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Better parenting, logo winners, Big Ideas Fest, math apps

Education Roundup

Want smarter kids? Space them at least two years apart. … In a new study, a University of Notre Dame economist found that siblings spaced more than two years apart have higher reading and math scores than children born closer together. The positive effects were seen only in older siblings, not in younger ones. At least part of the difference to older children is attributed to getting more of their parents’ time during the first formative years of their lives before a younger sibling comes along (Journal of Human Resources)

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“There’s no question that a great teacher can make a huge difference in a student’s achievement, and we need to recruit, train and reward more such teachers. But here’s what some new studies are also showing: We need better parents. Parents more focused on their children’s education can also make a huge difference in a student’s achievement.” – so says author Thomas Friedman in a recent op-ed in The New York Times.

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In my article a few weeks back on the forensics team at Sonoma High, I neglected to mention that the team was actually launched in the 1980s by now-retired English teacher Meta Lale and her husband, and that they ran the program with great success for more than 15 years. 

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Sonoma High music department presents its 2011 Winter Concert Series, Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 14 and 15 at 7 p.m. in the Little Theater. Join the musicians as they perform more than two-dozen holiday favorites.

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Altimira invites the community on Dec. 7, from 4 to 8 p.m., to its Holiday Craft Faire and a chance to view their student science fair projects.

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Congratulations to Sonoma High seniors Sarah Summers and Esmeralda Chavez.  Sarah won first place and Esmeralda won second place for the Soroptimist “Road to Reality” Logo Contest. Each year the Soroptimists host this lifeskills information day for the entire Sonoma Valley High School graduating class. The goal is to inform students about the adult issues and responsibilities that they will encounter in the near future, including finance, apartment rental rights and responsibilities, personal safety, social media/privacy and career preparation. Breakout sessions are led by volunteer presenters and local experts.

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Congrats to Crescent Montessori for its recent accreditation by Western Area Schools and Colleges (WASC). The 17-year-old school offers a true Montessori program for children ages 2 through 12 and their middle school program will open in September 2012.

 Karin Niehoff, director said, “We view education, not as a destination, but a journey where we all can feel that we are contributing to the development of a place for children that is truly inspirational.”
Crescent has open enrollment throughout the year. School visits are scheduled on alternate Tuesdays at 9:15 a.m. and last 40 minutes. Log on to www.crescentmontessori.com to learn more.


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The students from Prestwood teacher Erica Yurman’s class wrote letters to soldiers who are stationed at Travis Air Force Base for Veterans Day and I gather their letters were much appreciated.

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A representative from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising will be at Sonoma High on Nov. 29 and a rep from Johnson & Wales University in Denver will present on Nov. 30. Seniors and juniors should consider getting a pass to attend.

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Half Moon Bay is the site of this year’s Big Ideas Fest (Dec. 4 to 7). The annual Big Ideas Fest is “an extraordinary immersion into collaboration and design that focuses on transformational change in K-12 education.” Creative doers and thinkers from various levels of education gather to learn from and share with each other and are sent home with actionable next steps, resources, and connections to push forward innovative teaching and learning. The keynote address, from Applied Minds Chairman Danny Hillis, is on “Personalized Learning: What is Most Interesting and What Do You Know?” Gregory Anderson, dean at the University of Denver, will speak on “Higher Education: Adapt or Die.” (www.bigideasfest.org). Thank you Lisa Zaganti, for telling me about it.

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The resources link of the Sonoma Mentoring Alliance web site is a great central point for information on college, scholarships, financial aid, community service/volunteering opportunities, mentoring links and more. Check it out at www.sonomamentoring.org.

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As students get down to the crunch of finalizing their college list and/or choosing from among the schools to which they are accepted, I urge them to take a moment to visit www.studentsreview.com. The site has more than 100,000 brutally honest reviews from students currently attending 3,000 different schools. It is also fun for alums of a specific school to read what current students are enjoying and complaining about today.

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Ten-year-old Liam Shelton wrote in with news that his Sonoma WizBots team recently won first place in the “Robot Design” category of a “First Lego League” competition in Vacaville. His team included Jack Boydell, Trevor Griggs-Demmin, Andrew Powers, Ty Brenninger, Liam Sheldon, Sam Weisiger, Erik Serbicki and Gregory Kenton.  They move on to the Regional Finals in Sacramento in February. Great job team.

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The idea of students, even motivated students, spending their spare time enjoying math workbooks seems a bit quaint these days. There are, however, some fantastic math apps that your kids might enjoy while killing time in the car, at a siblings soccer game, etc. Top 11, courtesy of www.gettingsmart.com are (most are free):

• 1. Visual Math: KickBox and KickBox Lite. This is an addictive multistep thinking game from MIND Research Institute featuring JiJi the penguin
• 2. Numbers: Elevated Math, great for grades four to eight. According to the site, this app can be used for SAT and ACT studying
• 3. Numbers: Motion Math Zoon is, a free app for elementary students, helps kids learn numbers and decimals.
• 4. Geometry: iCross helps students dive into geometry concepts with 3D drawings and descriptions of shapes
• 5. Algebra: HMH Fuse brings an Algebra 1 textbook to life with interactive graphs, tools and equations.
• 6. Algebra: Algebra Pro features an interactive workbook with 100 practice questions and support videos.
• 7. Calculus: Video Calculus. More than two hours worth of free calculus instruction through visual videos.
• 8. Probability & Statistics: Statistics 1 for iPad – interactive tutorials, lessons and quizzes to learn statistics.
• 9. Applying Math: Rocket Math. Students complete math problems in order to build their own rockets and explore space with 56 math missions. All ages.
• 10. Applying Math: SpaceTime for iPad or MathStudio. Creating 2D and 3D diagrams using a graphic calculator.
• 11. Math Game: MathBlaster HyperBlast – for ages 6 and over, three arcade game levels and 30 math lessons.

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I’m working on a story on the best educational toys for the holidays for kids of all ages. If you have any great recommendations, send me a note at ourschools@sonomanews.com.

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CORRECTION: Corner Store Kids benefit for the Ed Foundation runs Saturday, Dec. 3 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. This free event will have crafts that include paper flowers, chenille animals and paper chains. Twenty percent of all sales from the Corner Store and Corner Store Kids will be donated to The Sonoma Valley Education Foundation.