WELCOME and a big ‘HELLO’ to any newcomers to Warsaw. We hope that you have been enjoying the fabulous weather and that you will be very happy here and make many good friends through the Mums & Tots network.

Activities for Warsaw’s Mums, Tots, Bumps & Babies

Mondays – All tots up to 3 years. Up until Christmas the group will be meeting in the Pre-Nursery at the British School (ul. Dabrowskiego 84/90) from 9.30am to around 11.30. The first few sessions have been a great success with tea, coffee and biscuits for the mums, a large room full of toys and the pre-nursery staff on hand to play and interact with the children. In the New Year we will be back at mums’ houses and Sarah Brett our coordinator for this group will be looking for mums to host from January next year. Laura Spindler is responsible for liaising with the British School Pre-Nursery and we hope to continue our relationship with the British School in the New Year perhaps with an afternoon session for mums and tots.

Tuesdays – There are two options (the first being the most popular at the moment):

v Kangurek play centre in the Old Paper Mill, Konstancin from 10am. Open to all ages but more suited to tots. As well as your children being able to run around and let off some steam, part of the morning is also dedicated to a singing circle and arts & crafts where the little ones can show off their artistic talents! Aga Strojna-Rasche is our new coordinator. The play centre charges 12zl for the morning (for Mums & Tots members) or you can purchase a discount card costing 100zl for 10 sessions.

Remember on Tuesday December 7th there will be a Father Christmas who will give out presents to the children and there will be a few nibbles for the children to eat. If you are interested please email Lindsey Wislocki and give 35zl to Morag (for the nibbles). Mums should also bring a present for their own child up to a value of 50 zl with their child’s name clearly printed on the label. Closing date for sign up is November 16th!. 

v Stonoga play centre, ul. Zielona, Piaseczno from 10.30am. A number of mums have started meeting at Stonoga. It is smaller and usually quieter than Kangurek but makes a nice change and costs 8zl for the session.

Thursdays - Mini music for tots up to 3 years takes place in different houses between 10.00 and 12.00 on a voluntary basis. Cecelia Cienska is our mini-music coordinator and is looking for hosts for January onwards.

Fridays – For mums-to-be and mums with their babies (generally under 18 months old).  The group meets at a different mum’s house each week between 10.00 and 12.00. Our coordinator is Carina Borin Percy.

The schedule set out at the end of the Newsletter has details of who is hosting and when, along with a list of those responsible for the various arts & crafts sessions at Kangurek. Full contact details of the co-ordinators and our hosts can be found in the mums & tots contact list. Please email postmaster@mumsandtot.com if you need a new contact list at any time. Feel free to contact the appropriate coordinator if you would like to host – go on it will be fun!

News from the Mums & Tots Group

People News

This is the spot where you can tell us your news. We would love to hear about any new babies in the Mums and Tots Group or even birthdays. It’s also where newcomers to Warsaw can introduce themselves and anyone leaving can say ‘goodbye’. Remember, this is YOUR newsletter! See the email addresses of the Editors at the end of this Newsletter.

Baby News

☺Congratulations to Sinead, baby Cathal Philip Dunne was born 7th October weighing in at 4.6 kgs and 58 cms long. Sinead quotes "Very relieved to have had elective C-section as diameter of shoulders impossible to push!!"

☺Congratulations to Anja, baby Camilla Sophia Fels born 18th October weighing in at 4.240 kgs and 57 cms long.

☺Congratulations to Susanne, baby Leander Wilhelm Bohrmann was born on the 22nd October weighing in at 2.950 kgs and 53 cm long.

Your Mums & Tots Group

☺☺☺We are now looking for someone to run/co-ordinate the Tuesday Baby Music group going forward. Thanks to Siona who has been organising it so far. Please let Lindsey Wislocki or Carina Borin Percy know if you would like to take on this role.

☺☺☺You have all probably seen Aga’s e-mail about a possible gym class for mums and tots on a Wednesday afternoon at the new sports centre in Ursynow. If you are interested in such a class please contact Aga on 855 42 50 (mob 604497000) or email agastefan@eircom.net.

