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All the puzzles and

board games are

created to challenge

student’s knowledge

and abilities to

problem solve

ELMP: ECSTEM Conference

THINK Together, along with the Children’s Center at Caltech and Children and Families Commission of Orange County hosted the Early Childhood STEM Conference in Costa Mesa in February. Over 400 attendees from throughout California were able to select from 70 workshops focused on early childhood STEM. In addition, an exhibit hall was available for teachers to gain resources such as materials, activities, and more for their classroom environment. The ECSTEM conference for next year is set for February 5-7 in which we hope to have another successful event!

SPOTLIGHT ON Veeh Elementary-ELMP: SC Rochelle Santacruz mostly works with students from the ages of 3-5 and absolutely loves

what she does. She has been the SC for a little over a year now and believes that ELMP has

been a wonderful experience for her as well as everyone who participates! She feels that

students truly benefit so much from this program, “This is when they are first exposed to a

classroom setting, and is their first stepping stone for things such as sharing and following

rules.” When we asked what do you believe keeps the students focused? She replied,” Having

them participate in large groups keeps them continuously engaged as well as playing with

them.” What she hopes that her Parent Volunteers and AmeriCorps members take away

from her is leadership, and how important it is to build a strong foundation for the students.

Some advice she would like to share with us is that you have to be flexible and want to be able

to accept a good challenge.

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Spirit of

Volunteerism:

The event is held annually and

hosted by OneOC at the

Disneyland Hotel. Each year,

OneOC asks non-profits in

Orange County to honor

volunteers from their

organizations, by recognizing

them at the Spirit of

Volunteeris. This year,

our Volunteer Department

recognized the following

volunteers: America Gonzalez

(Davis Elementary Youth

Volunteer), Sarah Tieu (OC

Hub), Genoveva Fernandez

(OC Hub), and

Marnee Farley (Shalimar

Learning Center)

Shalimar Learning Center:

Read across America

In honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, students read his books during a reading workshop component and enrichment. Students enjoyed his classic books and then afterwards they created their very own art, which consisted of finger paints and a lot of fun! Their art was inspired by Dr. Seuss’ books that were read to them earlier that day.

Imagination Now! Imagination Now! is an enriching program that

focuses on teaching students that creative

thinking matters. Cheryl Russell, the Executive

Director of Imagination Now! visited several

SAUSD sites, where she shared her story of the,

StarHeart. Cheryl shared her experience with the

students of how her idea manifested into a book.

She also told students that an idea takes time to

develop, but no matter how long it takes, never

give up on your dreams! Cheryl also stated,

“Reading is like taking a field trip without having

to leave the classroom,”. Additionally, all students

received their very own copy of the StarHeart

book, made possible by anonymous caring

donors. Thank you!

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Highland Teen Center: Dancing and a Photo booth! Students enjoyed their final hours at HTC dancing

and saying goodbye. Volunteers provided them

with a portable Polaroid camera. Students

dressed up and were allowed to take as many

photos as they wanted. We would like to take a

moment and thank Highland Teen Center and

their volunteers, staff, parents and community

for all of the great work they have done! You

have made a difference!

Highland Learning Center: Last day of Program Students played minute to win it games, and participated in outdoor activities

such as ping pong and chalk art. Students enjoyed their final day; the love of the

community was clearly present. We would also like to take a moment and say

thank you to Highland Learning Center and their staff, parents, volunteers for

making a difference in the students life’s, Thank you!

Noah Teen Center: March 28, was a day of joy for those at Noah Teen Center. What was scheduled as a Farewell Event, turned into a celebration. With the support of the Church of the Messiah, Noah Teen Center remains open. Students, parents, volunteers, staff, and Church of the Messiah celebrated with food and treats. Students prepared for the event by assisting with the decor and made cookies for the potluck. They also participated in games and viewed slideshows created by THINK Together and Noah's Program Leader.

