RNeighbors - Education

Saving Lourdes High School

Sun, 16 Dec 2007 16:24:13 -0600

Is it too late to save Lourdes High School? No it is not and we can start now by signing a petition to save Lourdes High School. Just go to this website: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/LHS-Preserving-Our-Heritage, read the petition information and follow the instructions provided on the website. But first before you go to the website let me state why I think it is possible to change the minds of those that made the decision to relocate Lourdes High School.

· Lourdes is not "landlocked" it is surrounded by opportunity and potential partners in education, including Saint Marys Hospital, the Mayo campus, Mayo Medical School and the University of Minnesota. There are many possibilities for continuing and expanding creative partnerships and collaborative efforts between these educational institutions and Lourdes High School. Consider this excerpt taken from the Rochester Area Economic Development website: Rochester, Minnesota, is about to begin the design of the Minnesota BioBusiness Center. This facility will be located downtown in close proximity to Mayo Clinic and the Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics. The facility is being designed to provide more than 150,000 square feet of office/lab space for companies who could benefit by being near Rochester’s bioscience assets. We are leaving no stone unturned as we create what we believe will be one of the leading BioBusiness Centers in America.

Thoughts on Lourdes High School Relocation

Fri, 23 Nov 2007 00:24:42 -0600

I was shocked by the article in the Monday, November 19 issue of the Post Bulletin that Lourdes High School would be relocating to Rochester’s outer fringes. As a Lourdes alumnus and a parent of a child attending Lourdes High School, I have been paying particularly close attention to future plans for Lourdes High School. I was under the impression that the issue of whether to renovate at the present site versus rebuilding at a new location was still being studied. To my knowledge the new site development was not a favored option. I was also under the impression that once a report was prepared that it would be presented to the board and eventually brought before the Catholic community for input, discussion and eventual approval. I was not prepared for a slam-dunk approval of an off site development and a picture of the Bishop on the front page of the Rochester Post Bulletin sealing the deal with a blessing from the Diocese of Winona.

Adam Abdulle Academy Volunteer Opportunities

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 09:53:28 -0500

Want an amazing cross-cultural adventure?

Adam Abdulle Academy is a charter school in SW Rochester. We have a great need for volunteers. Want to help? We have listed our specific volunteer needs on the Olmsted County United Way Volunteer Opportunity web site

Here's some information about us:

Mission: As a K-6 Somali charter school, the mission of the Adam Abdulle Academy is to maximize opportunities for children through educational innovation that will ensure their full development as healthy and positive contributors to the greater community.

Donations needed, PLEASE!!!

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 11:32:51 -0500

My name is Monica Maaldonado and I am an AmeriCorps member with the READS (Reading Early Achieves Developmental Success) Initiative through the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation. AmeriCorps is a domestic Peace Corps program, which provides leadership development through national service. This program focused on early literacy training, parent literacy education, service project development and capacity building of early childhood coalitions. I am doing my service at Hawthorne Education Center in Rochester, MN.

I am coordinating a service project, which is going to give literacy bags to kids and their families. Reading materials in the literacy bags will encourage literacy activities in the home, as well as at school. To assist parents in the best use of the books, literacy kits will be designed for each book. The kits will include accompanying activities that relate to the books. They will offer parents advice and tips on how to read to their children. These kits will be made available to parents and children who attend Hawthorne Educational Center, in Rochester, who are part of the Hand-in-Hand program or adults/ parent who participate in the newly established reading program. It is my hope that through this concerted effort both parents and children and families will be encouraged to know and to realize the importance of reading and literacy as it relates to the learning of another language and pursuing further educational endeavors. It will also give parents whose reading/ literacy skills are not of appropriate level the chance to improve upon their literacy skills while allowing them the opportunity to bond with their children. Most importantly, it will make families realize that reading and literacy are both fundamental and fun.

Delicious and Nutritious Garden Update - August 24

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 08:52:53 -0500

Week 11

This week kid’s tasted tested Zestar apples from Sekapp Orchard (open 9am-7pm daily).

Delicious and Nutritious Garden Update - August 17

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 10:16:00 -0500

Week 10

This week kid’s tasted tested watermelon and cantaloupe.
Tuesday, kids picked green, yellow, and purple beans from their garden and had fun cooking with Brad.
Friday, kids created fruit kabobs and shared them with the 1st-3rd graders to role model healthy behavior.
Kids also talked about different ways to increase fruit and vegetable consumption at home or anywhere.