Mums’ (and Dads’) nights out

These are monthly socials to give us the chance to get together without babies and children. The next night out will be on Wednesday 17^th November, 8pm at the wine bar/wine shop Mielzynski which is near Red Onion/Bo Concept on ul. Burakowska 5/7 (not far from the new shopping mall Arkadia). We are having a wine tasting for mums and dads of 4 or 5 different wines and light snacks will be served (at a cost of 30 to 50 zl per head). Contact Tracey Bull to confirm your place or for more details.

The next dad’s night out is on December 2^nd and will be held at the Cinnamon bar from 8pm.

The Book Club

The Book Club meets about once a month. The next meeting is on Tuesday November 16th and the book to be discussed is Unless by Carol Shields. Everyone is welcome – if you are interested in coming along call Jess Mulligan on 0693 041085.

Note from Aga

The PRO BONO Foundation was established in March 1993 by a group of people connected with the Pastoral services for Warsaw Universities run by the Saint Anna’s Church at Krakowskie Przedmieście Street. Its main goal is to support orphans and children having a very difficult life situation. The Foundation supports on a regular basis 5 orphanages from Warsaw outskirts and from Masurian Lake District (one of the poorest regions of Poland).

Every year we organise Santa Claus Day and Carnival Balls for our orphans. In the beginning of December we receive letters written by orphans to Santa Claus describing a present they dream to get for Christmas. We distribute these letters among people of good hearts who would like to make the kids happier.

If any of you from Mums and Tots would like to join our action and prepare gifts for kids from Olecko Orphanage in Masurian Lake District (boys and girls aged 7 – 18, PLN 50 – 100 per child) please contact: Aga Strojna-Rasche (home: 855 4250, mob: 0604 497000) or email agastefan@eircom.net or Monika Kamińska (home 766 3259, mob 0606 642952).

Useful Info and Top Tips

Publications

v If you want to keep up to date with what is happening in the news and if you miss having a newspaper to read, try the following publications which can be delivered to your door. You might get the news a little bit late but at least you will be in the know eventually:

o The Week, a digest of British and foreign press; costs around £65/year

http://www.theweek.co.uk/front_website/index.html

o The Weekly Telegraph, the best of the daily & Sunday Telegraph, £72/year www.weeklytelegraph.com

o The Guardian weekly, a digest of The Guardian, Observer with pieces from the Washington Post and Le Monde. Around £50/year http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianweekly/0,12598,,00.html

v A reminder of the useful Warsaw publications:

o New Warsaw Express (the English language newspaper emailed to you weekly, free of charge; subscribe by sending an email to local@new.com.pl)

o Warsaw ‘Insider Magazine’ (8zl, monthly. Home delivery, 33zl /6 months), or at http://www.warsawinsider.pl). This one is probably the most useful for details on restaurants, cinemas and restaurants and generally what is going on in Warsaw.

o Warsaw ‘In your Pocket’ (5zl, bi-monthly, or free from some restaurants/hotels)

o Warsaw Voice (10zl, weekly. Delivered 128zl/6 months, see http://www.wvmarketing.pl)

o Free Poland ‘What, Where, When’ & ‘What’s Up in Warsaw’ monthly and bi monthly from hotels, American Bookstore, etc.

o Contact International Business Voice The British Chamber of Commerce produces a free bi-monthly English Language magazine. (To subscribe contact Anna at media@bpcc.org.pl or phone 654 5971).

Websites about Warsaw/Poland

v A reminder of the various websites about Poland and/or Warsaw

o Warsaw Voice website, www.warsawvoice.pl

o Address listings only, What’s Up in Warsaw www.whatsup.pl

o Official Polish Government site, www.poland.gov.pl

o www.poland.pl in English and www.polska.pl in Polish, port for all internet information about Poland

o Cultural events in Poland (English) www.culture.pl

o Official website of Warsaw http://www.e-warsaw.pl (English)

o General tourist information at http://www.explore-warsaw.com and http://www.warsawtour.pl and http://www.explore-warsaw.com

o http://www.warszawaonline.pl/ events, restaurants - Polish only

Going Out

v For theatre, opera, concerts check out www.ebilet.pl for most upcoming events and on line booking. Or tel: 622 0060, 9:00-17:00hrs. See ‘Bit of Culture’ listing below.

