Jan/Feb 2021
Monthly Newsletter
Dear FAN Families,

We made it to 2021! Hopefully the holiday season brought you joy, relaxation, and even more quality time with your family ;) For those of you who competed in the scavenger hunt, aren't you glad it didn't rain? Everyone put in a valiant effort but there could only be one winner and they received an overflowing gift basket of Trader Joe's goodies.

The violent events that happened at the Capitol two weeks ago were scary to say the least. If you're looking for help talking to your kids about that and other topics please check our social responsibility resources page that our community connections team continues to update.

Good things are coming your way! Virtual puppet shows! Valentine's goodie bags delivered to your doorstep! Game nights for more chances to win amazing prizes! Vaccines! Keep an eye out for event emails coming your way with details. (Unfortunately we won't be distributing vaccines but that would be awesome wouldn't it??)

Stay healthy and safe!

Your FAN Presidents,
Kathy & Lindsay
Upcoming Events
VIRTUAL GAME NIGHT FOR PARENTS
Saturday, February 6th at 8pm
Sponsored by The Spot in Winchester.
More details coming soon.


COCKTAILS & ESTATE PLANNING
Tuesday evening, February 23rd
Please join FAN Members and The Parents Estate Planning Law Firm for an evening of cocktails and conversation around essential legal planning to protect the people you love the most - your kids. During this virtual event, mixologist Meredith Powell will walk us through creating a seasonal cocktail (supplies provided!). Then, you’ll learn from The Parents Estate Planning Law Firm founding attorney (and dad of two,) David Feakes, who will briefly walk you through the key essentials to estate planning.
A FAN invitation will be coming soon.


"YOU'VE BEEN HUGGED" VALENTINE'S BAGS
Sponsored by PDA Dental Group and Primrose Schools, these goodie bags will be delivered to your doorstep by Valentine's Day.
More details coming soon.


FAN VIRTUAL PUPPET SHOW
The virtual puppet show, Judy Saves the Day, will be put on by The Puppet Showplace Theater next month.
More details coming soon.


FAN'S ANNUAL PRESCHOOL GUIDE IS HERE!
Click here to view our annual Preschool Guidebook. This PDF offers details about 20 local programs including class schedules, classroom sizes, teachers per classroom, age requirements, costs, contact information, and each school’s application process.


PLAYGROUP
Due to COVID, our playgroup activities are currently cancelled, but you can make connections using this form.


Around Town Announcements and Events

BELMONT WORLD FILM FAMILY FESITVAL
Belmont World Film's 18th Annual Family Festival, geared to children age 3-12, is going virtual from January 15-24 - six days longer than usual to allow for leisurely viewing and available to all residents in Massachusetts. In addition to the films, there are workshops on becoming a Junior Film Critic. Learn more here.


WRIGHT-LOCKE FARM
After a successful Fall season, Wright-Locke Farm is offering outdoor, in-person programs for children (preschool - 5th grade) this Spring! Click here to learn more.

You can also learn about upcoming adult workshops, order produce, or sign-up for the farm newsletter.


XTEND BARRE BURLINGTON FREE CLASS
Current FAN members get a FREE Xtend Barre Burlington Class! The studio is currently offering in-studio, outdoor, and live streaming classes. The FAN promo code "FREE" can be used for any of those classes. Click here to sign up.


WINCHESTER PUBLIC LIBRARY
Our library is offering several virtual classes, clubs, and activities. Click here to see the calendar.


INTERFACE MENTAL HEALTH REFERRAL HELPLINE
The Winchester Coalition for a Safer Community brings INTERFACE to help connect Winchester residents with mental health resources. It is a FREE and CONFIDENTIAL service which will match your need, insurance, schedule, and location and connect you with a mental health professional. INTERFACE HELPLINE 888-244-6843 is now available to Winchester residents and students. The Helpline is available from Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. Review the William James College Interface website for mental health resource and additional information on the helpline.
Community Connections: Racial Justice
FAN’s mission is to provide resources and a support network for parents. Recent events have rocked our worlds and we’re feeling many different emotions that are hard to harness and express. As parents, we’re always searching for ways to teach our children about the world around them. We all want to teach our children to be kind, informed, empathetic, and anti-racist members of society.

There are so many resources available it can be overwhelming. FAN is committed to giving you a few resources on an ongoing basis that can help you facilitate thoughtful, anti-racist conversation with your children.

Please click here for resources.
Do you wonder what would happen to your kids if something ever happened to you? Now, more than ever, it is critical to be sure you have a plan, so that your children will be taken care of by the people you know and trust.

At The Parents Estate Planning Law Firm in Acton, our focus is on estate planning for young families. To help you, we have created a list of the 5 Legal Documents every family with a child under the age of 18 should have. They are:
  1. Kids Protection Plan® - Names long-term guardians (the people who would raise, love and care for your kids until they are adults) and short-term guardians (the friends and neighbors close to your home who can stay with your kids until your long-term guardians can arrive) for your kids.
  2. Will – Names long-term guardians and details how and to whom you want your money and property distributed.
  3. Living Trust -Keeps all your assets private and makes it as easy as possible for your family to access your assets and manage things seamlessly after you are gone. You can also set up a living trust to protect your kids’ inheritance from being lost to divorce, creditors and lawsuits. A living trust can also help minimize state and federal taxes.
  4. Health Care Proxy – Names the people you want to make health care decisions for you if you become incapacitated and cannot make decisions for yourself.
  5. Durable Power of Attorney – Names the people you want to make legal and financial decisions for you if your become incapacitated and cannot make decisions for yourself.

If you don’t have a plan (or, if you have a plan, but aren’t sure it fully protects your family, please click here for more information.

We look forward to hearing from you!
Final Notes
For more ideas on area activities, keep checking FAN's public community events calendar, featuring upcoming FAN events and other events geared toward families with young kids. Click here to view the calendar; use this link to add it to your Google Calendar. To submit a new event for the calendar, please email newsletter@fanwinchester.org.