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Furlough days, classroom volunteers, artist mentors, SSU

Education Roundup

The Teachers Support Network provides volunteers in the classroom for Sonoma High School teachers who request community support. Right now, there are some new and exciting openings for community members with interest or talent in: dance, zumba, floral design, engineering, design, technology, yearbook, newspaper advertising/sales/marketing and Spanish language. This is a great chance to get in the classroom with Sonoma students. If you are interested in helping out occasionally or regularly, contact TSN Director Sallie Moore at shkmoore@gmail.com.

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Farm to Table is the theme at Altimira Middle School this year. Right now, the school is selling fresh flower bouquets for $5 each. Anyone can call the main office and order a bouquet and it will be ready for pick up in the main office. Altimira students are also going to be experimenting with orchards. Anyone who has an orchard plant that has finished blooming is encouraged to drop it at the school office.  Students last week also made homemade pesto from basil and garlic grown in the school garden.  Olive oil was donated by B.R. Cohn, cheese by the Sonoma Cheese Factory, and bread by Basque Boulangerie bakery. All the students and staff were able to try it. 

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As a result of last year’s budget cuts, all schools in the Sonoma Valley Unified School District will experience eight furlough days this year. Furlough days are days when the schools are closed, no classes are held and teachers are home without pay. Most districts turn first to furlough days when budget cuts must be made, but furlough days do carry the downside of reducing teacher compensation and result in less classroom instruction time. The furlough days this year are: Friday, Aug. 31, Monday, Nov. 19, , Tuesday, Nov. 20, Friday, March 29, Monday, April 1, Friday, May 3, Friday, May 24 and Monday, June 3.

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If you can, stop by and ask your teacher if there are any supplies you can donate to the classroom, beyond your child’s individual needs. A nationwide survey by adoptclassroom.org found that the vast majority of teachers – 91 percent – purchase things for their classroom and their students with their own money. Studies have found that teachers spend up to $1,000 on these items.

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Sonoma Ecology Center is now hiring interns ages 14 to 18 for its fall EnviroLeader Program. Interns receive a $400 stipend for the 10-week program. Interns learn about environmental careers and develop leadership skills while gaining valuable work experience. The session runs mid-Sept. to mid-Dec. Applications are available in Sonoma Valley High’s College & Career Center, or contact Vidya Quigley at vidya@sonomaecologycenter.org.

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The Arts Guild of Sonoma is presenting the
artwork of Sonoma Valley High students, as well as new work by guild artists, in an exhibition that begins Wednesday, Sept. 5. Five years ago, the guild initiated a Summer Mentor Program, matching guild artists with local students to create a piece of artwork to be shown at the gallery in September. The program enables the guild to reach out to aspiring art students and introduce them to new materials and techniques. This year’s artist mentors are Susan Herringa-Piper, Janis Kobe, Christine Gonzalves and Jim Callahan. Many of the students continue on to art school having had the experience of creating and showing their work under the mentorship of a professional working artist.

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There has been a shift on how counseling services are provided to students at Sonoma Valley High. Last year, there were two full-time and two part-time counselors serving approximately 1,300 students across all four grades. This year, a dedicated counselor, Peggy Murry, will work 60 percent of her time at Sonoma Valley High, assigned to the freshman class, supporting the success of the freshman team experience. Betzy Chavez and Maricela Sanchez will continue to work full-time with sophomores, juniors, and seniors, alongside part-timer Tracey Dorrance, who also supports the school’s Teen Parent program.

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Sonoma Valley High has two Sonoma State University counseling interns on campus this year. Intern Karol Ramirez will be providing services to migrant education students twice a week, while Kalia Gurnee will support the counseling department on campus, also twice a week. This internship is part of their degree requirements, while also a great boon to the staff at Sonoma Valley High.

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The Kenwood School will hold its pasta party to raise money for its outdoor education programs on Sunday, Sept. 9 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Geib Ranch in Kenwood. See the school office for more details and tickets.

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The Sonoma County College & Career Ready Fair will be Tuesday, Sept. 11 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Windsor High School. More than 50 universities and junior colleges will be there to speak with students and parents.

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There will be a Senior Project Information Night at Sonoma High on Thursday, Sept. 6 in the library at 7 p.m. I love hearing about interesting senior projects, and am eager to help with those projects that need community support to be successful. Please urge your student to send me information at ourschools@sonomanews.com.

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A new partnership between an online gaming company and Oxford University Press aims to boost student interest in reading through a gaming site dedicated to classic works of literature. The collaborative effort, called “50 Great Reads Before 15,” is part of a growing trend of injecting a gaming component into regular academics. The game introduces characters and storylines from classic literature, including “Alice in Wonderland,” “Macbeth,” “Pride & Prejudice,” “Don Quixote” and “Arabian Nights.” What a great idea, if kids take to it. Go to secretbuilders.com.

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Along the same lines, if you are worried about the video games your child enjoys, check out Games for Change. The site has the mission of “catalyzing social impact through digital games.” They curate a group of games that they believe are fun, while also “serving as critical tools in humanitarian and educational efforts.” See what they offer at gamesforchanges.org.

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Santa Rosa Junior College has released its fall catalog of community education classes. The complete listing is available at santarosa.edu/communityed.

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The SRJC Planetarium restarts its First Friday Night Sky program on Friday, Sept. 7, with future nights on Oct. 5, Nov. 2, and Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Show content varies, with emphasis on the stars, constellations, planets, and other interesting facts in or about the sky that night, and is appropriate for school age children. Admission is open to the public and free, but donations are appreciated. santarosa.edu/planetarium.

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Data analysts have found that more Sonoma State University students take out educational loans than do students at any other California State University campus. SSU students who graduated in 2010 had an average loan debt of $17,251, according to the CSU Chancellor’s Office, up 18.4 percent from two years earlier. The CSU system average in 2010 was $15,804.

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In honor of the election year (but important anytime), there is a great smart phone app to engage kids in the 2012 presidential election. This app offers students a creative and fun way to learn about presidential history, while the gaming elements keep it fun. Basher Presidents can be downloaded at iTunes for $1.99.

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The Sonoma Community Center’s new brochure of classes available this fall is available now. In reading through it, however, it appears that all classes have a 16+ or 18+ age restriction, except for “Curtain’s Up” – acting classes by Nellie Craven and Sue Martin on Mondays from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., from Oct. 15 to Dec. 10. This class is open to ages 10 to 18. See sonomacommunitycenter.org.

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I am running to the bookstore to buy “How Children Succeed” by Paul Tough. I gather the author’s hypothesis is that intelligence has nothing to do with success and that, instead, non-cognitive skills like persistence, self-control, curiosity, conscientiousness, grit and self-confidence, are far more crucial to achieving success.