Shopping/Restaurants

v Have any of you been to Warsaw’s latest shopping mall Arkadia? Your editors haven’t had a chance to visit it yet but we hear that it is the biggest yet with 103,000 sqm of retail space (Al Jana Pawła II, 82) and offering around 100 stores such as clothing stores M&S, C&A, H&M, Peek & Cloppenberg, Zara and shoe shops Deichmann, Bata, Gino Rossi and Ecco plus a huge Smyk. There’s also a Carrefour supermarket and lots of other different shops that you won’t find at Galeria Mokotow and many of the other shopping malls. Other mums have told us that it is definitely worth a visit – perhaps to get that dress for the Hash Scarlet Ball?

v For those of you new to Warsaw a favourite little shop of mine at the moment is the Select shop on Sobieskiego (at the junction with Bonifacego). It has cheddar cheese, great frozen pastry as well as Cadburys chocolate and other items that you don’t see in most of the large hypermarkets. Plus there is a cake shop nearby which sells quiches!

v Christmas shopping ideas for the kids. The following all deliver to Poland: www.letterbox.co.uk, www.jojomamanbebe.co.uk, www.urchin.co.uk, www.bloomingmarvellous.co.uk, www.amazon.co.uk and www.hamleys.com. Plus the Polish nowa szkoła has a great selection of kids’ toys, www.nowaszkola.com.pl.

v Christmas Cards – These can be bought from Lyndsey Esling (see advert at the end of this newsletter), the AFW (produces charity cards which are drawn by children in hospital/orphanage) and the UNICEF shop at the Blue City shopping Mall (Al Jerozlimskie, 179). In addition the British School is supposed to be producing Christmas cards (designed by some of the students) and last year Smyk and Marks & Spencer both stocked Christmas cards.

v According to the Poland What, Where, When, the Budapeszt Hungarian restaurant on Zwycięzców 15 has been open only a few months but has already collected a substantial group of loyal customers. “They are mostly Saska Kępa residents but there are also several who arrive from distant districts to try the excellent, delicious Hungarian dishes”.

Worth Knowing

v Asksears.com – a website intended to help parents become better informed consumers of healthcare. Gives general advice on parenting and health care. Main topics include feeding infants & toddlers, discipline & behaviour, fussy babies, sleep problems and childhood illnesses. I particularly liked the tips for pleasing the picky eater.

v Take a look at www.simplystuck.com, great stick on and iron on labels – and they deliver here!

Treats

Both of us editors are great believers in mums (and sometimes dads) having treats (and lots of them!). Check out these…

v Fancy a massage or perhaps some slimming therapy then why not try the Red stone therapy centre on ul. Nowy Świat 7/7. It offers a wide range of massages including a hot and cold stone massage using basalt and marble stones (supposed to promote cleansing and self-healing of the body!). A few of us mums have tried out some of the massages and can report that afterwards we felt amazingly relaxed and chilled (in fact we were laughing at anything!). For more information view the website at www.redstone.com.pl or telephone 628-97-93.

v On a trip back to the UK recently I stumbled upon (literally) a tiny little shop – The Teddington Cheese Shop that sells the most fantastic cheeses and more importantly will deliver to Poland. The minimum order is £20 and the selection of cheeses includes some wonderful cheddar, stilton and goats’ cheeses plus a wide variety of chutneys, pickles and preserves. As it costs £21 for the first kg, it does work out quite expensive but if you love your cheese, have been missing really strong cheddar and are in need of a treat or have a special occasion looming then I think it is definitely worth it. Have a look at www.teddingtoncheese.co.uk, order & advice line +44 20 8977 6868.

v If you are spending Warsaw in Christmas and want to have some truly exquisite traditional goodies then take a look at Fortnum & Mason who have an incredible selection of hampers, wines, cakes, biscuits, pickles, chocolates and Christmas decorations that they will deliver here. www.fortnumandmason.com

v Miss Marmite, Bovril or Branston pickle? Then take a look at the following websites for companies who will deliver these goods and many others to your door.

o www.lifeslittleluxuries.co.uk (tonnes of different groceries)

o www.fostersnews.co.uk (has a small selection of groceries and a whole variety of magazines for subscription, 1, 2 or more issues).

