Wright Walks!

Brent Watters, Mentor at Wright Charter School

With obesity rates steadily climbing through the United States, kids sitting out on P.E. activities is becoming more and more common. As the 6/7th grade mentor at Wright Charter School, I’ve encountered countless “I cant’s”, “I won’ts”, and of course, that blank stare they give you when you tell them to run a mile. But just when you think all hope is lost, in comes an engaging teacher with a new curriculum to throw on these couch surfers.

Mr. Tobes has started a new walking program at Wright. Students are being engaged to walk far distances to learn about their local area, culture, and more about their physical capabilities. Last week, I was invited to come along on the first walk for Wright, and I was ecstatic!

The 4-mile walk from Wright to RL Stevens Elementary School started with a bang. Kids were able to use water bottles donated to the school as well as countless snacks to keep them energized and motivated. We formed strict groups by classes and gave everyone an American Flag to symbolize the knowledge we will be receiving on this adventure, as well as a way to keep the kids in sight.

The troop was made up of 4th through 7th graders and not a single complaint was made the entire time. Even some of the older kids who clearly were hurting from the walk, bit their lip and kept on trucking through. We learned about flowers, geographical facts, and even where students lived just by taking this walk. An even better realization was when we got back and it had only taken us 3 and a half hours! That’s pretty good considering how fifteen minutes of strenuous activity is hard to get from these kids, let alone half a day's worth!

The best part was when we got back and saw all the tired faces of the kids we helped push along on this quest; we could see that they wanted more. Kids immediately started signing up for Mr. Tobes 8 mile walk in a few weeks and even went home saying “Gosh I had better start walking some more or I’m going to die on the big one!” If anything, just encouraging those kids to walk on their own time was reward enough from this experience.

The kids from Wright Elementary are very lucky to have such an interesting new program coming to them. Not only does it promote a healthy, active lifestyle, but it also gives them a huge sense of independence and accomplishment when they see they’ve walked to a place they thought they could only get to in the back of their parent's car. I know this mentor is excited for the next big walk, and I hope all of Wright Charter School will be too.

Roseland Reads!

The time has finally come, our students worked their hardest to earn stickers for months by reading passages during tutoring! One by one, two by two, they placed stickers on the door at Roseland’s room 37, waiting for the magical day to come. Finally, it was time. Mentors joined a committee to plan the glorious activities for the day, which included read-alouds and art crafts for younger and old. 

 The lower graders were picked up first, in the early afternoon, and entered the room amazed to see the beautiful butterflies covering the ceiling that they had made in tutoring the previous weeks by folding paper with paint. As they took their seats, they were thrilled to learn that the book chosen to share with them was the ever-popular “The Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle. After the dramatic reading by the brilliant Ben Browning, students made sequence necklaces: coloring in the fruits the caterpillar ate and marking his steps toward transformation until at least he was a beautiful butterfly! It was a great success and the students felt very rewarded for their hard work. 

Upper graders were next in line for the festivities. Our mentors chose a wonderful social studies book for the students, “If the world were a village” which explored the different demographics of the world on condensed scale. This book highlights what the world would look like if the entire globe population were reduced proportionately to 100 people. Read by the ever-eloquent Tracy Petroski, the tale highlighted age groups, religions, races, languages and geography on our planet, and made the information about world resources and valuables approachable and understandable for young readers. Students were each given packets discussing one of the different categories and illustrated their understandings of what the section discussed on a poster, which was shared with the large group. The students were intrigued and engaged, interested to learn about the different aspects of global society on such a simplified scale. Round two, another great success! 

Tutoring parties are always a super fun day filled with anticipation, excitement, and celebration here at Roseland. We are all ecstatic to plan our next and final party at the end of the year, and know it will be just as promising thanks to our amazing students!

Pie Day for Bellevue Literacy Students

Ruby Willmann, AmeriCorps Team Leader at Bellevue Elementary

After six weeks of reading to collect pie tickets, our After School students were finally able to experience the Bellevue Pie Day! Students were able to turn in their pie tickets for whip cream pies, and one after the other the students slammed their pies into their mentor of choice. One first grader read so much she got to pie seven mentors! The day was so much fun and the kids loved it. They especially loved it when they got to pie our Principal! After making hundreds of pies, Pie Day proved to be a fantastic success.

