Education
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Group Notices
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The SV4Obama Education group is committed to impacting public education in our own community.
President Obama said, "The fight for economic and social justice begins in the classroom." The SV4Obama Education group is dedicated to implementing Obama's plans for improving and equalizing education in the United States. Please join us in our effort! |
A Volunteer Opportunity where you can truly make a difference! Thanks to John Jacobs!
Here's a very worthwhile volunteer opportunity for any of you who might be interested in giving young children "a leg up" who might not otherwise have the opportunity. The particulars of the "Springboard to Kindergarten" program are included below in a letter I received from a friend of ours, Kathy Plock, one of the lead teachers, with contact information for following up:
A very exciting and long overdue program is about to begin in the Palo Alto Unified School District. “Springboard to Kindergarten” will target children who will enter Palo Alto kindergartens in September 2010 with little or no preschool experience. The program, which will begin in late February will run through July, and will be five days a week, for 3 hours and 45 minutes. Springboard to Kindergarten, in routine and structure, is intended to give children a preschool experience that will prepare them for a smooth transition to kindergarten. It will provide a developmental, play centered classroom with hands-on activities.
Each class will have a maximum of 21 students and the teacher will have an aide each day. However, as many of you know because of your experience with young children, the best teaching can take place in small groups, with lots of one-to-one attention. I am sending you this letter because I know you understand what a class like this demands. I am hoping that some of you may be interested in volunteering for this exciting new program.
If you are like I am, you are probably saying that your plate is already full and you simply cannot do more. I understand that completely. I also know, like me, you know that this is a program that is much needed. I am hoping that you might find a bit of time to volunteer to help us launch this program and help us succeed.
The class will run daily from 8:30 to 12:15. We are looking for help during any of that time, but the most structured part of the day will be those first two hours. If you can give us one or two hours one day a week, two times a month, or even once a month we will be delighted. We need the experience that you can bring to the classroom. We need the understanding of young children that you can provide.
The PAUSD is supporting this project, but it is under the auspices of Palo Alto Adult Education. Sharon Keplinger, Program Coordinator of PreSchool Family and Young Fives, will be in charge of the program. It will be at Greendell School.
I hope to hear from you, whether or not you can help us out. Time is short and we need your responses by Feb. 5 if possible. Please feel free to ask questions.
Sincerely,
Eleanora Jadwin Ellen Rosenblum Kathy Plock
Volunteer Coordinator Teacher Teacher
rejadwin@comcast.net ellen@rosenblums.us kathystew@comcast.net
State Education Update - Saturday, January 23rd 10-noon
As we know the State Legislature recently passed new legislation in an effort to make the state able to compete for the Federal "Race to the Top." Senator Joe Simitian, a member of the Senate Education Committee, will hold a meeting to update us. Details are below - thanks for Susie Richardson for submitting this.....
State Senator Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, will hold an "Education Update" Saturday, Jan. 23, in Palo Alto.
Simitian, said he will "provide an in-depth update on K-12 education funding and legislation pending in Sacramento."
Simitian, a member of the Senate Education Committee, is a former member of the Palo Alto Board of Education, the Palo Alto City Council and the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.
"I'm particularly anxious to hear from folks given these challenging budget times. Recently passed 'Race to the Top' legislation makes this meeting particularly timely as well," he said.
The meeting is open to the public. Similar "education updates" by Simitian in the past have attracted school board members and school superintendents from throughout the area.
It will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Jan. 23 in the Palo Alto Unified School District Board Room, 25 Churchill Ave.
To RSVP visit Simitian's website or call 650-688-6384, 408-277-9460 or 831-425-0401.
Volunteer Opportunities at Eastside College Preparatory School
This posting comes to us from John Jacobs......
Greetings all, and Happy New Year! I'm casting this net widely, so please forgive any redundancy of information.
