‘The Self Aware Parent’ To Be Viewed On KBEV This Month

Frances Walfish

By Dupè Aleru

Frances Walfish, Psy.D. is  Beverly Hills well-liked child and family psychotherapist, who held a parenting workshop at Hawthorne School, discussing her new book The Self Aware Parent: Resolving Conflict and Building a Better Bond With Your Child.
  
In attendance the informational workshop gathered more than 70 BHUSD parents. The event was also videotaped by KBEV to be aired later this month.
  
Drawing from 20 years of clinical expertise and the latest research on attachment, Dr. Walfish exhibits to parents on how they can distinguish their own personality types in order to make better decisions about how they interact and raise their children.
  
Walfish’s whole-hearted style, positive sense of humor, and judicious insights have earned her a honorable reputation among colleagues and the national media.
  
As a frequent guest on top-tier TV programs, such as NBC Nightly News with Brian
Williams and KABC-TV in Los Angeles, and often appearing in major publications like Parents Magazine and  Family Circle, one can conclude that Dr. Walfish continues to lead the field with her continuous expertise and innovative strategies for parents, children and couples.  
  
For more information about Dr. Fran Walfish, visit www.drfranwalfish.com

Charlene Liebau Talks SAT Subject Tests

By Charlene Liebau
College Admissions Editor

The SAT and ACT receive attention as THE standardized college admission tests. There is, however, an additional series of tests: the SAT Subject Tests.

Complicating the admission process is the fact colleges differ in their test requirements. In addition to the SAT Reasoning, or ACT, some colleges require tests in specific subjects, other colleges leave the choice of subject tests up to the student, and still others do not require subject tests. And, news for students applying for admission to the University of California beginning fall 2012–Subject Tests are no longer required! Thus, before deciding which subject test(s) to take the student should carefully review requirements of the individual colleges under consideration.  

For students applying to colleges that do require subject tests it is useful to know there are twenty different SAT Subject Tests covering five areas of study: English; history and social studies; mathematics; science; and languages. Questions on the test are developed by high school and college teachers and are meant to cover material found in the typical high school curriculum. Each subject test follows a multiple-choice format and is one hour in length.

It is recommended that subject tests be taken at the end of the school year in which the student is completing the course.

Registration for SAT Subject Tests follows the same procedure as registering for the SAT Reasoning Test. At any one test administration a student may take up to three subject tests–that is, one, two, or three hours of testing. The basic fee for each SAT Subject Test is $10 plus $21 for a language test with listening.    

Charlene Liebau is former director of admissions for CalTech and Occidental College. She is also a finalist judge of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

Teen BHEF To Host Candidate's Forum On Feb. 7

By Dupè Aleru

Teen BHEF (Beverly Hills Education Foundation) will host its City Council Candidate’s Forum–being aired on KBEV–at 5 p.m.on Feb. 7  in the John Cherney Lecture Hall at BHHS’s Science and Technology Center.

With the sponsorship from The Beverly Hilton, the forum was conceived by the BHEF‘s Steven Fenton five years ago—before he joined the Board of Education in 2007—alongwith the group  of teens.

The teens launched the forum through the BHEF in the hopes of learning about their community and philanthropy.

Teen BHEF is comprised of Beverly Hills Unified School District students in grades 8 through 12.

“The forum is a great way for Teen BHEF to connect with the City and to make other teens aware of what’s going on in our community. Teen BHEF is very excited to host this event for the third consecutive year,” said  Teen BHEF President Sammy Galen, a Beverly High junior. 

Teen BHEF members meet once a month during the school year at The Beverly Hilton.

“Since Steven Fenton and I started working on BHEF with the Hilton several years ago, I have always loved this group,” said BHEF CEO Dev Hankin.  

“I know the teens are learning valuable leadership lessons, and already understand the issues of their community and we want them to be engaged citizens. We have recently formed a Grandparents Council to further extend the BHEF community.   

“I figured, if our students start to learn the concept of ‘paying it forward’, there’s a high probability they will understand the concept of ‘pay it back.’ Teen BHEF is what I like to call an ‘anchor’ program–one in which our students become tied to our community well after they leave Beverly High. This program would never have gotten off the ground without Dev Hankin and The Beverly Hilton,” said Steven Fenton.

For more information on BHEF, Teen BHEF or the Teen BHEF City Council Candidate’s Forum, visit  www.bhef.org or call 310-557-0651.

LAUP Supports Preschools

LAUP students have fun while learning.

By Dupè Aleru

Do you know that families have access to free and very low cost high quality preschool programs right in their own communities? 

Well it’s true, thanks to Los Angeles Universal Preschool (LAUP). 

Since 2005, LAUP has supported the operation and development of 325 preschools in L.A. County, touching the lives of more than 40,000 children. 

