EVERYTHING
FOR YOUR FAMILY
KID
QUIPS
“One night, my 3-year-old asked me if she could sleep in my bed. I told her no. She said, “That’s not fair! Why does Daddy get to sleep in your bed?” READ MORE
Family News
|
||||
|
EARTHQUAKE AFTERMATH How to donate to help those who survived The world’s most powerful earthquake in 40 years, and the resulting tsunamis that devastated South and Southeast Asia, require months and months of donations from governments and from charities. Inland Empire residents can give to the effort through the American Red Cross Inland Empire Chapter. By directing where the money should go either online or, if a check is sent, in the Memo section (“tsunami emergency response”), readers can provide much-needed funds this way.: Donate online www.arcinlandempire.org. Call directly to make a donation: 909.888.1481. Or mail in a check, payable to the American Red Cross, to: American Red Cross, 202 W. Rialto Ave., San Bernardino, CA 92408. “The local Red Cross and Red Crescent in those nations are the first to respond,” says a Red Cross spokeswoman. “The American Red Cross, the first thing we did was contact those societies and offered financial assistance; we’re also sending in personnel…and relief supplies like tents, blankets, and tarps. We are on standby for additional support for whatever is needed.” The American Red Cross requests that only financial donations be made, not donated goods. Here are a few of the other agencies accepting contributions for aid: American Jewish World Service, 45 West 36th St., 10th Floor, New York, N.Y., 10018; 800.889.7146 or www.ajws.org Catholic Relief Services, Tsunami Emergency, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, Md., 21203-7090; 800.736.3467 or www.catholicrelief.org Doctors Without Borders, P.O. Box 1856, Merrifield, Va., 22116-8056; 888.392.0392 or www.doctorswithoutborders.org Other donations can be made to: United Way South Asia Response Fund, c/o United Way International, 701 North Fairfax St., Alexandria, VA, 22314, www.unitedway.org/tsunamiresponse Also: Save The Children, Asia Earthquake/Tidal Wave Relief Fund, 54 Wilton Rd., Westport, CT 06880, 800.728.3843, www.savethechildren.org KNOW YOUR CHILD Strengths play out with teens One of the knocks against using standardized testing to drive education reform has been the idea that such testing fosters a “one-size-fits-all” approach to teaching. In recent decades, many psychologists and educators have argued that some students learn differently than others, and specific teaching strategies should be tailored to students’ individual strengths. Before that can happen, teachers, parents and students themselves must understand students’ strengths. A recent Gallup Youth Survey asked 13- to 17-year-olds to describe their own strengths, and to say whether they feel their parents and teachers recognize those strengths in them. Most teenagers (89%) say their parents recognize their strengths at least “somewhat well,” with almost half (46%) saying “very well.” Carol Ann Tomlinson, a veteran teacher and author of “The Differentiated Classroom,” likes those numbers, but believes parents can do even better by making it a point to talk openly and regularly with their teens about how their abilities are developing. “Some of the issue for parents may be not thinking to look for specific strengths or perhaps not having a ready set of categories for which to look,” Tomlinson says. “If parents are looking only or largely for good grades, for example, they might overlook a teen’s ear for other people, ability to find good in difficult situations, level-headedness, and so on.” Teens don’t have quite as much faith in their teachers: Just 25% say their teachers recognize their strengths “very well,” though almost half (49%) say “somewhat well.” By Steve Crabtree, contributing editor. The Gallup Youth Survey was completed by 439 respondents, ages 13 to 17, Aug. 8-19, 2004. Sampling error is ±5 percentage points. AFTER SCHOOL Kids remain active after final bell A new study indicates that a surprising number of children do something active after school, rather than the perceived couch potato thing. Some 79% of America’s middle and high school students regularly participate in activities both after school and on weekends and 57% say they have some kind of non-school activity nearly every day. These activities range from sports to art and music to church programs, according to the Public Agenda. There is a disparity, however, between low-income and minority parents and others. The former worry about finding high-quality, convenient and affordable activities for their children. Of those young people surveyed, 85% say that “organized, structured out-of-school activities are enormously important to them,” And parents want activities that foster interests, values and growth. One of the most important offshoots of after-school activities are friendships. Some 92% say they make good friends in these