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Education Roundup

Madeline Levine offers 10 great back-to-school resolutions for parents in her book, “Teach Your Children Well.” They include the following: 1) I will make sure my child gets a full night’s sleep. 2) I will not panic over the occasional “B” or “C” because I will remember the success trajectory is a squiggle ... not a straight line. 3) I will love the child in front of me. Appreciate your child’s unique gifts. 4) I will not push my child to be perfect. 5) I will not confuse my needs with my child’s needs. This is the most toxic manifestation of overparenting. Get a hobby or a therapist instead. 6) I will not do for my child what he can do for himself. This kills motivation and the ability to innovate. 7) I will not do for my child what she can almost do for herself. At one time your child could almost walk. Now she can walk. Enough said. 8) I will make my child clear the dinner dishes – even on the night before a big calculus exam. 9) I will honor the importance of PDF (play time, down time and family time). 10) I will live my own (adult) life and let my children live theirs. Being a happy, fulfilled adult is one of the greatest gifts you can give your children. It makes adulthood look like something worth striving for.

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The completely free six-week program that my daughter did last summer in China, studying Mandarin through the United States State Department, is currently accepting applications for trips to seven countries next summer (as well as full gap-year programs). The goals of this program for students ages 15 to 19 are to improve the ability of young Americans to engage with the people of Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, Korean, Persian (Tajik), Russian and Turkish-speaking countries; to develop a cadre of Americans with advanced linguistic skills and related cultural understanding to advance international dialogue and compete effectively in the global economy; to provide a tangible incentive for the learning of a foreign language; and to spark a lifetime interest in foreign languages and cultures among American youth. Apply (by Nov. 1) and learn more at www.nsliforyouth.org/languages-and-programs.

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Sonoma Valley High School’s French Club plans to organize a cultural exchange between American and French students for next summer. Sonoma students will travel to France and be hosted by a French family. French students will then come to Sonoma. If you might like to host a French student for a couple of weeks in the summer, there is an informational meeting at SVHS on Thursday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m., in room F3.

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Volunteers are needed to help on Saturday, Oct. 6 with the 10th annual Plein Air Art Show in the Plaza. The art show proceeds support school art programs. Call 935-6050 to help that day.

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Yahoo Finance has ranked colleges by the average pay of their graduates mid-career. There are some real surprises here. No. 1 is Princeton University; No. 2 is Harvey Mudd College (Claremont); No. 3 is CalTech (Pasadena); No. 4 is the U.S. Naval Academy (Annapolis); No. 5 is the U.S. Military Academy (West Point); No. 6 is MIT (Cambridge); No. 7 is Lehigh University (Bethlehem, Pa.); No. 8 is Polytechnic Institute of New York University (Brooklyn); No. 9 is Babson College (Boston); and No. 10 is Stanford University.

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Dave Eggers’ documentary, “The American Teacher,” returns to Sonoma on Thursday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. at Hanna Boys Center. This is a free event, but attendees are asked to reserve a seat by calling 935-9566.

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Speaking of movies about education, I saw “Don’t Back Down,” last week at the Sebastiani Theatre (thanks to the Sonoma Valley Film Festival folks) and boy is it controversial. I vacillated between being moved to tears by the parents’ actions in wanting to improve their school, and horrified at how simplistic the turnaround process was portrayed. It opened at Sonoma Cinemas over the weekend. I recommend it, as a conversation starter for sure.

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Santa Rosa Junior College’s Theatre Arts season will start Friday, Oct. 5, with “Trouble in Mind,” and the last performance of the season will be “Legally Blonde” in May, with “Beauty and the Beast” and “A Few Good Men” running this winter. Most of their productions are appropriate for students. For more information, go to santarosa.edu.

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SRJC’s Shone Farm in Forestville is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a fall festival on Saturday, Oct. 6, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The 365-acre farm provides hands-on learning opportunities to students in horticulture, viticulture, agriculture and livestock management. The festival will feature u-pick pumpkins and vegetables, apple pressing, scarecrow building, wine tasting and more. Go to shonefarm.com.

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Especially in an election year, it is fun to hear about the student council elections taking place at local schools. I am happy to print your school’s slate. Congratulations to Kenwood School’s new officers: President Max Bohlke-Slater, Vice President Tyler Bellach, Secretary Kassi Aronson and Treasurer Hunter Halkovich. The process of campaigning, presenting to the student body and serving in student council is one that children seem to remember forever.

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Speaking of elections, the Sonoma County Education Coalition is sponsoring a free voter education forum on Propositions 30 and 38, two ballot measures that directly affect the future of the education budget in California, on Thursday, Oct. 4, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Center in Santa Rosa. RSVP to Rosa Zamudio at rzamudio@sonomacf.org. The forum will feature presentations by neutral policy experts who are knowledgeable about K-12 education and can give voters a clear understanding of each proposition’s impact.

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A new survey by Hart Research has found that California parents say a college education for their kids is a high priority, but most have not started saving to help pay for it. Eighty-four percent of California parents surveyed said it was “very important” that their children attend college, but only 43 percent have a college savings account.

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If your student in grades three-to-12 enjoys entering contests, there is a good one now accepting entries that is free to enter with prizes and recognition in essay, poetry and art categories, broken out by grade level. The first deadlines are in mid-October. Visit poeticpower.com and celebratingart.com for more information.

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The high school has launched a new Homework Club this fall. Starting today, Oct. 2, The No Name Café will provide free tutors every Tuesday and Thursday from 3 to 4:30 p.m. to assist students with all subjects. They will provide printers, laptops and snacks.

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This is homecoming week at Sonoma Valley High and the theme is super heroes. The carnival is tomorrow and the float festival is on Thursday. On Friday, the parade up Broadway is at 12:30 p.m. and there will be a home football game that evening. The homecoming dance is Saturday night.

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Santa Rosa’s Roseland Charter School recently won $150,000 from AT&T in recognition of its success and effectiveness in preparing students for success in school and beyond. The award will support the school’s Destination College, a high-intensity college prep and career readiness academic program. The two Roseland schools that benefit from the grant are Roseland Accelerated Middle School and Roseland University Prep. Both are open to students from Sonoma, though more space is available in at the high school than the middle school level. Their newest school, Roseland Collegiate Prep (on the campus of the old Ursuline girls school) opened with grade seven this fall, and will expand with another grade each year. These are free public charter schools.

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