o www.expatdirect.co.uk (big selection of groceries and non-food items)

o www.britishcornershop.co.uk

o www.britishexportgrocer.com (A good site that does most groceries and has some of the more unusual ones plus a healthy eating range and gluten free foods)

o www.britishsuperstore.com (Has a wide selection of groceries and non food items including items from Marks & Spencer and Tesco).

o www.simplyspice.co.uk (a large selection of Indian foods and spices)

We would like to hear from any of you who have already used the above websites or if you order anything over the coming months let us know your views on how successful and costly it was. Thanks. If you know of any other websites which export here – please let us know.

November Events and Key Dates

1	· All Saints Day (Wszystkich Świętych), Public Holiday
2	· All Soul’s Day (Dzień Zaduszny) · Commonwealth Service of Remembrance, Liberator Stone, Skaryszewki Park (be in place 10:30am) · British School reopens after half term · US Presidential Elections
5	· Guy Fawkes/Bonfire Night, fireworks and bonfires across UK to mark the failed 17th century attempt to blow up Parliament. Effigies are burned of Guy (real name Guido) Fawkes one of a group – not the leader but the only one caught under the House of Lords with the gunpowder - who aimed to assassinate members of a Government it considered was making life difficult for Catholics. All conspirators not killed in capture were publicly executed by being "hanged, drawn, and quartered"
11	· Poland’s Independence Day Public Holiday · British School closed (and 12^th) (Any of you at a loss on what to do for this long weekend, why not join the Hash weekend away in Kazimierz Dolny just 130km from Warsaw – see advert at the end of this newsletter)
14	· Remembrance Sunday, UK (Poppies on sale at both of the British School sites) · Eid Al-Fittr, end of Ramadaan
17	· Mums’ and dads’ night out at the Mielzynski wine bar/shop on ul. Burakowska 5/7, 8pm onwards.
18	· Mums & Tots Group Christmas Shopping Bazaar. To be held at Karczma “Od Lasu” in Konstancin, 10.00 until 13.30 hrs.
25	· Thanksgiving USA
27	· Caledonian Society St Andrew’s Ball Marriott Hotel, 350PLN. Contact Martin O’Reilly tel: 827 8369.
28	· IWG Christmas Bazaar, Marriott Hotel, 12-5pm. Christmas presents and stocking fillers from around the world (small entrance donation). Tables representing countries all over the world.

A Bit of Culture

ü 3-7 November 4^th International Motor Show, Warsaw Expocentre Centrum Expo XXI (ul Prądzyńskiego, 12/14, tel: 22 4567080, www.expocee.com)

ü 6 November Last Night of the Proms, Krakow, annual bash styled after Albert Hall Proms, Krakow Philharmonic Hall ul Zwierzyniecka, tickets agencjaapresto@wp.pl

ü 17 November Jazz guitar legend (‘Mahavisnhnu Orchestra’) John McLaughlin & his new group, Shakti, Roma Theatre www.jazz.pl

ü Also 17 November, exhibition Warsaw-Moscow / Moscow-Warsaw 1900-2000 at "Zacheta" National Contemporary Art Gallery, 20th century art from Poland and Russia. tel. (+48 22) 827 58 54, www.zacheta.art.pl

ü 17-21 November ‘Carmen’ at Hala Torwar, Tickets 157-210PLN or 500PLN for VIP call 022 529 8783 or see www.carmenwarszawa.com

ü At the National Opera in November, children’s opera Mister Marimba (6^th, 7^th & 28^th Nov, at 4pm – all other operas 7pm); Tosca (4^th & 6^th); Nabucco (5^th); Salome (7^th); revival of the first ‘great’ Polish opera, Stanisław Moniuszko’s Halka (20^th) to be followed by his evergreen The Haunted Manor (25^th); La Traviata (27^th); Madame Butterfly (30^th). In ballet: premiere of Balanchine and the Muses, celebrating 100th anniversary of George Balanchine's birth (13^th & 14^th) Romeo & Juliet (18^th); Swan Lake (24^th) & Zorba the Greek (26^th) (www.teatrwielki.pl).

