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February 6, 2006School Health Programs Department

Neighborhood Meetings around the City

Community Potluck Debriefing on School Closures, Racial Equity & Community Voice

The Board of Education heard the first reading of the resolution to create a community advisory committee comprised of community group representatives and persons appointed by the Board. This advisory committee would work with the Board of Education to develop a long-range plan concerning student enrollment and school closures/mergers. For those who agonized over the school closure process this year, join Coleman Advocates for a community potluck debriefing on what transpired this year, and help to create a better process for the future. Childcare and translation services available with RSVP. Contact: Sandra Fewer, Coleman Advocates: 239-0161 x15.

When: February 8, 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Where: Coleman Advocates for Children & Youth (450 Vienna Street @ Persia)

Budget 4 Families Coalition Meeting

The campaign to win a city budget that helps stop the violence and keep families in San Francisco is gathering steam! In a recent Budget 4 Families survey, families identified their top four priorities in San Francisco: Housing Assistance, Jobs for Parents, Affordable Childcare, and Violence Prevention Services. The Budget 4 Families Coalition is composed of youth, parents, service providers and family advocates and welcomes representatives from every corner of the City. The Coalition is currently planning a big budget rally for San Francisco’s families on Saturday, April 8, so come join the planning now! Free dinner, childcare and Spanish and Chinese translation will be provided at the meeting. Contact: Coleman Advocates for Children & Youth, 239-0161.

When: February 9, 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Where: SOMA Child Care Center (790 Folsom Street, Yerba Buena Gardens – enter through gardens at 4th St & Howard, then walk past the carousel and Zeum)

Sunset District Neighborhood Coalition

The Sunset District Neighborhood Coalition (SDNC) meets monthly to discuss local issues, share neighborhood resources and plan community projects such as the Sunset Community Festival and the Pedestrian Safety Project. The SDNC is currently focusing on pedestrian and traffic safety issues in the Sunset. To this end, guests from MUNI will be there to discuss a community campaign to make the 44th Avenue & Judah Street intersection a 4-way stop. Additionally, responses to the SDNC-produced 4 a Safer Sunset Action Plan will be discussed. Staff District 4 Supervisor Fiona Ma will also be in attendance to provide an update on community activities as well as to address any questions or concerns. The Coalition meets the second Thursday of each month. Contact: Susan Suval, SDNC President, 731-7322 or sunsetfestival@sbcglobal.net.

When: February 9, 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Where: Taraval Police Station Community Room (2345 - 24th Avenue)

Love your Playground Event

We need your help! Calling all park volunteers to join NPC to create a city-wide Playground Report Card. The Report Card will provide the Recreation and Park Department with necessary information to direct their limited resources for maintenance and improvements. Our goal is to complete a survey at every playground in San Francisco. Come to one of four events around the City and learn how you can give a little love to your playground!

For parents: Valentines' Day activities, prizes, and refreshments will be provided. If you would like to join a committee to help us plan for this important event, contact Jeff Condit, 621-3260 or jcondit@sfneighborhoodparks.org.

When: February 11, 9:00 – 11:00 am
Where: Duboce Park (Duboce Avenue at Scott)
Franklin Square (16th Street at Bryant)
West Portal Playground (Ulloa Street at Lenox)
Crocker Amazon (Geneva Avenue at Moscow)

How Would You Spend $33 Million on Children and Youth?

DCYF, The San Francisco Department of Children, Youth and Their Familiesis hosting 19 community meetings over the next 2 months to get a real understanding about how different communities want to spend Children’s Fund money on children and youth programs citywide and in their neighborhoods.

These 19 Children’s Services Allocation Plan meetings will be active discussions, lasting about 2 hours each, where community members can learn where the money comes from, how the money has been spent in the past, andmost importantlylet their voices be heard about how the money might be spent in the future. Come to a meeting near you and tell us your priorities. Folks only need to attend one of these neighborhood meetings to share an opinion. Snacks will be served. For translation and/or childcare needs contact clam@dcyf.org . For a list of meetings or to download a flyer.

Please spread the news about these remaining Children’s Services Allocation Plan meetings:

Tenderloin Rec Center
570 Ellis Street,Monday February 6, 6-8 pm

Potrero Hill Library
1616 20th Street, Tuesday February 7, 6-8 pm

Richmond Rec Center
251 18th Ave., Wednesday February 8, 6-8 pm

Hamilton Rec Center
1900 Geary Blvd., Monday February 13, 6-8 pm

Visitation Valley Elementary auditorium
55 Schwerin, Wednesday February 15, 6-8 pm

LGBT Focused, The Center
1800 Market, Thursday February 16, 6-8 pm

Treasure Island Shipshape Bldg
Ave. I, Saturday February 18, 10:30 am

Bernal Heights Library
500 Cortland, Wednesday February 22, 6-8 pm

Gordon J. Lau Elementary auditorium
950 Clay Street, Thursday February 23, 6-8 pm