As most of you know, I've been involved since retirement as a volunteer at Eastside College Preparatory School, a private secondary school- grades 6-12- in E. Palo Alto which serves primarily the students of that community. During the upcoming semester, I'm helping to recruit volunteers (15-20?) to help the middle schoolers in their research for Project Give, a hands on year long academic project which integrates academic learning with philanthropy in very powerful ways. The students' presentations the past two years, which culminated their Project Give research and in the awarding of grants from funds that they helped raise- were very, very impressive, and I have no doubt they will be so again this year. If you are interested, I have attached a Word document below which explains the project in more detail, but here is why we need you:
1. The twenty or so 6th graders in the school will be researching topics related to Global Warming under the direction of their teacher, Suney Park. Suney would like to have 5-10 volunteers help individual students with their research. This would happen on Wednesdays from 12:30-2:00 P.M. in her classroom under her guidance. Students will have all the tools they need for doing their research, so we would be functioning as guides for individual students, or perhaps pairs of students. The first date for doing so would be January 13 and would continue on Wednesdays for one month through Feb. 3 with the possibility of continuing on if all went well.
2. The 7th and 8th graders (again, approximately 20 in each class) are studying "Education in the Bay Area" under the guidance of their teachers, Jen Johnson and Blythe Duffield, and have written to various non-profit organizations in the area which they have selected in order to gather information. They will soon be receiving their informational packets from these organizations which they will then have to read through to learn about their selected organization's mission, programs, donors, etc. Volunteers will be needed to help students sort through and comprehend the information they'll be receiving. This work will be done during tutorial time, 3:30-5:00 P.M. on January 15 and 22, both Fridays. These students will eventually be giving group Power Point presentations on their findings, and Jen and Blythe have also asked for volunteer assistance with the organization of these presentations on two Fridays, Feb. 12 and Feb. 26 from 3:30-5:00 P.M.
Some other dates related to this project which you might want to mark on your calendar include:
• February 5 (6'ish): Fundraiser/Informational Night
• April 1 (evening- exact time to be announced): 7th/8th grade Celebration Event. Topic: California Education
• TBA: 6th Grade Celebration Event. Topic: Global Warming
For those of you who believe that quality education is a key to leveling a very uneven playing field and decreasing societal inequities here and throughout the world, the above represents an easy and enjoyable way to become involved with a very minimal commitment. You can opt to help out for one or more days, although pairs or groups of days as listed above would be preferable. The teachers and students at Eastside are wonderful, and all are very appreciative of the many volunteers that come to Eastside to assist in any way...and who knows? You, too might get hooked on all and opt to fill one of the many ongoing volunteers slots that are available at Eastside, and perhaps might even consider contributing financially to Eastside (!) since the great education that happens would not happen without all of the private donations from individuals, as well as foundations and corporations.
I would appreciate it if you could forward this note to any local friends on your e-mail lists whom you think might be interested in helping out, and have the capability and spirit to do so, or who might like to find out more about this project or about the school. For any of you or your friends who are interested, I'd appreciate it very much if you could let me know by e-mail which of the two projects above you might be interested in volunteering for if you do have a preference- 6th grade Global Warming, or 7th/8th grade Education in the Bay Area. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me and I'd be happy to discuss further with you.
Thank you all.
Best, John Jacobs
Cell: (650) 804-2222
Eastside's website, if you want to take a look is: www.eastside.org
Charter Schools - by John Merrow
Arne Duncan is a huge proponent of charter schools, especially in underperforming districts in inner cities. School boards often seem to resist charter schools - look no further than Sequoia High School District right in our own backyard who has fought the establishment of a second charter school, Everest. Here are two links from John Merrow on the subject.
His blog about 'good charters' and widespread opposition to charters: http://bit.ly/4OjAX9
His Education Week essay about the latest in charter school research: http://bit.ly/4JYvOQ
Take Action - Support Early Education Programs
Hi Kacy,
Across the country, more than 70 percent of three and four year olds have no access to publicly funded early education programs. Half a million of these children come from low-income families.
Support early education funding. »
The U.S. House of Representatives has already passed a bill that would provide billions in funding for early childhood education, raising the level of participation in these early learning programs among disadvantaged children. But right now, opponents are trying to block this crucial funding in the Senate.
Investing in early education is smart. Research indicates that every dollar spent on high-quality pre-kindergarten is worth $7 in taxpayer savings and economic productivity. Bolstering early education today will go a long way toward ensuring a sound economy for years to come.
We can't let Congress miss out on this opportunity. Send your Senators a strong message to support this crucial early education funding! »
Thanks for taking action!
Samer
ThePetitionSite
Support Early Education Programs
Forward to a friend >>
Read the petition >>
Take action link: http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AFRdX/zJ_z/o.Z9
