National Grammar Day!

The Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar and MSN Encarta have designated March 4 as National Grammar Day. Visit www.spogg.org for more info. Parents, this is for you to enjoy so you can be an excellent example for the children in your life.

"How can I participate? Speak well! Write well! And on March 4, march forth and spread the word. We want people to think about language and how it can be used best.Some of our members are planning Good-Grammar Potlucks at their offices.What do you serve at good-grammar potlucks? High-fiber foods, of course. They're good for the colon. Afterward, at happy hour, we recommend the Grammartini. (Recipes are on the site.) We put together a Bad Grammar Hall of Fame Playlist, full of songs we love despite their bad grammar. You'll find it at the bottom of this page. We've also produced a special National Grammar Day T-shirt so you can proclaim your love of language for all to see."At last - a holiday that "speaks to me!"
~See www.spogg.org for more information.

Discovering Careers event for local students

Join the SCV School & Business Alliance and their Title Sponsor, Boston Scientific Neuromodulation on Saturday, April 25th, 2009, 9:00am to 1:00pm, at College of the Canyons, for Discovering Careers 2009!

For the second year in a row, the SCV School and Business Alliance, the California CommunityColleges Chancellor's Office, College of the Canyons, and the William S. Hart Union High School District will be hosting "Discovering Careers," a free career exploration fair for SCV students ages 5 to 20 and their families.

Discovering Careers is not a job fair. It is a unique career expo that gives SCV kids a chance to "explore" various occupations and industries. Local businesses provide industry-related demonstrations to provide insight into the world of careers. Best of all, the fair is free of charge to participating employers, students, and parents.

Last year over 2,000 students ages 5 to 20 and their parents participated in this great event!

For additional information visit our Discovering Careers website www.hartdistrict.org/discover, or call the SCV School & Business Alliance at (661) 753-5740, Ext. 230 or 776.

New Parent Education Center

Read more about the new parent education center:

http://valleynews.com/SantaClaritaValley/Stories/Education/General-Education/Story~424574.aspx

National Reading Month

March is National Reading Month. To recognize this special month, read a book with your children every evening. Read to your younger children. Encourage older children and teens to read at least one chapter per night. It is important for the adults to read nightly as well. Children appreciate role models and your modeling reinforces the values you teach.

Do you have books that you can share with others? The local YMCA, after school child care centers, shelters, school libraries, and medical clinics may appreciate your donation of gently-used books in good condition.

Challenge your family to read every night in March. At the month’s end plan a special dinner celebration and discuss the wonderful books you read. Did you books take you on an exciting adventure? Did you travel to a far away place? What did you learn? What interesting characters did you meet? This March help your children develop a love for reading.

Feinstein Foundation Challenge Begins in March

Double the Benefits – Time for the Feinstein Foundation Challenge

Two of our local food banks are participating in the Feinstein Foundation Challenge. They are eligible for significant matching funds for all food donated by our community during March and April. We asked each of our Allied Agency food banks to provide a brief overview of their operations. We encourage you to hold a food drive in March or April to allow these organizations to double the benefits to the hungry in our community! You may be feeling stressed due to the state of our economy. However, we never feel richer than when we are sharing with our neighbors. You too will be richly rewarded by the act of giving.

Help the Children - Santa Clarita (formerly Hunger Defense Fund) is a local non-profit food bank providing groceries to low-income families living in the Santa Clarita Valley since 2002. Our organization does not receive any government funding and relies solely on donations from the community. Over 1,300 local families received food in 2008 and the needs are increasing. Our food bank is set up like a grocery store so that families may shop and choose their own groceries. We are open evening and weekend hours to accommodate working families and we allow families to receive food once a week. We would gratefully accept food drive donations from any of the schools and will provide a Certificate of Appreciation to each participating school. Food drive donations received during March and April are particularly important as they help us qualify for matching funds from the Feinstein Foundation. We have transportation available and are happy to pick up food drive donations from the schools.

The Santa Clarita Valley Food Pantry has provided supplemental food, at no cost, to needy families in our valley since 1986. Our mission is to alleviate hunger throughout the Santa Clarita Valley. We accomplish this with a dynamic group of volunteers who source food and cash donations, package nutritious food to stretch a family's food supply and distribute that food to qualifying residents of the Santa Clarita Valley.

