E-mail as communication

This week I have been working on an assignment for my graduate class. The topic of the assignment was based on communication, specifically email communication. Thinking that I am rather competent in my email communication, I was surprised by much of the information that I found. Below are three of the sites I accessed. Check them out, you'll be surprised what you can gain in insight, time, and organization!

Psychology of cyberspace: Email relationships - http://users.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/emailrel.html

Email etiquette - http://careerplanning.about.com/od/communication/a/email_etiquette.htm

Effective email: How to communicate powerfully by email
http://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/EmailCommunication.htm

K'nex

The workshop Saturday was amazing. We managed to build a roller coaster and ferris wheel in the short time we had. I'll try to post some photos... In the meantime - check out the youtube video of this loop...http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=WieHyCfGNrA OK, so our's wasn't quite that big, but it was fast.

Interested in some more information? Check out these sites-

http://www.knex.com/Thrill_Rides/
http://homepage.mac.com/cbakken/pga/links.html
http://techbridgegirls.org/documents/simple_machines2_000.pdf (Resources page)
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/app/nau_links.htm
http://www.sscoasters.net/forum/other_theme_park-f56.html?s=40ea0291e0fef56355e971bf378d6003&amp (photos)

YALSA 2007 Teens' Top Ten

Last week I mentioned Teens Read Week and the survey for the top ten of 2007. Here are the results!

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2006).
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen (Viking Children’s Books, 2006)
How to Ruin a Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles (Flux, 2006).
Maximum Ride: School’s Out – Forever by James Patterson (Hachette Book Group USA/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2006).
Firegirl by Tony Abbott (Hachette Book Group USA/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2006).
All Hallows Eve (13 Stories) by Vivian Vande Velde (Harcourt, 2006).
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer (Harcourt, 2006).
River Secrets by Shannon Hale (Bloomsbury, 2006).
Bad Kitty by Michele Jaffe (HarperCollins, 2006).
Road of the Dead by Kevin Brooks (Chicken House, 2006).

Sudoku

The first US Sudoku championship was help in Philly last weekend. It was hosted by the famous puzzlemaker, Will Shontz. About 800 people competed in the competition according to the Philadelphia Inquirer's website. (They are the sponsor.) Participants competed in three categories and then later in 12 age groups. This was the largest live puzzle tournament ever held in the U.S.

Sudoku is a logic game where you fill 81 squares with numbers from 1 to 9. Number can not be repeated in a vertical or horizontal row, nor may they be repeated in the nine square blocks. Although invented by American Howard Garns in 1979, these puzzles were called Numbers Place. The Japanese popularized the puzzles under the name Sudoku, meaning "only single digits allowed", or something close to this depending on what site you consult.

Free games abound on the Internet. Try: http://www.websudoku.com/, www.krazydad.com/sudoku, http://www.sudoku-puzzles.net/!

Bullying Information

I was recently asked by a parent for some quality websites addressing bullying. Since our program scheduled for this evening, was postponed...I'm including a number of the links here. Remember it is estimated that half of school age children are bullied sometime during their school years, so the chances are pretty good that bullying will affect members of your home.

http://www.bullying.org/
http://www.cyberbullying.org/
http://stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/index.asp
www.kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/bullies.html
http://www.tolerance.org/
http://www.stopbullyingnow.com/
www.dmoz.org/Kids_and_Teens/Health/Emotional_health_and_wellbeing/bullying
parentingteens.about.com/od/bullying

Awesome Percussion Program

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share this information...

Recycled Percussion to perform-
The musical group Recycled Percussion will be performing at Clarion University on Monday, Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m. in the Gemmell Multi-Purpose Room as part of its Man Vs. Machine Tour. The University Activities Board sponsored concert is free and open to the public.

The New Hampshire based band uses anything and everything to create “junk rock” music. The band plays with plastic buckets, metal tanks, chainsaws, jackhammers and more to create a dynamic mix of hip-hop and rock music.