What's Cookin? Tuesday - Spinach and Mushroom Enchilada Casserole

Kristen Mowers, CalSERVES Nutrition Coordinator

California is the leading producer of fresh market and processed spinach in the United States.

Spinach was the first frozen vegetable to be sold for commercial use.

Spinach began being cultivated in North America by the early 19th century. In recent times, it has been popularized by the cartoon character, Popeye, who attributes his amazing strength to a daily diet of the green, leafy vegetable. In fact, when Popeye made his debut on January 17, 1929, spinach became the third most popular children’s food after turkey and ice cream. Today, more than 94 percent of Americans associate spinach with Popeye.

Green fruits and vegetables help maintain vision health and strong bones and teeth. They may also lower the risk of some cancers. Examples include spinach, cabbage, celery, leeks, peas, collards, avocados, kiwis, honeydew melon and green grapes.

Spinach and Mushroom Enchilada Casserole

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 medium chopped onion

2 minced garlic clove

3 seeded, deveined and minced yellow banana chile peppers

3 pounds sliced mushrooms

1 can (14 ounce) enchilada sauce (preferably green)

8 - 6 inch corn tortillas - cut in half

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

2 packages (10 ounce) frozen chopped spinach, - thawed

6 1/2 ounces grated reduced fat Monterey jack cheese

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a very large non-stick skillet. Add onion, garlic and peppers and stir. Add mushrooms and cook about 15 to 20 minutes, until liquid evaporates. (If pan is not large enough, cook mushrooms in batches.)
2. Pour half of the enchilada sauce into a 13x9-inch baking dish.
3. Arrange 8 tortilla halves over the sauce in the baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. When mushrooms are cooked, stir in the salt and crumble in the oregano leaves. Drain the spinach, squeeze it dry and mix it thoroughly with the mushroom mixture. Spoon half the mushroom mixture into the baking dish, carefully covering tortillas.
4. Set aside 1/4 cup (about 1 ounce) of grated cheese. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top of the mushroom mixture. Layer with the remaining 8 tortilla halves, then the remaining mushroom mixture and enchilada sauce. Sprinkle top of casserole with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until casserole is steaming hot in the center.

Note: Allow casserole to stand at room temperature 5 minutes before serving. Serve with pinto or black beans and salad. 

Calories 240, Fat 11g, Sodium 350mg, Sugar 5g, Protein 16g

Nutrition Olympics!

Katie O'Looney, Supervising Teacher at Wright Charter School

During TV Turn Off Week, CalSERVES at Wright Charter School participated in the Nutrition Olympics for 2 afternoons. The kids had a great time participating in events such as: The Pepper Toss, Rasin' Picking, Apple Toss, Lettuce Dribble, Supermarket Slalom, Coconut Bowling and more!

Before each group started, the AmeriCorps members quizzed them on nutrition facts pertaining to each fruit or vegetable. The kids had a wonderful time and learned a lot about various fruits and vegetables.

Note: No fruits or vegetables were harmed in the making of this activity! Kids tossed and dribbled with fake versions of the produce.

Human Race T-Shirt Contest

AmeriCorps Members have been hard at work designing T-Shirts for The Human Race. Let us know what you think! Official judging will be next week. Check back here the week of May 3rd to find out the winner! Also, don't forget to stop by on May 8th and vote for our shirt at the Human Race!

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Bring It! The Human Race is Coming!

Join CalSERVES in our Annual Fundraising Event

Saturday, May 10, 2010

7am- 10am

CalSERVES will be walking to support literacy development for children. We have lots of ways for you to participate with us – from making a cash donation to walking with us and raising funds.

We are walking to support our students this summer. Many children lose ground academically during the summer months, particularly those from economically disadvantaged households, and summer reading loss is one factor contributing to the achievement gap. We want all students to have easy access to books over the summer. CalSERVES’ goal is to raise $15,000 this year to support summer programs and provide books for over 1,500 children to take home over the summer.

Please join us in supporting our children by making a donation and/or walking with us on Race Day, Saturday May 8th. Click below to visit our donation page and make a difference today!

CalSERVES Donation Page

This Year's Theme: Give From the Heart. 