The SCV Food Pantry is located at 24133 Railroad Avenue in Newhall (between 4th and 5th Streets) and is open Monday-Thursdays from 9:00am-12:00noon and the first Saturday of each month from 10:00an-12:00noon. We are open the third Friday of each month from 9:00am-12:00noon for our senior citizen clients only. Since many of the senior citizens in our community are on fixed incomes they are forced each month to choose between the food or medications they need. The Santa Clarita Valley Food Pantry distributes supplemental food to low-income senior citizens through our Senior Outreach Mobile Distribution at six sites in the Santa Clarita Valley each month. We also partner with the Senior Center to supply homebound seniors with food each month.

The Santa Clarita Valley Food Pantry, neighbors helping neighbors for the past 23 years. Because "No child in the Santa Clarita Valley should go to bed hungry."

The SCV Food Pantry will again be taking part in the Feinstein Challenge and is asking local schools to compete in the 2009 Students Against Hunger in the SCV by conducting a food drive in their school to help benefit the Santa Clarita Valley Food Pantry and those less fortunate in the SCV.

City of Santa Clarita's "Meet Mayor Dude"

Parents, would you like your children to learn more about our city government? If so, check out this new site, www.MayorDude.com.

Homework Strategies for Busy Families

Homework Strategies for Busy Families
From National PTA’s “Our Children” Magazine, 2008

by: Sharon Marshall Lockett

Today’s families are busier than ever. Meal preparation and clean-up; music lessons; sports practices; and games, chores, and more often squeeze “quality time” for relationship building to a couple of hours or less each evening. Helping your children with their homework may seem like another task that takes up too much time. Fortunately, homework is something that can be managed creatively, reducing the amount of time spent on it while increasing its effectiveness and the sense of connection you have with your children.

Make homework a shared activityPeople often describe the same experience very differently. The same is true of learning. One child will read and remember story details. Another child may not focus on the story’s names, dates, and places, but will see relationships and themes instead. Others will see possibilities, practical applications, or outcomes. When these children study together, they can see their assignments from different viewpoints. It encourages them to seek understanding rather than just get through the assignment. It empowers them to ask questions in class if they know other children are confused, too.

Studying with others sends a message that learning is important—that individually, our children want to succeed and that collectively, we support one another.
Friends as study partners. Invite your child’s friends over so they can do homework together. Don’t be afraid to join in these study sessions from time to time. When you do, ask the students to explain their answers—encouraging them to explore their reasoning helps them learn their assignments more thoroughly. It’s all right to let them digress periodically, as long as they get their work done. It makes learning more enjoyable.

Family members as study partners. Two-parent households can optimize their total “together” time by sharing responsibilities for homework, evening chores, and child care. Older brothers and sisters can tutor younger children. The sooner homework and chores are done, the more time the entire family can spend together in conversation or recreational activities.
Networking with other families. Single-parent households can join forces; while one parent helps the children with homework, another can take care of meals, chores, and child care for younger children. These arrangements can provide all parents with a little more time to spend getting involved in their children’s education, and a lot more moral support.

Use alternative sitesSchool. Some schools have realized they need to provide homework and tutoring centers. If your school does not provide after-school study halls and tutoring, let them know you need help during the gap between the end of school and the end of your work day. Programs exist to help schools provide trained helpers to students on campus.
Day care centers. Day care providers also should be approached about setting aside time for children to do their homework. Request that they have staff available to help.
Tutoring in the community. Community centers, libraries, and places of worship are among the community-based groups that have begun to offer tutoring. Often, college students who are interested in the helping professions volunteer their time at these locations. Contact your town government to find out whether these programs are offered and how to sign up.

Make the most of homework time. The time your children spend on homework can be reduced drastically by applying the following proven principles of learning:
Use senses to increase learning. Research confirms that using all the senses can enhance learning. As psychologist Rosemary Boon puts it, “Sensations may be thought of as ‘food for the brain,’ and when they flow in an integrated manner, the brain can use those sensations to form perceptions, behaviors, and learning.” Reading aloud, drawing pictures, and using mental imagery can help students learn and retain lessons more quickly and thoroughly.

