August 2021 - Growing Up in Santa Cruz

Questions for Mom

growingupsc — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 15:59:19 +0000

August Coloring Contest

growingupsc — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 15:16:48 +0000

Wally the Walrus Submit your coloring page for a chance to win tickets to the Boardwalk! More Coloring Pages

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ColoringContest

growingupsc — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 15:10:27 +0000

sponsored by Submit your coloring page for a chance to win tickets to the Boardwalk! Audrey | Age 9 Audrey | Age 9 Hailey | Age 11 Josie | Age 5 Find More Coloring Pages

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TikTok

growingupsc — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 15:01:39 +0000

by Mikayla SHults In 2018, more than 1 billion videos were viewed every day on TikTok. With covid restrictions, kids have been spending much more time on social media apps than in 2018. It is important to know what children have access to online, so we asked some students from SLV, Scotts Valley, Oasis, and BCE what they have been watching on TikTok. Most, if not all, said they watch dancing videos. The most popular dancer on the app is Charli D’amelio, with over 120 million followers. If your kid is on TikTok, there is no doubt that they have seen her videos. There are many more creators like her who millions of people watch daily. Dancing is not the only thing that users do on this app, so let’s look at the most popular answers from our kids.

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Kids Back to School

growingupsc — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 14:42:55 +0000

By Mikayla Shults Oasis I only got a few months of regular, in person high school. A lot of these students missed their first year of middle and high school. Like most people, I struggled with online school and the isolation from the outside world. At some point, after I had stopped participating in school almost completely, I realized I need a different way to learn. So I joined Oasis, an independent studies school on the Cabrillo campus. I haven’t been in any classes there and the only students I know are the people I got to transfer there. While most of the people I interviewed said they will be happy to see their friends, I will be entering a whole new environment. Although being sick with covid was horrible, I’m actually thankful for this time when I got to figure out what I want. Tanner Shults SLVHS “I’m excited to see all of my friends again, but not ready to actually go back to school.” Sissy Shults SLVMS “I would rather stay home, because I enjoyed online school much more.” Lucy Lilienthal Wynn SLVHS “I’m excited to be able to see faces I haven’t seen in about a year and a half. And I’m happy to be able to ask questions directly and speak with my teacher face to face. It’ll be easier to learn this year.” Elie Colby SLVMS “I am a little nervous about middle school drama, but I will try to stay out of it. I can’t wait to meet people and see friends from other schools!” Ava Barret SLVHS “I think going back to school is going to increase my motivation… at least I hope it does. I signed up for AP English, so I’m unsure how I feel about going back to school yet. At least I’ll be busy. The busy that is beneficial to me and does not stress me out. This summer felt shorter than the others. I thought I would be doing something every day and be almost too busy now that I have a car. But with all my friends getting jobs, the reality is I still need to find ways to entertain myself. So I’m almost excited to be stressed out again? If that even makes sense. I feel that I’ve been dormant so long that I’m just bursting at the seams for any brain activity. But I can’t do it myself; I need the pressure of getting good grades to force me to educate myself. So all that being said, I’m excited to be going back to school in person.” Zach Livingston SLVMS “I’m not old enough to get vaccinated, so I hope that people will wear their masks and physically distance themselves to keep everyone safe.” Lillian Ramirez SLVMS “I would consider going back in person a good idea, but I’m worried about safety issues. This is great news for students who are careful and also got the vaccine.” Kiera Hulsey Oasis “Not exactly, I think there will be arguments about masks and vaccinations. Students and teachers who choose to wear masks won’t agree with the people who choose not to wear one.” Elie Colby SVHS “My only concerns about covid are more about time. I personally have tried to stay on top of my school work during the quarantine and at home school period, but I still missed things that I need to know. I would hate to struggle in more advanced classes because I missed key building blocks during online school.”