Check back soon to see T-shirt Contest Design contenders! 

Store Tours! Roseland Field Trip

Tasha Hruska, Supervising Teacher at Roseland Elementary

At Roseland Elementary School, all CalSERVES students went on a field trip to FoodMaxx. Though at first thought a field trip to the grocery store doesn’t sound like the most exciting field trip in the world, the wonderful and exciting FoodMaxx employees were able to prove otherwise!

Students marveled at the behind-the-scenes look at meat department, where they were able clearly see what goes into making the hamburger they might eat for dinner. In the produce department, students were taught the importance of knowing where their fruit and vegetables come from, and learned how to make every meal healthy and balanced.

 A highlight of the day was a special viewing of the box crushing department, where students eagerly gazed upon what was later named “The Boxatron 5000.”

Upon leaving the wonderful world of FoodMaxx, each student received a goody bag containing an activity book and several fun and exciting treats to help furthur their nutrition education. Though the 10 minute return walk to Roseland seemed longer in the warm March sun, students walked away with a new appreciation for where their food comes from.

In our world today, most people are not able to conceptualize the distance between the field and our plates. By showing our students the role of a supermarket in this process, we have made a small step in encouraging students to make healthy choices about the foods they eat, thus fostering a more nutritious lifestyle, and ultimately, a happy healthy life!

What's Cookin? Tuesday - Quick and Creamy Grape Shake

Kristen Mowers, CalSERVES Nutrition Coordinator

A Bunch of Grape History

Grapes are one of the oldest cultivated fruits. Hieroglyphics show that Egyptians were involved in grape and wine production, and the early Romans were known to have

developed many varieties.

Grapes have been grown in California for more than 200 years. The tradition of viticulture began in 1769 when Spanish friars established missions throughout the region. Padres planted a European grape variety known as the Mission in order to make sacramental wine. Native American wild grapes of the type Vitis girdiana grew along California stream banks, but these grapes were sour and of little use for winemaking.

In California, the boom in grapes planted for fresh consumption arose in the early 1800s when a number of settlers recognized the untapped agricultural possibilities of

the then-Mexican territory. William Wolfskill, a former trapper (and also founder of California’s citrus industry) planted the first table grape vineyard in 1839 on pueblo land near present-day Los Angeles.

By the 1850s, the United States had officially acquired California from Mexico and 80,000 gold prospectors had moved to the region, a few of them recognizing that there

was money in grapes as well as ore. The young agricultural society recognized that grapes were an important commodity in which to invest, and today California wine, table grapes and raisins are all important agricultural commodities, with approximately 700,000 acres planted in vineyards.

Enjoy this little taste of history!

Quick and Creamy Grape Shake

Makes 4 servings (1 cup per serving)

Ingredients:

2 cups green or red seedless grapes

2 bananas, peeled and sliced

2 oranges, peeled and quartered

12-16 ice cubes, crushed

Preparation:

Place grapes, bananas, oranges, and ice in a blender container.

Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.

Calories 139, Carbohydrate 36g, Fiber 4g, Protein 2g, Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 2mg

2010 Cesar Chavez Health Fair Report

The 2010 Cesar Chávez Day Health Fair at Roseland Elementary School drew over 3,500 attendees and 74 participating community organizations.

Health Fair Highlights

• Dental Screenings: St. Joseph’s Medical Center screened 123 children for tooth decay, finding 54 children who needed dental care and 11 of those children presenting urgent dental needs.
• H1N1 Vaccines: Sonoma County Public Health provided 212 H1N1 vaccinations
• Blood Pressure/Blood Glucose Screening: St. Joseph’s provided blood pressure and diabetes screening to 36 individuals.
• Vision Checkups: Community Action Partnership provided 92 vision screenings.
• Free Healthy Foods: The Redwood Empire Food Bank donated over 5,000 pounds of fresh produce and 1,725 free healthy lunches were also served.
• Free Bike Helmets and Repairs: AmeriCorps volunteers fitted 100 donated bicycle helmets and NorCal Cycling repaired over 100 bikes at the Health Fair.
• Free Hair Cuts: More than 50 hair cuts were provided by community volunteers.
• Free Books: The Sonoma County Free Bookmobile gave out over 250 free books to children and adults.

