Community Resources for Schools

Community organizations, businesses, and other agencies offer these resources for Sonoma County teachers and students.

Learn about Dominican’s credential program, June 7

05/10/2012 - Have you thought about becoming a teacher? Come to the Ukiah Center of Dominican University of California’s information session on Thursday, June 7, from 6:00–7:15pm, in the Dominican Library, 2240 Old River Road, Ukiah. For more information, visit the Dominican University website, find them on Facebook, call (707) 463-4800, or email ukiah@dominican.edu.

Heirloom Expo invites student groups

05/03/2012 - Save the date! September 12 is KIDS DAY at the second annual Heirloom Expo at the fairgrounds in Santa Rosa. Bring your students for an amazing field trip!

The Heirloom Exposition doors will open at 10:00am to facilitate early entrance for school groups. Before the general public arrives, schools can visit the animals and the school garden displays in the Hall of Flowers. At 11:00am, classes and activities for students will begin. Last year’s activities included learning how to make butter, potato sack races, learning about the whole small farm picture, an awesome art wall for students of all ages to draw on, seed saving, a look at beekeeping, and much more. In addition to all the amazing heirloom fruits and vegetables on display, there are many heritage breeds of poultry and livestock—always a favorite with students!

Entrance is free for students! There may also be funding for transportation. Specific information will be provided in August when we announce the schedule for student activities for 2012.

If your school has a garden and would like to create a school garden display, contact heirloomexpo@gmail.com to request an exhibitor form. Displays are for 8-foot tables in the Hall of Flowers. Free heirloom seeds donated by Baker Creek Seeds are available for schools at the Share Exchange in Santa Rosa or at The Seed Bank in Petaluma on Fridays. Please ask for Eileen Wallace.

New this year are demos by students for students. These are short demos—five minutes for K-3 students and 10 minutes or more for grade 4 and above. Topics must relate to healthy food, farming, or gardening. Would your school like to participate? If so, please e-mail heirloomexpo@gmail.com with your ideas.

This is a "not for profit" event and all proceeds are donated to school gardens and other food- and garden-related charities. Following the 2011 exposition, many schools in our area received donations and the organizers hope to benefit even more schools this year.

Students learn what to do with hurt/injured birds

03/27/2012 - Songbird Hospital, a wildlife rehabilitation facility in Sebastopol, encourages teachers to educate their students about the needs of wild baby birds that may have been hurt or injured. Their I Found a Baby Bird (pdf) flier helps children know what to do if they find a baby bird.

Local beekeeper offers services to schools

03/22/2012 - Randy Sue Collins, a holistic beekeeper and member of the Kenwood Bee Ladies, will remove bee swarms from school grounds at no charge. A former elementary school teacher, she is also available to present free educational talks on honeybees to students of all ages, explaining what they do for us and why we shouldn’t be afraid of them. She can assist schools interested in starting honeybee apiaries, which would introduce students to the life cycle of bees, how colonies grow, how honey is produced, and selling honey for profit. Contact her by calling (707) 365-4330.

EXCEL for Youth at SSU: Summer Sessions

03/14/2012 - EXCEL for Youth offers students entering 4-9th grade a unique opportunity to explore academic areas not offered in regular school. Designed to foster curiosity and involvement, these accelerated classes are held on the Sonoma State University campus and use college labs, guest speakers, and field trips. EXCEL is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2012 and has served almost 20,000 students since 1982.

This summer, EXCEL will offer an extensive summer program with over 48 classes in science, technology, and the arts. Classes include 3D Modeling and Animation, Crash and Burn Chemistry, Digital Filmmaking, Web Design, Crime Scene Investigation, Metal Jewelry, Pre-Med for Kids, and many, many more.

One and two-week sessions are:
Session One: June 25-29 1 (One week)
Session Two: July 9-20 (Two weeks)
Session Three: July 23-27 (One week)

For complete program information, visit the EXCEL website or call (707) 664-2394.