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Let Us In

growingupsc — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 18:18:28 +0000

From Selling Floors to the Hollywood Ceiling Santa Cruz Grandfather Sells Successful Movie Plot By Jeanette Prather Callero, who explains he loves a strong female character that kicks the butts of the male character, wants to have a theatrical screening of Let Us In at the Rio, and 100% of the proceeds go to charity. “I like storytelling,” said Joe Callero, co-writer and executive producer of Let Us In, a family-friendly movie released in 2021. “I’ve got a bunch of screenplays and for several decades have been a frustrated writer who likes to think logically about plotlines.” Callero mentioned that his most recent production, Let Us In, will see performance numbers by the end of July, and if it does well, Callero and the production team will likely begin working on a sequel to the movie. “If not, I’ve got a few other projects in the works,” said Callero. Let Us In, which is currently streaming on most platforms, came to fruition in a roundabout way, according to Callero. “My son got into acting in L.A. after graduating from San Francisco State and he was in some pretty bad movies,” laughed Callero. “He got into making spoof films like Breaking Wind (a spoof on Breaking Dawn) and The 41-Year-Old Virgin [Who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall and Felt Superbad About It], which were both directed by Craig Moss who also did the Bad Ass film series. Craig and Joe became friends and tried to do several projects that all never got off the ground, when Craig brought the script to me to review, and my response was, ‘Guys, we cannot do some of these things.’ So, I helped to revise and make it more family-friendly, as well as help to secure financing.” Callero mentioned that Peter Goldwyn of Samuel Goldwyn Films, saw the movie with his young son and they loved it, so it was distributed with Samuel Goldwyn Films. “Craig arranged a meeting with Peter Nelson, the head of projects, to get an idea of what SGF was interested in distributing,” said Callero. “I’d never made a formal script pitch before, but I found myself on the phone with Peter pitching The Calamity, which is one of my plays about an environmental disaster that spawns the near extinction of life on earth, while I was out with my grandchildren and Peter was in Alaska, and I thought he asked for another film pitch because the cell phone reception we both had were terrible. I went ahead and pitched my screenplay, Dead End, about a girl who goes out with her friends but ends up with a charming psychopath and now must outwit this guy to save her own life. I have no idea if he was actually asking for another pitch, but I went ahead with it anyway and now I’m revising both of those scripts to send over to Goldwyn’s company.” Let Us In, Callero and crew’s most recent mainstream film, deals with “a spirited twelve-year-old girl and her best friend [who] start investigating the sudden disappearances of several missing teens in their small town,” according to SamuelGoldwynFilms.com/let-us-in. “Realizing there might be something deeper happening, Emily and Christopher might be up against forces they can’t even imagine.” “This is a family movie that parents can enjoy with their children,” said Callero. “It deals with bullying, being ostracized, school issues and all of the stuff that kids have to deal with.” And on that note, Callero added that working with children in the professional cinema entertainment industry is particularly challenging, as “Kids under 18 need tutors on set with very structured and restricted hours that require limiting their workday,” he noted. “We went the extra mile with this production and got real kids to play real kids their age in the movie.” The movie, which cost $700,000 to make and took only 14 days to shoot in Los Angeles, features Tobin Bell of The Firm, Sophie’s Choice, as well as being the character Jigsaw from the Saw franchise, as well as a variety of child stars from Disney productions. “It’s a Disney-ish type of movie with an edge,” said Callero. “Disney said they didn’t want to take it on because it’s too dark, haha. “Tobin Bell loves the film and enjoyed working with the kids,” continued Callero. “He says Let Us In is a gateway movie to thriller and horror with just a hint for kids and adults to see if ‘thriller’ or ‘horror’ may be something they’re interested in.” Callero added that his 5-year-old granddaughter loved the film and was not bothered by the spooky and thrilling parts. The star is a 12-year-old protagonist (a real 12-year-old) who is the daughter of director Craig Moss, as well as Judy Geeson of To Sir With Love, to name just one actor who Callero mentioned would enjoy more screen time with. “She’s been in a ton of movies, a lot of good stuff,” said Callero. “Another really cool person who I could hang out with, is Darin Heames who plays Bisquick in the movie.” In Let Us In, the “black-eyed kids,” which is the term that Callero uses to describe the antagonists in the movie, represent the hooded, pale-skinned, punkish, and black-eyed teen aliens who need permission to enter people’s homes. “They do all of the stuff that aliens do once they capture people,” said Callero. “The 12- and 10-year-old needs to find the captured kids and banish the black-eyed kids.” Callero, originally from the San Fernando Valley before settling in Santa Cruz around 1979, never attended a formal screenwriting program. “I didn’t go to college,” said Callero. “I got a partial scholarship to California State University, Northridge, but I didn’t really know what I wanted to do and the only thing I was good at was working, so after a year I bailed out of college and started working.”After being inspired by David Trotter’s The Screenwriter’s Bible, Callero started writing. “I thought screenwriting would be easier than writing a novel, so I just started writing these stories,” he said. “I feel like I’m finally on the other side of the door, and my partner from Let Us In is already in the Hollywood scene. It’s exciting to see what’s going to come next.” Callero and his wife owned a flooring business locally until 2003, and then again from 2008 until 2019, Callero now shares his time writing screenplays, playing with his six grandchildren, and enjoying his second retirement. “I’m not really sure how old I am because I don’t care about age,” he added. “I think I’m 67 but I’m this age right now, and I just try to stay as young as I possibly can.” Callero, who explains he loves a strong female character that kicks the butts of the male character, wants to have a theatrical screening of Let Us In at the Rio, and 100% of the proceeds go to charity. “We had a screening at the Rio with almost 700 people for our Flying Saucer Rock ‘N’ Roll movie (2006) about Martians visiting during the 1950s Rockabilly era amid innocent teen love, and it worked well. The audience was laughing at all the right spots and even more that were pleasantly unexpected,” said Callero. “We’d love to do another one, but this time make it a fundraiser for charities with 100% of the proceeds going to a charity. We’ll rent the venue out of pocket. It’s great for the Santa Cruz community to see our film and generate several thousands of dollars for charity.” Read More Parenting Articles

