(T.E.N.) Honors Victims of the Holocaust

"The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) will offer US television viewers a
history lesson during Holocaust Remembrance Week with films and
documentaries on Jewish Death and defiance in the past and genocides of the
present.

Shoah week begins April 11 and goes through April 18.

There will be four main films:
April 11 Diary of Anne Frank British version.
April 12 Among the Righteous (documents dogged research by historian Robert
Satloff to track down and verify any instances in which Arabs aided their
Jewish neighbors while Hitler's Afrika Corps swept across North Africa. [His
research turned up evidence of 100 forced labor and concentration camps in
Tunisia and Morocco -- one so notorious that it was known as the "Buchenwald
in the Desert."]
April 13 is Blessed is the Match, It recounts the bravery of Hannah Senesh a
young poet and diarist. Senesh joined an elite group of Palestine's Jews to parachute behind Nazi lines and rescue Jews in her native Hungary.
April 14 "Worse Than War" This looks at genocides in Turkey, Ukraine,
Nazi-occupied Europe, China, Cambodia, Guatemala, Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur.

All 4 main films will be aired in prime time with its 365 affiliate US
stations.

A limited number of public broadcasting stations will carry two more
documentaries, "Holy Lands: Jerusalem & The West Bank" and "House of Life:
The Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague," as well as a play-within-a-play,
"Imagine This."

Check your local PBS station ( www.pbs.org) for time and station. You can
fill in the film's name in the search box for specific showings."
And don't forget "Who Do You Think You Are?" on NBC at 8:00pm Fridays. Next program, I believe, will feature Susan Sarandon on Friday, April 23rd.

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Museum Answers Recession Field Trip Restrictions with Outreach

With school budgets cut drastically for school trips and outings, many schools are cutting back on field trips, making it more difficult for classes to have a hands-on history experience. To prevent the loss of valuable lessons, the Schoolhouse is reaching out to bring history to life in local classrooms.

More than one reason is behind the reduction in schools’ outings. Belts are tightening across every sector, and public and private education are not exceptions. With busses costing between $200 and $400 to rent for a single outing, many schools simply can’t afford the transportation to take their students out of the classroom. Stringent FCAT preparation also competes for students’ and teachers’ time, making it difficult to justify visiting a historic site and holding a piece of history, rather than just reading about it in a book.

Rolling out the Schoolhouse’s new outreach program, Education Director Mario Aguilar says, “If schools can’t afford to bring their students to us, we don’t want to let history fall by the wayside. We’re planning to reach out to the communities we serve and bring history into their classrooms.” At a fraction of the price of a field trip, the Schoolhouse shares historic photos, artifacts, and activities with elementary and middle schools throughout Palm Beach County. Pioneer life becomes real in the minds of these students when faced with a family photograph from 1908 and asked, “How would you like to share your toys with 14 brothers and sisters?” or given a 19th century washboard and challenged, “How much more time would you spend on chores if you had no electricity?”

With Sunshine State Standard lessons and benchmarks for grades K-5, The Schoolhouse is one of a few sites approved for field experiences by the Palm Beach County School Board. “We’re committed to making quality education accessible to all students, not just those who can afford to visit,” adds Program Director Marisa Guida, “so if the ‘field experience’ has to be on the students’ turf rather than ours, we’ll be happy to bring the equipment to play with – and learn from.”

The Schoolhouse Children’s Museum & Learning Center makes Florida’s history come alive for children and families through hands-on activities and interactive play. A 501(c)3 organization, the Museum is located in Boynton Beach, in a 1913 schoolhouse listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For more information, visit www.schoolhousemuseum.org.

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For centuries, people wrote letters to friends and relatives as a way of
keeping touch and sending messages and information.
Today, "snail-mail" is almost obsolete, since computer technology
speeds our written words instantly around the world.
Many short-cut "slang" words and expressions have now entered
our language as part of the new computer-ease lingo. These are
privy only to the Yuppies, teenagers and fast-paced youngin's who
understand the secret messages behind the acronyms sprinkled
generously in their e-mails, Twitters, and Facebook entries.

So, here is a SLANG DICTIONARY for my readers. I got an eyeful and
an awakening to words I never knew existed. (Warning, there is vulgarity.)
http://onlineslangdictionary.com/

The Slang Thesaurus lets you browse slang words by meaning. Try words meaning "cool." Or, browse the thesaurus.

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Poinciana Elementary Math, Science and Technology Magnet School
is proud to show you the OM WORLD winners:

Poinciana Odyssey Road Rally Vehicle Team.

Left to right in tree: Claire Collins, Mariah Joy, Giselle Vergera
standing l-r: Austin Pomianowski, Bryce Connolly, Angelo Sierra and Craig Carrier

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Poinciana Elementary Math, Science, and Technology Magnet
School is located in Boynton Beach, on N. Seacrest Blvd. Last year, the school's team entry into each of the local, state, national, and world competitions for creative problem-solving was a first place winner. Every year, five new competitive problems are presented for the teams to solve. These long-term problems are solved over weeks and months. This year, the Odyssey of the Mind (OM) Team again won world Championship. They finished First In Vehicle Design at the 29th Annual OM World Competition, out of 57 teams. In addition, they were also awarded the prestigious Ranatra Fusca Creativity Award.

