edit: I added a 3rd video called Borrowing Money in Plain English by Common Craft. It is embedded below. Enjoy!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Saving Money and Investing Money....In Plain English
I love these "Common Craft" videos as they take some complex topics many times and make them very simple. Great for kids and great for adults. And most are found on Youtube. Since we have been talking about money, saving, checking accounts, and even investing with our JA Biztown curriculum, I wanted to share these 2 videos. The first one is embedded right here in my blog and you can just hit play. The 2nd one, I linked to it so you can watch it there and watch other Common Craft videos as well. I highly recommend many of their "how to use different technology" videos. Very short, but very informative.
Calling All Artists!! And Even Those Who Aren't Artists!
If you are an artist, a wanna-be artist, or not at artist at all: Listen Up! Google is holding it's annual "Doodle 4 Google" contest again this year. Ever wonder who draws the artwork you sometimes see when you go to Google on certain days? Well, sometimes the art is done by famous artists, and sometimes it is students just like you. And on May 20th of this year, the artwork really could be yours. Do I even have to tell you about the great prizes that go along with your artwork being chosen? I shouldn't have to, but let's just say it is in the thousands! And what if you don't win first place? No problem, they have hundreds of state winners. So, take a quick moment over the next month or so and doodle what you want to be when you grow up and submit your drawing and see if you win. Click here for more details or click the Doodle 4 Google link below. Good luck!Saturday, January 22, 2011
Bullying Video I Just Watched....
Bullying is and possibly always will be a problem, but I like the message of this video that I just found online: We can all do something and we can all be a hero. Fairly short video, give it a watch and maybe it will spark a conversation about bullying in your family, your home, or your school. Together, we can all work to eliminate bullying and victims of bullying.
Common Sense Media: A Great Site for Parents and Kids!
I found out about this site reading through some blogs I follow and had to check it out. Normally, I do a quick check on a site and if it is worth it, I will post it to my own blog. With this site, I spent a considerable amount of time just researching different games and shows to see the reviews. I was very impressed. As a parent of 3 young children who will be growing up in a quickly changing world of not just technology, but social norms, morals, and behaviors, I was glad to see such a collection of unbiased reviews about everything my eyes and my kids' eyes see in a given day. Whether it be a game, a movie, a TV show, or a book, I can figure out what kids are saying about it, what parents think about it, and what this website says about it. The website breaks down each item into categories like "educational value", "violence", "sexuality", and "alcohol/drugs", plus several other categories. Very quickly, you can learn about the questionable or mature items (or hopefully lack of items) in a product your child might want to buy or watch. Suggested ages are given in both the kids point of view and the parents point of view. Guess what? The parents usually feel the ages need to be older before viewing these things while the kids say younger, but not always. The kids' reviews on this site are even pretty thoughtful and understanding. So, before you just let your kid watch something, play something, or read something because the box says they can or because they say all their friends can, do some research. Start with this site as I found very little not reviewed by this site (even the newest show Skins that parent groups nationwide are protesting against has been reviewed and talked about on this site!)
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Need Volunteers for 2 Biztown Opportunities!!!
Mock Interviewers needed! First off, before students ever get jobs and long before they go to JA Biztown, they must interview. This is where I need some parents. I need about 15 parent volunteers who are willing to come in for an hour in the morning or for hour around lunchtime and interview 5 or 6 students. I will have the questions and materials all ready for you and the rating scale you can use to rate the students' performances, you just have to show up and visit with the students. It is a great experience and one that the students are nervous about but they realize how great this opportunity is because it will put them a step above their competition when it comes to their real interviews later in life. Here are the times I need volunteers (email me if interested)
8:00-9:00 a.m. on Jan 31st, Feb. 1st
12:10-1:10 p.m. on Jan 31st, Feb. 1st
9:00-9:45 a.m. on Feb. 2nd
10:30-11:15 on Feb. 2nd
JA Biztown Experience Volunteers: Alright, this is the big one and it is first come, first serve. We need 28 parent volunteers to help with our experience days, 14 go each day. You would go on the same day as your child, but work in a different business/store. Your duties would require you to be with us from 8:30-2:00, so you may have to take a half day from work or a full day. You would work in a store with about 5-8 other students who would look to you for information on what their store is supposed to produce. You would know what the store produces because you would attend a 1-hour tutorial session at the JA Biztown site just a week before our trip. So, all in all, we are asking for about 7 hours of total time from you, but the memories of this field trip experience will last a lifetime. Parents really, really have a good time on this trip and enjoy seeing the kids be "adults" for the day, especially their own child. Again, please email or call me if interested. Oh, by the way....the dates of the field trip are April 7th and 8th, 2011.