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Back in Person

growingupsc — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 18:07:11 +0000

Back to In-Person by lisa catteral There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.– Margaret Wheatley This summer, I’ve been teaching in a program where I feel compelled to state up front, every day, at the beginning of class, with great passion, my honoring and inclusion of BIPOC and LBGTQIA+ students. I say it a little differently every time so that it doesn’t become too redundant, but I am simply relentless about stating it clearly, daily, every single time. It’s become an ingrained part of my teaching practice. There are so many ways in which a culture or society insists on change in its members. I would guess that in the very first human groups to exist on earth, banishment or “canceling” people occurred as the group went through establishment of norms. I’ve been thinking quite a bit about pockets of our current culture and whether or not change and growth is allowed, and the process by which it occurs. Teachers are the original tide that sweeps up against “cancel culture.” We would not feel called to teach every single day if we believed for a moment that people, especially young people, were not capable of change and growth. In fact, we tend to find that idea resonant, and to see the growth in our students as stunningly beautiful. There is a magic to watching people grow and overcome their obstacles, and there is an even greater magic in being part of the metamorphosis. I am learning to use the classroom as a place to restore equity in the world. Every new school year is a new opportunity, and in the late summer, the questions we want to answer begin to come into focus. This year, I want to tap into a deep well of positive energy and gratitude I believe exists in the wake of the pandemic. We are back! We may soon be able to see each other’s full faces, in the same room. The beauty of this simple right to community and intimacy has never been more apparent. It’s like a shimmering river beneath the surface of interaction. I’d like to take those rainbow waters and pour them into the critical changes we need to make as human beings to lift up marginalized groups. If one of us is invisible, we all hurt. Now is the time to make all humans visible, and to allow the real issues that shape students’ lives to become seen and known. Teachers, and schools, see mistakes as opportunities for growth and change. We have to have a high tolerance for poor behavior. Sometimes this generation of students believes that the way to correct bad behavior is to simply get rid of a person; and they are involved enough in social media that it is actually possible to do so. The person who is cast out from the village is devastated by it. When one conversation might have sufficed to empower the wrongdoer to become right-thinking, months of pain are needed to recover from being “canceled.” Humans are social creatures, evolved to survive by connecting with other people. This trait is in full bloom in our students. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they learned to listen to each other deeply before hitting “de-friend” or “unfollow?” My hope, this year, is to tap into all the positive energy of being together to convince students that real conversations, active listening, and expressing oneself face-to-face are important pursuits. I want to live and practice in a classroom where community comes first. I teach STEM subjects, and the idea that I can successfully do that before dealing with the inequity in STEM is simply untrue. If more than half of my students have never had a role model of their gender and color in STEM, they are starting out unfairly disadvantaged as they walk in the room. This is a year to direct our positive energies forward. Instead of overcoming, we will start this year ready to step ahead into the incredibly important work that needs to be done in equity, justice, and environmental sustainability. I believe all of those big changes begin with human development. I am looking forward to spending less energy learning online tools and trying to survive, and more energy being part of the change that is needed in our world and in our own communities. Lisa Catterall teaches STEAM, math, science, and art at Mount Madonna School and is a senior associate of the Centers for Research on Creativity. She lectures and trains teachers and administrators on innovation in education in Beijing, China. Lisa has five children and lives in Santa Cruz County. Read More Parenting Articles

