June 12, 2008

SCHOOL SCENEin Almaden Valley

Almaden Country School celebrates 24th graduating class

Filled with hope for the future, the Almaden Country School community gathered to celebrate the graduation of 40 talented young people as they transitioned from middle school to high school.

The 40 members of Almaden Country School’s class of 2008, take time for a photo on graduation day, the 24th class the school has graduated. Students will be attending local high schools including Bellarmine, Presentation, Archbishop Mitty, Leland, Notre Dame, Oakwood, Willow Glen and Pioneer.

Led by Jean Delwiche, interim head of schools, the gathering of family, friends and teachers was welcomed and thanked for their support of the graduating class.

Dr. David Griffith, father of a graduate, and longtime volunteer and band instructor at the school, was the guest speaker. He discussed the strength of the ACS community and the joy of being part of the ACS family for so many years.

Valedictorian Keir McMaster, who will attend Bellarmine College Preparatory, talked about the fond memories of his years at Almaden Country School, including class trips to Science Camp and Washington, D.C., the dedication of the teachers at ACS and his respect for the talents of his classmates. He encouraged his classmates to seize the day and use the solid foundation they received at ACS for success in high school.

In recognition of the support and encouragement given them, each graduate took the opportunity to thank those who had helped them at Almaden Country School. Each teacher and staff member, who had worked with the class of 2008 from preschool through eighth grade, was recognized by a graduate for his or her dedication and care. Many past teachers returned for this ceremony and there were few dry eyes in the house as students shared their sincere thanks.

Nan Hunter, who founded Almaden Country School 26 years ago, made the final presentation of the afternoon by selecting one student to receive the Founder’s Award. This award is given to the student that best represents the ideals of service, respect and support upon which ACS was founded. Grace Hoffman, who will attend Presentation High School in the fall, was the honored recipient.

Jennifer Uible, Upper School principal, commented that, “Friendship and community are words that people would use to describe this class of 2008. They are caring and generous students who have participated in all that ACS has to offer. We wish them all the best and know they will have success in the future.”

Members of this graduating class will attend area high schools including Bellarmine, Presentation, Archbishop Mitty, Leland, Notre Dame, Oakwood, Willow Glen and Pioneer.

Arts Council presents second regional pre-school arts fest

Arts Council Silicon Valley will hold its second annual free mini arts festival for pre-school aged children and their families on Saturday, June 21 at Emma Prusch Farm Park from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Multicultural Arts Center) on 647 South King Road in San Jose.

The Family Arts Appreciation Day is a one-day colorful, fun, interactive, multicultural and multidisciplinary mini arts festival for children ages 3 - 5 and their families. The goal is to enable young children and their families to experience a range of hand-on arts activities by creating a forum where art is shared and enjoyed as a family.

“With the continued support of FIRST 5 Santa Clara County and the E3 Institute and with new support from the Junior League of San Jose, we are able to continue to increase arts activities and experiences for our pre-schoolers and their families,” said Diem Jones, Arts Council Silicon Valley’s director of programs. “Last year’s event proved that there is a real need for the young children of this county to begin learning about other cultures through the arts. This Family Arts Appreciation Day is the perfect vehicle.”

Featured activities include interactive drumming, dancing, face painting, mask making, storytelling, puppetry and crafts. In addition, attendees will enjoy performances by Silicon Valley performing arts companies and artists whose presentations reflect the rich ethnic and cultural diversity of the region such as Oriki Theater, Association of Viet Arts, Chinese Performing Artists of America, and Abhinaya Dance Company, among others.

Family Arts Appreciation Day is a project of Arts Council Silicon Valley's Arts Enrichment Grants Program, funded by FIRST 5 Santa Clara, E3/West Ed and Junior League of San Jose; produced by Oriki Theater. For more information call Arts Council Silicon Valley: (408) 998-2787 ext. 218.

Local students win science prizes

Alec Simpson, an eighth grader at Bret Harte, and Elizabeth Bernal, an eighth grader at St. Christopher School, won second place in plant biology at the California State Science Fair held in Los Angeles May 19-20. Their project was titled " A Prototype of a Lunar Plant Growth Chamber" and was Alec and Elizabeth's first time to work together as a team. This is Alec's third consecutive year to make it to the state science fair. Alec and Elizabeth were also nominated for the middle school program, Society for Science and the Public, which is a national science competition for fifth to eighth grade students. They will find out later in the summer if they have been selected as semi-finalists for this competition.

