University Preparatory High School Informational Meetings

 

Parents of students who are interested in obtaining more information about the University Preparatory High School (UPHS) on the campus of College of the Sequoias (COS) should attend the informational meeting:

 

• February 23, 6:00 p.m., COS Sequoia Building, Room 1

Administrators will be on hand to answer questions about the school which will accept students for the Fall 2012 semester. UPHS was created by the Tulare County Office of Education (TCOE) – in partnership with the College of the Sequoias – as a high-performance, free, public high school. UPHS welcomes all highly-motivated students looking for an accelerated and rigorous academic program, including students who may be the first in their family to attend college.

UPHS students will experience their high school years on the COS campus, participate in college classes and earn college credits. This approach, known as an “early college high school,” is a time-tested method proven to increase academic success and college readiness.

Parents planning to attend should call the school office at (559) 730-2529 to learn about parking accommodations. Or, for additional information, please call principal John Kelly at (559) 730-2529.

 

Tulare Historical Museum Photography Seminar

Photographer Brent Russell Paull will conduct two seminars on photography at the Tulare Historical Museum.  "Learn Digital Photography" will be from 6 to 8pm on Thursday, February 23, and "Nature & Wildlife Photography" will be from 6 to 8pm on Thursday, March 8, in the museum's Heritage Room.

The "Learn Digital Photography" seminar will build an understanding of digital photography from basic concepts through advanced techniques.  Mr. Paull will teach camera use and operations, lenses and equipment, tripods, understanding light and exposure, learning composition, etc.

The "Nature & Wildlife Photography" class takes you step-by-step through learning how to take great outdoor and wildlife images.  Learn about the right equipment, how your camera looks at light, composition rules to follow, field tactics and photo craft and many other professional techniques in nature and wildlife photography.  With the California Coast and parks like Yosemite so close - learn how to take beautiful images of what you see, not just snapshots.

The cost is $20 per class.  Reservations and payments are requested in advance.  Mail your payment to the Tulare Historical Museum, P.O. Box 248, Tulare CA 93274; or call (559) 686-2074

The museum is located at 444 W. Tulare Ave., Tulare.  Hours of operation are 10am to 4pm, Thursday through Saturday.  In addition to their regular hours, they will be open the third Sunday of the month for free through May to correlate with their Sunday @ 2:00 program.  Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors 55+ and Southern California Automobile Club members, $2 for students and free for Tulare City Historical Society members and children under 5 years old.

If you have any questions, please call (559) 686-2074 or to request a photo, eMail 1thullen@tularehistoricalmuseum.org.

 

February Shows At The Sam B. Peña Planetarium

 

The Sam B. Peña Planetarium, operated by the Tulare County Office of Education, presents Earth, Moon and Sun (Full-Dome Video) on February 24, 7:00pm.  How do the Earth, Moon and Sun work together as a system and what is the myth and science behind it?  Why does the Sun rise and set?  Why do we see different constellations during different seasons?  What is an eclipse?  Earth, Moon and Sun explains the Moon’s phases and orbit and explores past and future space travel to our moon and beyond.

 

The Planetarium is located on the southwest corner of West Main Street and Woodland Drive in Visalia, in the Educational Enrichment Center.  Tickets can be purchased at the Impact Center Office 30 minutes before show time or in advance on weekdays between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. Tickets are $4 for adults and $3 for children under 12.  No late seating is offered once the planetarium doors close.  For information, call (559) 737-6334.

                                                             

For more information about the Peña Planetarium, visit www.tcoe.org/Planetarium.

 

 

 

Grand Opening: Santa Margarita Community Basketball Court

The Santa Margarita Commmunity Basketball Court is nearing completion.  Sheriff Parkinson will officially open the court with a ribbon cutting ceremony followed by a three-on-three tournament.  The festivities are taking place at Community Hall on Saturday, February 25th, starting at noon.

 

GateWay Church Women's Brunch

GateWay Women’s Brunch is a great event to bring a friend and enjoy a time of connecting.  There will be a box lunch, amazing door prizes and Carolyn Koons will share her life experiences.  The Brunch will be on Saturday, March 3 at 10:30 am.  Tickets are $10 each.

 

Tulare Baseball Assocation

Tulare Baseball Association needs your help to keep the lights on.  The original 1968 lights are outdated and are beginning to fail.  A new lighting system needs to be installed in time to start the 2013 season.  The Tulare Baseball Association is looking for 2,000 individuals to donate a minimum of $100 so they can achieve their goal.  Please donate whatever you can to the Tulare Baseball Association lighting fund and help keep Tulare Baseball under the lights.

Donations can be mailed to:

Tulare Baseball Association Light Fund

P.O. box 695

Tulare, Ca 93274

 

FREE Balance Screenings for Older Adults

Provided by the: SAFE- Central Valley Coalition A Fresno State Consortium

 

Are you over 55?

Do you have concerns about your balance or a fear of falling? 

The screenings for Spring 2012 will take place at the Terrio EDGE on Barstow and First on February 17^th, March 16^th, and April 13^th and are free to attend, but you must make an appointment.  You will be given multiple assessments to determine your strength, balance, and ultimately your risk for falling.  A licensed physical therapist and nurse practitioner will be present for all testing.

Assessments take approximately 1 hour.  At the end of the screening, all participants will receive education materials and some type of intervention (described in detail below).  In 6 months, you will be screened again to determine if the intervention led to an increase in your strength and balance.

