Coloring Page January 2020 Send your finished coloring page to [email protected].
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January is Positive Parenting Awareness Month: Ask Nicole January 2020
January is Positive Parenting Awareness Month Ask Nicole: January 2020 By Nicole M. Young, MSW Happy New Year! January is the 8th annual Positive Parenting Awareness Month in Santa Cruz County. Although parenting is a non-stop job that deserves recognition every day of the year, this month is an opportunity to reflect on what it means to be a positive parent. When children are raised with positive parenting, their grades go up, studies show.. What is positive parenting? It’s an approach to raising children based on collective wisdom and evidence about the skills and support children need to become happy, healthy, confident, independent human beings. Positive parenting promotes children’s healthy…
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Make 2020 a Year of Less Waste: Green Living January 2020
Make 2020 a Year of Less Waste Green Living: January 2020 By Meredith Keet Happy New Year! Who has resolved to use less plastic and generate less waste in 2020??!! We have! Here are some tips to start you off on your way towards changing your impact on the planet this year: 1) Eat less meat and dairy, even if just a little. This may be one of the most impactful things you can do. 2) Skip the air travel and adventure locally. 3) Try a waste challenge: choose a time period to collect your trash and then evaluate what trash you’ve created. How could you produce less the next…
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Calling All Ideas: Green Living January 2020
Calling All Ideas Waste-Free 2020 Green Living: January 2020 By Lisa Catterall Periodically our faculty comes together to review our school’s mission statement and our three pillars of Academic Excellence, Positive Character Development, and Creative Self Expression. Often during our discussions, the idea of “environmental stewardship” as a fourth pillar arises. Whether it is a pillar of our school, a curriculum program crossing all ages, or a shared value infused throughout the community, it is something we strive to model for our students and children. While reducing plastic waste is a very common goal in our homes and at our school, many of us deeply value the ability to bring…
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Adventures in Baja: Extremely Sports January 2020
Adventures in Baja Many surf there, fewer hike and bike Extremely Sports: January 2020 By Karen Kefauver We all know that stretching beyond our comfort zone can be a good thing. So when I was invited to visit Baja in December, I jumped at the opportunity to renew my passport, rebuild my rusty travel skills and practice my even rustier Spanish. Plus, I’d never been to Baja. Little did I know that I would bypass the beach, at least at first, and instead hike and bike! First Step Outside my Comfort Zone The only plan I had was to meet my Aunt Joy for a week in San Jose del…
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California Gets an A for College Saving Plan
California Gets an A for College Saving Plan By Steve Dinnen A new review by Morningstar has ranked California’s college-savings plan as one of the best in the nation. Morningstar, which tracks the performance of mutual funds, said that California’s ScholarShare College Savings Plan was upgraded to its highest ranked Gold category after the state program’s board voted to enhance management of its age-based portfolios. More than 320,000 people are taking advantage of California’s college savings plan. Starting in February, 2020, those investments will be put on a progressive glide path – an industry best practice, said Morningstar – as “it smooths the transitions from stocks to bonds and reduces…
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The OK Symbol or a Symbol of White Power?
The OK Symbol or a Symbol of White Power? By Jillian Miller Humans have different ways of communicating with each other; We can communicate through words, actions, and gestures. But sometimes there can be major miscommunications on what someone’s intent is and what they are trying to convey to those around them or the media. The “White Power Symbol” or also commonly known as the “OK Symbol,” a gesture where the thumb and forefinger are joined together to form a circle, and the remaining three fingers are splayed out behind, is an example of that. This specific gesture has gathered a lot of controversy over the past few years. Educators…
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What is Cabrillo Planning to do with $274.1 Million?
What is Cabrillo Planning to do with $274.1 Million? Great Things! By Suki Wessling Local voters haven’t been fond of passing bonds lately, and Cabrillo hasn’t had one in sixteen years. The college was turned down by voters the last time they asked, so President Matthew Wetstein is trying to make sure this time that it’s clear that this upgrade of Cabrillo’s facilities is a sound investment for our county. Here are some highlights of where the money will go. Sammy the Seahawk giving out high-fives at the fourth grade experience. Photo by Christy Shults New Science Building – $84 Million When Cabrillo College was founded in 1959, the personal…
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Five New Year’s Resolutions You Might Keep
Five New Year’s Resolutions You Might Keep By Jan Pierce When January 1st rolls around, most of us look for fresh starts. This year we’ll lose weight, quit smoking or drinking too much, get along with family members and….the list goes on. Check in with folks about January 20th and most have either given up on their resolutions already, or have forgotten what they were. Change doesn’t come easily. But what if we made some resolutions for 2018 that were things we really want to do, not just things we think we should do? The first resolution isn’t don’t make resolutions. These are simpler, positive steps. What if we made…
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Santa Cruz Gets OK Grades for Lack of Fat
Santa Cruz Gets OK Grades for Lack of Fat Santa Cruzans got a decent report card from the national Nutrition Policy Institute last month, showing that locals were healthier than fellow Californians and diet-seeking peers across the country. The Nutrition Policy Institute, in collaboration with the California Department of Public Health, showed more than 25 percent of all California residents were obese, as of 2014. This percentage has increased by 6 percent since 2001. The average Santa Cruzan needs to lose 42 pounds, while the rest of the state needs to lose 51 pounds, according to this obesity study. Though that may seem like a negative thing, in a nation…
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Stop the Bad Swelling: Healthy Eating January 2020
