More Ways to Serve!

CalSERVES announces Service Scholars, a service learning and internship opportunity for students who want to make a difference 

 

Martin Luther King once said “Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve.” That powerful sentiment is central to the vision of our programs as we work to connect the time, energy and talents of those who wish to serve with unmet and pressing community needs. Through a range of service opportunities, from full-time AmeriCorps leadership positions to one-time volunteer experiences, we are able to offer hundreds of people each year the chance to give back to their communities. 

We’re excited to be adding one more opportunity to the mix with the launch of Service Scholars, which places college student interns in our after school programs. Scholars serve as role models and bring focused, inspiring instruction to youth in one of four areas of specialty: Art, STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), PE/Nutrition or Literacy.

Scholars will serve 10 hours a week and earn university credit in the Fall semester, then continue as paid interns for Spring semester and earn a $1500 stipend. A gas stipend will also be provided.

Interested in finding out more? Visit our website or contact us at (888) 560-SERV (7378).

Kindergarten Superstars

For kindergarteners, their first school experience is a time of intense learning, and there are some that need a little extra help to master the curriculum. Kindergarten is a huge foundation and starting point for every student going into the academic K-12 institution and it’s crucial that a student is successful. The skills learned, confidence gained, and the love of learning that is created are necessary so that the rest of their schooling can continue in a positive upwards progression.

At Wright Charter, we bring Kindergarteners into the CalSERVES program in January and even though they are only tutored for half a year, the leaps of academic progress that they can make are comparable to any of our other tutored students. Most of the kindergarteners who come for tutoring are having difficulty mastering the kindergarten skills. And no matter their skill level, all students benefit from a positive relationship that instills the confidence they need to succeed.

This was the case with two specific kindergarteners. They both entered our program as two shy little girls who did not yet know their ABCs. They scored low on their initial assessments and their tutors, Ms. Moran and Ms. Hammer, knew their work was cut out for them. Before any academic progress had even been made, the tutors started creating a strong bond with their students. Soon tutoring became happy, fun, and most importantly a place where they knew they could succeed. With their new motivation, these girls were able to build confidence within themselves, score incredibly well on their final assessments, and start reading their first books. 

I also tutor a couple kindergarteners, and the knowledge that I am able to set this little person on a pathway to success that can hopefully carry them for the rest of their lives, is one of the most rewarding feelings I have ever felt. Ms. Hammer and Ms. Moran agree.

Melissa Boni

Literacy Team Leader

Meadow View Volunteer Spotlight

This month Meadow View would like to shine the spotlight on siblings Alifonzo and Karina Sanchez. Both siblings have been dedicated volunteers since the beginning of the year and now have a solid fan base of mentors and students in after-school. Karina, who is a Kinder volunteer, likes working with the kids especially because “the kids come up and hug you and are so sweet and adorable.”  

Kim Sylvester, Kinder mentor describes Karina as, “amazing; she never lets us down and she is natural with the kids. She’s not afraid to go out there and just play with them.” Maritza Garcia, another Kinder mentor says, “Karina is a dedicated volunteer and you can always rely on her to come through.” Karina helps in all aspects of the Kinder program and often leads reading circles with the kids. Her most recent project is painting a planter box with the kids in front of Room 27. Meadow View is truly lucky to have a volunteer with such natural talent for working with kids. 

Her brother, Alifonzo, is a first grade volunteer and is also a natural at working with kids. The first graders love Thursdays because they know he’ll be there to help with homework and read to them. He fits in well in this tight-knit classroom and is like a second mentor to the kids. Olivia, first grade mentor says, “Alifonzo is the ideal volunteer-he’s reliable and I have complete confidence in him. I hope he continues to volunteer until he’s old and gray.”

            

Both Karina and Alifonzo have been with us since the beginning of the year and have grown considerably in their confidence and skills while working with the students. It’s evident that they truly care about the students of Meadow View and will undoubtedly succeed in any future endeavors they should take on because of their dedication. We wish Karina and Alifonzo the best of luck and hope they come back and volunteer with us again next year! 

Celebrating the Kindergarteners

The 2011-2012 school year was the first in which CalSERVES incorporated little kindergarteners into our program. It has been quite a successful year! To celebrate our successes, we held a CalSERVES-wide Kindergarten field trip!

On Wednesday, May 16th, our kinder classes from all four sites, Kawana, Taylor Mountain, Bellevue and Meadow View, were picked up and taken to Howarth Park for a day full of fun activities and food. We began with a surprise! We presented each child and mentor with a special shirt that represented our first annual Kindergaten Program. 

We then split into groups and sent each group off to an activity. The stations included the
Imagination Playground, Organized games, and a Nature Hike. The groups rotated through the stations and met back at the gazebo for our BBQ.

 

Countless parents were there to support our program and spend time with their kids!  Overall, it was an incredibly successful field trip and our amazing kindergartners deserved it!

Jackie Williams
Kawana Elementary After School Team Leader


For more pictures from the Kindergarten Field Trip, visit our Flickr site Here.

