Academic Support and Play Activities Archives - Page 18 of 21

Jul 25 2017

Avoid the Summer Slide!

Ah…summer time. A time for sleeping in, swimming in the pool, playing video games, and sipping ice-cold lemonade! While a mental break from school is much needed and well deserved, you’ve probably also heard warnings to avoid the “summer slide” – the tendency to lose some academic gains during the summer. So, how do you keep kids actively involved in learning throughout the summer while having some fun in the process? Here are a few ideas for inspiration. [Read more…]

Jaime Koo, Encouraging Literacy

Discovering the joy of teaching while in high school, Jaime pursued her B.A. in English at Santa Clara University. She also received a teaching credential and a M.A. in Education Administration from Santa Clara University. Jaime taught English Language Arts at Rancho Middle School, motivating and inspiring young people to become effective communicators and contributors in their community. From being a Middle School English Language Arts/English Language Development teacher to becoming a stay-at home mom, Jaime is an education consultant who presents literacy workshops. Her workshops focus on a combination of her ten years of teaching expertise with tried-and-true experiences that she uses with her own children. Jaime is also a Teacher Consultant with the San Jose Area Writing Project. Jaime’s mission is to share effective reading and writing strategies with families to encourage literacy.

Jul 11 2017

Family Code Nights

Family Code Nights are one-hour coding sessions taking place in elementary schools. Parents and students learn how to create computer code by playing and solving online puzzles. These fascinating activities motivate excitement around coding in both parents and children. At the end of the hour everyone wants more.

[Read more…]

Rosemarie Perez, Parenting

Rosemarie Pérez has worked with English learners and their families in public education for more than twenty years. She has served as a bilingual teacher, professional developer, and district administrator. Administrative roles included serving as the Director of English Learners for an elementary school district and as a Coordinator of Reading and Language for the San Mateo County Office of Education. Rosemarie continues to work with families as she leads the Santa Clara County Office of Education’s Parent Engagement Initiative during the past three years. Ms. Pérez provides expert guidance to teachers, school site staff, and school administrators in creating culturally sensitive parent training modules and academic curricular units. She facilitates parent education and Common Core Standards workshops. Engaged parents are further trained to become parent leaders and advocates. Rosemarie is the mother of five adult children and three grandchildren.

Jun 27 2017

Teaching Your Children How to Use the Library

As a mom of two elementary school-aged kids, I’m always looking for fun things for them to do during the summer at the libray. With a three-year age gap between them, though, it’s difficult to find something that would satisfy both their interests. With all the free and cost-saving resources the library has to offer (and air conditioning during hot summer days), maybe it’s time for you to rediscover this gem! [Read more…]

Jaime Koo, Encouraging Literacy

Apr 18 2017

Decision Making and the Gift of Perspective

“The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. The most you can do is live inside that hope, running down its hallways, touching the walls on both sides.” — from Animal Dreams, Barbara Kingsolver

Decision Making

Decision making for our children can be stressful. Some of the decisions we face during the spring of the school year are:

How can I keep my children safe when they are home in the summer and I cannot be with them?

What school should my children attend next year?

What summer programs are best for my children?

How can my children get into the best colleges?

[Read more…]

Karen Salzer, Special Education

Karen Salzer has over thirty years’ experience as a resource teacher in the Palo Alto public schools. She earned a doctorate in education from Stanford University. Her areas of expertise involve working with culturally diverse students with special needs including autism, emotional disturbances, learning disabilities, and health issues. As a special educator, Ms. Salzer served as a liaison between parents of special needs students and school staff. She guided parents and staff in identifying an appropriate education for each student in the public school setting. Additionally, she aided students and parents in navigating the educational requirements for graduation, test-taking and in finding support services within the community. Through her leadership, Ms. Salzer encouraged collaborative problem-solving between parents and school staff – such as accommodations for test taking, extended time and use of technology. She loves to follow-up with her students when they become adults and to highlight their many successes in education and careers. Ms. Salzer uses these success testimonials to reassure parents of other children and to encourage them to help their children pursue their full potential. Ms. Salzer is the mother of four adult children and helps care for her five grandchildren

Apr 11 2017

How Can Parents Support STEAM?

STEAM is the blending of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics into learning experiences through problem solving and discovery. Schools are introducing this approach to learning by creating STEAM labs on elementary and secondary campuses and holding STEAM events for families. An important purpose of the Common Core standards and the Next Generation Science Standards is to prepare children for the 21^st century work force. The standards focus on making learning relevant to life. STEAM activities provide relevant opportunities to problem solve because they reflect the kind of thinking that happens every day in the work world. [Read more…]

Rosemarie Perez, Parenting