Founded by former member Justin Spencer, Recycled Percussion started playing throughout New Hampshire at schools and local clubs around the Manchester area. "Our appeal speaks to anyone who loves music and wants to see an insanely rocking show.”

Though Spencer is no longer with the group, the other three members still tour. Ethan Holmes and Greg Kassapis play drums while Jerami Bellafatto (DJ Dirty Soul) mixes hip hop and rock music. The band is now traveling in its third major tour throughout the U.S. and also has released a hit self-titled DVD.

The group has won awards such as “Best Major Performance Group,” which is selected by college students. The group has been featured on the “Today Show” on NBC and often plays during NBA playoff games.

-adapted from Clarion University's press release

Free event!

New Bethlehem Area Free Public Library will host
Storyteller - Alan Irvine, Scary Ghost Stories
Appropriate for third grade and up
Friday, October 26, 2007 from 7PM -8PM
Free
http://www.alanirvine.com/

Clarion Free Library has scheduled a number of YA events also...I'll get them up this week!

Clarion U - Night of Haunts

Students, faculty, staff, and community are invited to a night of haunts as the History Club sponsors the fourth annual Clarion University Ghost Experience on Tuesday, October 30th, and Wednesday, October 31st, beginning at 8 p.m. each evening in the Hart Chapel Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public. This year's event takes on new form, with all stories being told inside the chapel, complete with photos. In addition, professional paranormal investigators will be present to reveal their findings from a previous investigation of the chapel. Come hear the traditional tales of the hauntings in the chapel, Founders Hall, Becht Hall, Wilkinson Hall and others, as well as a few new stories. A frightening night is guaranteed for all! Please note: seating is limited in Hart Chapel; and there are no reservations or tickets. Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis; once the auditorium is full, people will be turned away. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m.

Get your GED

If you've dropped out of school - take the time and make the effort to get your GED. In Pennsylvania visit http://education-portal.com/articles/All_About_the_GED:_Pennsylvania.html .

You may just add your name to this list...check it out!
http://www.fultonschools.org/dept/instructionalsupport/safeanddrugfreeschools/PDF/GEDGraduates.pdf

Teen Read Week

It's Teen Read Week!

Are you between the ages of 12 and 18? Then, visit www.ala.org/teenstopten and vote on your favorite books from the past year. Voting ends October 21 at 12:01 AM.

Tonight will be our first ETS book discussion on Code Talker and we have a great time planned. Complete with hot chocolate and secret codes, we'll enjoy the discussion in the campus library. Interested in joining us, give a call!

State Agency Databases

"In every US State and the District of Columbia, agencies are creating databases of useful information - information on businesses, licensed professionals, plots of land, even dates of fish stocking. Some of this content is available on search engines, but much of it is part of the invisible web. " This wiki attempts to pull the information together for access from one source, http://wikis.ala.org/godort/index.php/State_Agency_Databases. Remember, since it is a wiki, it will continue to grow and evolve.

Go to the site above, select your state (or the one you want to visit) and select the agency. For example, I went to Pennsylvania and chose the Historical and Museum Commission. I was able to access the database of Historical markers by name or county - pretty neat. I also tried out the Game Commission link. Here I could access the state game land maps...could be helpful, hunting season is only weeks away!

National Book Festival

September 29 will be the 7th Annual National Book Festival on the Mall in Washington D.C. Go to the website to see photos, author interviews, and more. There are short bios and some good podcasts. If you read the book for our discussion, American Born Chinese, the author is featured at the site. Don't you wish you could go.....I do.

http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/

Increase your vocabulary

Worried about standardized tests, PSSAs, or the SAT and ACT? Then work on your vocabulary. The best way to increase your vocabulary is to read! However, here is a neat site with plenty to keep you entertained too. You can play hangman and do search-a-words and crosswords. You can also take quizzes and play other word games at http://www.vocabulary.co.il/

Here are a few others to try:
http://www.vocabulary.com/
http://www.world-english.org/adv-vocabulary.htm
http://www.elcamino.cc.ca.us/Faculty/dgross/vocabo.htm

MAIL YOUR FAFSA!!!