Delicious and Nutritious Garden Update - August 9

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 20:12:09 -0500

Week 9

This week kid’s tasted tested cherry tomatoes.
Tuesday, we spent the morning harvesting produce from their garden.

Delicious and Nutritious Garden Update - July 20

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 16:39:56 -0500

Week 6

This week kid’s tasted tested raspberries and beets.

Delicious and Nutritious Garden Update - July 27

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 16:27:13 -0500

Week 7

This week kid’s tasted tested cucumbers and beans (green, yellow, and purple).
Kids prepared two snacks again this week. Tuesday it was a vegetable pasta salad (recipe below) and Thursday simple salads from their garden.
Kids harvested several vegetables from their garden for the salads: green and red leaf lettuces, oriental cabbage, cucumbers, yellow squash, turnips, beets, radishes and kohlrabi. YUM!

Literacy Bag donations needed

Sun, 22 Jul 2007 00:05:09 -0500

I am an AmeriCorps member with READS (Reading Early Achieves Developmental Success) Initiative. I am doing my service at Hawthorne Education Center in Rochester, MN.

For my service, I am coordinating a service project, which is going to give literacy bags to kids and their families. Reading materials in the literacy bags will encourage literacy activities in the home, as well as at school. To assist parents in the best use of the books, literacy kits will be designed for each book. The kits will include accompanying activities that relate to the books. They will offer parents advice and tips on how to read to their children. These kits will be made available to parents and children who attend Hawthorne Educational Center, in Rochester, who are part of the Hand – in - Hand program or adults/ parent who participate in the newly established reading program. It is my hope that through this concerted effort both parents and children and families will be encouraged to know and to realize the importance of reading and literacy as it relates to the learning of another language and pursuing further educational endeavors. It will also give parents whose reading/ literacy skills are not of appropriate level the chance to improve upon their literacy skills while allowing them the opportunity to bond with their children. Most importantly, it will make families realize that reading and literacy are both fundamental and fun.

Delicious and Nutritious Garden Update - July 6

Sun, 08 Jul 2007 16:28:41 -0500

Week 4

The kids have radishes popping through the soil, a cucumber, and tomatillos. The squash, zucchini, beans, eggplant, peppers, melons, tomatoes, cabbage, beets, swiss chard, fennel, carrots and a variety of herbs (I probably forgot some) are all doing well. However, with the warm temperatures in the last several weeks, our lettuces have gotten off to a slow start, but we have a couple of red and green leafs through the soil.

Delicious and Nutritious Garden Update - June 29

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 18:00:42 -0500

Last week Y Campers painted a garden sign, birdhouses, and flags to add color to the garden. Take a minute to check out the garden with your kids.

Week 3

Three weeks after planting the garden, it was time to weed. Kids learned how to tell the difference between weeds (mainly grasses) and their plants.
This week kid’s tasted tested strawberries and we talked about the many ways we can eat strawberries

Delicious and Nutritious Garden Update - June 22

Fri, 22 Jun 2007 09:43:06 -0500

As you know, last week Y Campers planted their garden and named it the Delicious and Nutritious Garden. Here is your glimpse of week 2. Each week we will encourage kids to share their garden experiences with family and to ask for more fruits and vegetables to be available at home.

Delicious and Nutritious Garden Update - June 15

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 09:54:25 -0500

We are excited to introduce a youth garden as new component of Ycamp this year!

Each week campers will participate in garden-based activities and will bring home a family newsletter. This newsletter will summarize the week’s activities, tell you what’s happening in the garden, provide helpful tips for how to eat fruits and vegetables, a fruit/vegetable recipe, and a take home challenge. We will publish each newsletter online so all of Rochester can read about our garden's progress. Now on to our first update.

Encyclopedias and Self-Help books giveaway

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 22:39:08 -0500

The library at Hawthorne Educational Center is trying to consolidate books so we can make more space on the bookshelves. With that being said, the library is giving away encyclopedias and self-help books. The students at Hawthorne hardly ever use these reference books. If anyone is interested please contact Kari Podenski or Katie Maguire at Hawthorne Educational Center.