Masha Halpern

Registration for Kindergarten Begins in February
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools will begin accepting registrations for kindergartners for Fall 2009 on Monday, February 2.

To make it more convenient for families, forms may be printed from the district's website, www2.chccs.k12.nc.us/registration, or a registration packet may be received by mail by calling the registrar, Marlen Orio, and leaving your name and address. Parents may also come by Lincoln Center to pick up a kindergarten registration packet and take it home. All of these options allow the forms to be completed so parents may be more prepared before coming in to register.

Only parents or legal guardians are permitted to register students.

Registration forms may be returned in person to the registrar at Lincoln Center Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. To save time, parents should bring copies and originals.

Incoming kindergartners must turn five years old on or before August 31, 2009. All students entering kindergarten in the fall must have a physical exam prior to the first day of school. A physical given any time during the year preceding the first day of school is acceptable.

When registering, the following is required: proof of district residency (current Orange County property tax bill, settlement statement, lease or rental agreement, unpaid Duke Power bill, OWASA or Public Service Gas bill are all acceptable); an original or certified birth certificate for the child (a mother's copy or hospital certificate will not be accepted); photo ID of parent/guardian; immunization (shots) record; the child's Social Security number (if applicable); name and complete mailing address of previous school; most recent report card and/or official withdrawal form; and any custody arrangement documentation (if applicable).

For questions or for more information, contact Marlen Orio at Lincoln Center, 967-8211, ext. 268 or email her at morio@chccs.k12.nc.us.

For preschool questions and registration, contact Michelle Brewington at 918-2153, ext. 20291 or email her at mbrewington@chccs.k12.nc.us.

Save the date for Meet Your Match at the APS! February 14th 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.

February 14th is Valentines’ Day. What could be better than finding a new love at the APS of Durham on Valentine’s Day? Come to Meet Your Match and visit with the adoptable cats and dogs. We hope you’ll meet YOUR match and adopt a new best friend. So many animals are waiting for you and ready to give you unconditional love. Won’t you consider adopting? And if you have already opened up your home please spread the word about the joys of adopting a pet and invite those you know to visit the shelter on Valentine’s Day or anytime the shelter is open!


APS Partners with the Salvation Army

The APS of Durham has joined with the Salvation Army to provide cat and dog food to those facing economic hardship. If you would like to contribute pet food to this program or to the shelter animals please drop off your donations at the Durham County Animal Shelter. For more information about how to give please email development@apsofdurham.org and for more information about the Pet Food Assistance program please email community@apsofdurham.org

APS Kids Club

APS Kids Club meets this Saturday the 17th at 2:30 pm. The APS Kids Club is open to kids ages 7-12 and their parents. For more information email education@apsofdurham.org

CHCCS to host multi-generational Inauguration viewing and dialogue

A coalition of CHCCS student organizations will sponsor a multi-generational Inauguration viewing and dialogue event on Tuesday, January 20, 2009, from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm at Carrboro High School.

CHCCS staff and students have been invited to take part in the event. The group will gather to view the Inauguration on big-screen televisions and then engage in a one-hour, multi-generational dialogue about this historic event. CHCCS staff members taking part will receive one-tenth of a continuing education unit for their participation.

The event is being co-sponsored by Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate, Blue Ribbon Youth Leadership Institute, Carrboro High's Student Equity Leadership Team, Chapel Hill High's Student Equity Leadership Team, the Unity Project, AVID, 21st Century Learning Centers, Pa'Lante, Scene and Heard and the Chapel Hill Youth Council.

Moving can be extremely stressful especially if you have children. It is important to be aware of the things that may be a concern to your children when making a move.

A few areas of concern for children when making a move may include:

• Preschool children tend to worry about being left behind or separated from their parents.
  
• Kids aged 6 to 12 can be concerned with how their daily routines will be affected.
  
• Teenagers are concerned primarily with fitting in and having their social life disrupted.
  

A way to ease these concerns may include:

• Communicating with your child about what the new house will be like.
  
  
• Take them on a visit of the new home and neighborhood (if possible)
  
  
• If you can, visit the school with your child and meet some of the teachers.

• Packing some of their own special belongings, and decorate the box with stickers and markers.
  
• Make plans together on how to decorate their new room.

How much home can you really afford? The first step in buying a home is to have a budget and figure out how much you can actually afford. Your agent or lender can help you with this in a couple of ways:

•  Pre-qualifying process This process will give you a general "estimate" of what you will be able to afford.

• Pre-approval process This process will allow your lender to review your finances in more detail in order to determine the amount of money they agree to loan you for your home purchase.

Your lender will review your finances and focus on a few main areas such as:

• Gross monthly income
  
• Credit history
  
• Amount of outstanding debts
  
• Source and amount of money available for down payment and closing costs
  
• Interest rates, etc.

All these things put together will help your lender determine two important qualifying ratios.

1. Debt-to-Income Ratio Generally the amount of debt you pay each month should not exceed 36 percent of your gross monthly income
   
2. Housing Expense Ratio Most lenders will not approve your loan if the mortgage payment exceeds 28 to 33 percent of your gross monthly income

These are the first steps in determining how much you can afford when purchasing a new home.