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Preparing for the New School Year

growingupsc — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 15:39:17 +0000

Preparing for the New School Year By Nicole M. Young, MSW The back-to-school routine is going to be bittersweet for me this year. I’m excited for my kids, who will experience their senior years in high school and college with in-person classes and activities. They’re excited about returning to a more “normal” routine, but there’s also some hesitation about returning to a regular (i.e., earlier, non-pajamas) school day and busier, crowded environments. As for me, I won’t miss the extra dirty dishes and unstable internet during Zoom meetings, but I will miss their presence during the day and will treasure the extra time we had together. This monthly column provides tips for anyone who is helping raise children, based on the world-renowned Triple P – Positive Parenting Program, available to families in Santa Cruz County. If you have a question or idea for a future column, please email me at triplep@first5scc.org. Dear Nicole,My 7- and 12-year-old grandchildren live with my partner and me, and all of us are nervous and excited about school starting. Going back to in-person school will be a big transition for them, and it’s been a long time since we’ve done “the parenting thing.” Do you have any tips to help us prepare for the new school year?– Damian Dear Damian,The beginning of the school year can be challenging in the best of times, and emotions are likely to be heightened this year because of the ways COVID has impacted daily life. Here are a few tips to try: Talk about going back to school. Ask each child what they’re looking forward to, what they think will be different because of COVID, and whether they have questions or feel worried about anything. Let them know that for now, students are required to wear masks indoors at school to help keep everyone healthy, but this won’t last forever. Validate and accept their feelings, and encourage them to say more (“I can see why you might feel that way. Can you tell me more about…?”). Ask what support would be helpful, then listen to their answers. Wait to offer your ideas until they ask for help so they can express their needs and use problem-solving skills. Support social connections.If your grandchildren are nervous about re-establishing friendships, help them identify steps they could take now so they feel connected with peers when school starts. This could include getting together in person (depending on what feels safe and comfortable for your family), or reconnecting through texts, phone, or video calls. If this feels overwhelming to them, suggest they start with 1-2 friends. Then help them develop a plan for the first day of school—i.e., who they’ll hang out with at recess or breaks and eat lunch with—which can help reduce anxiety about the social aspects of school. Re-establish routines.Gradually ease back into routines 1-2 weeks before school begins. Discuss what their daily routines were like last year, then talk about what will be different this year. For instance, if the in-person schedule starts earlier than the remote learning schedule, then wake-up times and bedtimes may also need to be earlier. Or, getting ready and getting to school will take more time than turning on a computer, so they’ll need to adjust their morning routines accordingly. If needed, set a “screen curfew”—the time when electronic devices need to be turned off each night. Identify things you and they can do each evening to make the mornings easier, like setting out clothes, packing backpacks, or preparing lunches. Also ask about routines they started during COVID and want to continue, like going on family walks, taking breaks for physical activity, or doing mindfulness exercises. Then have (or help) each child write or draw the steps and times of their weekday routines and post them in a visible place. Practice the routines.Each day, have them wake up and go to bed a little earlier, beginning at least a week before school starts. Have them follow their morning routine (even if they’re not going anywhere) and bedtime routine so that this feels familiar when school starts. Prompt them to look at their routines—“What’s the first step? What comes next?”—and give encouragement and descriptive praise—“You did a great job getting up on time. Keep it up!” Final ThoughtsTransitioning from summer to school can be difficult, even without a pandemic. Preparing for the transition will help everyone adjust to old and new routines, which will help kids have a positive attitude and learning experience throughout the year. Nicole Young is the mother of two children, ages 17 and 21, who also manages Santa Cruz County’s Triple P – Positive Parenting Program, the world’s leading positive parenting program. Scientifically proven, Triple P is made available locally by First 5 Santa Cruz County, the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency (Mental Health Services Act) and the Santa Cruz County Human Services Department. To find a Triple P parenting class or practitioner, visit http://triplep.first5scc.org, http://www.facebook.com/triplepscc or contact First 5 Santa Cruz County at 465-2217 or triplep@ Read More Ask Nicole Articles