Community Teen Centers: Soccer Championships, Character Education

Teen centers partnered up with Pure Game, a non-profit organization that donated their time

along with volunteer referees to help out with the matches. All Teen Centers (Noah, Highland, and

Shalimar) participated in what they thought was going to be a normal soccer tournament, but

instead were arranged to compete against each other in randomized teams, they all accepted the

challenge, a true test of teamwork. The way to win the gold was to work well in teams, regardless

if it was your original team. A win-two points, a tie-one point, and a loss-zero points. At the end of

the day the points were tallied up, the scores of each team were nearly identical but Shalimar (a

randomized team) took the 1st place. Congratulations for working great with others! Also a round

of applause to all of our Teen Centers for making it such a close match!

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SPOTLIGHT ON Franklin Elementary:

Program Leader, Diana Ponce has

been with THINK Together for

5 years and has always wanted to

work with children. Diana admits it

might not be the easiest job

at times, but would not trade it for

any other job in the world. She

loves that the THINK program

provides such a broad spectrum

for the students: Math Blast, Kids Lit, STEM, CATCH, and Harvest of The

Month, to name some of her favorites. If Diana were to change something

about the program she would extend the hours! Diana feels that THINK is

super beneficial for the students, “They learn so much from the program, its

great! I just wish we could have a little more time. Other than that it’s an

overall wonderful program.” Something that Diana feels works well are the

incentives, and states, “Incentives keep the students concentrated and

focused.”If she were to offer some advice to beginning PLs or anyone who

wants to work with children, it’s to never give up! Be patient, and cannot

stress enough how important it is to be consistent with your students.

Cambridge and

Taft Elementary: Chapman University

Volunteers spent the day

with our OUSD Students! A

day filled with new friends

and great memories. At

Cambridge Elementary;

Chapman Volunteers

assisted students in

building kites, since the day

very windy students were

able to see their kites soar

the very same day. Thank

you for all your support and

for making a difference in

our student’s life’s

Volunteers!

A Day at Carl E. Gilbert-ELMP: At this age it is very difficult to keep a student entertained

and focused, especially after being in class all morning but

ELMP has definitely shown that it’s completely possible.

They work from a class size group to individual student

work, mixing it up keeps them on their toes

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Carver Elementary: Parent Volunteers

On Thursday, December 18th

, Carver Elementary hosted a Parent Appreciation Dinner in honor of all its parents and their

contributions. It was a time to socialize, reflect on all program successes and growths, and recognize parents who have

played an essential role in program. As a result of their time, effort and dedication their support is establishing a

sustainable connection aimed at bridging the school and the community and student achievement. The Parent

Appreciation Dinner could have not been possible without the collaborative efforts and support of our Parent Advisory

Committee and supporting management.

READ ALL ABOUT IT!! Re-Elected District Board Member: Teresa Vargas, one of our very own QACs, has recently been re-elected as a district board

member of Baldwin Park! Being re-elected was no easy task to achieve, but Teresa has shown

a great amount of dedication as well as determination! When asked how this election was

different from the last one, she replied, “This time I had the experience from the former

election.” This is her second time being elected, each term last for four years. Teresa also said

she wants to impact her community by being a positive role model and help students by

providing them the tools necessary to succeed. “The best part of being re-elected is being able

to “Represent my community! Always keeping in mind that they community and the students

are of the highest priority.” She goes on to state, “The most important aspect of being a part

of the board would be, understanding your role and that one person does make a huge

difference.”

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OC REGION --BEST PRACTICES Behavior Conversation Cards-by Amy Reede

Elementary---------

Conversation Example.

-----Middle School Conversation Example.

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Century High School: Alliance of Peace event, Dance team

performed a number in the spirit of

a bully free environment! Students

had the opportunity to pledge to be

bully free, and to report any unkind

behavior in hopes to make this high

school a bully free zone! We are

definitely rooting with you guys!

Carver Elementary:

Parent Advisory Meeting Planning a Winter

Wonderland requires support from many

resources. This is why the PAT Parent Advisory

Team and SC Jessica Ochoa joined forces with

Carver to make this event possible for their

students. As a team they discussed different

roles and ideas for their Winter Wonderland!

