Help A School!!

The beginning of a new school year is just around the corner for many families and even though I am retired, I am still very much an educator at heart.  As teachers prepare their classrooms, administrators prepare their schools, money must be spent on all the items needed to make a school ready for a new year and with all the funding cuts..this becomes harder and harder to do. Yes, teachers spend their own money and so do some administrators (yep, it's the truth)!!! So..........I wanted to let you know what TARGET is doing for schools right now.  TARGET is sponsoring "Give With Target" program that:
provides $2.5 million in support to K-12 schools—up to $10,000 each in Target GiftCards^®. You can help by voting for a school each week until September 8 through Give With Target^®and telling your friends to do the same. 

All you have to do is find a school you support and vote for that school.  You don't have to have a child in school; you can be a grandparent, an alumni of a school or just a member of a community! Just go to their Facebook page and with a click of your mouse, you are done.  Won't you please support a school of your choice today?  It doesn't cost a thing!!!

Just go to: Give With Target for more information or here: Every Kid Deserves A Bright Future.

P.S. I receive no compensation from Target for this...I just support a business who supports schools!!

Just Saying............

I don't know about you but lately when I read the news or watch TV there is so much going on in this world that makes me shake my head and say "What the Heck" are people thinking!!!  Shootings of children in schools/on college campuses/in neighborhoods; crazy rules being implemented in schools about no best friends/no hugging/making paddles to use for punishment; physical attacks on people just because someone doesn't agree with their clothing/lifestyle...the list goes on and on.

  It just boggles my mind and makes me so sad.  Just saying....



On My Mind...

I am deeply saddened by the events that occurred yesterday at Chardon High School in Chardon, Ohio.  As a former administrator, the worst fear I had was something happening to the students placed in my care each and every day.  Schools are one of the safest places a child can be but life has a way of intruding into a school in a profound way.  Such was the case yesterday.  My thoughts and prayers go out to the students, their families, the educators and the community of Chardon, Ohio.

Drills and practice are an important part of a school community.  Knowing what to do in case of a fire provides a school with a plan that ensures safety for the school family.  The same goes for having lockdown drills and plans.  What an awesome job the students and staff of Chardon High School did yesterday in the face of such a horrendous time.  Due to the plan they had in place and numerous practices, that school community was spared additional tragedies.  If you are a parent, please become knowledgeable about the lockdown procedures at your child's school and make sure your child knows what to do!  If your child's school doesn't have a lockdown procedure....you need to make your voice heard to the local school board and have that remedied right away!!!

It's also important for students to realize the importance of informing an adult of any tweets, Facebook posts, conversations or texts that indicate someone is going to hurt another individual or bring a weapon to school.  Nothing should be taken lightly when that happens...in fact, due to students reporting such things recently, authorities at 5 different schools around the country were able to stop a tragedy from occurring!!!

Educators and school staff take the job of student safety seriously and I just want to say... Thank you to each of them for the job they do each and every day to make their schools a safe place for children!!  You do make a difference!!!

Look What I Found!!!

This week I shared some information with a few of my teacher buddies about companies currently having sweepstake entries for schools.  That got me thinking....wonder if there are any other education sweepstakes or grants out there right now??  So I did a little research and found a few companies currently accepting entries or grant proposals!!!  With funding for education always on the "chopping block", I've found it never hurts to enter or apply for any of these.  Donors Choose is a perfect example and my teacher buddies have all been extremely successful with their proposals!!  Hope some of you decide to check these sites out...let me know how it goes!!!

Discovery Education Technology:  http://www.sweepstakeslovers.com/sweepstakes/?p=cdwg.discoveryeducation.com/wawl/

Target Grant/Reading:  http://sites.target.com/site/en/company/page.jsp?contentId=WCMP04-031821#

Target Grant/Arts& Culture:  http://sites.target.com/site/en/company/page.jsp?contentId=WCMP04-031819

Verizon Education/Literacy:  http://foundation.verizon.com/grant/guidelines.shtml

Bright Ideas:  http://www.ncbrightideas.com/Home.aspx

Digital Wish (similar to Donors Choose but Technology Oriented):  http://www.digitalwish.com/dw/digitalwish/grant_awards

Special Needs Teachers:  http://www.mossfoundation.org/mossfoundation.org/paged708.html?id=3

While searching for grant and sweepstakes opportunities, I also found a few sites offering free lesson plans.  Perhaps you will find some resources on these sites for use with your students or fellow teachers!!

Verizon Site for Free Lesson Plans:  http://www.thinkfinity.org/

Technology Blog with Free Resources for Teachers:  http://www.freetech4teachers.com

Oh, The Places I'll Go... Cause I'm Never Too Old!!!

What a wonderful time I had today!!!  I was invited to read to preschool children and kindergarten children to celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday.  Now... anyone who knows me, knows how much I love to do read alouds with groups of children.  So... today was extra special because that's exactly what I did.  Of course part of the reason I love doing read alouds is because I get to wear a costume.  Again, anyone who knows me, knows I love wearing costumes....and it doesn't have to be Halloween!!!  Can't get any better than that...a Cat In The Hat costume and a read aloud of  "The Cat in the Hat"!  Thank you Angie for inviting me to your school today and for allowing me to share two things I love doing with all those wonderful children!

Did You Know???

I was reading some articles the other day and one captured my attention.  The article was about Guilford Technical Community College.  They have a Culinary Technology Program!!  According to the description:

"The Culinary Technology curriculum provides specific training required to prepare students to assume positions as trained culinary professionals in a variety of food service settings including full service restaurants, hotels, resorts, clubs, catering operations, contract food service and health care facilities.
 Course offerings emphasize practical application, a strong theoretical knowledge base, and professionalism and provides critical competencies to successfully meet industry demands. Courses also include sanitation, food/beverage service and control, baking, garde manager, American/international cuisines, food production, and hospitality supervision.
 Graduates should qualify for entry-level positions such as line cook, station chef and assistant pastry chef. American Culinary Federation certification assistance is available to graduates. With experience, graduates may advance to positions such as sous-chef, executive chef or food service manager."

Now I am not considering the program but I did learn the public is invited to dine at the Guilford Technical Community College culinary program dining room.  Lunch ($7.00) is served on Wednesdays and Thursdays; dinner ($9.00) is served on Thursdays.  Since there are new students each semester they are open 9-10 times during each fall and spring semester for lunch and dinner.  I think this is a great idea and I had no idea they offered this opportunity to the public!!  Of course, reservations are required.  So, I've put this on my "to experience list" for the future.

If you're interested in reading about this, I've included a link with more information:

http://culinary.gtcc.edu/Default.aspx