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Protecting Breastfeeding

Laura Maxson — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 15:11:58 +0000

Protecting Breastfeeding A Shared Responsibility By Laura Maxson, LM The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) joins with other organizations for 2021 World Breastfeeding Week: Protect Breastfeeding – A Shared Responsibility, August 1 – 7. Here in the USA, the entire month is dedicated to supporting breastfeeding. The remaining weeks have the following focuses: second week – Native Breastfeeding; third week – Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Breastfeeding week; and Black Breastfeeding week closes out the month. Locally, the first week of August would usually include a Health Fair and Breastfeeding Walk hosted by WIC and the Santa Cruz County Breastfeeding Coalition, but not this year, as COVID is still impacting activities – so, what is happening? Community Bridges, WIC, Watsonville Community Hospital, and Salud Para La Gente will host a drive through World Breastfeeding Week event at Watsonville Hospital on August 5, from 10am to 1pm. Goodie bags will be provided to the first 100 visitors, with an option to park and talk to participants if further information is desired. County WIC participants can pick up their farmer’s market coupons at the Watsonville farmer’s market. WABA has created The Warm Chain Campaign to encourage participation, as each person considers their role in the shared responsibility of protecting/supporting breastfeeding. This campaign places the mother-baby dyad at the center, but looks for links of awareness and support that can create a warm chain of support for breastfeeding throughout the first 1,000 days. This includes support for exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, solid foods introduced during the second six months, with other milk introduced after one year as breastfeeding continues for two years and beyond, depending on every family’s desires. Our county’s Breastfeeding Coalition has asked local agencies and providers to post on social media about how they support breastfeeding as a shared responsibility. Here are a few early responses (look for more online):“We at Dignity Health Dominican Hospital protect breastfeeding by offering everyday breastfeeding support and education to our mothers and children throughout their breastfeeding experience. We help empower women and families to create connections and access breastfeeding resources within their communities.”Sutter/PAMF Pediatric Department says: “We protect breastfeeding by providing the support, education, and resources needed to make each mother and child’s feeding experience a positive one.” The Warm Chain Campaign includes informational cards for the many different links in the chain. Midwives, obstetricians, pediatricians, dieticians, and lactation support workers are obvious links in the breastfeeding support chain. However, the campaign makes a point of identifying other areas of support. Each printable card begins with the same basic support information then adds on specific suggestions relating to the entity offering support.Below are a few examples. Trade Unions“Ensure that pregnant and nursing workers’ health, maternity, paternity and parental rights are given priority in the union and workplace. Develop and review parental social protection policies at work and advocate to governments for implementation and strengthening of policies in line with the minimum ILO standards… Negotiate collective bargaining agreements on paid leave, health and safety, medical assistance, job security and protection from discrimination, suitable facilities as well as breastfeeding breaks when returning to work, among others.” Academician“Ensure that appropriate and adequate information on breastfeeding is included in curricula taught in your institution. Prioritise research in breastfeeding. Support the dissemination and implementation of research evidence in breastfeeding to relevant stakeholders and the public at large. Empower [parents] with strategies to enable them to combine breastfeeding and work. Work together with others to ensure a continuum of care for the mother-baby dyad.” Environmentalist“Advocate to align policies on breastfeeding with environment/climate initiatives and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Reinforce the message that breastfeeding contributes to food security and planetary health. Engage school children, students, youth and social media influencers to include breastfeeding as a sustainable food when discussing environment and climate issues. Member of Your Community“Actively share your experiences of breastfeeding and the latest evidence-based information with parents and friends through social media or breastfeeding support groups. Advocate to government and local businesses to establish breastfeeding-friendly spaces and normalize breastfeeding in public. Share evidence-based information on the importance of breastfeeding and the danger of uncontrolled distribution of infant formula and breastmilk substitutes. Empower parents with strategies to enable them to combine breastfeeding and work. Encourage your employer to set up breastfeeding facilities at the workplace. We all have a shared responsibility to protect and support breastfeeding in our communities – families are depending on it.WABA Warm Chain Campaign waba.org.my/wbw National Breastfeeding Monthusbreastfeeding.org/nbmSCC Breastfeeding Coalition Social Media Campaignfacebook.com/SCCBFCBreastfeeding helpbirthnet.org Read More Birth Matters Articles