Break lessons into manageable chunks. Children can grow frustrated by studying too much material at one time. Limit new material (spelling words, vocabulary, dates, names) to between 15 and 25 items. Review 20 items and add five new ones during a study session.
Study the unknown. Students often spend hours studying from a textbook, but most of their time is spent reviewing what they already know rather than studying what they don’t know. Divide material to be learned into two stacks: that which they already know, and that which they need to learn. Have them study only what they don’t know for 5–15 minutes. Wait 2–24 hours; mix the material up, and divide it again.

Ask questions. Have your child create a question and/or read the questions at the end of a chapter before he or she begins to read a textbook assignment. Tell your child to say the answer out loud when he or she comes across it while reading. This exercise will help your child understand and retain the information.

Associate. Alphabetizing, sequencing, and categorizing make learning easier. Singing information to the tune of a familiar song can also enhance learning and retention.
Personalize. Substitute your child’s name for characters in a story. Relate a math problem to a child’s allowance. Transfer something learned to an everyday event.

Know your child. How do you help your child tackle the homework in a way that makes sense to him or her? Every child is different, so it’s important to begin by learning what works best for each one. Pay special attention to the following items:

Food. A child experiencing either low or high blood sugar levels will have short-term memory impairment. Never insist that homework be completed before dinner. Provide healthy snacks during study sessions.

Energy level. Is your child a morning person or an evening person? Evening people need to stay up late to finish homework; morning people will be more productive if they get a good night’s sleep and get up early to do homework.

Personality. Is your child quiet and reflective or outgoing and always in motion? A quiet child will sit at a table to read or complete assignments; a child in motion might need to talk through an assignment with you or discuss homework over a game of catch before writing.

Strengths. At what activities does your child excel? Use his or her strengths to help compensate for weaknesses. An artistic child will benefit from drawing a picture about an essay topic before writing. A mathematically inclined child may become more engaged in an art project by drawing and coloring numbers.

Patterns. Observe and record your child’s study patterns. Include times of the day and various reactions to food or stimuli. These observations may help your school and healthcare professionals find solutions to learning difficulties.

Busy families often feel overwhelmed by the demands of modern life. Homework may seem like just another obstacle to quality family time. The best strategy for tackling homework is to use study time efficiently and, most importantly, get help from available resources. There is a whole world out there waiting to support us in educating our children.
Sharon Marshall Lockett is director of Educational Innovations/SCORE, a national cocurricular support program based in Laguna Niguel, California, and author of Home Sweet Homework: A Parent’s Guide to Stress-Free Homework & Studying Strategies that Work. She can be reached at sharon@homesweethomework.com.

Reflections Update

The Finalists~Awards of Excellence Recipients were forwarded to the 34th District in December. Additionally we held and selected Merit Winners and Honorable Mentions in each category that will be displayed at our March Association Meeting and Gala. Students whose art is held will receive a letter of invite to the March Gala. A complete list will be sent to all Unit Reflection Chairmen and will appear in the February Council Newsletter. We are also planning a "Wrap-up" meeting with all of the Unit Reflections Chairmen the first week of February. All student participates whose art was forwarded to Council will receive a thank you and certificate of participation with their returned art. Portfolios will be available for pick-up at the February "Wrap-Up" and /or the Association Meeting. Heidi GierardSCV Council PTA Reflections 2008-2009 SCV Council PTA Reflections Finalists (forwarded to the 34th District )

District winners are then forwarded to the State PTA Reflections competition. Council will celebrate it's Finalists/ Award of Excellence, Merit Winners and Honorable Mentions at the March 2009 Annual Reflections Gala and Association meeting.

PTA Legislative Alert!

Congress to Decide This Week Whether Health and Education Are Among America’s Priorities in an Economic Stimulus Package

CONTACT YOUR SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVE TODAY!

Tomorrow, both the United States Senate and House of Representatives will be acting on a wide-ranging economic stimulus package. This legislation will provide much needed investment in the American economy through a variety of avenues. It is essential that the education and health initiatives that are currently major priorities in this legislation remain so. Congress is in the midst of deciding our nation’s future. Tell them that any future must depend on the health and education of our children. Call your Representative and both Senators in Congress and let them know that you believe education and health must remain top priorities in the economic stimulus package.
Since Congress will be acting on this legislation as early as tomorrow, we encourage you to call your members of Congress.
For information to help you make this phone call, Please visit PTA Takes Action Center: Call-in Alert
To email your Members of Congress, please visit PTA Takes Action Center: Email Alert.