South Bay Preparatory Charter targets fall 2009 opening date

Board members of South Bay Preparatory Charter School (SBP) recently announced that the public school serving grades six through 12 in the Campbell Union High District will begin operation in the 2009-2010 school year.

The Santa Clara County Board of Education (SCCBOE) approved the South Bay Prep charter on March 19 for an initial three-year period to begin this July 1. On May 21, the SBP board members made a request to the SCCBOE to amend the terms of the charter to allow for a fall 2009 start date to ensure the successful opening of the school. The amendment to change the scheduled opening was approved by the SCCBOE on June 4.

“There are few challenges more daunting, yet more rewarding, than the start-up of a new school,” explains Daniel Ordaz, South Bay Prep executive director. “Despite an approval date late in the year, the South Bay Prep board members and I have spent the past the two-and-a-half months working diligently to bring together the many pieces needed to open the quality school we envision for our students – a conveniently located and appropriate building, a carefully selected founding team of teachers who understand and are committed to the South Bay Prep philosophy, adequate start-up funding, and a sufficient number of enrolled students.

“However, in moving toward our initial 2008 opening goal, we realized that additional lead time and resources would be required to responsibly prepare for a successful opening, and we are pleased that our request to begin operation in fall 2009 has met with the approval of the SCCBOE board members.”

“With the help of my dedicated fellow board members and our community of supporters, we have come a very long way to bringing the South Bay Prep dream to reality,” added Coleen Wagner, South Bay Prep board president. “We will use the upcoming months to implement a more focused marketing and community outreach plan to enlist the involvement of both our internal base of supporters as well as prospective families, teachers, and members of the business community so that we can secure the additional resources needed to retain the integrity of the South Bay Prep vision and successfully launch the school.”

South Bay Prep will offer an integrated middle school and high school choice to parents seeking college prep with more support, graduation requirements meeting or exceeding UC requirements, alternative measures and assessments, a small school, smaller classes and more personalized learning. The school will enroll a maximum of 50 students per grade, for a total enrollment of up to 350 students at full operation. It plans to open with approximately 200 students in its first year.

Its campus is scheduled to locate in Campbell. For additional information about South Bay Prep, volunteer opportunities, upcoming student and parent information and orientation meetings, or to subscribe to its monthly newsletter, visit www.southbayprep.org. For general inquiries, contact info@southbayprep.org. For media inquiries only, contact Vicky Gray-Clark, vicky@ambientpr.com/ (408) 318-1980.

Volunteer retired scientists, engineers needed for Project RESEED

Numerous studies over the past 20 years have shown a decline in the number of U.S. college graduates seeking careers in science and engineering. Project RESEED (Retirees Enhancing Science Education through Experiments and Demonstrations) is a program aimed at stimulating greater interest in science among students at the middle-school level (grades six, seven and eight). RESEED has trained hundreds of volunteer retirees nationwide and about 25 volunteers are now active in Silicon Valley.

Retirees typically receive two to three days of training before being matched with a teacher-partner to work with students. The training is less focused on the pre-existing content knowledge of the retirees, but more on pedagogical questions and research on what we know about how children learn. In addition, selected volunteer retirees relate their experiences in the RESEED program.

RESEED offers retired scientists and engineers the opportunity to use their technical knowledge and experience to support teachers and work with children. Scientists in disciplines other than the physical sciences (e.g. life sciences, earth sciences and astronomy) also use the RESEED model for involving qualified retirees in science education partnerships. Most of those who have been involved in the program value their experience as among the most meaningful in their lives.

Educators involved in systemic reform of science education also use RESEED as a model for valuable and often untapped resources (qualified retirees) to support teachers as they learn new ways to teach science that require scientific habits of mind and ways of thinking, as well as a deeper understanding of science content.

For more information on the program and to learn how to become involved, contact Joseph A. Castellano, Ph.D., at drjcast@aol.com.

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