Focus on Education (07/26/15)

Retired teachers giving back to classrooms

California Retired Teachers Association Stanislaus County is now accepting requests for its Active Teacher Awards program for the 2015-16 school year. CalRTA Stanislaus has earmarked $3,500 for this year’s program. To apply, email a request for a Wish List form to ihelpschools@sbcglobal.net and an online form will be sent. Requests will be filled, with a $100 maximum per award, until the funds are gone. The request can be for anything used for students: notebooks, crayons, instructional materials, PE equipment, science experiments or anything to support classroom instruction. For more, go to http://div38.calrtamembers.org.

Online charter school to host information session

California Connections Academy @ Ripon, a tuition-free virtual public school chartered through Ripon Unified School District, will host an information session 6:30-8 p.m. Aug. 5 at the Holiday Inn Express Modesto-Salida, 4300 Bangs Ave., Modesto. The free session will give families a chance to meet with a teacher and explore the school’s curriculum, socialization and how teachers interact with students online. The program adapts to accelerated learning and gifted students, offering an individualized approach to education. Online information sessions are also available at www.californiaconnectionsacademy.com/events.

Homeschooling seminar offered

A free seminar on homeschooling will be given at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 11 in a rural home, sponsored by Lambpen Homeschool Ministries and taught by a 20 year homeschooling veteran. Information will be geared for those considering homeschooling, wanting to change school direction, or family and friends who have questions and concerns about homeschooling. The Freedom to Homeschool: Introduction to Home Education seminar will cover homeschooling freedoms from public school oversight, schedules, Common Core, vaccinations and testing, as well as required record keeping. For information, or to RSVP and get directions, contact JulieBeth Lamb at LambpenHomeschool@live.com or through the Facebook event page at https://www.facebook.com/events/613599592104482/. The class will be held in the Oakdale/Escalon/Riverbank area.

Manteca Unified recognized for digital citizenship

Common Sense, a national nonprofit organization with family resources on digital media and technology, recognized Manteca Unified School District as a Common Sense Digital Citizenship: Certified District for educating its students to be safe, smart and ethical digital citizens. Manteca Unified, which provides all students with laptops, used Common Sense Education’s innovative and research-based digital-citizenship and literacy resources. The resources, created with the GoodPlay Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, teach skills related to Internet safety, protecting online reputations and personal privacy, managing online relationships, and respecting creative copyright. Find more at www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/curriculum.

Pitman FBLA team places fifth in nation

Pitman High School’s Future Business Leaders of America team placed fifth in the nation in Computer Game and Simulation Programming at the national conference in Chicago earlier this month. Colin Van Winkle, Bryse Rochester and Dustin Halsey were the Turlock students competing. “In 23 years of advising the Pitman High School FBLA program, this is only the second time we have placed in the top ten at the national level,” said adviser Shawne Arnold.

Teacher takes chess focus to Costa Rica

Bret Harte teacher and chess coach Kevin Cripe has taken a one year leave of absence from Modesto City Schools to create a chess club in Costa Rica through the nonprofit CEPIA, which stands for Culture, Education and Psychology for Infants and Adolescence. Read his stories at http://en.chessbase.com/post/fighting-social-inequality-and-prejudice-with-chess.

Retired superintendent to lead nonprofit

Wayne Brown, retired superintendent of Stanislaus Union School District, will be the first full-time executive director of Mind Matters, the Murphys-based nonprofit clinic that offers treatment and support for autism, attention deficit and similar disorders, and learning disabilities.

Stanislaus State offers Better Together summit

California State University, Stanislaus, will be one of 33 locations across the state participating Friday in Better Together: California Teachers Summit. The day will include strategies for teaching Common Core and will build teacher communities. The New Teacher Center will partner with the California State University system and the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities to co-host the events, supported by $3.5 million in grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Registration is free. For more or to register, visit www.cateacherssummit.com.

Job training program has openings

Computer Tutor Business and Technical Institute has been awarded a grant to fund career training or paid work experience programs for qualifying Stanislaus County residents 17 to 24 years old. Classes focus on one of three areas: medical clerk, which includes medical billing skills and medical terminology; accounting clerk, which includes basic bookkeeping, accounts payable/receivable and payroll; and administrative assistant, which includes Microsoft office programs and business practices. In addition, the school will also assist graduates in finding employment. Courses are offered at 4300 Sisk Road. For more, call the admissions office at 209-545-5200 or visit http://ComputerTutor.com/grant.

Stanislaus County ed office’s Gatti to speak

Stanislaus County Office of Education Deputy Superintendent Don Gatti will speak at the League of Women Voters “Lunch and Learn” meeting at noon Oct. 29 at Ridgway’s Restaurant, 2401 Orangeburg, in the Century Center. Gatti will talk about the Local Control Funding Formula, the state’s makeover of school funding that equalized dollar allotments by child with extra funding to help poor children, English learners and foster kids. The change has meant more money for most Stanislaus County districts, but came with increased requirements for public input.

Contest seeks young inventors

The Sikorsky Helicopter 2050 Program and Challenge asks children ages 9-16 to create an eco-friendly helicopter of the future. The competition will run until Oct. 15. The winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship and tour of the company’s Stratford, Conn., factory making Black Hawk and Seahawk military helicopters. Sikorsky and the By Kids For Kids company co-sponsor the contest. Find information and free materials at www.helicopter2050.com.

The Fed: There’s an app for that

A free iPad app called “The Fed Museum” explains the work of the Federal Reserve System, the U.S. central bank. The education-focused app provides a wide range of information about currency, economic history, supervision and regulation, the structure of the Fed, and the Federal Open Market Committee. Find it on iTunes.

Adapted children’s television shows

The U.S. Department of Education announced the availability of free, video-on-demand children’s television programming for students who are blind, visually impaired, deaf or hard of hearing. Dozens of children’s and family TV episodes may now be viewed online featuring closed captioning and descriptions through the Education Department’s Accessible Television Portal project. Among the shows: “Ocean Mysteries,” “Magic School Bus,” “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” “Expedition Wild” and “Peg + Cat.” For more, visit https://dcmp.org/accessible-television.

SAT practice open to all on Khan site

Free SAT practice is now available on KhanAcademy.org. The College Board, which administers the SAT, partnered with Khan Academy to provide the service. The College Board has made sweeping changes to the SAT, including elimination of the guessing penalty. The interactive practice tools are designed to help level the playing field for students who are interested in taking the SAT and preparing for college-level courses.

This story was originally published July 26, 2015 at 8:45 PM with the headline "Focus on Education (07/26/15)."