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Grit, tutoring, outdoor classrooms, summer programs, recruited athletes

Education Roundup

There is exciting news coming out of the Sonoma Education Foundation that both Adele and Altimira will soon have outdoor classrooms, complete with teaching platforms, shade structures, tables and chairs, made possible by a generous donation from Stone Edge Farms last year. The new facilities are aimed at boosting the middle school gardens, which are very popular with students. John McReynolds is a guiding force for the projects. Construction is under way and the large shade structures are beginning to take shape. We will have photos and more details in the weeks ahead.

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Prestwood School recently received a grant from Safe Routes to Schools thanks to last year’s three “Walk and Roll to School” events, led by Caroline Brown and a group of parent volunteers. Students and parents were encouraged to get out of cars and walk or ride to school more often, and students got small prizes and were entered in a drawing for a bicycle, provided by the Safe Routes organization. This year their third, fourth- and fifth-grade students will participate in a series of bicycle safety assemblies made possible by the grant. The first Walk and Roll to School day will be Oct. 5.

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If you are a student in ninth grade or higher and you hope to be recruited to play sports in college, you and your parents are invited to attend a workshop on Thursday, Sept. 29 at 11:35 a.m. Scott Madsen, an athletics and admissions counselor will be at SVHS to talk about the process and realistic goals.

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Last week’s “4-Year College Night for Seniors” at Sonoma Valley High School was revamped this year to include an overview of the application process followed by break-out tables where students and parents could ask questions on athletics, the CSU System, the UC System and the Common Application. There were also recent grads there to give advice. It was great to see a packed house of more than 100 students and parents there.

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The tutoring list for this school year is now available at SVHS’s College & Career Center. This list of top-notch high school students who tutor and their academic specialties, is a godsend to all area parents who have students (of all ages) struggling in a particular subject. Rates range from $12 to $15 an hour. You must stop by the CCC office in person to request a copy.

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Speaking of tutoring, SoloQuest School & Learning Center is a unique resource and they have been offering educational services to grades six to 12 here in Sonoma for 14 years. Courses include ‘A-to-G’ approved college prep, honors and AP. They work with students who need to repeat a course for a better grade, who have schedule conflicts, whose school doesn’t offer a certain course or students who have learning challenges and need one-on-one instruction. This past summer, Sonoma students took a total of 88 high school courses at Soloquest. Soloquest also works on campus at some schools. For the past few years they have been teaching a college prep (high school credit) Geometry class to nine eighth graders at Presentation School.

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I guarantee that the next time you are at a dinner party and the topic turns to education, someone is going to bring up Khan Academy. If you haven’t checked it out yet, take a second now to go to www.khanacademy.org. This nonprofit resource offers more than 2,400 videos covering every possible K-12 academic subject. Their mission: “We’re a not-for-profit with the goal of changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education to anyone anywhere.”

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Last Sunday’s New York Times magazine cover story was “What if the Secret to Success is Failure” by Paul Tough, who contends that character is a far greater measure of future success than test scores. In particular, he cites: grit, zest, self-control, social intelligence, gratitude, optimism and curiosity as better measure of success. I think he is right, but can you teach “grit” or are you just born with it or without it?

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Another hot topic recent article in the The Economist (www.economist.com/node/21529014) contends that after a global examination of education practices, good schooling isn’t about spending money on education: “Though there is no one template, four important themes emerge: decentralization (handing power back to schools); a focus on underachieving pupils; a choice of different sorts of schools; and high standards for teachers.”

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The 18th National Forum on Character Education will be held in San Francisco, Oct. 19 to 22 and grant money is available for local educators to attend the conference free of charge. The purpose of the conference is to teach Bay Area educators specific strategies to improve school climate and academic success. The forum will focus on building ethical communities, with topics like bullying prevention, character education, promoting academic integrity, and methods to develop good global citizens. With more than 70 breakout sessions, attendees will likely find sessions that relate to their district’s needs. CEP non-members pay $540 and students pay $225 for this event. However, there is a generous scholarship fund for administrators, teachers and youth workers from seven Bay Area counties. Please note which county you are from in your scholarship application letter. Contact Rebecca Sipos to apply at rsipos@character.orgto or visit www.character.org.

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Griffin Hill, a SVHS junior, was looking for something academic but fun and outdoors to do last summer. He ended up choosing the SEA program in Woods Hole, Mass., 17-day resident program studying marine science and nautical science, onshore and aboard a 134-foot research sailing vessel in the Atlantic. Says his mom, Vicki, “Griffin loved every minute – even the three-hour marine science classes and labs. One of the best parts was bonding with the 25 other like-minded students and watching the sunrise aboard the ship, as they crewed the early a.m. watch.” This program is pricey but financial aid is available. www.sea.edu/academics/high_school_programs.

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I also heard that SVHS junior Sean Hall (who is studying abroad in France this year) did an exciting program in International Diplomacy held at American University in Washington, D.C., in July. Sponsored by the National Student Leadership Conference (www.nslcleaders.org), the program choices include engineering, education, entrepreneurship, forensic science, journalism, law and more, ranging from eight to 13 days at a cost of around $1,700-$2,500 (though scholarships are available). Sean’s program consisted of about 100 students – about 30 percent from overseas – a busy schedule of classes, lectures and visits from State Department dignitaries, an overnight trip to the United Nations and visits to the State Department and various embassies.

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Adele Harrison Middle School’s Elective and Specific Academic Enhancement (SAE) programs this fall include chorus, band, art, drama, Lego robotics, garden, study hall, math and language arts intervention, beginning Spanish, fitness and GATE. Before school study hall is offered twice a week and “After School Matters!” four days a week. It sounds like Adele is off to a strong start to the school year.

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The Altimira PTO and student body are co-sponsoring their first-ever PLEDGE-A-THON from now through Sept. 27. Money raised from this event will fund programs throughout Altimira Middle School including teacher mini-grants and classroom supplies, school social activities, New Technology and even new sports uniforms. Their goal is $25,000!  Students who raise a minimum of $45 will be invited to a trip to Scandia Family Fun Center in Rohnert Park.

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The colleges visiting the high school over the next week include Gonzaga University (Washington) on Wednesday, Sept. 28 (12:20 p.m.); Middlebury College (Vermont) on Monday, Oct. 3 (8 a.m.); and University of Arizona, also on Oct. 3 (11:35 a.m.). In addition to learning about these colleges, these are a great chance for juniors and seniors to meet the college reps who will actually be reading their applications.

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Dunbar School is having a car wash at the school on Saturday, Oct. 8 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Any donations or pledges will go toward funding the school’s outdoor education field trips (San Francisco Maritime National Park’s Age of Sail for fourth grade, and Voyages of Discovery for fifth grade). I am very interested in unique field trips being taken by area schools – please email me details on any cool trips your students are taking.


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Woodland Star Charter School’s Open House & Tour for potential kindergarten students will be held on Saturday, Oct. 22, from 10 a.m. to noon. Email sheila@woodlandstarschool.org to register. Free childcare is available.

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Education news is already coming in faster and more plentiful than we can print it. If you don’t see something right away, I may be holding it for a future column. But I love to hear from you, keep it coming. ourschools@sonomanews.com.