Education Notebook, Jan. 8-14, 2015

PARENT/CHILD LITERACY CLASS SCHEDULED IN JANUARY

The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension plans to offer a parent/child interactive literacy series at the Whitney Ranch Recreation Center, 1575 Galleria Drive in Henderson.

Family Storyteller is a six-week program aimed at encouraging and training parents to play a vital role in the early literacy development of their children. The class is set to meet from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Parents and their children will participate in reading and language activities together. Session II is set to begin Jan. 13 and end Feb. 17.

To register, visit cityofhenderson.com/parks or call 702-267-5850.

NONPROFIT TO OFFER PARENT EDUCATION CLASSES

The nonprofit Secure Parenting Inc. plans to offer free, eight-week parent education classes beginning Jan. 24 for parents of toddlers age 20 to 40 months. Parents will learn preventative practices to guide toddlers in their emotional development, as well as how to strengthen the connection with their children. Parents will attend the first 90 minutes in a group while their children have certified caretakers in another room, then the toddlers will join the parent group for the last half-hour.

Classes are scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon Saturdays starting Jan. 24 and Sundays starting Jan. 25 in Henderson and from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesdays starting Jan. 28 in Las Vegas. Space is limited to 12 parents and 12 toddlers per class. This will be a pilot test of a new program, so parents will be asked to complete questionnaires to receive the class free.

Preregistration is required and can be completed by visiting secureparenting.org and filling out the “Interest Form” on the Forms page, by emailing karen@secureparenting.org or by calling 702-724-4912.

FAITH LUTHERAN HIGH SCHOOL TO DEBUT CONSERVATORY OF THE FINE ARTS

Faith Lutheran High School, 2015 S. Hualapai Way, plans to debut its Faith Conservatory of the Fine Arts for the 2015-16 academic year. The conservatory will offer Las Vegas Valley high school students in grades 9-12 the opportunity to enroll and major in one of four fine arts disciplines: music (vocal performance and instrumental performance); visual arts; dance; and theatrical arts (performance and technical theater).

Important dates are: Jan. 10 and March 28, audition for performance major in theatrical arts; Jan. 10 and March 28, interview for technical theater; Jan. 10 and March 28, audition for instrumental arts; Jan. 10 and March 7, audition for vocal performance; Jan. 17 and March 7, audition for dance; and Jan. 9, application deadline for visual arts.

The conservatory will offer a multi-disciplined track course program that will allow enrolled students to follow their desired discipline’s course throughout their high school careers so they may poise themselves for careers at a university level in the field of their study. Students will participate in private skill-set lessons, extracurricular performances and will graduate with a conservatory major. Students may enroll as a dual major if they desire.

All auditions and interviews can be scheduled by contacting Emily Ball, Conservatory Dean of Fine Arts, at balle@flhsemail.org.

For more information, visit faithlutheranlv.org.

LEADERSHIP TRAINING SET FOR PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES

Partners in Policymaking plans to offer leadership training for people with developmental disabilities, parents and family members. The training is designed to teach the power of advocacy and change the way people with disabilities are supported, viewed, taught, live and work. The program will provide information about issues and policies related to disability and develop participant competencies to become more effective in influencing policy development at all levels.

Parents of children with developmental disabilities and adults with developmental disabilities are encouraged to apply. Classes are planned from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. once a month through August at the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension’s Lifelong Learning Center, 8050 Paradise Road. Participants are expected to commit to all classes or complete make-up assignments. Dates are: Jan. 17, Feb. 28, March 21, April 18, May 16, June 20, July 19 (in Reno) and Aug. 15. Participants will receive a stipend to help with childcare and transportation costs.

For more information or to apply, visit nced.info/pip.

AFTER-SCHOOL ALL-STARS TO MARK 20TH YEAR OF SERVICE

The year 2015 will mark the 20th anniversary of After-School All-Stars Las Vegas, which has served thousands of Southern Nevada youths. One of 15 nationwide chapters, the Las Vegas group was founded in 1995 by Elaine Wynn as the Greater Las Vegas Inner-City Games, providing weekend sports programs for youths across valley. In 2003, the organization transformed its model to provide academic and enrichment after-school programs throughout the school year, becoming After-School All-Stars.

In celebration of its 20th anniversary, ASAS has announced a series of events beginning in February to increase awareness of the nonprofit’s programs and raise funds to expand services. Planned activities are: All-Star Dodgeball Fundraiser, Feb. 21, UNLV Mendenhall Center; Splashdown for Kids at Wet ‘n’ Wild, April 25 and 26; and ASAS Celebrates 20 Years of Empowering Youth, Sept. 26, SLS Beach Life.

For more information, visit asaslv.org.