Warning to travellers to the States

There is a new system in place when you arrive in the USA. Your passport will be read by a computer and your fingerprints and eyes scanned. Then when you exit it will be checked again to make sure you are the same person! British passports obtained in Warsaw more than a year ago will not have the necessary barcode for the system to work and you will need to BUY a new one (about 360 zl). Passports printed in the UK will have the barcode (see the photo page of your passport... there will be a load of numbers on a couple of lines at the bottom of the page). You can download the necessary form from the embassy website www.britishembassy.pl . You then need to take this with 2 recent photos and your old passport (and the money!)  to the consul on Emilii Plater next to the Marriott.
I am still waiting to hear whether Mr Bush will reimburse the cost of all these new passports to us! (Prew Bowtell)

Polish Corner

Each month we would like to add a Polish element to the Newsletter whether it is some background about one of the public holidays (as here) or customs or a favourite Polish recipe or tale. Any ideas for next month?

All Saints’ Day

If you haven’t been already it is still worth going to one or more of the cemeteries to see the special candles and flowers that have been left by people visiting the graves. Warsaw’s finest cemetery established in the 18^th century is Old Powązki (near Arkadia) where many famous Poles are buried.

St. Andrew's Night, November 30th

Polish tradition is to observe St Andrew’s night by ‘fortune telling’.

Single girls pour hot wax through the hole in a key ('because the key holds all secrets') into a bowl of cold water, and the hardened wax is then held up to the light.  The shadow it casts on the wall is said to reveal the girls' marriage prospects: if its shape resembles something used by a man, she will marry within a year. The shadow may also contain a clue to who the future husband might be (traits, interests, occupation).  The Polish opera, ‘The Haunted Manor’, includes a comic scene that portrays this wax melting tradition. Boys also used the same techniques for their own speculation on a wife but did this earlier on St. Catherine’s day (Nov. 25).

Another traditional pastime is for the girls to toss their shoes. Shoes of all the girls are arranged one after another along the wall and thrown gradually in the same order to the door. The girl whose shoe is the first to go over the threshold is that of the girl who will marry the earliest.

If that all sounds too energetic, another belief is that the husband will appear in a dream on St. Andrew’s night. Or simply look at the water reflection in a well or in the mirror at midnight to see his face. Like ‘speed dating’ but better!

While all this is not taken too seriously in modern Poland, the evening is a good excuse for a party, especially as it’s also one of the name days for Andrzej, probably the most popular man’s name in Poland.

Classified Ads

Please note, inclusion of an advert in this newsletter does not imply endorsement of goods or service by the Mums & Tots Group

The Hash Scarlet Charity Ball

Will take place on Sat 4^th December at a new venue…

Le Royal Meridien Bristol Hotel

To reserve your table please phone or email me now. There are 12 places at each table. If you would like to just buy your own ticket we can seat you at a table. Tickets are 375pln each.

This year’s beneficiary is the Talizman Foundation which is a non-profit organisation providing the basic for Poland’s most needy. (If you would like more information about this charity please contact me). 

Prew Bowtell 0602 451955 Bowtell@poczta.neostrada.pl

Family Hash

The next meeting of the Warsaw Family Hash will be this Sunday around Wilanow Palace. The walk will be in the grounds of the palace (small charge for entrance) and will include a treasure hunt/quiz for kids. The cycle and run will go further afield in the countryside around the palace. For more details: www.warsawfamilyhash.com, or call David Bowman 0600 400185.

Items for Sale

Boy’s bike – Good condition & quality red bike with stabilisers for age 3-4. 160pln

Mothercare Ascot cot – very good condition, pale pine. Mattress size 120cm x 60cm. 180pln

Baby Stationery Exerciser – Little Tikes exer-saucer for 6m+. Good condition 130pln

Baby Cosytoes – Unused grey fleece lined, Eisbarchen cosytoes for up to 12m. 70pln

T.E.N.S machine Plus – used only once – 100pln

Baby Bjorn Sling – new design, blue, good condition, hardly used – 140pln

If you would like to buy any of the above listed items then please call KJ on 0609 779 282 or email me at thebells@wp.pl

Experienced nanny/babysitter

I've been asked to spread the word around and pass on excellent working references for an experienced nanny/baby-sitter who has now taken up her studies in Warsaw.  

