Sonoma, Calif. (May 26, 2021) - The Sonoma Valley Education Foundation (SVEF) today announced a unique summer school internship support program that will be hosted by the Boys & Girls Club of Sonoma Valley. This new initiative will benefit both youth attending Sonoma Valley Unified School District (SVUSD) summer school, and teens involved in the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley’s Teen Services Ready to Work program. 

“The generosity of our donors has created a powerful opportunity for our organization to think critically and creatively about where funding can be most impactful, which in this case, is building upon the good work of the Boys & Girls Club, and adding a significant dimension to SVUSD’s summer school offering,” said Angela Ryan, Executive Director of SVEF. “Knowing we’re serving both teens and grade school level youth in the Valley with one program inspires us to continue to use our resources to create additional opportunities for kids outside of the core programming being offered.”

Hosted in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley, the program offers teens who will be Juniors or Seniors in the 2021-22 school year the opportunity to gain work experience and build their resume by assisting in middle and elementary summer school classes. They will support students with one-to-one and small group guidance in subjects including reading, math and language development.

There is no experience required for teens to apply, and once hired, the teens will be given training and compensated for both the training itself and the time spent in classrooms. 

In addition to the unique work experience this program creates for teens, it also enhances the experience and instruction students attending summer school will receive by lowering the ratio of students to support and educational staff. With educational interns available in classrooms, students looking for additional aid and assistance will have access to more targeted help throughout their school day.

“This partnership marks an important trend we anticipate seeing in the coming months and school year where our partner organizations - working closely with SVUSD - find strategic ways to amplify and build upon what each is doing to best serve the youth in Sonoma Valley,” said Dr. Palazuelos, Superintendent of SVUSD. “This is a tremendous display of creativity by SVEF in how our nonprofits can elevate the strides we’re making at the District level, and how we can support kids both in and out of the classroom.” 
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The program is currently open and accepting applications. Interested teens can apply at https://www.bgcsonoma.org/careers/

For additional inquiries or questions, please contact Angela Ryan at angela@svgreatschools.org 


About Sonoma Valley Education Foundation
The Sonoma Valley Education Foundation was founded in 1993 by public school parents seeking to support and enhance their students’ educational opportunities. Throughout 28 years of providing support to SVUSD schools, SVEF has invested over $20 million dollars in Sonoma Valley public schools. Our mission is to enrich the student experience by partnering with the Sonoma Valley Unified School District as the primary fundraising and volunteer resource for innovative programs. We focus on results and report to our donors and community. 
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About Sonoma Valley Unified School District
Sonoma Valley Unified School District is a public school district serving grades K-12 in Sonoma, CA. The district is comprised of five elementary schools, Dunbar Elementary School, Flowery Elementary School, El Verano Elementary School, Sassarini Elementary School; two middle schools, Adele Harrison Middle School and Altimira Middle School; two charter schools, Woodland Star Charter School and Sonoma Charter School; one high school, Sonoma Valley High School and a continuation high school, Creekside High School.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley
Founded in 1962, Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley currently serves more than 2,600 children and teens annually across seven Sonoma Valley locations. Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley serves approximately 60% of the total student enrollment in the Sonoma Valley Unified School District with afterschool programming, athletic leagues, and summer camps. Our mission is to provide positive opportunities for youth and teens to learn, succeed and discover their full potential. 

See below for the Sonoma Index Tribune's coverage of how Sonoma teens are putting culturally inclusive reading materials into Sonoma public schools.

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Making education more inclusive, one book at a time 
Local students advocate for more culturally diverse reading materials at Sonoma schools

By KATE WILLIAMS
INDEX-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

Ask a typical teenager what’s on their mind, and you’ll get a spectrum of adolescent concerns: What’s new on TikTok?

Did my Insta story get likes?

​Will I ever learn to draw a cat eye with liquid eyeliner?

But Victoria Hernandez, 15, and Lily Gelb, 14, are not typical teens. They spend their time pondering weightier things. At the moment, what’s occupying their thoughts is the fact that many local children haven’t had the advantages they’ve had, and the likelihood that that inequity may penalize those kids forever.

Specifically, Hernandez and Gelb are concerned about what they see as a dearth of culturally inclusive reading materials in Sonoma’s public schools, books in which marginalized communities might recognize themselves. Race, class, gender, orientation: many of the books available to young readers disregard the diversity of the melting pot in favor of monochromatic characters and themes where white, middle- class, and cisgender is the norm.

Q: Tell us about yourself and your involvement with summer school at SVUSD.
A: I love watching children learn how to read and create a learning environment where they see themselves in the literature, and develop a sense of identity that propels their sense of inquiry and curiosity. I have dedicated my professional life to support the vision of academic excellence, identity, curiosity and joy! To that end I am coordinating the K-12 summer school program to help students continue that journey of learning this summer. 

Q: What are you most optimistic about for students?
A: The technology skills they have developed this year are like no other year of learning. They had opportunities to learn technology skills that otherwise would not have been available. I have watched student presentations on environmental issues and read powerful persuasive writing about what children want in their schools. My optimism is rooted in that this generation is living a historical event that has challenged and changed all of us. Children have developed skills and knowledge as a result of this experience. I have watched children champion causes in their community to help serve a greater good. This awareness may not have developed had it not been for this epic moment in time. 

Q: Why is summer school important? Will it be different this year?
A: Summer school helps support the ongoing development of student learning. In person learning time was limited this year and therefore summer school is more important than ever to help kids build their academic muscle for the fall. We know there are opportunities gaps for many students, and summer school is a good place for them to get that extra attention they need for their continued growth. Summer Literacy will expand to include math instruction. 

