Email  Print

Books, books, books, failing algebra, full-day kindergarten

Education Roundup

A 20-year study has found that being raised in a home with lots of books increases the level of education that a child will obtain, no matter if their parents are rich or poor, illiterate or college graduates. Mariah Evans, the lead researcher for the University of Nevada study, found that even having as few as 20 books in the home still has a significant impact on propelling a child to a higher level of education, and the more books you add, the greater the benefit. Children of lesser-educated parents benefit the most from having books in the home. The study is one of the largest and most comprehensive ever conducted on what influences the level of education a child will attain.

• • •

Speaking of books, Readers’ Books is in its fourth year of running its Book Stars program that owners Andy and Lilla Weinberger feel strongly about and that the community has also embraced. This year, the kids books that customers select and buy will be boxed up by the staff and donated to La Luz and pregnant teen moms at the high school. Explained Andy Weinberger, “Many of the kids who use these services come from homes that are absolutely devoid of books.” Stop by today to pick out a book.

• • •

Adele Harrison Middle School is hosting a Book Fair Dec. 14, 17, 18 and 19 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the community is invited. The sale of books, holiday gifts and stocking stuffers supports Adele’s library.

• • •

During Sonoma Charter School’s recent Read-a-thon, 55,571 minutes were read by the 69 students who participated and the students raised more than $4,800 for the school. The most minutes logged: in K/1, Nathaniel Szakallas read for 785 minutes; in grades 2/3, Melina Johnston read for 1,545 minutes; in grades 4/5, Jackson Zyskowski read for 1,500 minutes; and in grades 6-8, Eden Scheiblich read for 2,227 minutes. The 12 students who read 1,500 minutes or more each chose a title for the school library and will be the first to check the books out.

• • •

Late last month, Superintendent Louann Carlomagno and five members of Sonoma Valley Unified School District attended the California School Board Association’s annual education conference. The event is designed as a continuing education program for hundreds of board members around the state to share ideas on improving student learning and achievement. I gather they got a lot out of the three packed days of speakers and workshops in San Francisco (their attendance was paid for by private donations).

• • •

Prestwood School’s student council collected more than $500 for Hurricane Sandy Red Cross relief efforts as their community service project this fall. Fifth-grade student council leaders, along with teacher representative, Sal Pagano, organized the school-wide fundraising efforts, which included recycling bottles and cans and a classroom “spare change” drive.

• • •

Stop by Mary’s Pizza for a “dine and donate” night benefiting Sonoma Valley High School’s music department on Wednesday, Dec. 12. You must bring a flyer with you, which are available at the high school front office or Readers’ Books. The music department will be performing its Winter Concert on Friday, Dec. 14, at 7:30 p.m. in the Little Theater at the high school. The school’s choir, madrigals, concert band and jazz band will be performing.

• • •

The Republic of Thrift, at 17496 Sonoma Highway, continues to donate its profits to the Sonoma public schools. On Thursday, Dec. 13, from 3:30 to 6 p.m., you can have your child’s photo taken with Santa (the $5 fee will go to Altimira Middle School’s leadership program field trip fund). The store is also running a “shop and donate” program that day and 10 percent of all sales will go to SOS (Save Our Sports). All merchandise will be discounted 10 percent and refreshments will be served.

• • •

Altimira is a busy campus, with a canned food drive for FISH wrapping up on Friday, Dec. 14. That same day, Altimira students will return to the airways at 8 a.m. on 91.3 FM taking about their elective program.

• • •

Presentation School’s 2012 Holiday Home Tour is this Friday, Dec. 14, at the Lodge at Spmp,a on Broadway. Tickets are $75 and include transportation around to the houses, a luncheon seating at 11:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. and the holiday gift boutique. The event starts at 10 a.m. and usually draws more than 400 people. Limited tickets are available online at presentationschool.com or by calling 935-0122 ext. 202.

• • •

Five states announced plans to add 300 hours of learning time to the calendar of some schools starting in 2013. Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Tennessee will take part in the initiative, which will start at only 40 low-income schools but is expected to be expanded each year. The goal is to boost student achievement and make U.S. schools more competitive on a global level. It will vary by district whether the school day will be made longer or more days will be added to the school year. The cost will be shared by federal, state and district funds. I did the math and 300 hours equals 48 additional school days.

• • •

Research shows that children benefit greatly from full-day kindergarten. Studies show that full-day K boosts cognitive learning, creative problem-solving, social competence, gains on literacy and language measures, better attendance and higher achievement in the older grades. All public schools, as well as Presentation and St. Francis in Sonoma, offer full-day K. But not everyone else is as lucky – only 10 states require that school districts provide publicly funded full-day K. An additional 34 states require school districts to provide half-day kindergarten, and six states don’t require school districts to provide any kindergarten at all.

• • •

There is an interesting free quarterly newsletter for parents of students with ADHD. at tinyurl.com/ba78kbq

• • •

I am working on a story about childhood obesity in Sonoma. Research shows that middle school students in excellent physical shape outscore their classmates on standardized tests and get higher grades. A recent study of middle school students by Michigan State found that fit kids did better in school regardless of gender or whether they had gone through puberty. This is important evidence to help get recess and P.E. back into the school day at schools nationwide.

• • •

Because my children are all very different students, I have always been fascinated by learning styles. If your children (or you) have never taken a learning-style assessment, you might be interested in what you learn. There is a decent, free one available online at learning-styles-online.com. The different types are: visual-spatial, aural-auditory, verbal-linguistic, physical-bodily-kinesthetic, logical-mathematical, social-interpersonal and solitary-intrapersonal.

• • •

You can register online for Santa Rosa’s Junior College’s spring 2013 community education classes at santarosa.edu/communityed, or you can register by phone at 527-4372. The printed spring bulletin will arrive in mailboxes shortly. There are lots of interesting choices available.

• • •