TIme is running out. Make sure you have completed and filed your FAFSA on-line by the May 1 deadline to be eligible for state student aid (that's PA)! At this point sending it by mail may not ensure receipt. Seniors - Get It Done!

Printz books revisited

In January, I posted the winners of the Michael L. Printz award for young adult literature.

Gene Luen Yang has won the 2007 Michael L. Printz Award for his graphic novel “American Born Chinese.” Printz Honor books include "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation; v. 1: The Pox Party" M.T. Anderson, "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green, "Surrender" by Sonya Hartnett, "The Book Thief" by Marcus Zusak. (Young Adult, 15 and up.)

Well now, I have read all but one and I still have to purchase it... I am interested to hear what ETS students have to say about these books.

I'll be reading An Abundance of Katherines this summer - I like John Green. (He wrote last year's winner, Looking for Alaska.) Here's his website, http://www.sparksflyup.com/.

American Born Chinese was my first graphic novel.

I still love, Book Thief and think Zusak is an amazing author. Find out more about him at http://www.randomhouse.com/features/markuszusak/.

The Golden Compass

The soon to be released movie (December 2007), The Golden Compass is based on the book by Philip Pullman. Read the reviews at http://tinyurl.com/3bubg5.

To view footage and a great website about this fantasy movie and book visit http://www.goldencompassmovie.com/.

US Poet Laureate

U.S. Poet Laureate Donald Hall is accepting text and video questions from teens and educators nationwide until April 20th, and he'll provide his video responses on April 30th. It’s free!

Click the link below to send him your questions on writing and on helping teens write: http://www.studentpublishingprogram.org/yalsa/

You could also have your poetry published with his - visit
http://edcommunity.apple.com/ali/story.php?itemID=10726.

For more information about the poet and to hear him read his poetry, visit http://edcommunity.apple.com/ali/story.php?itemID=10731

Many parents are concerned about time teens spend on the internet and the information that they are making available. The following link provides you compilations of on-line information for the addressed topics. The links are excellent!

Resources on Young People's Safety on the Internet http://donwood.alablog.org/blog/_archives/2007/2/16/2741076.html
Resources on young people's safety on the Internet, including cyberbullying, can be found here:
* Child Safety on Web 2.0: Who Should Protect Our Kids?
* Cyberbullying and Free Speech
* Cyberbullying
* Bullies and Bullying
* Additional Resources on Bullies and Bullying
* Especially for Young People and Their Parents
* Safety Resources for Young People
* BlogSafety.com
See also
March 30: Participate in Stop Cyberbullying Day by Andy Carvin http://www.pbs.org/teachers/learning.now/2007/03/march_30_participate_in_stop_c_1.html

PA's CHIP - Free child and teen healthcare

On March 1, 2007, Governor Rendell expanded CHIP through the Cover All Kids initiative. This program provides health insurance to uninsured children and teens, regardless of family income (if they are not eligible for Medical Assistance.)

CHIP is free to families who don't qualify for Medical Assistance and whose household income is 41,300 for a family of four. Low-cost CHIP is available for children whose family of four makes 61,950. This is a substantial increase in the maximum allowed!

No child or teen can be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition.

For more information call 1-800-543-7105 or visit http://www.highmarkbcbs.com/.

Ross McGinnis Buried at Arlington

Ross was a past participant in our Educational Talent Search program at Clarion and a graduate of Keystone High School in Knox, PA. Peace and prayers go out from ETS faculty and staff to his family, friends, and comrades.

(Clarion News photo by Rodney L. Sherman)

03/26/2007 -

"A U.S. Army casket team escorts the cremains of former Knox resident and U.S. Army Spec. Ross A. McGinnis to a final resting place March 23 at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington , Va. McGinnis died in Dec. 4, 2006 , in Iraq when he smothered a grenade thrown into his army vehicle. McGinnis’s actions are credited with saving the lives of four other soldiers."

Clarion News, http://www.theclarionnews.com/ retrieved March 28, 2007.

