EVERYTHING
FOR YOUR FAMILY
Family News
|
||||
|
ALSO | BODY BEAUTIFUL | CHILDREN'S THEATER | BREASTFEEDING NEWS | FAMILY NEWS | TEACHERS SPEAK OUT As school year starts, a 6-point plan The nation’s largest teacher association wrapped up a meeting in mid-summer with a call for more support for public schoolchildren. More than 8,000 delegates of the National Education Association (NEA) met in Los Angeles. As the nation calls on its educators to ensure that all children receive what they need to be successful in school, educators respond that they can’t do it alone: Parents, policymakers and the public also must hold up their end of the six-point plan, President Reg Weaver reported. They are: Parental involvement: “If the nation calls on us to transform students into citizens who are prepared to make a true contribution to the work force…then we call on the nation to give us more parental involvement.” Children need parents who are involved in their education, come to parent-teacher conferences, show interest in what’s going on in the classroom, and do everything it takes to get them prepared for school and reinforce their learning at home, Weaver explained. “No Child Left Behind”: “If the nation calls on us to support the rhetoric of the so-called No Child Left Behind Law, then we call on the nation to elect politicians and policymakers who will vote to provide the resources both human and fiscal that will turn the rhetoric of the law into reality, not sanctions that do the most harm to schools and students who are in the most need.” High-quality school employees: “If the nation calls on us to provide high-quality education support professionals, those who will ensure that the standards for student services are high, then we call on the nation to stop privatizing [their] jobs.” Research suggests that privatization leads to poor quality at a higher price, and it’s bad for schools and bad for children, Weaver said. High-quality classroom instruction: “If the nation calls on us to provide students with lessons that enrich their minds, with experiences that enable them to grow into well-rounded, lifelong learners, then we call on the nation to provide…small class sizes, up-to-date textbooks, updated labs and modern technology.” Weaver also emphasized that educators need support for music, art, physical education and foreign language programs that are vibrant and engaging. Educators who give their best to every child: “If the nation calls on teachers and education support professionals to care for children with the most severe physical challenges…then we call on the nation to recognize these dedicated men and women as the backbone of our public education system.” To recruit and retain high-quality teachers and other educators, they must be paid fairly and according to the requirements, skill and worth of their jobs, Weaver explained. A high-quality teacher in every classroom: “If the nation calls on us to have a qualified teacher in every classroom, then we call on the nation to stand beside us and insist that we have work environments that are conducive to good teaching and learning.” With almost half of teachers leaving the profession after five years, ongoing professional development, healthcare and retirement benefits must be ensured, Weaver said. BODY BEAUTIFUL Teen girls respond to the skinny look TEEN PEOPLE in its August issue released its first-ever Body Image Survey a look at how teen girls see themselves and what influences their physical self-image. Among the key findings of the survey of 1,553 teen girls ages 13-18: • 55% often feel confident about their bodies. • While 17% claim body confidence all the time, 27% say they “hardly ever” feel confident about their bodies. • The appearance of models in magazines and women on TV and in films tied as the factors that cause the greatest body insecurity. In fact, 58% of surveyed girls say that either the way models look in fashion magazines or the way women are portrayed on TV and film causes them the most insecurity about their bodies. • Even though they are influenced by celebrity, teens believe stars like Mary-Kate Olsen and Paris Hilton are too thin. They view celebs such as Hilary Duff, Beyonce and Kelly Osbourne as more representative of an average women’s body type. • While girls are influenced by what they see on TV and in magazines, of the people in their lives, parents are most likely to pressure girls to lose weight not friends, boyfriends or coaches. In fact, 1-in-3 teen girls has been urged by her parents to change her weight mainly to lose weight. Another key finding of the survey is that culture plays a role in how girls view themselves: • African-American girls are most satisfied with their bodies; 51% claim total body satisfaction, compared to 31% of white girls and 30% Latinas. DRAMA QUEENS AND KINGS Orange County Children’s Theatre celebrates Children are naturals at being dramatic. And here in Southern California, we are blessed with a number of outstanding theater companies where they can put those theatrics to good use. One of the most well-established groups is Orange County Children’s Theatre, founded in 1969. Over the years, OCCT has produced an astounding 100-plus live musicals, such well-known crowd-pleasers as “Cinderella,” “Music Man,” “Peter Pan” and “Sound of Music.” Amazingly, everyone in the cast of these professionally produced, directed and choreographed shows is a child between 8 and 19; many with years of theater and dance experience already under their young belts; and a select few with no experience beyond singing to the family pet. Then again, it’s not about who’s the best, but who’s ready to give 110%. “We try to use this as an educational program, so kids can come in at various levels and learn all they can about children’s theater,” explains 40-year-old Joel Horsager, OCCT’s