Radio Commentary
Babies can be hard work because they have so many needs. Most important are their needs for love and attention. Babies can also be delightful and wonderful fun.
Here are some activities they particularly seem to enjoy.
First, babies like to see. They can't see all the colors right away, but they do like to follow things with their eyes.
Your baby will like contrast and brightly colored things. Most of all, she wants to see your face.
Babies also like to hear. Your baby will get used to your voice pretty quickly after he is born. Soon after that, he will love hearing new sounds.
Babies love music and singing, especially songs that have clapping and rhyme. You can use the “old standards” or even make some up as you go along.
The best way to introduce your child to new words is to talk to him as you do things, even if he can't talk back. Tell him where you are going and what you are doing.
Most importantly, read out loud to your baby. Reading should be part of your child’s daily routine from the time she is born. Point to and name the pictures in the book as you read.
Babies also like to touch. Your baby will start to hold on to you early on — your finger, your hair, your glasses, or earrings. Simple toys, like soft books or rattles, are also always fun.
Enjoy these things together.
Friday, September 4, 2015
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Schools of Thought with Bill Cirone - Ed Cora
Guest:
Ed Cora
Superintendent
Guadalupe Union School District
Ed Cora
Superintendent
Guadalupe Union School District
Local Leaders - Phil Alvarado
Guest:
Phil Alvarado
Retired Superintendent
Santa Maria-Bonita School District
Phil Alvarado
Retired Superintendent
Santa Maria-Bonita School District
Talking with Teachers - Cynthia Boortz
Guest:
Cynthia Boortz
Cabrillo High School, Lompoc Unified School District
Crystal Apple Award Winner
Cynthia Boortz
Cabrillo High School, Lompoc Unified School District
Crystal Apple Award Winner
What parents should know about high school
Radio Commentary
Beyond the school calendar and what classes your students will take, you should also be familiar with graduation requirements and which classes prepare students for college and careers.
It’s important for parents to understand the school’s academic and social standards.
Here are some tips for staying informed:
Looking at schoolwork not only lets you know what your child is doing, it also tells him or her that you believe school is important.
Beyond the school calendar and what classes your students will take, you should also be familiar with graduation requirements and which classes prepare students for college and careers.
It’s important for parents to understand the school’s academic and social standards.
Here are some tips for staying informed:
- Obtain and read everything the school offers. Gather newsletters, handbooks, notices and course descriptions, most of which is also available on the school’s website. Read it all.
- Get to know the staff. Know everyone from the principal and school support personnel to the teachers. Make an appointment for face-to-face meetings. Plan your questions before you arrive.
- Talk to other parents. Information about special programs, scholarships and required classes can all come from other parents. It is especially helpful to talk to parents who have older children.
- Ask questions. That’s your right. And the staff at local high schools are eager to answer all your questions.
- Finally, check homework. You can get a lot of information by seeing activities and assignments.
Looking at schoolwork not only lets you know what your child is doing, it also tells him or her that you believe school is important.
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Finding hope at boys camp
News release
Los Robles High School recently announced the winners of this year’s poetry writing contest for its upcoming book Finding Hope. The highest honor, Poet Laureate of 2015, was awarded to Joshua C. The Poet Laureate designation is awarded in recognition of the student whose portfolio of poems presents the highest degree of quality and originality.
Garnering first place in the competition for best theme poem also went to Joshua C. for his poem Misunderstood. Second place for best theme poem was awarded to Tyler A. and Juan G. earned honorable mention.
Los Robles High School is operated by the Santa Barbara County Education Office (SBCEO) at Los Prietos Boys Camp, a juvenile detention facility for boys that is operated by the county Probation Department.
The high school first compiled and printed bookstore-quality poetry books in 2009 and has privately published a new poetry book annually ever since. Special thanks go to Jan Clevenger and the Solvang Rotary Club, whose generosity underwrites the books’ printing.
As part of the poetry unit, students study an array of poetry forms, including haiku, limerick, and free verse. Each year’s book also has a theme, and students are encouraged to pen the best poem based on that year’s theme.
Each student who composes at least one poem of sufficient quality and effort will have it printed in the book and be awarded a paperback copy of Finding Hope. Winners of the contests are given hardcover copies of the books.
Awarding the designation of the Camp’s Poet Laureate began in 2013 after a sign was erected at the site of the original camp. The sign is in recognition of William Stafford, who worked at the Los Prietos Camp as a conscientious objector during World War II, when the camp was a Civilian Public Service camp.
Stafford did much of the same work the boys at the current camp do – assisting the forestry service in trail clearance, working in the kitchen, as well as community service projects. In his spare time, Stafford often had a pen in hand and composed both prose and poetry. He eventually wrote a book entitled Down in my Heart about his days at Los Prietos, and in 1970 Stafford was named what is now known as the Poet Laureate of the United States.
It was after seeing the sign and learning about the accomplishments of Stafford and his relationship to the original Camp that Los Robles High School decided to select a poet laureate. Each January the Camp’s current poet laureate is invited by the Friends of William Stafford to read his poetry at their annual gathering held at the site of the original camp on the anniversary of Stafford’s birth.
Los Robles High School recently announced the winners of this year’s poetry writing contest for its upcoming book Finding Hope. The highest honor, Poet Laureate of 2015, was awarded to Joshua C. The Poet Laureate designation is awarded in recognition of the student whose portfolio of poems presents the highest degree of quality and originality.
