Lorna Sheridan: Education Roundup, Sept. 1

Teens can serve on a state council, free coding lessons and more in this week’s Roundup.|

SRJC: Santa Rosa Junior College announced Thursday it will continue to conduct the vast majority of classes online until the school year ends in May 2021.

Teens can learn virtually together: The Boys & Girls Club new Teen Club at Teen Services is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Members arrive before the start of class to allow time to be checked in and set up, and stay through the school day. The program is open to high school students who are either residents of Sonoma Valley or who attend Sonoma schools. There is only a one-time membership fee of $25. There are 15 members per group and one staff member. The day consists of academic support, movement, enrichment activities, and health and wellness discussions and activities. Learn more at bgcsonoma.org/teens.

Learn to code: As part of its efforts to expand its work with students and teachers, Codecademy is providing free access to courses for high school teachers and their classrooms through the learning platform Clever, as well as launching its first-ever Student Pro membership for higher education students at a discounted rate. codeacademy.com.

Book club: The Sonoma County Library's Virtual Teen Book Club starts Tuesday, Sept. 8 at 3:30 p.m. on Zoom. The September theme is Social Justice and Black Lives Matter. Find out more at sonomalibrary.org/virtual-teen-book-club and register at events.sonomalibrary.org/event/4479887.

New law: The California Legislature has voted to ban the sale of most flavored tobacco products in the state. The bill would not make it a crime to possess flavored tobacco products but it would be illegal to sell them. Retailers could be fined up to $250.

Volunteering: La Luz is offering a virtual tutoring program for elementary students and they're looking for high school students who would like to tutor. Contact Yuliana Camarena at yuliana@laluzcenter.org with questions. Learn more first at suppstudents.wixsite.com/virtualtutoring.

College visits: Each week, colleges are virtually visiting Sonoma Valley High. Juniors and seniors should check their Naviance account for details. This week, St. Mary’s is “visiting” on Friday at 2:25 p.m.

Great opportunity for teens: Rep. Mike Thompson has launched a Congressional Student Leadership Council, allowing local students to develop leadership skills, get to know how government works, and engage with our community first hand. The council is open to all high school students in California's Fifth Congressional District. Applicants should be passionate about helping their community and eager to learn more about federal, state and local government. Students will meet online once a week and design a Virtual Town Hall during the spring semester. Learn more at mikethompson.house.gov. The deadline to apply is Friday, Sept. 25.

Resource: There is a free virtual Back-to-School Summit that starts on Tuesday and runs through Sept. 4. Learn more selfsufficientkids.com/recommends/2020-back-to-school-summit. The event features advice from 20 experts about how to help your child during this crazy school year including: Preparing kids for remote learning, returning to school following a pandemic and transitioning from public school to home school.⁠ Each day’s sessions are only available for viewing on the day itself. After that, you’ll need to pay to watch the sessions. ⁠

Learning about drones: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has selected SRJC’s Drone Studies certificate program as part of its federally recognized training program. In order to qualify for the initiative, schools must offer a degree in unmanned aircraft studies and provide curriculum that includes hands-on flight practice, maintenance, uses, applications, privacy concerns, safety and federal policies.

Preschool: Registration for the AVANCE classes through La Luz Center is now open for virtual classes. This program is for children ages 0-3 and their caregivers to learn about child development and different ways to engage with children. Learn more at laluzcenter.org/family-services.

Contact Lorna at lorna.sheridan@sonomanews.com.

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