Families are given the opportunity to  receive  quality and affordable preschool education through enriching curricula in nurturing environments to best prepare children to succeed in kindergarten and beyond.

LAUP’s mission is to  improve the current education system in Los Angeles County in the hopes of preparing children academically and socially before the start of kindergarten.

“What really makes a huge difference that we focus on here at LAUP is a child’s social and emotional development, and kindergarten readiness. We help them problem solve, give them the language to express themselves and as a result, we have less tantrums and the kids build up their self confidence,” said preschool teacher Monica Abundiz.

Students enjoyed a fun day of costumes at school.

For more information about the LAUP program, visit www.laup.net;  call Jamie D. Brown at 626-791-5515 or email jamie@brownpr.com. 

Long Beach Athletes Sign College Scholarship Commitments

By  Ryan ZumMallen|LBPost|Long Beach Athletes Sign College Scholarship Commitments|February 4, 2011|4:01p.m.


"Fifteen student-athletes from Long Beach Poly High School today signed commitments to attend universities on full athletic scholarships, making coaches across the country very, very happy," said ZumMallen.

"The list below is only including students from Poly, and we will update the list with students from other schools as we receive them."

Without further ado, here are Long Beach's finest.


Long Beach Poly
Baseball:
Tyler Maxwell-Stanford University
Football:
Corey Waller- Washington
Kameron Jackson- Cal
Dabness Atkins- Air Force Academy
Josh Fasavalu- San Jose St
James Nelson-Montana State
Earnest Pettway-Villanova
Girls Soccer:
Alexis Leyba- University of New Mexico
Shea Davis –Biola University
Girls XC/Track:
Dynasty Gammage-Cal
Rebekah Oragwu-Stanford University
Girls Track:
Melia Cox-USC
Boys’ Track:
Myles Andrews-USC
Boys’ Volleyball:
John La Rusch- Long Beach State
Boys’ Waterpolo:
Brian Mojica –Fordham University


Visit, http://www.lbpost.com/sports/sportsbook/11035 for more information.

Free School Meals For Foster Children

According to the Los Angeles Times,  the U.S. Department of Agriculture is scheduled to announce today that foster children around the country will automatically be eligible for free meals at their schools.

As part of President Obama’s Healthy, Hunger-Free Act of 2010, this newly founded program is also the legislative centerpiece of First Lady Michelle Obama’s "Let’s Move!" initiative to end childhood obesity and raise a healthier generation of American children.

“Ensuring all children receive nutritious meals at school and through other child nutrition programs is a top priority for the Obama administration and a key step towards ending childhood hunger,” said Kevin Concannon,  USDA undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer services, in a statement. 

"Nearly half a million children nationwide currently fall under the foster care system. California has by far the highest population, with more than 60,000 recorded at the end of 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Los Angeles County has about 15,000 foster children,"  said Ching Ching Ni of the Los Angeles Times.

Another part of the president’s initiative involves raising the nutritional standard of school meals, including serving more fruits and vegetables and reducing the content of salt, sugar and fat.

To read the entire article, visit http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/02/free-school-meals-for-foster-children-announced.html

Los Angeles Times|Free School Meals For Foster Children|By Ching-Ching Ni|February 3, 2011|6:06a.m.

LACHSA Winter Music Gala

LACHSA WINTER MUSIC GALA–LACHSA's annual Winter Music Gala, made possible through the support of the Maxwell H. Gluck Foundation, is the recipient of the prestigious Grammy Signature Schools Gold award given to only seven high schools nationally by the Grammy Foundation. LACHSA invites all to watch its program as it combines gospel, jazz, opera, and orchestra for  a mesmerizing evening of  music performed by the country's most talented student vocal and instrumental artists, to be held Feb.12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Luckman Theatre on the campus of California State University, Los Angeles.Ticket prices are $15 to $25 and can be ordered through the Luckman Fine Arts Complex box office by calling 323-343-660 or online at www.luckmanarts.org.

Jim J’s Jukebox To Jazz Library

James P. Jimirro

By Dupè Aleru 

 James P. Jimirro, creator and founding President of The Disney Channel and Walt Disney Home Video, is presenting his 13th season of Jim J’s Jukebox at Beverly Hills Public Library, 444 N. Rexford Dr. on Feb. 9, April 6 and May 11 at 7 p.m.
  
Come and discover America’s music with this free monthly series that continues to enlighten aspiring musicians and honor those who paved the way for musicians today.
  
Jimirro will share his insights on music, behind-the-scenes anecdotes and music from his vast collection. In addition, he will share his perspective on the music of Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern and George Gershwin, the lyrics of Johnny Mercer and Oscar Hammerstein and the styling of Frank Sinatra and  Ella Fitzgerald.

For more information visit, www.jimirro.com.