Garnering first place in the competition for best theme poem also went to Joshua C. for his poem Misunderstood. Second place for best theme poem was awarded to Tyler A. and Juan G. earned honorable mention.
Los Robles High School is operated by the Santa Barbara County Education Office (SBCEO) at Los Prietos Boys Camp, a juvenile detention facility for boys that is operated by the county Probation Department.
The high school first compiled and printed bookstore-quality poetry books in 2009 and has privately published a new poetry book annually ever since. Special thanks go to Jan Clevenger and the Solvang Rotary Club, whose generosity underwrites the books’ printing.
As part of the poetry unit, students study an array of poetry forms, including haiku, limerick, and free verse. Each year’s book also has a theme, and students are encouraged to pen the best poem based on that year’s theme.
Each student who composes at least one poem of sufficient quality and effort will have it printed in the book and be awarded a paperback copy of Finding Hope. Winners of the contests are given hardcover copies of the books.
Awarding the designation of the Camp’s Poet Laureate began in 2013 after a sign was erected at the site of the original camp. The sign is in recognition of William Stafford, who worked at the Los Prietos Camp as a conscientious objector during World War II, when the camp was a Civilian Public Service camp.
Stafford did much of the same work the boys at the current camp do – assisting the forestry service in trail clearance, working in the kitchen, as well as community service projects. In his spare time, Stafford often had a pen in hand and composed both prose and poetry. He eventually wrote a book entitled Down in my Heart about his days at Los Prietos, and in 1970 Stafford was named what is now known as the Poet Laureate of the United States.
It was after seeing the sign and learning about the accomplishments of Stafford and his relationship to the original Camp that Los Robles High School decided to select a poet laureate. Each January the Camp’s current poet laureate is invited by the Friends of William Stafford to read his poetry at their annual gathering held at the site of the original camp on the anniversary of Stafford’s birth.
Lofty goals
Radio Commentary
Recognizing the importance of education to our national well-being, the early leaders of our country created publicly funded schools to educate children from all walks of life.
They were seeking to do more than just teach children reading, writing, and math.
They believed that a system of publicly supported schools ought to accomplish seven major goals:
These goals are worthy of our great democracy. But they are hard to measure.
In fact, many of these goals can only be evaluated over a span of many years, when we can finally see how students have applied their learning.
We hear critics of public schools call for alternatives that shift funding and responsibility for education to the private sector. And we hear calls for ever-more reliance on test scores to measure school achievement.
When we weigh these ideas, it is important to remember the whole picture of what we seek from public education.
We need to weigh suggestions against the lofty goals we had in mind when public education was first conceived. They remain essential in a democratic and free-market society.
Recognizing the importance of education to our national well-being, the early leaders of our country created publicly funded schools to educate children from all walks of life.
They were seeking to do more than just teach children reading, writing, and math.
They believed that a system of publicly supported schools ought to accomplish seven major goals:
- prepare people to become responsible citizens
- improve social conditions
- promote cultural unity
- help people become economically self-sufficient
- enhance individual happiness and enrich individual lives
- dispel inequities in education, and
- ensure a basic quality level among schools
These goals are worthy of our great democracy. But they are hard to measure.
In fact, many of these goals can only be evaluated over a span of many years, when we can finally see how students have applied their learning.
We hear critics of public schools call for alternatives that shift funding and responsibility for education to the private sector. And we hear calls for ever-more reliance on test scores to measure school achievement.
When we weigh these ideas, it is important to remember the whole picture of what we seek from public education.
We need to weigh suggestions against the lofty goals we had in mind when public education was first conceived. They remain essential in a democratic and free-market society.
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Family involvement
Radio Commentary
When people hear the term “parental involvement in school,” they usually think it means taking part in PTA activities, helping to chaperone field trips, or volunteering in the classroom.
It’s important to remember that another form of parental involvement is even more crucial — taking part in education at home.
This means encouraging children to read, monitoring their homework, reading to them, placing reasonable restrictions on TV viewing, and making sure they go to school every day.
It also means talking to children about why school is important.
Many children do not always get such attention. In some cases, both parents are working and are simply too tired at night or are not inclined to do so. In single-parent families, often it is impossible for a parent to cover all these bases.
Many modern children spend at least as much time watching TV as they do in school. And, of course, if students don’t attend school regularly, they can’t benefit from what it offers.
Parents have to be around the house to supervise; they have to put pressure on their children to turn off the TV and do their homework or read. They have to make sure their kids go to school even when there is some small reason for staying home.
This kind of parental involvement is hard work, and relentless work, because it must be constant. But it’s hard to think of anything more important parents can do for their children.
When people hear the term “parental involvement in school,” they usually think it means taking part in PTA activities, helping to chaperone field trips, or volunteering in the classroom.
It’s important to remember that another form of parental involvement is even more crucial — taking part in education at home.
This means encouraging children to read, monitoring their homework, reading to them, placing reasonable restrictions on TV viewing, and making sure they go to school every day.
It also means talking to children about why school is important.
Many children do not always get such attention. In some cases, both parents are working and are simply too tired at night or are not inclined to do so. In single-parent families, often it is impossible for a parent to cover all these bases.
Many modern children spend at least as much time watching TV as they do in school. And, of course, if students don’t attend school regularly, they can’t benefit from what it offers.
Parents have to be around the house to supervise; they have to put pressure on their children to turn off the TV and do their homework or read. They have to make sure their kids go to school even when there is some small reason for staying home.
This kind of parental involvement is hard work, and relentless work, because it must be constant. But it’s hard to think of anything more important parents can do for their children.
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