News from the City of Santa Clarita about "Hit the Trail" Bike Ride

"HIT THE TRAIL" COMMUNITY BIKE RIDE AND RALLY KICKS OFF COUNTDOWN TO AMGEN TOUR OF CALIFORNIA

Mayor Frank Ferry, City officials and Hometown Station KHTS A.M. 1220 invite local residents to Hit the Trail on Saturday, January 24 from 10:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event is free of charge and includes a community bike ride and rally set to kick off the countdown to the Amgen Tour of California which is returning to Santa Clarita in February. Santa Clarita is hosting a stage start and will welcome Lance Armstrong and the world's top cyclists on Saturday, February 21.
Local residents are invited to enjoy a leisurely bike ride along the City's off-street bike trails en route to Bridgeport Park, where participants of all ages will enjoy food, fun and giveaways. Once at the Park, participants will have the opportunity to challenge each other to a stationary bicycle race called "Cycle Showdown." Attendees will also enjoy several community booths, with giveaways including non-profit groups raising awareness for cancer. Santa Clarita's Hometown Station KHTS AM 1220 will be on-hand emceeing all of the activities.

Participants can also sign in at the City booth at the park event for Amgen Tour of California "Spirit Points" for participating schools. In addition to getting residents in the spirit to host the Amgen Tour of California, Hit the Trail also celebrates Santa Clarita's healthy lifestyle and more than 30 miles of off-street bike trails that residents of all ages are free to enjoy.

To participate in this free community event, arrive at one of the designated starting points before 10 a.m. All bicycle routes finish at Bridgeport Park, but residents not planning to ride are encouraged to enjoy the Rally at the Park by other means of transportation. Route 1 starts at Valencia High School, Route 2 begins from Placerita Jr. High School and Route 3 starts in Canyon Country at the corner of Soledad Canyon Road and Camp Plenty Road.

Sponsors for this year's Hit the Trail event include KHTS AM 1220, Jamba Juice, Glen Ivy Day Spa, Spectrum Athletic Club and the Castaic Lake Water Agency (CLWA), which will provide water for thirsty riders.

Read more about Hit the Trail, including a map of the three starting points. For information regarding the Amgen Tour of California, please visit santa-clarita.com/tourofca.

Hart District Shares, "What's Good in Education"

Recently I learned of a terrific source of news and information about the Hart School District. It is called, "What's Good in Education." It's written by Pat Willet. She does a terrific job of highlighting the good things happening on the various Hart campuses. Please take a moment and check it out. You can find it by clicking on "What's Good in Education" on the Hart home page (www.hartdistrict.org) or click here to read the Dec. 10th issue: http://www.hartdistrict.org/news/WGIE/121008.pdf

Please check in on this wonderful site...it's a good thing.

FREE Admission to Local Museums

Free Admission to Local Museums

Stacy Kupfer uncovered this hot tip. Due to a generous donation by Target, local museums are offering free admission on certain days. Pass along this good news to your school’s parents and teachers. What a great opportunity!

Bowers Museum, Orange County
Free admission the first Sunday of every month, 10am-4pm
Bowers.org

California African American Museum
Free admission the first Sunday of every month, 11am-5pm
Caamuseum.org

Children’s Museum at La Habra
Free admission the first Saturday of the month, 10am-5pm
Lhcm.org

Japanese American National Museum
Free admission and programming the second Saturday of the month, 11am-4pm, beginning February
Janm.org

Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Free admission on federal holiday Mondays, 12-8pm
Lacma.org

Museum of Latin American Art
Free admission every Sunday, 11am-6pm
Molaa.org

Orange County Museum of Art
Free admission and family-friendly activities on the second Sunday of each month
Ocma.net

Orange County Pacific Symphony
Free outdoor concerts in Orange County city parks in August
Pso.org

How to Add Your Voice to a Word Document

WOW!

Here's a really practical tip from the www.schoolcounselor.com newsletter. Try it yourself and show it to your older kids who are beginning to create special reports using MS Word. Or, how fun would it be to email a letter to a relative with your child's voice!