Active Living

• Zumba U-Jam—an aerobic activity that combines Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow moves to create a fun workout.
• Kaiser Permanente’s Community Theater Troupe Kids Course – a fun obstacle course for kids that helps make fitness fun.
• Rock-climbing wall and Obstacle Course Playhouse—for children to stay active and have fun.
• Project T.R.U.E.—peer educators from Roseland University Prep who focus on drug and alcohol prevention.

Notable Speakers

• Efren Carrillo, Supervisor, County of Sonoma
• Dr. Mary Maddux-Gonzalez, Public Health Director, County of Sonoma
• Dana Pedersen, Principal, Roseland Elementary School

Entertainment

• Windsor Bloco provided dancing and drumming.
• La Maquina 107.5 FM hosted the event and provided great music.
• Face-painting, magic shows, and balloon animals delighted fair-goers.

AmeriCorps

110 AmeriCorps members from the CalSERVES program came to support this event. AmeriCorps members led activities for children, served as support to the health care providers and as translators for families.

Sponsors, Donors & Volunteers

The Fair organizer is CalSERVES with vital partner Roseland Elementary School District. Primary sponsors of the 2010 Health Fair include First 5 Sonoma County, Kaiser Permanente, St. Joseph’s Health System, Redwood Credit Union, and Community Action Partnership. Additional Fair sponsors included Redwood Empire Food Bank, Santa Rosa Police Department, La Fondita Restaurant, La Texicana Restaurant, Taqueria Santa Rosa, Clover Stornetta, La Tortilla Factory, NorCal Bike Sport, and Radio Stations La Maquina and Radio Lazer.Many businesses and agencies in the community came together to support the event, including 25 community organizations that donated goods and services worth over $6,250. Over 283 health providers, community volunteers, and AmeriCorps members provided 2,753 volunteer hours in support of the event.

Thanks again to all who participated!

Volunteer passes out broccoli to Health Fair attendee.

Kids enjoyed the rock climbing wall.

Many information booths gave hep to fair goers.

Free haircuts from community volunteers was very popular!

Fair goers sampled many fruits and vegetables.

Children worked with AmeriCorps members to plant their own vegetable seeds.

Tutoring Success!

Ruby Willmann, AmeriCorps Team Leader at Bellevue Elementary

I’ve been tutoring the same kid for almost two years now, and he’s absolutely amazing. He’s a wonderful kid, and having worked with him one-on-one for so long, I feel like I’ve been able to learn how to relate to him. Today was amazing. Lately, we’ve been working on focusing and not wasting time by complaining, and today he sat down and just got straight to work. He read, we worked on our curriculum, and practiced our reading fluency. We had a whole ten minutes for me to read him The Trumpet of the Swan (which is his incentive to finish his work quickly). Walking back to class we talked about Pokemon and Digimon – his two favorite cartoons – and we tried to describe them using some adjectives from our “Word of the Day” activity. Overall, best tutoring session ever!

Service Learning at Roseland Elementary

Charlie Ruda, AmeriCorps Team Leader at Roseland Elementary

Service Learning Projects are in full swing at Roseland, and our various activities are centered on making our community a better place!

First graders have been studying the benefits of physical fitness. They have been talking about stretching, what muscles we use when we exercise, and how an active lifestyle keeps us healthy, all in preparation to teach their fellow first graders a fun workout routine.

Second graders have been learning about natural disasters and overcoming the damage they cause in the wake of the Haiti earthquake. In order to help rekindle a livable environment there, students are painting flower pots donated by Jail Industries, and are planting flowers which will beautify the homes of fellow students. Funds raised by selling the pots will be given to UNICEF, a supporter of people in need who have suffered because of natural disasters.

Third grade is looking at their project on a more local scale by appreciating the things that make Roseland a great place to live. After a visit to the Schultz Museum and a walking tour of the landmarks and assets of their neighborhood, they created a scrapbook reporting the reasons they appreciate living in Roseland, which was shared at a Cesar Chavez Health Fair table.