A link to the article can be found at: http://www2.theclarionnews.com/General_News/63401.shtml.

Clarion Hospital Foundation Scholarships

The Clarion Hospital Foundation will award four scholarships this year: two Joseph and Helen Miller Memorial scholarships, the Dr. John E. Brooks Scholarship, and the Clarion Hospital Foundation Scholarship. These $1000 scholarships are awarded to graduates or future graduates of Clarion County High Schools who are accepted to a school of post-secondary education. They must have a gpa of 3.0 or better and plan to pursue education in the medical field. For more information call the Hospital Foundation at 814-226-1262. Deadline is MARCH 30!

Virtual Job Shadow - Conservationist or Child Care Teacher

www.virtualjobshadow.com is an amazing site to find out information on specific careers. However, currently the site is not free. But, there are current sample profiles that are demos which are excellent. So, if you are looking at a career in conservation or in in early child care, please visit this site. The site includes questions and answers, short videos (very well done), and texts and links. The text information is similar to what you find in the OOH and the links are great too. The text includes the following categories: career description, required education, earnings, mentoring, future outlook, additional links, internships, job listings, and a school search. The school search is easily accessible and provides limited information, but it does include active links to most if not all of the schools. So if either of the above sounds like an interesting career, check it out. Hopefully, in the future we can help you access some more...but it isn't in the budget this year!

McKelvey Scholarship

A McKelvey Bronze Scholarship gives qualified students up to $4,000 Freshman year, $5,000 Sophomore year, $6,000 Junior year and $7,000 Senior year. Bronze Scholars must be willing to conform to all the conditions of being a McKelvey Bronze Scholar. Bronze scholars will be provided with a McKelvey scholar mentor who is an upperclassman that attends their college. 2007 High School Graduates are NOT eligible for the Bronze Scholarship. The McKelvey Foundation Bronze Scholarship has been established for students with financial need. All applicants must be able to demonstrate that (a) they graduated from high school at least one year prior to the application date and that they were unable to go to college because of financial considerations or (b) that they left college because of financial considerations, but were in good academic standing.

For more information and the application: http://www.mckelveyfoundation.org/bronze_scholarship.html
Please read the criteria carefully.

Scholarship Announcement

Orphan Foundation of America (OFA) in conjunction with Casey Family Programs and other generous sponsors offers approximately 100 new scholarships annually for young people out of foster care. These scholarships range in award amount from $2500 to $6000 and are renewable with continued eligibility for up to six years or until a student attains their Bachelor’s Degree
or technical certificate/diploma, whichever comes first.

Applications will be accepted on line at www.orphan.org (click the yellow scholarship box on the home page) between now and March 31, 2007.

American Groundwater Trust Scholarship

High School Seniors with a gpa of 3.0 or higher who have completed an appropriate ground water resource project in school or outside of school may apply for this award of $1000, $2000, or $2500. The deadline is June 2007.

Visit www.agwt.org/scholarships.htm for the application and more information.

-Rhonda

Most Wired Colleges of 2006

According to PC Magazine, the most wired colleges of 2006 include:
Villanova University
MIT
Indiana University - Bloomington
Swarthmore
Creighton University (Nebraska)
University of Illinois- Urbana- Champaign
Michigan Technological University
University of Southern California
Quinnipaic University (Connecticut)
University of Oklahoma

-Rhonda

File your FAFSA

Attention seniors or anyone planning to enroll in postsecondary education in Fall 2007:

It is time to file your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid.) Applicants are encouraged to file online, but there are still paper versions available. Check your guidance office, local library, or if you are an ETS participant - call our office.

Meanwhile, if you do decide to file online, make sure you use the government website at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/. Do not use any of the look-a-like sites that charge a fee. Filing the FAFSA is free. Here are some of the sites not to use (The links are not active - just check out the names.) : http://www.fafsa.com/, http://www.fafsa.us/, http://www.fafsaonline.com/, http://www.fasfa.com/. They are designed to confuse. I am sure there are even more out there - so feel free to share them in the comments.