environments. The study, “All Work and No Play? Listening to What Kids and Parents Really Want from Out-of-School Time,” was commissioned by The Wallace Foundation. The Public Agenda is a nonprofit organization that focuses on public policy research. For information: www.publicagenda.org BIGGER WISH Make-A-Wish combines Inland Empire, OC The Make-A-Wish Foundation has merged locally to create one large Orange County and Inland Empire chapter. The chapter, based in Tustin, is now set up to provide program services for families in Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. A regional office is in Riverside. The geographic area is enormous more than 28,000 square miles. According to the nonprofit’s newsletter, the merger “enables the single chapter to increase the number of wish children it can fulfill each year by eliminating administrative redundancies and amplifying outreach efforts.” CEO Mark Pilon realizes that volunteer workers will be key in the outreach across such a large swath of land. The merger “introduces the significant challenge of recruiting and training enough volunteers to enable us to accomplish our expanded mission.” The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. Information and donations: www.wishocie.org or 714.573.9474. Resources Information for Black History Month Here are useful books, as well as a relevant website, to celebrate Black History Month during February. The books are suggested from Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division: “This Little Light of Mine.” E.B. Lewis takes this well-known spiritual and creates a story to go with watercolor illustrations. For all ages. “Freedom Summer.” A white boy recounts his first experience of racial prejudice and his friendship with a black boy. By Deborah Wiles, illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue. For ages 5-9 “A Sweet Smell of Roses.” Angela Johnson, along with illustrator Eric Velasquez, offers a glimpse of the youth involvement that played a role in the Civil Rights Movement. For ages 6-9. “I, Dred Scott.” A fictional narrative based on the life and legal precedent of Dred Scott. The book, by Sheila P. Moses, includes historical notes, a chronology, and a bibliography. For ages 10-14. Also, a valuable website: www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/BHM/bh_hotlist.html FAMILY NEWS BITES MOCK TRIAL CHAMPIONS Redlands East Valley High School defeated rival Redlands High School to claim the championship in the 23rd annual San Bernardino County Mock Trials, held in Rancho Cucamonga. Twenty-nine high schools participated in the competition, and it was the third time in the past five years that Redlands and Redlands East Valley met for the championship. Redlands East Valley will represent San Bernardino County at the California state finals to be held March 18-20 at the Superior Courthouse in Riverside. HEMET VALLEY ER EXPANDING The Emergency Room Expansion Project at Hemet Valley Medical Center got underway last December with a wall breaking rather than the usual groundbreaking ceremony. Hospital officials and VIP guests ceremoniously broke a hole in one of the walls of the hospital where the new emergency department will be located. The emergency room, which served nearly 40,000 patients last year, is not presently large enough to meet the growing needs of the Hemet area. The Hemet Hospital Foundation has so far received $4.4 million in donations to help fund the $5.4 million project. Donations can be made at 951.652.2811, Ext. 5253. GRANT FOR PARTNERSHIP Community Action Partnership (CAP) of Riverside County was awarded a three-year grant that allows for the formation of a statewide Asset-Building Advisory network of CAP agencies. The network will develop long-term strategies to assist low-income families and individuals toward self-sufficiency. The key component of the network’s strategy is use of the Earned Income Tax Credit. Six CAP agencies from counties throughout California, including Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, and San Diego, comprise the network. English-speaking and bilingual volunteers will manage tax preparation sites, screen applicants, and work as tax preparers. Information: 951.955.4900. FONTANA PLANS NEW LIBRARY With a $14.9 million grant from the California Library Construction Board in hand, the city of Fontana is moving forward with plans to build its new Library and Resource Technology Center. The main library will feature a collection of more than 141,000 books and publications. There will be special areas for a Children’s Library, Homework Center, “Friends of the Library” Bookstore, a Literacy Center, and meeting rooms, as well as more than 250 computers (some bilingual) hooked up to high-speed Internet service. This 92,500-square-foot facility is targeted to open in late 2007. Reported and compiled by Inland Empire Family Magazine staff |
||||
RSS Subscribe
Digg This ArticleSEARCH THE SITE