You will need a computer microphone for this.

"1. Open a New Word document

2. Pull down the Insert Menu

3. Click on: Object...

4. From the Object window scroll down to: Wave Sound

5. Highlight: Wave Sound

6. Click on: Okay

7. You will now see the Sound Object window (looks like a tape recorder)

8. Click on the red dot button to record. Default time is set for 60 seconds maximum. You can record longer by stopping and starting at the end of the first 60 seconds recorded.

9. Click on the black square button to stop.

10. A speaker icon will appear in your Word document.

11. To play back the sound file, simply double-click on the speaker icon. You may have to tell the recipient of the document to turn their speakers on and to double click the speaker icon to hear you.

By the way, if you are using an e-mail software program such as Microsoft Outlook (and not a web based e-mail program), you can send the document more quickly by going up to File >>> Send To >>> Mail Recipient (as Attachment). Of course, in the To and Cc boxes, enter recipient names, and add any additional information or select any additional options you want."

Message from Anna Rast, Special Needs Chairperson

Hello, beloved Special Needs PTA School Representatives!

This is just a quick note to congratulate you all on the amazing activities I keep hearing about you all doing so far in this 2008-9 school year. You guys are amazing! Also, it's beyond time that we all get together and party at my house!

This year, Renee Bowen is helping me on the Council level, and she and I would love to
invite you all to a fun, entertaining, festive meeting/training/breakfast-fest
at my home on Friday, January 30th,
at 9:00am (or after kid drop-off)

Of course, YOUNGER KIDS & SIBLINGS ARE WELCOME!!!

Please take a moment to RSVP (specialneeds@scvpta.org) and I will provide you with the address and directions.

(If you can't make it, we can forward you notes, hand outs, etc.)

I am thrilled at the prospect of us all meeting together on the 30th, and, in the meantime, if you have any question, suggestion, or comment at all, please don't HESITATE to contact me at ANY TIME (specialneeds@scvpta.org ). I always look forward to hearing from you all!

Take care, keep me posted, and come one, come all on Friday the 30th!

Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King

Take time to honor one of the most respected men in the history of our country, Dr. Martin Luther King. Your child may hear about Dr. King at school this week. Brush up on your history so you can answer questions. We found this comprehensive webpage with several ideas to celebrate the man and his vision. Check out this page from familyeducation.com to learn more about this American hero who advocated for civil rights and strove to instill peace during a very turbulent time.

http://fun.familyeducation.com/martin-luther-king-jr/black-history-month/35249.html

Simple Science Activities for Elementary School Children

Science activities can be fun, easy, and inexpensive. Here are three simple activites that are appropriate for children ages 5-10 with adult assistance. Why take time to conduct science experiments? These activities increase your child's observation, analytical, and creative skills. If you conduct the experiments with a group of children, they also learn to share ideas and cooperate with others. You can find many more experiments through Internet research or a trip to your local library.

Lifting an Ice Cube with a String

1.) Gather a salt shaker, kite string, and ice cubes.

2.) Ask your children if they think an ice cube can be lifted with a string.

3.) Sprinkle salt on one side of the cube and lay the string over the salted area. The salt with “glue” the string to the ice cube.

4.) Pick up the cube using the string.

Making Old-Fashioned Earphones

1.) Gather 2 empty yoghurt cups or plastic cups, 3 yards of string, and 2 paper clips per pair of children

2.) Poke a small hole carefully in the bottom of the cups. (Adults can do this in advance)

3.) Thread one end of the string through the hole of one of the cups from the bottom up so that the string end comes up in the cup. Tie the end of the string to a paper clip to prevent the string slipping through the hole. Repeat with other cup.

4.) Ask the children to hold onto their cup and walk away from each other until the string is taut.

5.) Take it in turns to speak quietly into the cup and listen with the pot/cup held against the ear. What happens if the string is not taut? Explain how the cup vibrates when you speak into it which makes the string vibrate and then the cup next to the ear which all makes the sound travel.

Which Way Does the Wind Blow?

1.) Gather doweling sticks, thin cotton fabric, and fabric (sometimes called tacky glue) glue

2.) Adults, cut the fabric into rectangles and long triangles.