Group FallProof™ Class.  This is a group structured class that meets 2x/week for 1 hour class.  The program was designed by Dr. Debra Rose (Center for Successful Aging at California State University, Fullerton) who has over 20 years of experience working with older adults with balance-related impairments. During the class, participants receive individualized balance training according to the documented impairments obtained from the assessments.  Equipment used will be similar to that of a traditional physical therapy clinic such as, but not limited to the following: foam rolls, rocker-boards, balance beams, Swiss balls, air-ex pads, and dyna-discs.

Home Exercise Program. Based on the findings from the fall prevention screening, individualized home exercise programs will be developed and reviewed with the client. 

Community Classes.  Various senior sites in the surrounding areas are currently offering community group balance classes.  These have been reviewed to determine eligibility criteria and when appropriate participants may be given a list of these classes to contact.

Gait, Balance, and Mobility Center.  This is an 8 week program (2x/week for 1 hour sessions) offered during the academic year at California State University, Fresno.  The program is overseen by core-faculty members from the Physical Therapy Department and clinicians from the community.  Graduate Physical Therapy students and faculty discuss each client’s impairments and develop an individualized treatment plan that is carried out by the student. 

If you would like more information or would like to make an appointment to attend the screening, please visit www.safecvc.org or contact Ashley Hart at ashleyhart@mail.fresnostate.edu or 559.278.7539.

 

 

2012 Relay For Life of Reedley

We are holding our annual Relay For Life event April 21st - 22nd from 9am Saturday to 9am Sunday; a 24 hour extravaganza filled with entertainment, education, and hope for cancer survivors while giving an opportunity for remembrance of those we have lost to this terrible disease.  This event is free to the public with a variety of fundraisers available as well as a special complimentary breakfast on Saturday at 8:30am for survivors.  We encourage survivors who are not currently registered with the American Cancer Society to come out and be celebrated.  Anyone can partake of the scheduled festivities after 9am.  There will be relayers from all teams walking the track during all 24 hours and camping out on site through the night.  We will have live bands and dancers all day, a variety of food and craft booths, games and crafts for the kids, as well as a silent auction and raffles going on throughout the event.  There will be a luminary ceremony at dusk with each luminary dedicated to special persons being honored at the ceremony.  This event is for all ages and we encourage all to attend.

 

What: Reedley CA, 2012 Relay For Life Event

When: April 21st-22nd, 2012

Time: Saturday, 8:30am-9am - Survivor Breakfast

Saturday, 9am-Sunday, 9am - 24 hour Relay Event

Where: Reedley College Track

For More Info or to get involved:  click here

 

Host Families Needed For The 2012 School Year

NWS PEACE Program, a non-profit and CSIET approved program, is seeking caring families in your area to host high school students from various countries for the 2012 school year.  The students are 15 to 18 years of age and will begin arriving in August to spend the upcoming 5 to 10 months with a caring family while attending your local high school.

There is no such thing as a typical host family!  Whether you're a single parent, retired, have small children, teens or no children, you can have a great experience hosting an international teen.  All that these students require is a bed, meals and a caring family to share their 5 to 10 month stay in our beautiful country.  Since early placement is crucial to the success of the program, our goal is to have the students matched with host families by July 1.  The timing is important in developing the bonds of the "new family."  Can't host but would like to be involved?  Call us and we'll tell you how.

Call NWS PEACE Program at 1-866-846-3977 OR visit www.nw-services.com.

 

 

Do you have a 4 year old?

 

The required birthdate for kindergarten admission has changed.

Tulare City Schools has the answer…

The New Transitional Kindergarten

 

Transitional kindergarten is designed to

allow your child more time to become:

 

Mature

Confident

Successful

 

In a High-Quality, Structured Educational Setting

 

Transitional Kindergarten will be taught by a fully credentialed teacher and will follow the full primary day schedule.

 

For more information please contact,

Kathleen Urias at Tulare City School District Office

559-685-7221

your neighborhood elementary school or

www.tinyurl.com/TransitionalK

 

 

Child Find Project Seeks Children Needing Special Services

 

Parents or friends who believe that a child may have a mental or physical disability can obtain assistance from the Tulare County Office of Education or their local school district. The Child Find Project is designed to identify children who may be in need of special education services and connect them with appropriate educational programs.

 

Special education services and programs are available in Tulare County for children with disabilities from birth through 21 years of age. Services are available for children with disabilities in speech, sight or hearing, those with orthopedic or other health impairments, learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, behavior disorders, and those who are developmentally disabled.

 

The goal of the Child Find Project is to ensure every child in Tulare County attends school and receives appropriate services. Child Find accepts referrals and screens children who may have a disability. The child is then referred to an appropriate educational program for evaluation and/or services. Assessments are provided at no cost to parents.  Information is confidential and the privacy of children and parents is protected.

        

Tulare County Superintendent of Schools Jim Vidak says, “The Child Find Project is an excellent way of notifying parents of extraordinary services and compassionate people here to help children who have disabilities.”

 

Additional information ams may be obtained by calling the Child Find Project, Tulare County Office of Education at (559) 730-2910, Ext 5120.

 

 

 

The National Runaway Switchboard

The National Runaway Switchboard handles more than 100,000 calls each year from runaway, homeless and at-risk youth, and their families through its 1-800-RUNAWAY crisis hotline. 

NRS provides critical assistance, including:

1.  Information and referrals to shelter, food, counseling, alcohol/drug treatment, medical/legal assistance, as well as child protection.

2.  Home Free helps reunite runaway youth with their families with a free bus ticket home.

3.  Prevention and educational materials, including resources to support teachers and community group leaders, in an effort to educate youth on how to cope with crisis situations and inform them about alternatives to running from home.

The National Runaway Switchboard is the federally-designated national communication system for homeless and runaway youth.  The NRS crisis hotline phone number, once again, is 1-800-RUNAWAY.