CitywideMain Library L/H Room B
100 Larkin at Grove, Tuesday February 28, 6-8 pm

A+ Options For 'B' Kids [part 2 of 4]

By Anne McGrath, USNews.com

FIND THE RIGHT FIT

Choosing well should be the goal of every applicant, but it's a critical task for anyone who might have trouble with the transition to college-level work. Will you perform best at a big university, taking lots of lecture classes and sampling from a menu of 600 clubs? Or will you blossom in the close community of a liberal arts college, where the typical small class requires you to speak up and discuss? Will you be up to the academic demands you'll face? If not, and you're accepted, your studies may feel like a constant struggle. Are you a drama buff? A debater? "If I have an average student who's passionate about music, I want him to go someplace where he can be immediately involved in music," says Susan Tree, a college counselor at the Westtown School in Westtown, Pa. Without that area of certain success, Tree says, the danger increases that he'll wash out.

Many counselors steer nonsuperstars toward small liberal arts colleges, unless the student has his heart set on the Big Ten experience. "The amount of faculty contact is really important for students who haven't been highfliers," says Judith Mackenzie, the Seattle educational consultant who worked with the Strelecky family. "They need support." Too often at large research universities, counselors caution, freshman classes are taught by graduate assistants, and young undergrads rarely see the scholars. "At a small college like Kalamazoo," says Pope, professors "might be your intramural teammates."

Katie Pesce knew that she would need faculty contact--one reason she chose Elon. Now a senior studying elementary education, she recalls she "worked 10 times harder than everyone else" at her New Jersey high school and would "always, always go in for help." At Elon, former professors often stop her on campus to say hello, she says, and "I go see my photography professor all the time to chat about pieces of work, what I might want to do in the future with photography--anything."

Strategically speaking, focusing your search on schools that are a good fit--and making it clear you've done the research to know they're a good fit--can sometimes improve the odds that the committee will say "this is a kid we want." Likewise, failing to do your research can hurt. "We ask a very specific question about how Flagler meets your goals," says Marc Williar, director of admissions at the Florida college. One applicant to the sports management program wrote about wanting to become a personal trainer. "This is a business-oriented program; we don't turn out personal trainers," Williar says. Although the student looked great on paper, she was denied admission.

LOOK FOR STRONG SUPPORTS

Once you move on to the detailed research, many counselors suggest looking for a program that bonds freshmen tightly with a professor and a peer group, and for well-developed advising and retention systems. "You want to build a foundation for success," says George Kuh, the Indiana University researcher who runs the National Survey of Student Engagement to help colleges gauge how effectively they're serving undergrads. Shirley Bloomquist, an independent counselor in Great Falls, Va., urges clients to consider how many kids return for sophomore year. "I like to see at least an 85 percent return rate," she says. "If it's under 65 percent, something's going wrong."

To make sure their freshmen adjust smoothly and stay, a growing number of colleges and universities hold elaborate orientations that introduce newcomers to each other over the summer, then put them through a College 101 course in the fall on everything from managing their time to managing their drinking. At Lawrence and Ursinus, as at a growing number of schools big and small, the whole class is divided into small seminars to tackle the same readings (story, Page 52), so discussions often continue over lunch and in the dorms. Westminster College in Salt Lake City is refining a plan to divide all freshmen into "learning communities" of about 30 students, who will study together in at least two themed classes--on globalism, say, or the environment.

Too often, academic advising tends to be spotty until a student has declared a major. "But these kids desperately need some guidance!" says Mackenzie. At a number of schools with freshman seminars, including the College of Wooster, Allegheny, and the University of Redlands, the seminar prof doubles as each participant's adviser, offering academic and moral support as well as classroom instruction.

One advantage of a system in which adults know undergrads well is that alarms go off when a student's grades drop or someone stops coming to class. At Hendrix and at Otterbein College in Ohio, for example, professors and resident assistants alert a retention committee when someone seems to be slipping, and the committee meets regularly to talk about how best to intervene with struggling students. "This is a place where you're not going to go unnoticed," says Cass Johnson, Otterbein's admissions director.

Wellness Center

Jennifer Kenny-Baum (Wellness Coordinator) is available daily.

Monica Murphy (Nurse) is available daily.

Ian Enriquez (Youth Outreach Coordinator) is available daily.

Sheening Lin (psychologist) is available daily.

Ulash Thakore (Academic Counselor) is available Monday thru Wednesday.

German Cheung (Counselor) is available on Mondays.

Pauline Ong (Cantonese Speaking Counselor) is available on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Sonia Sztejnklaper (Russian Speaking Counselor) is available on Mondays.

Suong Vo (Vietnamese Speaking Counselor) is available on Mondays.

Kory Okun (Relationship Counselor) is available Tuesdays.

Wayne Hayes (Counselor) is available on Wednesdays.