St. Nicholas

6            St. Nicholas

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

St Nicholas was born in 280 AD, in Patara, a city of Lycia, in Asia Minor, now Turkey. He became the gift giver of Myra. His gifts were given late at night, so that the gift giver’s identity would remain a secret. St Nicholas was eventually named the patron saint of children, sailors, Russia and Greece.

St Nicholas was a Christian priest, who later became a bishop. He was a rich person, and traveled the country helping people, giving gifts of money and other presents. St Nicholas did not like to be seen when he gave away presents, so the children of the day were told to go to sleep quickly or he would not come! Nothing has changed and Santa Claus will not arrive this Christmas unless the children go to sleep early.

Advent Calendars

1                    

Screen Shot 2012-12-01 at 11.49.51 AMAn Advent calendar is a special calendar used to count or celebrate the days before Christmas. The days often overlap with the Christian season of Advent. Despite the name, most Advent calendars begin on December 1, regardless of when Advent begins, which can be as early as November 27 and as late as December 3. In an Advent calendar there is one “thing” for each day of December leading up to Christmas Day. One is opened every day leading up to Christmas. The calendar has something different every day to read, look at, …  It is supposed to be fun!  Enjoy and learn about Christmas and December and …  If you like it , let me know.

Caballo de palo

Silencio por favor,

Mi caballo de palo está durmiendo;
Anoche se fue a jugar.
En calles vacías huyó corriendo
No sabía a que esperar.

Pasó por la casa de un gran amigo
“Quiero que venga,” pensó.
“Amigo, amigo,” llamó por la reja.
A la ventana su amigo llegó.

“Vente conmigo a conocer el verano
Escapémonos una vez, ¿ya?
Da miedo ir solo, yo cuento contigo,
Calladito oirá tu papá.”

Mágicamente y solo se abrió la ventana
Y al caballo el niño montó.
Se fueron del pueblo con luz de estrella
En el camino que el sauce mostró.

En sombra de luna hallaron un lago
Cantando feliz, “do, re, mi.”
Nadaron, pescaron jugaron un rato
Juntos con otros allí.

Los duendes amables les contaron un cuento
De elfos y gnomos y más.
Las hadas hermosas bailaron de flores
Con alas brillando atrás.

Pero ya era hora de volverse a casa
El lago y bosque dejar.
“Habrá otra noche de cuentos y hadas.
Duérmete niño ¡Soñar!”

Regresó a su casa mi caballo de palo,
Ni un sonido oí.
Temprano el niño me dijo el cuento
Y por eso a ustedes pedí:

Silencio por favor,
Mi caballo de palo está durmiendo.

Years of Education

At the bottom of the swimming pool
The standards didn’t matter

Common Core for all
The same for all
Except when we differentiate
Because we know
The same for all
Isn’t justice

At the bottom of the swimming pool
The standards didn’t matter

Especially to his parents
Watching from the edge
Red flashes reflecting off the ray-bans
Wondering
Had he been a truly happy individual?
Whose dreams had he followed?

Thirteen years down the drain
Battles fought won and lost

An individual learning the same as everyone else
That life is too short because
At the bottom of the swimming pool
The standards didn’t matter

St. Paul Hmong two-way immersion programs

The folks at the Twin Cities Daily Planet had a nice article about St. Paul Hmong two-way immersion programs.  The title made it seem like there were problems but the article was well written.  And we all know, if we’ve read the research, that immersion works!

Keep up the good work, Jackson and Phalen!