3.) Glue the material onto one end of the stick, rolling it so that there is a complete turn of material, leave until dry.

4.) Take the flags outside to see if there is enough wind to make the flags fly. If the flags fly look at which material flew the easiest. Hold the flags low down to the ground and then up high to see if there is any change. Leave the flags outside in the ground and record each day if the flags are flying and in which direction they are flying. This opens discussions about wind and weather.

Back to School!

Winter break is coming to an end. After all the excitement of the holidays it may be difficult for your children to get back into the school routine. No matter the age, returning after a two or three-week break can be a challenge. It’s just as difficult for adults to return to the faster-paced routine of school, homework, and after-school activities. Rather than a stressful return, you can take a few steps to facilitate a smooth transition.

Prepare in advance. Depending on the age of your child, you can determine the tasks your child can complete independently. You know your child’s habits, so you know best if you need to verify that everything is in ship-shape the day before.

1.) Pack the back pack the day before.
2.) Select and lay out her clothes the day before.
3.) Fuel your car the day before. Get into the habit of fueling your car at times other than before school or work to reduce stress.
4.) If your child brings a lunch, make it the night before and put it in the refrigerator. Place a “Post-it” style note on your child’s back pack reminding her to grab the lunch in the morning.
5.) Check your pantry and refrigerator. Make sure you have ingredients for a healthy breakfast.
6.) Before bedtime set the table for breakfast so your family can serve themselves simple things like fruit and cereal.

Organize your home for school morning success.

1.) Place all your non-refrigerated breakfast foods in one area of your pantry. This will make it easier to track inventory of your breakfast foods and easier for your older children to access.
2.) Make a grooming checklist for your younger kids. Attach it to their bathroom mirror or inside of the door. It will help them remember all the grooming tasks they must do each morning.
3.) Establish an area and bin where each child can store her school things. Create a separate place for items needed for sports and special activities. Train your child to always return her items to the proper storage area for easy retrieval later. Label the areas with words for older kids and label with pictures for your very young children.
4.) Create a weekly planning calendar. Note activities as well as what special items are needed for those activities.

Making sure all the work is done. Nothing is worse than hearing at 7:30 am that your child needs to finish her math homework or that a note needs to be signed.

1.) Help avoid that stress by creating a homework station. Make sure that homework is put back into backpacks as soon as it is completed so it is not forgotten.
2.) Sign all school notes and forms immediately. Place it in the proper folder after signing.
3.) Record important reminders on your planner as soon as you receive the notice.
4.) Set the alarm allowing an additional 15 minutes for the unexpected.

You’ll be amazed at how these simple steps can make such a big difference. Careful, you may even find yourself humming a happy tune in the morning rather than scolding your children to “hurry up!” Children and adults will appreciate the peaceful routine.

New Year - New Start

The new year is an excellent time for a new start for adults and children too. If your child is disappointed in his/her grades from the first half of the year, you can help your child make a fresh start. If your student did not perform well in a class, it can be a great lesson. Talk with your child and the teacher to determine what went wrong. Help your child avoid those mistakes. Create a strategy for the new semester that includes time for family, study, play, sports, and relaxation.

* Schedule meetings with your child’s homeroom teacher or counselor. If you are having communication issues with a teacher (it happens occasionally) talk to a counselor or school administrator. Build a collaborative relationship with teachers and avoid the blame game.

* Encourage your child to ask the teacher questions when he/she does not understand a new lesson. Let your child know that the teachers are there to support students. Don't wait until a grade has slipped to talk to the teacher.

* Consider tutoring for your child. Ask your school counselor or teacher about the options offered by the school district. If the school cannot provide the tutoring, they may have a list of recommended tutors.

* Help your child understand how lifestyle choices affect schoolwork. Things like excessive television/video games, unhealthy food choices, lack of sleep, and skipping breakfast can affect your child’s performance.

* Don’t let your child become overloaded with too many after-school activities or commitments. Remember, your kids need downtime too!

* Lastly, children of all ages need an appropriate place to complete homework assignments. Set up a table or desk with plenty of space. Ensure your child has adequate lighting and necessary school supplies.

Let your child relax during the last days of break so they will return to school rejuvenated and ready for success in the new semester!