president-elect. He became involved in children’s theater with his wife and two daughters after seeing an OCCT production of “Annie” five years ago. On average, each cast consists of 50 hard-working, enthusiastic children, like 12-year-old Noelle Carney of Fountain Valley, who dedicate summers, weekends and school nights to rehearsals. She won the lead role in the upcoming production, “Annie Warbucks,” her fifth OCCT show. “I’m so excited! Every day I say, ‘Mom, I get to go to rehearsal tonight!’” Noelle hopes to make it to Broadway someday, “then become a veterinarian.” Horsager says that’s what it’s all about, “helping kids grow and build lifelong skills, and encouraging them to do the best at what they can do. This is one of those vehicles where you can see kids grow and start off with hardly any theater background and then go off and do amazing things.”m OCCT’s next show, “Annie Warbucks,” runs Sept. 9, 10, 11, 16, 17 and 18 at Huntington Beach High School. Information: 714.502.2244, or www.occt.org. By Lynn Armitage START, STOP Breastfeeding popular, to a point Why do so many women stop breastfeeding before the recommended 12 months? According to a new national survey, the top three reasons: they believe they were not producing enough milk (47%), they had difficult getting the baby to latch on (33%), and work-related issues (29%). The survey was conducted for Lansinoh, a leading provider of breastfeeding products for mothers and babies, and by American Baby Magazine. Among the findings: 85% of expectant mothers (those who work and those who stay at home) planned to breastfeed their babies. “Despite record numbers of women who leave the hospital breastfeeding their newborns, breastfeeding rates at 6 and 12 months are actually much lower as many women either stop breastfeeding within the first three months or begin to supplement with formula and solid foods when they really don’t need to,” says Sue Huml, a lactation consultant and member of the Lansinoh Breastfeeding Advisory Board. According to the survey, 30% of breastfeeding new mothers weaned their babies by 12 weeks. FAMILY NEWS CONLOGUE QUALIFIES FOR SURFING TEAM Surfing phenom Courtney Conlogue, pictured on the cover of OC Family’s July issue, recently qualified for the U.S.A. Surfing Team. This marks the second year in a row that the 12-year-old has been the youngest member of the team. The Santa Ana resident can compete where needed, either in the Women’s Division or the Girls Under 18 Division. Currently continuing her training, Conlogue will compete in the ISA (International Surfing Association) World Junior Surfing Championships Oct. 12 in Huntington Beach. COX AWARDEES Cox Communications recently awarded $1,000 scholarships to five local high school seniors interested in careers in telecommunications. The winners: Jacqueline Checho of Laguna Hills High School; Daniel Cichocki of Santa Margarita Catholic High; Phillip Haralson of Alisa Niguel High; Justin Holtzman of Woodbridge High School in Irvine; and Steven Nielson of Mission Viejo High. Cox Communications also annually awards the Richard J. Waterman Memorial Scholarship to the child or dependent of a local Cox employee. The winner for 2005 is Michael Paulsen of Villa Park High School in Orange. CHILDREN’S BOUTIQUE OPENS Mac & Madi, a children’s boutique offering apparel for children from preemie to size 14, recently opened at South Coast Plaza in the Macy’s Home Store wing. The store also offers a baby registry, diaper bags, car seat covers, blankets and nursery furnishings for new arrivals. CASA GRANT The Court Appointed Special Advocates of Orange County (CASA) received a national grant of $41,000 to continue and expand its mentoring and advocacy services for abused and neglected children in Orange County. The grant was awarded to the child abuse agency out of 900 other CASA programs nationally. SCHOOL OF ARTS BOARD MEMBER The Orange County High School of the Arts (OCHSA) has named Federico C. Sayre as the newest member of its Board of Directors. He is a nationally recognized trial lawyer and currently manages his own law firm, the Law Offices of Federico C. Sayre, with offices in Santa Ana, Los Angeles and St. Croix in the Virgin Islands. He is the immediate past president of the Hispanic Bar Association of Orange County, founder and past director of Princeton University’s Migrant Legal Services Program, and was formerly an officer in the Mexican American Bar Association. YAHOO SHUTS CHAT ROOMS Yahoo’s popular Internet chat rooms have been closed after disclosures that adults were trolling them to hook up with underage children. Some rooms that are directly controlled by the Internet site remain open. FELLOWSHIP TO ARTIST Ann Bridges, local artist and faculty member at the Orange County High School of the Arts, has been named the recipient of a $5,000 fellowship from Surdna Arts Teachers Fellowship Program. Bridges is one of 23 teachers selected from more than 60 applicants throughout the United States to receive a fellowship and plans to take a group of her Visual Arts Conservatory students to study and practice landscape painting on the Channel Islands with the fellowship. LOCAL PROGRAM HONORED KidSingers has been honored with The PIMCO Foundation 2005 Excellence award for providing an invaluable service to youth in the inner-city community of Santa Ana. The program is an inner city, after-school youth chorus for ages 8-18 for underprivileged children of Santa Ana. Information: 714.630,3883 or visit www.kidsingers.org NEW HEAD OF PRIVATE SCHOOL Mariners Christian School has hired a new head of school, Mr. Don Cole. Cole comes to the Costa Mesa school with 20 years of experience in school administration, 18 of these as a head of school. Reported and compiled by OC Family Magazine staff |
||||
RSS Subscribe
Digg This ArticleSEARCH THE SITE