Her name is Ruta, she's a Pole with excellent English, and she's recently done baby-sitting for Embassy staff in Tallinn and also for a friend of mine who recommends her strongly and hopes that Ruta will find lots of babies to baby-sit for in Warsaw as babies do love her. Malgosia Puczylowska 

Her contact details are:

Ms  Ruta Sitarska

tel.  0  506 819 300

email: rutasitarska@hotmail.com

Nanny available

An excellent nanny, Ela, I have known several years is looking for part-time work in Warsaw. Aged 30, she is a mature student in Special Needs teaching (1st degree - theology) and has experience with care for the handicapped. Very, very good at housekeeping / cleaning and very quiet-spoken and polite. Please phone her on 0608 348 131 or myself on 693 876 067 / 629 6352 for further information.

Flat to let

We have just moved out of our lovely flat in the old town which is now available to let. It is situated just off the Rynek and has superb views both front and back. It was fully refurbished to a high standard less than two years ago and is fully furnished with stylish modern furniture. Accommodation comprises large living room, separate dining room, modern kitchen, master bedroom, bathroom 1, study/bedroom 2, bathroom 2 and large attic room which is furnished as a guest room. Unusually for the old town, there is also a secure parking space in the back garden. If anyone would like pictures emailed to them, please contact me. Marta
Tel 608 654 803.

Clothes dryer for sale

We have a brand new clothes dryer for sale. It was purchased at the beginning of October for 1000 zl. Unfortunately for us, our landlady has a problem with the fact that the dryer has a steam vent that we have been putting out the window because there is no internal hook up for dryers in our house. We don't want to sell it but have to, it has been a great help for us. We are willing to sell it for 650 zl. Please call Sherri at 651-90-61 or at 660-432-642.

Car for Sale

Opel Astra Classic. 45,000km
4 and half years old. Hatch Back (5 doors).
One careful (!) lady owner. Full service history. Winter and summer tyres. ABS brakes.
25,000 zl (or reasonable offer will be considered)

 Call Prew Bowtell for more details: 0602 451 955
or email bowtell@poczta.neostrada.pl

English Language Teacher

UK qualified teacher, native speaker offers language tuition at all levels.

Żoliborz area, telephone (022) 839 5579 after 18:00.

Angielski

Native speaker, pedagog udziela lekcji, korepetycji, konwersacji.

Żoliborz, proszę dzwonić po 18 ej telefon (022) 839 5579.

Changing table for Sale

Pali crib, mattress, and changing table/ dresser available. Dark maple wood, top of the line extra large sleigh bed-style crib with storage underneath. Matching changing table also doubles as a dresser and has lots of storage. Brought with us from the States.

Orginal cost = $1500+. Selling price $300. Will provide sheets and bumper if interested. Please email Sandrichka@aol.com (ref crib) or call 0695-777-712.

Furniture shop

Wherever your home is, you want it to be the reflection of your soul. It has already been a year since we opened our Artshop “Meble wyjatkowe” which we have created for those who seek something unique. Handpainted old and new wooden furniture for your living/dining room, bedroom or nursery, one of a kind in its form and design, made to suit every kind of interior. A gift for every occasion. We will make your personal dream come through.

You are welcome to come and see us on Monday through to Friday from 11am to 7pm and on Saturdays from 10am to 2pm at Wilanow, ul. Wiertnicza 112, telephone (22) 885 25 78, www.artmeble.pl

Greetings Cards

Lyndsey Esling has recently started selling UK manufactured greeting cards, gift-wrap, note cards and Christmas cards etc.

There is a wonderful, varied range to suit all tastes at very reasonable prices. Some items are available for immediate purchase, whilst others can be ordered from the catalogue.

Lyndsey is having an 'open house' every Wednesday morning from 10am until 11.30am so please come along and see for yourself. You are more than welcome to bring a friend too!

Greetings cards from £1 each (or 90p when you buy 10 or more)

Boxed Christmas card packs from £2.50.