I will be sending these opportunities through email and through the school weekly update email. Please contact me as soon as possible so that I can start organizing all of this. Thank you and I look forward to working with you!
I Have a Plan About to Begin for 8th Grade
As the first semester ends and the next semester begins, it is good to remind everyone that this is the last semester of classes your 8th grader will ever have before they enter high school....a huge step. Our goal at Carlisle is to try to prepare your children as best as possible. And we will do this using the state of Iowa website called "I Have A Plan Iowa". Using this website, we will meet the state requirement of having every 8th grader having a 4-year high school plan and a plan to graduate. Here is a rough outline of this process:First half of January: Register for www.ihaveaplaniowa.org, take some interest and career surveys, choose possible careers and colleges
Second half of January: Meet with high school counselors, plan 9th grade classes, high school classes
First half of February: Attend required orientation night with parent in order to hear from HS counselors, meet advisor, and jointly plan 4 years of high school classes
Second half of February: Fill out online 4-year plan, register for 9th grade classes using the computer, finish I Have A Plan by having parents sign off on overall plan.
It will be a busy time and a time where I will keep you posted on the many things we are doing and how we are doing it. Keep watching this blog and your email accounts. If you have questions/concerns (many parents always do when it comes to this process), please email or call...I'll be glad to help.
Amanda the Panda Can Help in Times of Loss or Grief
I recently received the following email from the local Amanda the Panda group. I highly recommend this organization if you, and especially your children, are in need of support and education in the area of grief and loss. If you have recently had a death in the family and have kids, even teenagers, please consider Amanda the Panda as a resource. Note that they have an 8-week session starting in the next 10 days and it is all free. Please contact me or Amanda the Panda directly if you have questions or would like to register.
From Amanda the Panda:
"Greetings from Amanda the Panda Grief Center,
Our next 8-week session of peer grief support groups will meet every Monday at 5:45 pm starting January 17th at our grief center (see address below). Any of your students who have experienced the death of a family member or friend may attend free of charge. We will serve a hot meal and then the children will break into small groups by grade levels. Teens, young adults, and adults will also meet separately at the same time, and child care is provided for preschoolers and younger. This enables the entire family to attend. We will wrap up each night by 7:30 pm. Following our 8-week session, participants will be offered a weekend grief camp as well as several “fun days” that provide reunions for all the families throughout the year.
Please encourage your student’s guardians to contact me through our website, email, or simply call the number listed below to find out how to register. In order to keep the peer groups at a comfortable size, we limit registration. Please let any interested families know that they should sign up by January 14th.
You may have seen information on channel 13 (WHO) last Saturday that incorrectly stated that Amanda the Panda offers grief counseling. Just to clarify, we offer peer support as well as grief education. Our goal is connect children, teens and adults with a group of peers that share a similar experience and can encourage each other. The atmosphere is relaxed and informal. We focus on sharing, memorializing the deceased, and learning ways of coping. Of course all the children are given permission to play and have fun. They look forward to “hanging out” with other kids who truly understand what it is like to adjust to the death of a loved one.
Thank you for referring families in our community to Amanda the Panda.
Cindy Meek
Program Coordinator
1000 - 73rd Street, Suite 12
Windsor Heights, IA 50324
515.223.4847 - phone
515.223.4782 - fax
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