Remember- the FAFSA is filed FREE and it is a .gov website!

PSSA Writing Assessment

Students in PA in grades 5, 8, and 11 are taking the PSSA writing assessment. It takes approximately three hours and is scheduled between February 12 and February 23 - depending on your school. Parents may review the writing assignment by contacting your school's coordinator. If you would like more information, please check the Pennsylvania Department of Education website or contact your school administrator or counselor. Good luck!

PHEAA FAFSA Day Scholarship Winners

Winners announced. Pheaa has announced the scholarship winners from our two FAFSA Completion Day events. They get $250 each, from a random drawing, simply for attending the workshop!

Venango location: Jessica Schwab
Clarion Location: Kurt R. Harriger

Congratulations!!!

Newbery and Printz Winners announced!

Announced this week:

The 2007 Newbery Medal winner is "The Higher Power of Lucky" written by Susan Patron, and illustrated by Matt Phelan. Newbery Honor books are "Rules" by Cynthia Lloyd, "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson, and "Penny from Heaven" by Jennifer L. Holm. (Middle school and up.)

Gene Luen Yang has won the 2007 Michael L. Printz Award for his graphic novel “American Born Chinese.” Printz Honor books include "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation; v. 1: The Pox Party" M.T. Anderson, "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green, "Surrender" by Sonya Hartnett, "The Book Thief" by Marcus Zusak. (Young Adult, 15 and up.)

I LOVED "Book Thief", but not everyone will. Looks like my reading list has just expanded as that's the only one of these I've read. For more information visit the American Library Association, Newbery Awards and Printz Awards.

IPL.org - Internet Public Library

Looking for information on a certain subject for a paper? Trying to find a ready reference tool, such as an almanac, dictionary, or thesaurus? Need some reference help and can't get to your local or school library? Try the Internet Public Library at www.ipl.org.

Check out the TeenSpace for writing tips, homework help and what looks to be a pretty neat poetry wiki. You can post poems or respond to the works of other teens. In the meantime, I'll be checking out what's available in the Reading Room. See you there!

UPromise SAVINGS!!

Have you checked this out? UPromise provides college savings for YOU, based on the purchases you make. The money may then be used towards your education. I have been using this service for a few years now, and it is quick to register, easy to use and totally legitimate. Visit and register at www.upromise.org.

Here's what UPromise has to say on its site-
"We believe that every child should have the chance to go to college. Upromise was established to give families an easy way to save - every day - and encourage them to start early by investing their own money for college on a regular basis."

Sound too good to be true? It's not! So sign up now!

Scott O'Dell Award 2007

Today the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction was announced.

The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages (Viking Children's Books) is the winner of the 2007 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction.

The award is presented to a children's or young adult book published in English by a U.S. publisher and set in the Americas. A standing committee (Hazel Rochman, chair; Ann Carlson; and Roger Sutton) selects the winner. Established by the late historical fiction writer, Scott O'Dell, the award is administered by his wife, Elizabeth Hall.
In November 1943, 11-year-old Dewey Kerrigan travels west to live with her mathematician father in Los Alamos, New Mexico. She is a budding inventor, and she thrives; there are adults like Richard Feynman and Enrico Fermi who love to talk about science and mechanics as much as she does, and they take her seriously. Her classmates are less understanding, but she does manage to develop a complicated friendship with Suze Gordon, another outsider. The girls' daily battles are set against the radio news of war, and Los Alamos's internal mysteries-what is the top-secret "gadget" their parents are working on?-and as tension builds, readers of this gripping story will discover with Dewey the truth of the secret weapon that will change the world. There's no sermonizing, and Dewey is no convenient mouthpiece for a history lesson.
Instead, Klages gets completely inside her complicated protagonist to make readers see the world as Dewey sees it: dangerous and unpredictable, and made only partially manageable by science.

I have not yet read this book, but plan to soon. Let me know what you think of it if you have. (Age 9 and up.)