence. HeartMath’s research shows that, when our hearts and brains are “in sync,” our health benefits, and the heart’s wisdom can be communicated to the brain. Children who practice co-herence do better on tests and get along better with peers and teachers. The philosophy behind the Connection Practice is “to practice peace and pass this gift on to the next genera-tion.” What I love about coaching parents is that, if we can “get it right” with our children, this is a lasting leg-acy, because they will pass it on to their own children. I will be offering a parenting workshop, at Jubilee!, on Sunday, Feb. 11. Please see reverse side for details.

Nurture Newsletter February-March 2018

Curriculum News Nurture Classes - Via Creativa

During February, all the classrooms will continue with our theme of World Creation Stories.

The younger groups will learn about the creation of ani-mals, the creation of humans, and the theory of evolution. In addition to the Genesis creation story, they will also learn about the ancient Chinese deities of Phan-Ku and Nuwa, and hear stories from the Aboriginal, Maori, Native American, ancient Greek, and ancient Egyptian traditions.

The Middle School class will explore different types of crea-tion stories, including earth-diver, cosmic egg, and world par-ent myths. They will also compare the Genesis story with creation passages found throughout the Qur’an.

Nurture Classes - Jesus in Jerusalem At the beginning of March, we’ll move into Lent and our Je-sus in Jerusalem Year 1 unit. This year, we’ll learn about:

Week 1: Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem Week 2: The First Commandment Week 3: Jesus Praying in the Garden of Gethsemane Week 4: Jesus Visiting the Seven after His Resurrection

Interfaith Happenings Imbolc Imbolc is the Neo-Pagan/Wiccan cross-quarter holiday cele-brating the start of spring. Also known as Brigid, its rich his-tory includes the co-opting of a pagan goddess by the Chris-tian Church (Saint Brigit) and its transformation into Groundhog’s Day. You have two upcoming opportunities to celebrate Imbolc this year!

Imbolc Celebration @ Jubilee!: Sunday, Feb. 4, 3PM Join Byron Ballard and Amah Devi for dance, ritual, and kir-tan.

Imbolc with Mother Grove Goddess Temple Parish Hall, All Soul’s Cathedral, Sunday, Feb. 4, 7PM Join Byron Ballard for singing, healing, and bringing in the spring. Monetary donations accepted. Or, bring a canned good to help feed the hungry.

Interfaith Evening of Song and Story @ Jubilee! Celebration Center, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 6-8PM In honor of World Interfaith Harmony Week, (Feb. 1-7) Ashe-ville Interfaith will offer an opportunity to learn more about different faith traditions right here in our community. The evening will include songs and stories from the Jewish, Hindu/Vedic, Baha’i, Wiccan, and Cherokee traditions. Program from 6-7:15PM; snacks/informal conversation from 7:15-8PM. For more info., contact Vicki at vickig@jubileecommunity.org.

Upcoming Events Sunday, February 4 – Community Service Sunday – Decorating Fair Wage Cards In addition to our regular Nurture classes, the kids will decorate "Fair Wage Valentines" inviting workers to attend an upcoming assembly hosted by the WNC Coalition of Raising Wages NC. Sunday, February 4– Older Teen Gathering – Downstairs Teen Room at Jubilee! Teens age 14-20 are welcome to our twice-a-month gathering from 11-12:30. Mentors Jo Giordano and Kriya Lendzion facilitate this checking-in time. Jubilee! provides the snacks, and Gaia.com provides interesting fodder for discussion. Sunday, February 11 – Conscious Communication for Parents – 11:00AM to Noon– Downstairs – FREE! Cathy Holt, certified HeartMath coach, certified Connection Practice coach, and founder of Heartspeak will offer a FREE session for Jubilee! parents after the 1st Celebration. She has taught communication skills to children at Francine Delany and Estes Elementary, taught teachers and parents at Rainbow Community School, and has worked with cou-ples and families as a coach. (See reverse side of this newsletter for full bio.) This session will focus on Conscious Com-munication Cards, recently developed by Lori Petro (teach-through-love.com). The cards provide specific statements and actions that parents can use in daily situations that are often stressful for kids/families. So join us as we explore ways to parent more compassionately! For more information, check out www.heartspeakpeace.com or contact Cathy at 828-545-9681 or cathyfholt@gmail.com. Child care provided by the Nurture Program. Sunday, February 18 – Older Teen Gathering – Downstairs Teen Room at Jubilee! (See Feb. 4 entry for more details.). Sunday, February 25 – Visit to Urban Dharma – Middle School Class We’ll continue our joint programming with Urban Dharma when our kids join their kids for some Buddhist medita-tion. We’ll walk to Urban Dharma (now at 77 W. Walnut St., 28801) at 9:50 and return by the usual end-of-class time. On this particular Sunday, we will also be joined by some tweens/teens from the UU Congregation of Asheville! Sunday, March 4 – Community Service Sunday – Milkweed Seed Envelopes and Room in the Inn Beds In addition to wrapping up our Creation unit, the kids will decorate milkweed seed envelopes. Seed packets will be handed out later in the spring to interested Jubilants. After the 1st Celebration, we’ll also be setting up the beds for the women who are part of the Room in the Inn program. It takes only about 20 minutes, and the more folks we have, the less time it takes. It’s also another great opportunity for the young ones to be involved in community service, so please plan to stay for a few minutes after the 1st Celebration. Sunday, March 11 – Spring Forward Set your clocks forward one hour! If you forget, you will miss Jubilee! Sunday, March 11 – Older Teen Gathering – Downstairs Teen Room at Jubilee! (See Feb. 4 entry for more details.). Saturday, March 17 – Parents’ Night Out – 6:00-8:00PM – Downstairs at Jubilee! – FREE Get your Irish on, and celebrate St. Paddy’s Day while we entertain your kids! Saturday, March 17, 6:00-8:00PM, down-stairs at Jubilee! Kids age 3-10 years of age. Craft, activities, snacks, and movie. No need to sign up. Questions? Contact Vicki at vickig@jubileecommunity.org. Sunday, March 25 – Visit to Urban Dharma – Preschool-Kindergarten Class We’ll continue our joint programming with Urban Dharma when our kids join their kids for a Buddhist story and med-itation. We’ll walk to Urban Dharma (77 W. Walnut St., 28801) at 9:50 and return by the usual end-of-class time. Sunday, March 25 – Older Teen Gathering – Downstairs Teen Room at Jubilee! (See Feb. 4 entry for more details.).