VEGAS PBS ANNOUNCES LEARNINGMEDIA DIGITAL INNOVATORS PROGRAM

Vegas PBS announced the third annual PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovators Program for tech-savvy kindergarten through 12th-grade educators. PBS LearningMedia is a free media on-demand service of Vegas PBS that offers more than 87,000 digital resources for educators. The program recognizes the nation’s top 100 applicants who are incorporating digital media in classrooms and serving as leaders in educational technology.

Through Feb. 11, educators can apply to the program by submitting a 60- to 120-second video showcasing how they are creatively using digital technology and tools in the classroom to spur student achievement and by completing a profile and two essay questions. To apply online, visit pbslearningmedia.org/digitalinnovators.

The selected teachers will be rewarded with yearlong career-enhancement opportunities, including virtual trainings with a focus on creative instructional strategies and digital best practices, access to premium and exclusive resources from PBS LearningMedia Custom and a free PBS TeacherLine professional development course, invitations to special events, membership in a professional learning community and networking with other innovative educators and thought leaders. They also will receive ongoing support from their local PBS member stations.

The top 30 applicants will be designated as Lead PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovators and will also receive a three-day, all-expenses paid trip to Philadelphia to participate in the 2015 PBS LearningMedia Digital Summit and the International Society for Technology in Education conference, along with a Samsung Galaxy tablet.

The winners will be announced in March. For more information, visit pbslearningmedia.org.

BLACK HISTORY ESSAY CONTEST PLANNED

The 36th annual Black History Month Essay Contest is planned through Feb. 6 for fourth-grade through high school students. In honor of Black History Month, youths are encouraged to submit an original essay, and the top three winners from each division will recite their essays at a banquet planned for Feb. 18 at the East Las Vegas Community Center, 250 N. Eastern Ave.

Essays due no later than 5 p.m. Feb. 6 at the community center. The elementary school division topic is Historical African-American Inventors in the 1800s (minimum 150 words, hand-printed or typed); the middle school division topic is Historical African-American Politicians (minimum 250 words, typed); and the high school division topic is Compare The Civil Rights Issues That People Face Today To Civil Rights Issues The 1900-1970s (minimum 400 words, typed).

For more information, call 702-229-1515.

STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM SEEKS AREA REPRESENTATIVES

World Heritage, a nonprofit student exchange program, is seeking volunteers to serve as area representatives in the Las Vegas Valley. World Heritage offers qualified students from around the world between the ages of 15 and 18 with the opportunity to spend a high school year or semester in the U.S. with a host family. Area representatives recruit and screen potential host families, supervise the exchange students, organize activities and provide support to host families, students and schools.

Compensation is offered. For more information, call 800-888-9040, email info@world-heritage.org or visit world-heritage.org.

CSN BEGINS OPEN ENROLLMENT

Open enrollment for all admitted students is underway at the College of Southern Nevada. In addition to popular core classes such as biology, math and communications, CSN is also offering courses on smartphone application development, IRS-certified tax preparation and the cultural origin of and fascination with zombies.

Classes for the spring 2015 semester are set to begin Jan. 20. Students are reminded that CSN no longer allows late registration except in unusual circumstances. All registration must be complete before midnight Jan. 19.

For more information, visit csn.edu.

LOCATIONS ANNOUNCED FOR CHILD AND ADULT CARE FOOD PROGRAM

The Culinary Academy of Las Vegas has announced locations for the 2014 Child and Adult Care Food Program, a federally funded program administered by Nevada’s Department of Agriculture to youths living in low-income areas. The academy, 710 W. Lake Mead Blvd., is providing the free and nutritious after-school meals to anyone 18 or younger Monday through Friday.

The academy prepares about 500 meals a day for 14 sites. The following six sites are open to any child, with no registration required: Doolittle Community Center, 1950 N. J St.; Fresh Wind Ministries, 3660 N. Rancho Drive; Pearson Community Center, 1625 W. Carey Ave.; Richard Steele Boxing Club, 2475 W. Cheyenne Ave., Suite 110; The Salvation Army Citadel Corps, 2900 Palomino Lane; and Stupak Community Center, 251 W. Boston Ave.

For more information, email zshah@theculinaryacademy.org or call 702-924-2102.

AFTER-SCHOOL TUTORING AVAILABLE AT CIMARRON ROSE COMMUNITY CENTER

The Cimarron Rose Community Center, 5591 N. Cimarron Road, offers after-school tutoring in mathematics, science and reading to students in grades one through six. Weekly 30-minute sessions may be scheduled from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday or Thursday and from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday.

The cost is $45 per month during the school year (prorated for holidays). A licensed Clark County School District substitute teacher is the tutor. To register, visit the center or call 702-229-1607.