Patty one of Carvers Parent Volunteers says “We

are truly grateful for THINK Together, they are

exactly what their logo describes them to be!”

Franklin Elementary: “Si Se Puede!” means, “Yes, it can be done!” Franklin

Elementary made a wall to honor their past students to

demonstrate what they have accomplished. Our very own,

SC Antiono De Jesus made it on the board!

Day of Service Shalimar Teen Center: A Thanksgiving tradition continues! Every year, for the last 13 years,

a generous and caring group of volunteers has donated turkeys and

fixing to this community site. This year was different when an

unfortunate turn of event occurred, and the group was not able to

donate food and participate in the Shalimar’s annual feast. With only

a month away from this annual event and wanting this great

tradition to continue, Site Coordinator Alejandra Alvarez reached out

to volunteers for support. When she heard back from the National

Charity League (NCL), she was elated! The NCL was able to provide

100 turkeys along with fixings, and were able to distribute food to 20

families! Thanks to the hard work and support of the NCL and Site

Coordinators, Alberto Martinez and Alejandra Alvarez, Shalimar

families were able to have a great Thanksgiving and were able to

keep this tradition well and going.

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Common Core For

Parents

Talk to your Site

Coordinator or Program

Leader to see how your

children are working on

building character.

Plan a family meal whether

cooked or from the store

and talk to your children

about their day. Ask about

their feelings.

Focus on the Core: Character

“Orange County Students Will Lead the Nation in College and Career Readiness and Success.” The county superintendent Al Mijares gave this message at a recent panel discussion. THINK Together Orange County Region is proud to partner with the districts we serve to achieve this goal and support the work they are doing with college and career readiness. Our Common Core Guild and Regional team are working on continuing best practices of college and career readiness as well as looking at additional strategies we can implement.

In April, THINK Together Orange County

provided Common Core training for

their frontline staff, in which they

focused on college and career readiness

and success, which included a portion

on character building. Building a child’s

character is an essential part of

preparing for college and career because it prepared them to be an ethical

citizen in their future educational or work environment. Being a

trustworthy and respectful person is a sign of professionalism.

Students at all THINK Together sites abide by four core agreements.

1. Be safe. 2. Be respectful. 3. Be responsible. 4. Have fun!

Frontline staff focuses on praising students for positive behavior choices

and talking through making better choices. In addition, students are given

enrichment opportunities to learn more about character.

Pío Pico Elementary in Santa Ana is working on aligning with PBIS at their school by teaching students about character. They use “Thank You Jars” in the classrooms to remind students to praise others for following agreements, and they are also working on having the students perform skits that demonstrate different character choices and then have students. Site Coordinator Annamarie Dachtler states, “In the THINK Together after school program we have weekly skits that address day to day struggles or confrontations amongst students or students with adults. Our 5th grade leaders are the ones who act out the mini skits, in which they show the responsible

way to deal with certain situations and also the way that is irresponsible and disrespectful. These skits tie into our 4 main agreements of the program; be safe, be respectful, be responsible, and have fun. However, putting it into action where students are allowed to see that yes they have a choice of how to confront or deal with situations, but there is always a more responsible way to handle it.”

THINK Together is proud to work with parents and school staff to help

build children’s character.

TIPS: Character in the

Classroom

Consider having a visual way for

students to thank each other. One

way is to set aside some time each

day for students to give a button or

another object to someone who was

following agreements and put them

in a class jar. When the jar is full,

have a character party by making

crafts with the buttons.

Model character and respectfulness.

Every day you are helping to mold

students’ character. Let them see

you praising often, having fun, and

being respectful to them and others.

Character Days—A Fun Friday event

could be character days. Invite

parents to participate in an activity

like making a good character quilt,

performing a skit or reading a book

with students about character.

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THINK About It:

Common Core in the OC Region Volume II, Issue 5

April-May, 2014

Students from Pío Pico Elementary use a

“Thank You Jar” every day to praise others for

following agreements.

Article Provided by: Amy Reede