For more information call Lyndsey on 642 7130

▲ Handpicked Caucasian Firs (Nordmann) ▲

▲Delivered and put up in your home or office ▲

▲ All tree sizes available ▲

www.christmastreesdirect.com

or call Peter Krasiński on: (0604)49.88.88

Christmas Trees Direct from

Landscape design and maintenance

A part of Pro Relocation Sp. z o.o., ul. Kaniowska 41,01-529 Warszawa Nip: 521-30-92-939 Regon: 016218732

Mary Kay Cosmetics Night (including men's cologne)

ALL SALES COMMISSION (15% -20%) TO CHARITY

Discounts of 5% available on certain products. Some products available to try before you buy. 100% guaranteed or your money back.

Date: Monday 15th November 2004

Venue: The Pink Elephant Club

Timing: 5 PM - 8 PM (BAR UNTIL 10:30 PM)

RSVP TO: Lorraine.Findell@fco.gov.uk

Ideal for buying your Christmas presents or a nice treat for your partner

Home Helpers

Home Angels provide experienced, competent & responsible carers for parents and those with elderly or infirm family members. Whether you’re looking for an au pair, nanny or carer Home Angels, who recruit mostly from the child-care professionals, will have screened all candidates. Contact Home Angels 50A Międzynarodowa St, apt 20; 03-922 Warsaw tel 498 35 44; mob: (0) 604 499 501/694 782 153; www.homeangels.pl

Can you help?

We are looking for volunteers (preferably with English as a first language) to visit some physically disabled English speaking Polish ladies who live at the Sue Ryder Home at Konstancin for conversation. Can you spare a couple of hours on a Tuesday afternoon every 6-8 weeks for a very rewarding experience? Contact Lynne Baillieu, 845 8120 or Annie Williams, 642 5211.

English is fun and other volunteer programs.

Won’t you join us as a volunteer in our ‘English is Fun’ programme, sponsored by the AFW. We are currently teaching nurses and other medical staff at three local hospitals, and children at a local children’s home. You don’t need to be a teacher at all…we keep it fun and informal. Plus we have materials for you to use, if you want. You can really make a difference in someone’s life for only 1 hour per week. Our students are so inspiring, and they really help us learn about Polish life. Also, AFW sponsors other hands-on volunteer programs, such as hospital visiting and job preparation for disadvantaged teenagers. For all programmes, you do not need to be a member of AFW; we are simply thrilled that you want to help out. Contact Janice Rzycki at dacza@earthlink.net or 668-7342.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this month’s Newsletter. Please remember that this is your Newsletter. Send us anything that you think might be of interest to other mums, particularly if you are a newcomer. Your comments are always welcome. Your thoughts and ideas should be sent by email either to one or both of us - Melissa (andytov@msn.com) or Sarah (brett@globster.pl).

Mums & Tots Schedule

Toddler Group (Mondays 9.30am -11.30pm)

(Organiser Sarah Brett - brett@globster.pl)

This group meets at 9.30am in the Pre-Nursery at the British School, ul. Dabrowskiego 84/90.

1st Nov PUBLIC HOLIDAY – no group

8th, 15^th, 22^nd, and 29^th Nov British School

6^th, 13^th December British School

20^th, 27^th No group (End of British School term)

Kangurek Craft Programme

2nd Nov Lindsey Wislocki

9th Nov Jenny Groh

16th Nov Maria Church

23rd Nov Christine Ashton

30th Nov Aga Strojna-Rasche

7th Dec Visit from Father Christmas

14th Dec Morag Milligan

21st Dec Christmas Decorations

Agreed timing

10 – 11 Freeplay

11-11.30 Music

11.30-12 Craft

Mini Music (Thursdays 10am – 12pm)

(Organiser Cecelia Cienska - Cienski@neostrada.pl)

November 4th, 18th, 25th Melissa Tovell (no mini music on the 11th)

December 2nd, 9th, 16th Lyndsey Esling (no mini-music on the 23rd or 30th)

Baby Group (Fridays 10am – 12pm)

(Organiser Carina – carinaborin@hotmail.com)

5^th Nov Dora Rechnitzer
12^th Nov Public Holiday
19^th Nov Kate Van Schuijlenburg

26^th Nov Carina BP

3^rd Dec Siren Knudsen

10^th Dec Barbara Koehncke

17^th Dec Vacant