Kindergarten was once considered by some to be a relatively insignificant grade level – it is still not mandatory in California until age 6. But as the heft of kindergarten curricular offerings has increased, so have the ramifications of missing formative instruction. Research has linked chronic absenteeism in kindergarten – defined as missing 10 percent or more of school days – to lower achievement in future grades in math and reading, an increase in problem behavior and difficulty in obtaining a score of “proficient” on California’s 3rd-grade reading test. In turn, students who struggle with reading in 3rd grade are less likely to graduate from high school on time.

Mireya Arango is headed to Stanford University after a stellar high school career during which she surmounted considerable odds. Arango, a Petaluma High School student who took 13 honors and AP classes (and numerous Sonoma State University classes), was honored by the Petaluma City Schools Board of Education. She appeared with her parents — Antonio and Isaura Arango — and the memory of her brother Cristian, who died in October at the age of 21.

“Neither of her parents have beyond an elementary school education. Though her parents have been amazing supports for her, she has had to navigate this path mainly on her own with the assistance of counselors and other staff,” said David Stirrat, Petaluma High principal.

Arango has done a lot in her high school career. At a glance:
• Top 10 student (4.33 weighted GPA)
• Harold Mahoney Achievement award winner
• AP Scholar award
• HOSA club member (4 years) Secretary/Treasurer
• Upward Bound at SSU
• Kaiser Summer Youth Employment program (she plans to enter the medical field).

Congratulations to both Mireya and her parents .

The way the program works is two-pronged, said Kait Schroeder, executive director of the North Bay branch.

First, students are selected through an application and recommendation process in their sophomore year of high school. They are provided with two summers of “experiential experience,” Schroeder said, “something really challenging, outside their environment.”

The first summer often takes the form of something like an Outward Bound adventure and leadership camp. The second summer is often an overseas trip for a service project, Schroeder said.

Summer Search’s other approach involves simultaneously developing a support network for students centered around a mentor who works with the student through to their college graduation.

“We’re really committed to our students becoming among the first in their family to get a college degree but at the same time they’re training in altruism and responsibility,” Schroeder said. “So they’re not only going to be successful themselves, but they’re going to be committed to giving back to their communities in some way.”

The $500,000 will be allocated among the organization’s three Bay Area offices based on the number of students served, which means the North Bay division will get 25 percent of the amount. The office plans to serve 400 students next year, up from a total of 350 in Sonoma, Marin and Napa counties.

“College is like a bubble and being pushed out of the bubble upon graduation is a shock for a majority of students,” said co-founder Susan Halstead, who was a longtime recruiting executive in Northern and Southern California.

Halstead said she and her partner, Lindsay Brown — whose management experience is in recruitment, human resources and career counseling — over the course of many years in business saw too many job candidates who didn’t know how to interview or to prepare a resume.

“I have seen candidates shine during an interview and I have seen them crash and burn, mostly due to lack of preparation,” Halstead said.

The company will deliver in-person training, she and Brown said.

The company launched this week. They can be reached through www.jobtango.net

The Lincoln School Pageant was held at the Petaluma Elks Lodge, with school children from one of the last remaining one-room schoolhouses in Northern California performing “A Yankee Doodle Dandy Christmas” and presenting American flags to the veterans in the room. Above, Isabelle Brenner presents a flag to Joseph Joe at the Dec. 15 event. It’s been a while since this took place but it’s a sweet enough picture that I couldn’t resist.

Here’s more info about the film: http://www.papertigersmovie.com/

And here’s a place to register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/paper-tigers-movie-screening-registration-19931761435

For questions, please contact Lori Kolacek at (707) 528-5181 or lkolacek@srcs.k12.ca.us.

Here’s my story and an accompanying video about the Union School south of Petaluma, which is facin gclosure unless it can enroll one more student.

Here’s a link to the story

The Maria Carrillo High School Jazz Choir in 2014.

The respected Maria Carrillo High School Jazz Choir topped 10 tough competitors and was selected to sing the national anthem at the Dec. 26 Foster Farms Bowl Game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara (UCLA vs. the Nebraska Cornhuskers).

Earlier this year the choir was chosen to perform at a San Francisco Giants game AT&T Park on Sept. 11. In April, the choir — which under the direction of Gail Bowers has gone as far as South Korea to sing — will also be headed to a music festival at New York’s historic Apollo Theater.

Nice job!

A photographer, Walski, 18, will be awarded $60,000 to study at the Santa Fe University of Art and Design for four years.

“This year’s selection of scholars reflects a wide range of voices working to better understand the world they will inherit,” said Redford in a statement. “This program provides them with an environment for experimentation and exploration, and I wish them well on the journey ahead.”

The scholarship program is funded by the university but the scholars are chosen by Redford together with the Milagro Initiative, a nonprofit that was founded to support creative training in the arts.

Other scholarship winners came from locations including Ecuador, Brazil, Venezuela, Massachusetts and Colorado.