Wright Students Have Their Heads in the Clouds

For thousands of years, humans have been fascinated by the sky. More specifically, our race has looked to earth's fellow planets as a way to expand. Is it possible for people to live there? Who else shares the galaxy with us? Are we truly alone? On April 18, Wright's sixth graders joined the millions who have pondered the same questions. Certainly the Wright Cougars didn't solve the universe's mysteries--our kids are smart, but if Galileo couldn't do it, maybe we could at least give them until next year--but they did have the opportunity to learn a little something about how our world turns at the Santa Rosa Junior College planetarium.

During the weeks leading up to their trip, the sixth grade studied the sky. No, this does not mean that one of our Cool School classes stood with their mouths gaping open, gawking at the clouds and the sun. Rather, I was proud to see our mentors engaging the kids in discussion about where each planet was situated in the solar system, why days shortened in the winter and extended in the summer, and even how stars can navigate people. When the lights darkened on the "Observing the Sky" presentation, even though I couldn't make out faces, I could tell from their oohs and awes that our kids were familiar with the material! Further, I was never so proud than when they could rattle off answers such as, "Mercury is the planet closest to the sun!" Or when they asked why the planets were named after Roman gods and not Greek gods. While I'm gushing over our students, however, I would be remiss if I didn't throw our mentors a little viral recognition. Thank you to Ms. Lindsey Tanaka and Ms. Natalie Paraiso for creating such elaborate, creative, thorough lesson plans. The experience that your sixth graders had would not have been as meaningful without your cosmic brilliance--excuse the dorky pun. All joking aside, you may have inspired a future John Glenn or Buzz Aldrin.

Lauren Loeffler

Wright Charter VIP

Having Fun with Fruits and Veggies

This month, Wright held its annual Nutrition Olympics. Every year, students participate in activities geared toward learning fun facts about fruits and vegetables. Normally, the mentors lead the students in activities similar to fitness centers, but this year, members at Wright Charter took it to another level. Decked in fruit and vegetable costumes, they headed out to lead centers like Cucumber Javelin and Carrot Hop. The students cheered in excitement when they saw their mentors in costumes, which got them more interested in the games they were playing. Some students even wanted to get in on the action and wear costumes too. By the end of the event, students were asking “Can we play Coconut Bowling every Wednesday??” It was another successful event for Wright Charter. 

Human Race Follow Up

Consider this blog post an off-brand Hallmark thank you card. It’s a “we appreciate you,” a “we value you,” a “we-couldn’t-do-this-without-you” kind of card to each CalSERVES mentor and staff member who spent the past two months raising money for our 1,500+ students involved in the CalSERVES after-school program. More importantly, this little paragraph is a GIGANTIC nod to the generous donors who shelled out dough that will keep our kids’ noses in books instead of in trouble over the summer.

As of Monday, May 7 CalSERVES has received donations from over 700 people and has raised nearly $19,000. These numbers are remarkable considering that, in an economy bleaker than it has been in decades, we have not only met, but we have exceeded our goal of $15,000! CalSERVES has not seen this kind of success in a couple years. These numbers are humbling. What was an even bigger reality check, though, was the walk itself.

As someone who has never participated in the Sonoma County Human Race, I remained blissfully in my CalSERVES bubble. Before Saturday, my only concern was my kids at my school. Sure, I considered that since the Human Race is the largest fundraising event for Sonoma County non-profits that several other groups—maybe even several dozen more groups—from the area would drop by this event. What I saw upon arrival at the walk, however, jolted me from my 7a.m. stupor. Floods of people gathered on Sonoma Avenue in Santa Rosa, each showing support for the organizations that do so much for this northern California community. 

In true CalSERVES form, members elevated the energy by arriving in themed costumes specific to their sites. Bellevue represented the “nerd” population proudly, Kawana looked colorful in their shorts and tube socks, Wright personified #thefarm with plaid shirts and farmer hats, Meadow View kept it cool in their dark shades, Taylor Mountain and R.L. were ready to run! The office? Well, eat your heart out, Olivia Newton-John. They rocked 80s off-the-shoulder shirts and leg warmers. Each site came with its own motivation. Where did we find it at such an early hour? It wasn’t from a tall cup of coffee or a bowl of Special K cereal. It was from the notion that in only three kilometers we, and those who contributed, could change the lives of thousands of families.

Again, thank you to all who have participated in and donated to the Human Race. 

Lauren Loeffler

Wright Charter VIP

To view pictures from the Human Race, please visit here.

Poetry Café at R.L. Stevens

On Friday, April 13^th the Jaguars, the second grade after school class lead by Diana Sharkawy and Eddie Castañeda, hosted a poetry café at R.L. Stevens School. The recital came after a class study of Jamaican Dub Poetry, and a poetry writing workshop experience.

The event began with an invocation from Sharkawy, followed by the majority of students reading their own works aloud to a rapt audience of family, friends, and the fourth grade cool school class. A few shyer students opted to have Sharkawy read their poems to the audience on their behalf. Once the Jaguars finished sharing their poems, families were invited to stay for refreshments and an opportunity to read with their children from a collection of poetry books the mentors had assembled from the school and public libraries.

It was exciting for all involved to watch the second graders take pride in their work. In the coming weeks the Jaguars will star in a play that the students, with mentor guidance, will have written, staged, and directed themselves. If the success of their poetry presentation is any indicator, this capstone production will be another runaway success for the Jaguars. Here at R.L., we can hardly wait to see our beloved Jags perform once more!

~Rachel Socia

Literacy Tutoring Team Leader

R.L. Stevens School