Scholarships for Minority Students

Scholarships for Minority Students
Please make these known to any and all in need of a scholarship!
A
AARP Foundation Womens Scholarship Program For women 40+ seeking new job skills, training and educational opportunities to support themselves.
Academic Competitiveness Grant  For first-year and second-year college students who graduated from high school.
Actuarial Diversity Scholarship  For minority students pursuing a degree that may lead to a career in the actuarial profession.
Akash Kuruvilla Memorial Scholarship Fund  For students who demonstrate excellence in leadership, diversity, integrity and academia.
American Copy Editors Society Scholarship  Available to junior, senior and graduate students who will take full-time copy editing jobs or internships.
AORN Foundation Scholarship  For students studying to be nurses and perioperative nurses pursuing undergrad and grad degrees.
Automotive Hall of Fame Scholarship  For students who indicate a sincere interest in an automotive related career.
AWG Minority Scholarship For Women  Encourages young minority women to pursue an education and later a career in the geosciences.
AXA Achievements Scholarship  Provides more than $600K in annual scholarships to 52 students; one from each state.
B
Beacon Partners Healthcare IT Scholarships Awarded to a student pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in the IT Healthcare field.
Best Buy Scholarship  For students in grades 9-12 who plan to enter a full-time undergraduate program upon high school graduation.
Burger King Scholars Program  For high school seniors who have part-time jobs and excel academically in school.
C
CIA Undergraduate Scholarship Program Developed to assist minority and disabled students, but open to all who meet the requirements.
Coca-Cola Scholars Program  Four-year achievement-based scholarships given to 250 high school seniors each year.
D
Davidson Fellows Scholarship  Recognizes and awards the extraordinary who excel in math, science, and technology.
Davis-Putter Scholarship Fund  Need-based scholarships for college students are part of the progressive movement in their community.
Dell Scholars Program   For students who demonstrate a desire and ability to overcome barriers and achieve their goals.
Development Fund For Black Students in Science and Technology   For students studying science or technology at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Discovery Scholarship  Annual scholarship for high school juniors to support continued education and training beyond high school.
E Ed Bradley/ Ken Kashiwahara Scholarships  Open to full-time students who are pursuing careers in radio and television news.
EMPOWER Scholarship Award  Designed to increase diversity in the medical rehabilitation field by awarding students of color.
ESA Foundation Computer and Video Game Scholarship Program  For minority and female students majoring in a field related to computer and video game arts.
F
Fulbright Scholar Program  Sends faculty and professionals abroad each year to lecture and conduct research.
Future Engineers Scholarship Program  For students pursuing a career in engineering who shows outstanding academic performance.
G
Gates Millenium Scholarship  Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; established to help low income minority students.
Go On Girl Book Club Scholarship  Supports authors of the Black African Diaspora who want to write their way to college money.
Google Anita Borg Scholarship  For women who excel in computing and technology, and are active role models and leaders.
H
Hallie Q. Brown Scholarship  For African American women who have a minimum C average, and can demonstrate financial need.
HBCU Study Abroad Scholarship  Provides travel opportunities for students of color who are traditionally under-represented in such programs
J
Provides fellowships to students who excel in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.
Javits-Frasier Teacher Scholarship Fund  To increase diverse students� access to talent development opportunities through teacher training.
Jeannette Rankin Womens Scholarship Fund   For low-income women who have a vision of how their education will benefit themselves and their community.
Joe Francis Haircare Scholarship  For cosmetology and barber school students who can demonstrate a financial need.
K
KFC Colonels Scholars Program   For college-bound students who can demonstrate financial need, and have a GPA of at least 2.75.
L
Lincoln Forum Scholarship Essay Contest  A writing contest pertaining to the life and times of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War era.
M
McKesson Pharmacy Scholarship  Designed to assist pharmacy students who plan to continue their education.
N
National Achievement Scholarship  Established in 1964 to provide recognition for outstanding African American high school students.
National Black Police Association Scholarships  For students pursuing careers in law enforcement, criminal justice, and other related areas.
National Institute of Health (NIH) Undergraduate Scholarship   For students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are pursuing science and health-related research.
National SMART Grant   Available to full-time students who are majoring in science, math, technology, engineering, and more.
P
PMI Educational Foundation Scholarships   Established for students in the field of project management or a project management related field.
R
Ron Brown Scholar Program   Seeks to identify African American high school seniors who will make significant contributions to society.
Ronald Reagan College Leaders Scholarship  Seeks to recognize outstanding young people who are promoting American values on college campuses.
S
Siemen Competition   Competition for individual or team research projects in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology.
T
Thurgood Marshall College Fund Scholarships  For first-generation students majoring in business, finance, science, engineering, and more.
Tri-Delta Scholarships   For students who excel in chapter and campus involvement, community service, academics, and more.
Tylenol Scholarship   For students pursuing a career in health care who can demonstrate leadership and academic qualities.
U
United Negro College Fund Scholarships   Administers 400 different scholarship programs so low-income families can afford college, tuition, and books.
U.S. Bank Internet Scholarship   For high school seniors planning to enroll or college freshmen, sophomores, and juniors already enrolled.
USDA/1890 National Scholars Program   For students seeking a Bachelors degree in agriculture, food, or natural resource sciences and related majors.
V
Vanguard Minority Scholarship Program   Provides merit-based scholarships to minority students studying business, finance, economics, and more.
W
William B. Ruggles Right To Work Journalism Scholarship   Available to undergraduate and graduate students who are majoring in journalism or a related field.
Writer’s Digest Annual Short Story Competition  Contest for writers who can compose the best fictional short story, written in 1,500 words or less.
X
Xerox Technical Minority Scholarship  For academic high-achievers in science, engineering, and information tech.
 

More Advantages of Being Bilingual: The Sharper Minds of Bilinguals

Study: The Sharper Minds of Bilinguals – Learning the Language – Education Week.

There are more and more studies about the advantages of being bilingual.  Above you will find a link to yet another study.  Most bilingual folks I know are not surprised, nor are the teachers in dual language programs- like the amazing teachers in the St. Paul Public Schools Dual Language Programs.

Now I would like to see more and more studies about the best types of programs for creating bilingual students.  One- way programs?  Two-way programs?  How many minutes per day in each language? in each subject?  How does homework play into the mix?  What is the best use of technology in dual language programs?

Perhaps we will never find the perfect ‘program’ but we can continue to empower teachers to create an environment that will lower the affective filter, scaffold instruction, teach language through content and motivate students to read, learn, question and create.

The Bubble Poem

New from Burma
“I never rest
I practice much
my bubble test.

“I know lots
I’m not in trouble
My teacher taught me
how to bubble

“My mama works
a shift, a double,
So I don’t have to
I learn to bubble

“To study stars
some use the Hubble
I don’t study
I learn to bubble

“Dad’s out of work
He’s grown some stubble
That won’t be me
‘cuz I can bubble”

The Phoenix rises
from the rubble
The childrens rises
from the bubble

Double double
toil and trouble
cauldron burn
and children bubble

(For an end to too much testing!)