This week’s best tips, resources and events for Sonoma ?students, parents and teachers…

Good news for students at or headed to a UC campus next year.|

Good news for students at or headed to a UC campus next year. In-state undergraduates at the University of California won’t face tuition increases for the next two years, thanks to a deal struck between Gov. Jerry Brown and UC president Janet Napolitano. Out-of-state students will likely face a 5-percent tuition increase next year. tinyurl.com/kx96cfg

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Teen Power personal safety workshops are a great way for children to learn how to prevent, manage and leave potentially unsafe situations with people. The next class being offered locally is for ages 13 to 17 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 30 at Sonoma Taekwondo. kidpower.org.

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I have been reading about the book “The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous and Smart about Money” by Ron Leiber. He suggests the following:

• Don’t pay children to do chores. Adults don’t get paid to help around the house and neither should children. Take away privileges when they don’t do their chores, not their allowance.

• Do, however, give children money on a regular basis and use allowances as a teaching tool. Give kids the chance to spend foolishly and to feel regret, and a sense of accomplishment when they save.

• Do toasts around the dinner table. Have everyone raise a glass to something or someone awesome.

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Don’t miss the screening of the documentary “Far From Home” at 7 p.m. on Monday, June 1 at the Sebastiani Theater. The screening was organized by Creekside High School teacher Walt Williams who saw the film at the Sonoma International Film Festival and created an entire curriculum unit about it for his students. I also saw the film and loved the (true) story of a young Ugandan boy who comes to American and falls in love with snowboarding. Despite some truly moving setbacks, he is determined to represent his country as a snowboarder in the Olympics and to realize his dream of becoming a doctor. The movie is free for all Sonoma Valley students, as well as all mentors and mentees.

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There seems to be a lot of new teen drivers on the road. The DMV proposes a great (optional) Parent-Teen Driving Contract on the dmv.ca.gov website. The contract includes both teen responsibilities – “I will not let anyone else use the vehicle entrusted to me.” As well as parent responsibilities – “I will serve as a good role model when operating a vehicle.” It also gives parents a place to spell out who is responsible for what aspects of vehicle upkeep. The only thing it lacks, that I have seen on others contracts, is specific repercussions for breaking the contract.

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EdSmart has ranked the top community colleges in California based on graduation and transfer rates. Napa Valley College was the only local college to make the top 15 list. NVC has a graduation and transfer rate of 48 percent and a first year retention rate of 88.7 percent. The college has 8,996 students and costs $14,120 to $18,920 to attend full time. California overall ranks 20th in the nation in community college graduation and transfer rates. edsmart.org/top-community-colleges-california/

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Just in time for summer beach reading, Sonoma Valley Library is having one of its popular book sales beginning at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27 and running through 3:30 pm on Saturday, May 30. All children get a free book and all educators may take as many books as they like on Saturday. svfol.org. The library seeks donations for its book sales, particularly of children’s books, as many are distributed each month to the schools and to FISH. You can drop donations anytime to the shed behind the library.

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“One book one school” reading selections are all the rage right now. The entire Justin-Siena High School community will be reading “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” by Mark Haddon this summer. Set in contemporary London, the book is the fictional account of 15-year-old mathematical genius who also has Aspeger’s syndrome who sets out to find the killer of a neighbor’s dog.

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There are some great reading instruction (fluency, speed reading and comprehension) programs being offered for children of all ages courtesy of Santa Rosa Junior College’s Institute of Reading Development. The program is arranged by age, from pre-K through college students. Most courses are five weeks long and are held at the SRJC Petaluma campus. Some meet weekdays and some on Sundays, most for two hours. For more information or to register, visit scu.readingprograms.org/

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Speaking of reading, high schoolers struggling to analyze themes in literature might benefit from LitCharts. This site, from the founder of Spark Notes, aims to make more than 200 great works of literature, from “Anna Karenina” to “1984,” more accessible through its interactive data visualizations which visually track themes, symbols and plots in a story. litcharts.com

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The all-volunteer Boosters organization that provides funding for Sonoma Valley High School clubs, athletics and activities will be electing a new secretary and volunteer coordinator at its next meeting on Monday, June 1, at 7 p.m. in the library. Boosters is also in need of several committee chairs including snack bar, spirit wear and homecoming. For more information, contact Alice Schimm at aliceschimm@gmail.com

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Sonoma Valley High School’s Grad Night 2015 also needs volunteers and donations. Grad Night brings Sonoma seniors together at an all-night drug- and alcohol-free graduation party for one final hurrah before they head out into the world. More than 250 graduating seniors participated in a safe, sober, and exciting night of celebration last year. Volunteers are still needed for set up on Thursday, June 4 and Friday, June 5, and to clean up on Saturday, June 6. Email Dino DiGiulio at svhsgradnight@gmail.com or call 479-3713 to volunteer.

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There will be a spring plant sale from 2 to 5 p.m. on Friday, May 29 and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 30 to benefit SVHS agriculture projects. The sale of veggie, flower and herb will be held at the high school farm at the end of Larkin Road.

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ieSonoma is an educational event “devoted to exploring the research, theory, and practice of 21st Century teaching and learning for the purpose of transforming the way we prepare our youth for success in this rapidly changing world.” The event is Sunday, June 7 at Sonoma Country Day School and Monday, June 8 at Sonoma State University. Tickets to the two days of speakers and workshops are $75. iesonoma.org

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CASA is looking for more men to serve as volunteer court appointed advocates for local children in need. CASA volunteers are everyday people, trained by CASA to advocate for the safety of children who have been removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect. Volunteers are supported by staff case supervisors and are part of a team that works in the best interests of the child. If you can commit to spending two to four hours a week offering advocacy, friendship and emotional support to a child or young adult in foster care, they need you. sonomacasa.org

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A British toy company called Makies allows kids to customize 3-D-printed dolls in all different sizes, shapes, colors, hair types, and more. The company has announced a new line of accessories so kids can design dolls with disabilities and/or birthmarks. This includes hearing aids, a walking stick and scars. They are really gorgeous dolls that will appeal to all, and maybe make a child who feels very different feel a little bit less so. mymakie.com/campaign/toylikeme/

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Some new STEM camp options for ages 5 to 13 have been announced in recent weeks. The Presentation School has added the following camps: Coding: Ruby on Rail, Bootstrap: Algebraic Video game Programming, Electromagnetism, and Coding with Minecraft among others. www.presentationschool.com. St. Francis Solano School is offering Lego Robotics and Games, Engineering for Kids, Medieval (engineering) Mayhem, Transportation Engineering and more. saintfrancissolano.org.

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Note: An update and clarifications to last week’s article about the SVHS graduates at U. Chicago. Delaney Gold-Diamond’s extracurriculars include Moot Court and she has just learned that she’ll be interning at an immigration law firm this summer. Christina Uzzo hasn’t been doing any babysitting, but her volunteer work at the homeless shelter includes looking after children. She also helps run a Model UN conference for high schoolers. Overall, I should clarify that passages of the interview were condensed or paraphrased for clarity.

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