Marin News

Tickets are still available for this week's special events with world-renowned developmental psychologist Dr. Gordon Neufeld at the Four Points by Sheraton in San Rafael, CA. Dr. Neufeld is an international authority on child development and author of the bestselling book Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers.

This Thursday, March 11 from 7 to 9pm, Dr. Neufeld gives a public talk "The Truth About Consequences and the Trouble with Time-Outs: 12 Guidelines for Natural Discipline".

On Friday, March 12, from 9 am to 4 pm there will be a full-day training "Relationship Matters: Harnessing the Power of Attachment". This training session is intended for professionals, but is open to the public.
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The Ark Row Center for Enrichment is now open in Tiburon! Owner Robin Briskin has been an educator since 1974 and has opened the center with the whole community in mind, offering a wide variety of classes and programs for children, adults, and seniors.

Programs for children include Two’s Together, a preschool prep class; messy fun with Mush & Gush for ages 2 to 4; yoga for kids of all ages; and Princess Ballet for ages 3 to 5. Classes for parents include pre- and post-natal yoga; Mommies Meeting Mommies, a great get-together for moms and children; and Mama Sings, where pregnant mommies can learn to sing to their unborn children. The center will offer a series of sample classes during its March open houses on Saturday, March 13, 20, and 27 from 10 am to 2 pm. Sample classes include Family Yoga, Dance Jam for Kids, Recycled Art for the Family, and Family Theater.
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Mill Valley's Greenwood School has announced the opening of its new preschool for fall 2010. Greenwood School will offer a Waldorf-inspired preschool program for children ages 3–5 where students are provided with a secure, caring, and structured home-like environment to begin their school years. This newly established preschool program will offer an early childhood experience where teachers create a safe and meaningful classroom community in which children hear stories, see puppet shows, sing, bake bread, make soup, learn to make beautiful and useful things, explore nature, build houses and structures out of natural materials, and celebrate seasonal festivals.

Two-, three-, and five-day programs are available as well as afternoon care from 12:30 to 5:30 pm. Applications are now being accepted for September 2010, and children may enroll at any time during the year if space is available. Enrollment is open to all children who are 2 years 9 months to 4 years 6 months by June 1 prior to desired entry.

As December nears a close and the New Year begins, the time comes to dispose of your Christmas tree. It's a sad but inevitable fact of life that your tree has to go at some point, unless of course you have an artificial Christmas tree, in which case you can probably stop reading right here.

Fortunately, your local disposal agency is usually more than happy to take your dried out old Noble Fir off your hands and do the green thing with the tree by recycling it. If for some reason you can't leave your tree out by the curb with your yard waste, you can drop it off at a number of different locations, including most fire houses, throughout Marin County.

Here's a rundown of Christmas tree disposal details for communities in Marin, courtesy of marinrecycles.org.

Curbside Collection

Marin Sanitary
For Larkspur, Greenbrae, Kentfield, Las Gallinas Valley, Ross, San Anselmo, San Rafael, Fairfax, and Ross Valley (Sleepy Hollow and Oak Manor): Trees collected at the curb on your regular yard waste pickup day during the month of January. If trees are greater than 6 feet in length, please cut them in half. Remove all metal stands, plastic tree bags, and ornaments. Flocked trees will not be accepted.

Mill Valley Refuse
For Almonte, Alto, Belvedere, Corte Madera, Mill Valley, Homestead, Strawberry, and Tiburon: Trees along curb on any regular greenwaste collection day, starting the week after New Year’s. Trees taller than 5 feet in length must be cut in half. Flocked trees are OK. All apartment building tenants should contact their manager. They will set up one day for all
Christmas tree collection.

Novato Disposal
During the week of January 11 customers may place whole trees at the curb the night before their regular collection day. Additionally, trees may be cut to fit inside your yard waste container for collection on your regular service day. Remove all lights, tinsel ornaments and stands. Flocked trees will not be collected.

Sausalito/Marin City
Bay Cities Refuse customers in Sausalito can put trees at the curb on your regular greenwaste pickup day January 4–8 or January 18–22. Customers in Marin City can put trees at the curb on your regular green waste pickup day January 8 and January 22. No metal stands or flocked trees and remove all ornaments.

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There are many people who really get into the holiday spirit in Marin, and of all places in the county I think that Marinwood, the small community sandwiched between Novato and San Rafael, has the most decorated holiday houses per capita!

It's only natural then that one of our favorite Christmas houses happens to be located in Marinwood: the Nisja's Bear house, which has been delighting Marin and Bay Area families for 30 years.

Two Marin-based and mom-run businesses—Studio 4 Art and What's Cooking—have teamed together to present Soup—The Bowl that Keeps Feeding, a benefit to help fight childhood hunger in our community. The event takes place Sunday, November 15, 2009, from 11 am to 2 pm, at Fresh Starts Cooking School, located at 1385 N. Hamilton Parkway in Novato.

Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door, and include a meal of soup and bread as well as the bowl of your choice. All proceeds from Soup—The Bowl that Keeps Feeding will be donated to Homeward Bound of Marin's Emergency Family Shelter.

One of the unique features of this event has been the way it's gotten children involved in their community. The soup will be prepared by children from local schools under the guidance of What's Cooking, and the hand-thrown bowls have also been created by kids at Studio 4 Art.

The 7th annual Rock'n Blues by the Lake returns to support Novato's public schools this fall at Stafford Lake Park. This popular annual event takes place Saturday, September 26, from 10 am to 8 pm and features an all-star lineup on four stages that includes the B-52s (pictured) and American Idol's Blake Lewis, as well local favorite Tim Cain, the Beatles tribute band Rubber Souldiers, young musicians from Novato and San Marin High Schools, and more. It's a popular event for all ages, and proceeds go to support the arts and music in Novato's schools (which sorely need the money).

Other attractions include a carnival, jumpies, interactive Guitar Hero and X-Box games, food, beverages, a silent auction and raffle, and a magic show for children.

Popular San Francisco-based ballet school Tutu School is now open in its second location in Larkspur! At Tutu School, children ages 18 months to 8 years have the unique opportunity to learn basic motor skills and build rhythmic awareness through creative movement, ballet, and storytelling, all set to the classical tunes of great composers like Bach and Tchaikovsky.
 
Tutu School's mission is to provide a magical space and nurturing environment for children to develop a positive relationship with both music and movement through the exploration of ballet. Each class concludes with "Ballet Story Time," where students' imaginations take them to places where fairies, princesses, and whirling dervishes take flight.
 
In addition to their "Exploring Ballet" program, Tutu School offers "Tutu Toddlers" classes for toddlers to take with a parent or nanny; custom birthday party packages; and "Tutu Camp" during the summer months. Tutu School Larkspur will continue to provide a safe haven for toddlers and kids to learn ballet, while allowing their parents to relax at the neighboring shops and restaurants of the Larkspur Landing Shopping Center.