Stop the Bad Swelling Healthy Eating: January 2020 By Kris Holden Inflammation is the body’s natural way of protecting itself from injury, infection and foreign substances. It can be both beneficial and detrimental to our health. Lack of exercise, unmanaged stress, and inflammatory foods can all contribute to chronic inflammation. Thankfully, studies suggest that you can control and possibly reverse inflammation through a healthy, anti-inflammatory lifestyle. There are two types of inflammation: acute and chronic (long-term). Acute inflammation, is beneficial and protects our health. It activates our immune system response to an injury, such as a cut or a bruise. This allows our body to repair and heal itself. Chronic…
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Look What I Made! Behind the Teacher’s Desk January 2020
Look What I Made! Academic Achievement and the Creative Process in Preschool and Kindergarten Behind the Teacher’s Desk: January 2020 By Hema Walker …As the sun colors flowers, so does art color life – John Lubbock, The Pleasures of Life The joyful sights and sounds of children creating their own masterpieces and engaging in the creative process reveal more than just a playful diversion from the important work of academics. The process of creating with one’s own hands, and as a group, is rich with essential skills that enrich and support academic pursuits and give rise to meaningful connections between the student and the academic material. A wealth of research…
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Happy Healthy Kids: Eight Reasons to Embrace Outdoor Play
Happy Healthy Kids Eight Reasons to Embrace Outdoor Play By Jan Pierce Are you one of those parents who wonder if your child’s schedule is too crowded? Too stressful? Do you watch him play video games by the hour and get a little nervous about the long-term effects? Do you wish she had time to “just play” rather than run from school to lessons to team practices? If you can relate to the above situations, you’re in good company. It seems today’s busy lifestyles don’t allow much time for healthy, unstructured outdoor exploration and play. Schools that give more recess and breaks from classwork are finding attention improves during the…
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Will New Law Gut Charter Schools?
Will New Law Gut Charter Schools? By Suki Wessling The updated charter school law signed by Governor Newsom last fall, AB 1505, was hailed as a compromise between districts that wanted more control and charter school advocates who wanted to maintain independence. “For the most part, whatever side you’re on, people see this as an improvement, as a reform that’s going to make the chartering process more effective,” says Santa Cruz County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Faris Sabbah. Santa Cruz County has 15 charter schools that could be affected by the new laws that started this month. The mood at some of our fifteen local charter schools, however, could be…
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Editor’s Note January 2020
Editor’s Note January 2020 By Brad Kava As we turn the corner into a new decade, Growing Up in Santa Cruz is growing up. It’s hard to believe we’ve been publishing for two years. It’s all gone so fast. We’re looking for big things in 2020 and we have special topics and interests planned for each month. And we’re always up for your suggestions about things you want us to cover. So far, we’ve been successful fulfilling last year’s resolutions, to be more local and more colorful and to cover nooks and crannies around our diverse and exciting county. We’ve also monitored the pulse of education and community development. In…
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Our Coloring Contest Entry Winners!
Our Coloring Contest Entry Winners! We had some amazing entries to our December coloring contest. Check out our winners below!
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How I Learned to Make Money Playing Video Games
How I Learned to Make Money Playing Video Games By Ricky Chavez Many people grew up idolizing movie stars, rock stars and super heroes, but kids today are idolizing an entirely different group of people: gamers. Because of the outstanding success of a video game streaming website called Twitch, watching people play video games has never been easier and it’s inspired many people, including myself, to play video games for the people to watch, and even make money doing it. The superstars of Twitch like Ninja average around 30,000 viewers per stream, making a full time job out of streaming usually streaming longer than eight hours a day. Ninja has…
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Shop Local, Give Local
Shop Local, Give Local By Natalya Dreszer The Holiday Season is just around the corner, and just because we’re going through a cultural shift trying to question our relationship with excess material possessions doesn’t mean that we can’t indulge in the joy of gift giving! Here are 9 holiday gift ideas that support local artists, local businesses, and sustainability: Pacific Edge Looking for the perfect gift to tire out a ball of energy for a day? Pacific Edge is a rock climbing gym that is fun and safe for any rock climbing levels, from first timers to world-class professionals (Chris Sharma started at Pacific Edge)! A day pass, 10-time pass,…
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How Fast is Too Fast? Behind the Teacher’s Desk December 2019
How Fast is Too Fast? Behind the Teacher’s Desk: December 2019 By Lisa Catterall When children create for the world they make it good. When children create for their teacher they make it good enough. — Rushton Hurley Lately, I’ve been noticing a lot of tears and upset in my students when it comes to the idea of grades and competition. Teaching at a college preparatory school, I’ve always had a great deal of competition and a fair share of perfectionists in my class. Perhaps I’m just noticing it more. This year I have a lot of what teachers refer to as “early finishers.” Many teaching resources for…
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Gratitude and the Joy of Giving: Ask Nicole December 2019
Gratitude and the Joy of Giving Ask Nicole: December 2019 By Nicole M. Young, MSW My Nana (my dad’s mom), taught me about the joy of giving versus receiving. When I was a teen, Nana informed everyone she would continue to give all of us gifts for holidays and birthdays, but that she no longer wanted materials gifts from us. Instead, she asked her adult children and their families to volunteer or make donations as their gift to her. My family bought toys for other children during the holidays, and we loved selecting toys and imagining kids opening their presents. I continued that tradition even after I left home, and…