Q: What message would you like to give our community?
A: I think it is important to build on the strengths and assets we have as a community of learners. The educational experience of our students was disrupted this year from what we have come to know as normal. Some students found success in an online environment and many need in person instruction to thrive. Taking the lessons we learned from this period of time and applying them to future educational programming could inspire some innovative opportunities for our students. There is an opportunity to revolutionize how we do education. Our teachers made dramatic shifts in their teaching from spring 2020 to fall 2020. They are innovative and responsive, we don't want to lose that energy! ​

Q: During this very challenging year of Distance Learning, what are some of the ways you have tried to keep your students engaged? What worked? What did not? 
A: I always strive to make things fun and humorous for the students. We never know what is truly happening at home so I like to lighten things up. I always start the day off with a song of the day and talk about the artist briefly. This will often turn into a spontaneous dance party. It's very fun to see kids jumping around in their little boxes. Our grade level has also found time each week for our students to meet in breakout rooms just to socialize. They get to pick who they want to be with and there are no guidelines as far as what they talk about. This, we have found, has been something that they look forward to and helps address the void of the social-emotional component of learning that so many students are lacking right now.   

Another thing that has worked well is having "Virtual Field Trips" each Friday. We always try to tie them to what we are learning about. For instance, our theme last week for language arts was the different ways that you could fly so we showed them a live video of a hot air balloon over Sonoma Valley and skydivers in wingsuits soaring the cliffs of Sweden. These field trips are always a great way to start a Friday. 

What has been challenging is trying to give help to the students that need it. Some subjects are extremely more difficult to teach online than others. Math, for instance, is probably what stands out the most. Trying to reteach concepts without having the manipulatives for the younger ones and not being able to see what they are doing in real time also adds to the frustration. Apps like Kami, Dreambox, and Bridges Math Apps are definitely helpful but not in comparison to what we have and use in the classroom.  

It's also been difficult to meet the needs of the students who don't have parent support at home. Many of my students are with grandparents, neighbors, or in a different place everyday. I think that this is a hard way for a student to find a rhythm with their learning when they are trying to attend class in a noisy multipurpose room, at home with younger siblings, or even at times in the back of the car as it is driving.  
 
Q: Is there something that was introduced during online learning that you hope remains when students return to class? 
A: I would like for the district to consider using Zoom and Google Meet for things like parent conferences. I think for some parents having that flexibility to be able to connect with their teacher via a device would be very practical for those that have a hardship of meeting during the day.  As far as learning goes, I would hope that certain online learning platforms could still be made available. Things like EPIC, Raz-Kids, Dreambox and many others are excellent resources for reading and for math practice.  They make it easy for teachers to monitor progress and provide assistance. Platforms like this would be great to supplement the learning happening in the classroom. 

I would hope that we would consider having students and adults wear masks during the flu/cold season.  Now that masks are normalized why don't we make this a standard practice at schools during the winter months? If a child is sick and cannot stay home, is it too much to ask them to wear a mask while inside the classroom?  This is the first time in over 21 years teaching that I haven't had a cold. Knowing how much learning is lost due to sickness, I think it's something worth considering.  
 
Q: What are you most excited about when you and students return to school? 
A: I am most excited to hear student chatter, laughter, and just to see them physically. I am also excited to be able to teach someone and not be at the mercy of having to share my screen, or unmute my mic, or turn on my camera, and not being interrupted by slow internet connection.  
 
Q: Anything else that you would like to share with the community?
A: I want the community to know that Sonoma teachers are very dedicated and care deeply for their students and families. I can't think of any teacher (except for the ones that have specific needs that factor into whether or not they can return) that would prefer to finish the school year this way. We have been wanting to come back for a long time now and we are happy that this is finally happening safely and that teachers have been able to cooperatively work with district administrators so that we have a say in what our work conditions will be.  

Lastly, COVID 19 has highlighted the inequity that exists between the haves and have nots. This is very evident in Sonoma Valley. The students in my class who are going to be the least affected by this are mostly the same ones that are consistently showing up for class and turning in their work. In almost all of these cases, these students have at least 1 parent at home that can help and can afford faster internet.  Many of these families are not burdened by having to physically show up to be able to work.  How are we as a community going to address this inequality as we move forward? ​

​Thanks to a generous grant from the Sonoma Valley Catalyst Fund, we have been able to help the school district provide a family technology support helpline so families can receive personalized assistance with their Chromebooks, hotspots, and more. We spoke with Heather Harrison, the new bilingual technician, about how this program is making an impact. 
 
Q: Tell us a little about yourself and your history with the school district.
A: I moved to Sonoma at a young age, and attended El Verano, Altimira, and SVHS. After graduating from UC Santa Barbara, I studied and lived in Chile for three years. Later I received my bilingual teacher’s credential from SSU. 
 
I first started working for SVUSD in 2015, first as an instructional assistant, and later as a library media specialist. The new family technical support position is a perfect opportunity for me to continue supporting students and families during distance learning and beyond.
 
Q: What are some of the ways you've helped students already? 
A: I help students understand it is normal to feel frustrated and upset when experiencing technical problems with their devices. I also give them simple steps to resolve some technical problems on their own, which gives students a sense of empowerment and independence.
 
Q: What do you hope to do for/with students in this role?
A: Technology is ever changing and there is always something new to learn everyday. My hope is to help students and families build confidence and give them tools they can use when common technical issues arise.
 
Q: How can parents and students contact you if they need help?
A: Please call our hotline at (707) 385-9408, or email hharrison@sonomaschools.org.