Millions of students (grades K-college) from around the world competed in the 29th OM World Finals. This competition emphasizes creativity and teamwork. It has grown into the largest international creative problem-solving competition, because OM makes learning fun, while giving kids the chance to explore their imaginations and to express their creativity. The group of Seven Poinciana students presented their solutions to their problems along with students (on same grade level) from all over the world. Participants included teams from over 15 countries, and practically every state in the U.S. The annual Odyssey of the Mind World Finals is an event to behold. It embodies the international spirit of creativity!
This year’s team members, coached by Gloria Gibson, Poinciana’s SACC
Director, and Scott Pomianowski, a supportive parent, are:
Angelo Sierra, Claire Collins, Giselle Vergara, Mariah Joy, Austin Pomianowski,
Craig Carrier, and Bryce Connolly. Kudos also goes to the Principal, Peter Slack, who has
always provided the time and support the teachers and students needed
to accomplish this awesome achievement!

For more information about Odyssey of the Mind go to www.odysseyofthemind.com
For more information regarding Poinciana Elementary Math, Science, and Technology Magnet School go to www.PoincianaES..com

If you would like to Support Poinciana’s Odyssey of the Mind Program, (561) 739-5700
or send contributions to Poinciana Elementary 1203 North Seacrest Blvd. Boynton Beach, Florida 33435.

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Date: April 17, 2008
Time: 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Cost: $6.00 per person
Gumbo Limbo Preserve is offering this outing to discover wildlife
and dune plantings along the trails at one of the barrier islands.
Meet at the nature center, 1801 N. Ocean Blvd., to caravan with other
interested nature-lovers.
For more information, call 561-338-1473.

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Gumbo Limbo Nature Center is located in Boca Raton, Florida at
Red Reef Park, between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway.
1801 N. Ocean Blvd., Boca Raton
561-338-1473 - Volunteer Line 561-338-1588
gumbo@gumbolimbo.org OR www.gumbolimbo.org
Twenty acres of Boca Raton's Red Reef Park include a nature center and sabal palm
hammock, coastal dunes, and mangrove wetlands. There are a variety of mammals,
birds, reptiles and fish. Rare and endangered species such as the manatee, the
brown pelican, the osprey and sea turtles can sometimes be observed. A beautiful
butterfly garden and a boardwalk offer tranquil settings for a lovely stroll. Climb the
40 foot observation tower and look out over the Atlantic Ocean and Intracoastal.
This center aims to make visitors aware of the need to preserve and protect nature.

Gumbo Limbo is open from Monday through Saturday from 9AM to 4PM and
Sunday: 12PM to 4PM. They are closed on New Year's Day, 4th of July,
Thanksgiving and Christmas day. There is no charge but a “suggested ”donation
of $ 3.00 per person. Their nature-themed gift shop has imaginative gifts.

The Great Backyard Bird Count - February 16th - 9:00 A.M.
Free - Must Register Naturalist Rick Newman plans a 2 hours walk around
the grounds of Gumbo Limbo to search for birds and count them for the 11th
Annual Great Backyard Bird Count! Bring binoculars and field guides if you
have them. Open to beginners and experts alike! Space is limited so register
today! Supervision Required: An adult must participate with children - all ages.

Third Annual Sea Turtle Day - Saturday March 8th -
10:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. Sea turtle nesting season kickoff, exhibits,
educational talks, games, crafts for kids, food, and more. Must register.
Call for further information. Children must be accompanied by adult.

Would you like to see more articles like this about places to visit nearby?
Please post a comment. Your e-mail address is never posted.

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Every day there are new web sites that offer to solve problems, correct life's
mistakes for you, improve your health, help you to exercise, etc. My BLOG today
is about a new, fun web site, that I discovered, called SpongeFish (www.spongefish.com).

On Spongefish, people tell about themselves and then share what they know in
video, photos, stories and recordings. Imagine a place where all the most fascinating
and useful things you know were just magically downloaded out of your mind and
broadcast to the world. It would be like having your own publishing company or
television or radio station. “Josh’s TV!” “Jillian’s Radio!” “Jessie’s PubCo!”
The key word here is "share." Every article posted contains so many fascinating items.
Most of it is fun, but it also offers insights into what is going on in our world.

One very interesting article told me amazing facts about the human
body. Did you know that the more you dream, the higher your I.Q.?

Even though it’s only a few months old, SpongeFish already gets over 4000
visitors a day. The Co-Founder and Chairman is David Porush. If you’re interested
in knowing more about the site, you can write him at david@spongefish.com
or just log on to their web site.

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Education Groups Endorse Eye Exams, H.R. 2238

In January, two national education groups joined forces with the Vision Council
of America, in its fight for healthy vision in children, by supporting children’s eye exams and
endorsing H.R. 2238.

The National PTA recently updated their position statement on children’s health
to read: “Early diagnosis and treatment of children’s vision problems is a necessary
component to school readiness and academic learning; and that vision screening is
not a substitute for a complete eye and vision evaluation by an eye doctor.
Comprehensive eye and vision examinations by an optometrist or ophthalmologist
are important for all children first entering school and regularly throughout their
school-aged years to ensure healthy eyes and adequate vision skills essential for
successful academic achievement.”

In addition, the National Head Start Association, the longest-running national
school readiness program in U.S., endorsed H.R. 2238 in their efforts to provide
health, education and nutrition services to low-income children and families.
This bill, introduced by Representative Bill Pascrell (NJ-08), has already received
over 150 cosponsors and continues to gain support.

To show your support of H.R. 2238 and healthy vision for children,
please visit www.2020advocacy.com. For more information,
please contact Eve Zartman-Ball,
manager of government relations and advocacy, at (703) 548-4560 ext. 224

or via e-mail at ezb@visionsite.org.

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