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Mariah Roberts

growingupsc — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 15:05:58 +0000

Suki Wessling Unlike other local organizations, which are just now waking up after over a year of closures and online approximations of their services, County Park Friends got busy implementing plans that had been pre-pandemic pipe dreams. Mariah Roberts, Executive Director of County Park Friends, has a unique view from her corner of the pandemic. As someone who ‘activates’ outdoor programs, she suddenly found her organization front and center when other organizations were shut down. “What we’re tasked with doing, and got funding to do, was to activate parks through health and wellness and focus on communities that haven’t been able to access existing resources historically,” she explains. “Because we were already working in the spaces that basically have the most safety [in regards to Covid], we were able to pilot these different projects and interfaces with community groups during the pandemic, which is just unheard of.” Unlike other local organizations, which are just now waking up after over a year of closures and online approximations of their services, County Park Friends got busy implementing plans that had been pre-pandemic pipe dreams. Their self-guided Art Hikes were inspired by Carlos Campos, a filmmaker and community leader from Watsonville. Campos had the idea of artist-created frames that would encourage thoughtful interaction between the community and its environment. “The idea was, our job is to get the best ideas from these incredible leaders who we’ve managed to capture some of their time [during Covid],” Mariah explains. “What are those ideas that they have that there’s never the money to build out, there’s never the infrastructure or the support? Let’s build them out!” Each frame installation includes artists’ take on the theme of interacting with and understanding the environment. For example, when visitors interact with Watsonville Frame #4, painted by artist Priscilla Martinez, they gaze through a chain link fence at one of the few soccer fields available to the community in Watsonville. The Outdoors to Heal program provides fully bilingual activities for families, adults, and children at parks around the county. The Friends also helped implement programs directly benefiting communities of color in the county, working with the expertise of Cat Willis of Black Health Matters and Aniko Millan, the first Black Senior Ranger in Santa Clara County, who is retired and lives in Santa Cruz. “Our job is not to come up with the ideas—our job is to be the roadies for our community leaders,” Mariah explains. “We’re really good at getting stuff done!”On the home front, Mariah says that she was lucky that the pandemic fell when it did, as her teen children were ready to take on more independence and her traveling husband got much-needed time at home to spend time with family. “ If [my kids] had been three years younger it would have been a whole different world for me as a mom,” Mariah says. “I felt like I had bandwidth as a professional that many of the people I work with did not have.” And our community has benefited from the support she had at home. Mariah was able to see the opportunities that the pandemic created, even in the midst of all of the suffering. “I have a sense of visceral urgency—but not in a stressful way, a sense of visceral urgency to act. We watched our entire world shift and respond and change and grow and shrink, and we can do it,” she says. Mariah’s fondest memory of home during the pandemic was when her daughter organized a Quarantine Olympics, with each family member representing countries from their heritage: Norway, Yugoslavia, Switzerland, and Wales. Her daughter made flag outfits and headbands, and they competed in games that she devised.“It was so funny,” Mariah remembers. “We were bickering and also laughing. We had the time of our lives—it was the perfect pandemic experience.” Learn more about County Park Friends’ activities and Art Hikes at www.CountyParkFriends.org. Read More Moms Who Make a Difference Articles

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