December – from the Chair

Dear Friends,
Can you believe 2017 is nearly done? Reflecting on the past year makes me so thankful for all of you
and the fun times we’ve shared together! In January we had our teen basketball nights, facilitated by Mindy
and Josh Lively and Alan Gustafson. We also enjoyed our coffee and tea with a mentor mom. We should do
that again soon! Our Family Nature Night was a success and drew the largest crowd the Nature Night folks had
ever had. We had a great library database class for moms, and our book Club discussed the Best Christmas
Pageant Ever.
In February we had our Duck Stamp Art workshop, where
students learned how to create an entry in the statewide contest.
We also had our musical hour at Heritage, which was offered every
month until May. Our Arby’s fundraiser was a great success,
bringing in nearly $300 for the group. We had “kinder-carding” at
the library, a teen Volleyball clinic with the Cougars, and a
Valentine Rollerskating party. Our teens also held a special
babysitting night as a fundraiser for their social classes! We
attended the Russian String Orchestra at the Midwest Theater,
which inspired many of our musical students. The Ski trip to Snowy
Range was very well attended, and the weather was great for our
bunch of ski bums and snow bunnies! For the shortest month of
the year we sure packed it in!
March was filled with fun events like a trip to the Denver
Art Museum for their Star Wars Exhibit, and the Museum of Nature
and Science for their Vikings Exhibit. We also had a couple
Midwest Theater shows: Colcannon and Snowcatcher. Our book club read The Rithmatist. We also had a
Chess Club day at Runza and a Mentor Mom night at the church.
Our month of April held many fun things, such as: the teen
running club, A CPR class for all ages, and a Missoula show! The book
club read Five Children and It. The major events for this month were our
Co-op Showcase and our Homeschool Conference! Both were a lot of
work and a lot of fun. What a way to wrap up the school year.
During May, June, and July we had many clubs continue
through the summer, including Tennis, Running, Book Club, and Chess.
Our 8th Grade Graduation was a wonderful time as well!
August is our kick off for the school year, and the big news was
the launch of our new website! We had quite a few families sign up

online, and we had a great kick off party at Legion
Park. Immediately following was our co-op
registration, and ultimately we had 150 kids sign up
for the co-op, and 40 more kids in our general
group!
September found us back in school, at Flowerfield
that is! Our 4th graders enjoyed that field trip to an
1860’s schoolhouse, and also a visit to Legacy of
the Plains for their Tools Through Time. We were
also excited for the return of the monthly trip to the

Wildcat Hills Nature Center, which we have enjoyed every month since. Co-op classes kicked off with a bang,
as we brought in a nearly all new leadership team of 12. We truly lived up to our name as a co-op with really
EVERY parent pitching in somewhere. WNCC held a High School to college prep workshop for us, which was
well attended. We also had chess club, book club, and a show at the Midwest Theater: Liza Jo and the Tin
Town Troubadours .
October had a cold start, which had us running to the BEFarms Pumpkin Patch. Our Musical Hour
starting up monthly again, and we had a couple shows
at the Midwest Theater. Book Club read That Printer of
Udell’s. In November they read The Legend of Sleepy
Hollow. Our Co-op kids held a White Paper Goods
drive for the Monument Bible Church for allowing us to
use the building, and we were blessed to have the
Lions Club come to our co-op and do free vision
screenings.
And here we are, in December, and we have
already been making Christmas cards and Caroling at
the Veterans’ Home. The Valley Faith Co-op
Showcase and VHSA Christmas Party had us all full of
cookies, cocoa, and good cheer!
As we look back over the year, we are so thankful for all the amazing families and volunteers who
planned our many events. But more than anything we are thankful for Jesus Christ, for because of His gift of
grace we are bound together in unity and brotherly love.
Thankful for all of you, and His many blessings upon us this blessed season… and looking forward to a
great year in 2018! Merry Christmas,

Laura