Fourth and Fifth grade have grouped together for their project: to create care packages for American soldiers who are fighting overseas. Focusing more on the rights and responsibilities of military members and the good they do for our country instead of rhyme and reason related to the current wars, they will observe the challenges and benefits of serving in the armed forces. After tabling at the Dollar Tree, they will send donated items to a group organizing care packages for our troops.

Sixth grade is taking a very personal approach to making the world a better place, by focusing on the “-isms” of society and how to eliminate hate in their own lives. Students have been talking about limiting bullying; stress management; advocating for the rights of students; how to challenge racism, sexism, and ignorance responsibly and respectfully; and creating a more supportive school climate. They are taking part in the Operation Beautiful campaign by posting positive messages anonymously on bathroom mirrors to encourage self-worth and self-respect among their school population. They have also learned about the challenge to avoid gang involvement in the area and why it can inhibit their personal success.

What's Cookin? Tuesday - Kick'n Chicken Pitas

Kristen Mowers, CalSERVES Nutrition Coordinator

Fruity Facts:

• Grapes are about 80 percent water.
• One cup of grapes contains about 3/4 cup water, helping to keep the body hydrated.
• Grapes are actually berries.
• There is an average of 100 grape berries in a bunch.
• Fresh grapes stay good for two to three days in the refrigerator. Store grapes in a covered container or plastic bag.

Kick’n Chicken Pitas

Ingredients 

2 cups shredded romaine lettuce

1 cup red or green seedless grapes, each grape cut in half

1 cup chopped cooked chicken breast, cold

1/3 cup crispy chow mein noodles

1/3 cup shredded carrots

2 tablespoons sliced green onions

4 tablespoons light Oriental salad dressing

2 whole wheat pita pockets, each cut in half

Preparation

1. Combine romaine lettuce, grapes, chicken, chow mein noodles, carrots, and green onions in a medium bowl. Mix well with a large spoon.
2. Add dressing to bowl. Mix until ingredients are coated with dressing.
3. Spoon about 1 cup of mixture into each pita pocket half. Serve.

Makes 4 servings. One serving equals 1 pita half.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Volunteers Make a DIfference Tutoring!

Lisa Navarra, AmeriCorps Team Leader at Meadow View Elementary

Meadow View is proud to be the first of CalSERVES sites to establish a volunteer tutoring program. In the past month or so we have welcomed several volunteers to work one-on-one with students, with guidance of mentor partners and Literacy Team Leader. We are excited to have volunteers to be a part of our program and provide a link from CalSERVES to the community. Thank you Kim, Tara, and Michelle!

The "Wright" Stuff - Success Stories in Tutoring

AmeriCorps Mentors, Wright Elementary School

-Maria Magana, AmeriCorps Mentor

When I first met Christian I thought, "He'll never open up to me. I'll never get through to him." He would hardly communicate with me, which made tutoring stressful. As time went by, Christian quickly caught on to the new ideas in each lesson and began to open up to me a lot more. He was in a bad car accident when he was 5 which left him badly burned. I thought I had to treat him differently because of it but I've realized that while Christian may not look like the average seven year old, inside he still really is. I believe his resilience has helped him not give up on his reading. I've never met any child like him and I doubt I ever will.

-Brandi Johnson, AmeriCorps Mentor

When I first started tutoring Dante I was told by his teacher that he didn't like to read and that his participation level would be very low. Much to my surprise Dante is nothing like what his teacher described. He never wants to stop reading; it is by far his favorite aspect of the lesson! If I tell him it's time to move on he begs to read one more story. His motivation and desire to do well in tutoring is amazing. I am so happy that I get to tutor Dante and help him along the way in his reading process.

-Emily Nagel, AmeriCorps Team Leader

At the beginning of the year, Nikki struggled to sound out simple decodable words like "cat" and "mop". When I presented a new book for her to read, she would hesitate and fidget in her chair at the thought of trying to get through it all. She would complain- good naturedly and with a smile, of course- if I asked her to reread a sentence to work on fluency. Now, I am pleased to observe that Nikki's attitude toward reading has greatly improved. Just the other day, Nikki voluntarily asked to read a book that I was going to read to her. The book was slightly above her level, but she was determined to read it for the enjoyment of the story. She also voluntarily rereads sentences for fluency, always with her good natured, cheerful smile. Not only is she learning how to read but she is also learning to love reading!