Locals can host Muslim students
Foreign exchange high school students from primarily Muslim countries are seeking host families for next school year.
Academic Year in America, one of the largest and most respected programs in the United States, has been awarded grants for the Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX) and the Partnership for Learning Youth Exchange and Study Program (YES) for 2005.
Exchange students in the FLEX and YES programs live with host families, attend school, engage in activities to learn about American society and values and help educate Americans about their own countries and cultures. These programs place special emphasis on leadership skills and seek ways for participants to develop these skills during the school year.
FLEX participants are high school students, ages 15-17, who come from the countries of the former Soviet Union: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
YES provides full scholarships for a year or semester of living and studying in the United States to a select group of young people, ages 15-18, from Egypt, Indonesia, Turkey, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and the Philippines.
Both programs are funded by Congress under the Freedom Support Act and administered by the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
To host a student, contact Keli Rising at (800) 322-4678, ext. 5164, or krising@aifs.com. For more information, log on to www.academicyear.org.
Hosts needed for foreign students
The Foundation for Intercultural Travel, a U.S. State Department-designated exchange program, is matching international students ages 15-18 with host families of all types, from single-parent to retired couples.
The exchange students will arrive about a week before school starts. They all speak English and have their own medical insurance and spending money. Host families agree to provide room and board and to include the student in their family life. Some students will need a home for one semester only and others for a full school year.
For more information about hosting a student or to set up an interview with a local representative of the Foundation for Intercultural Travel, call Maryann toll-free at (877) 439-7862.
Head Start has openings
Head Start of Santa Clara and San Benito counties has more than 1,500 openings in its preschool classes for children ages 2 years 9 months, to 5 years old. The half- and full-day classes are free to eligible families. Family income requirements are waived for children with special needs.
Head Start’s goal is to prepare children for kindergarten. Children who attend Head Start classes receive a nutritious breakfast, lunch and snack each school day; support for special needs; vision and hearing screening; and referrals for health and dental care.
For more information, call Head Start at the Santa Clara County Office of Education, (800) 820-8182 or (408) 453-6900.
District to honor retiring leader
The Los Altos School District will honor Superintendent Marge Gratiot next month for 36 years of service, from teaching kindergarten to heading the top-ranked K-8 district in the state.
The celebration is scheduled for 4-7 p.m., May 12, at the Los Altos Golf & Country Club, 1560 Country Club Drive. Reservations must be made by Thursday. Tickets are $35 per person.Checks should be made payable to the Los Altos School District and mailed to Janie Boscacci, Superintendent’s Office, Los Altos School District, 201 Covington Road, Los Altos, CA 94024.
For more information, call Boscacci at 947-1152.
Occupational, speech therapists to speak
A two-speaker SELPA 1 CAC parent education event is scheduled for 8:45-11 a.m., May 25, in the multipurpose room at Covington Elementary School, 205 Covington Road, Los Altos.
Melanee Murphree, a pediatric occupational therapist, will discuss federal regulations for occupational therapy, differences between private and public school occupational therapy, and ways to deal with sensory processing and with alerting and arousal levels in children.
Dawn Ferrer, a speech pathologist specializing in early intervention and autism, will define and discuss central auditory processing disorders and will give parents therapeutic strategies to use at home and at school.
For more information, contact Karen Mueller at 964-3689 or mueller4@ix.netcom.
Scholarships available for Latino students
PacifiCare’s Latino Health Scholars program plans to award 70 $2,000 scholarships to Spanish-speaking, bicultural high school students seeking careers in health care. In addition, PacifiCare will bestow Freedom Awards of $25,000 each on the two most deserving and qualified applicants.
Eligible candidates are high school seniors who are fluent in Spanish and English and maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0. Applicants must show proof of acceptance into a university, community college or accredited technical college and must be enrolled in an approved health care program at the time they receive the scholarship.
Applications, available online at www.pacificarelatino.com and www.pacificare.com, are due by June 30.
Literacy in the Garden seeks volunteers
Looking for a volunteer garden project that won’t take much time or require bending, weeding or digging? The Literacy in the Garden MVLA Adult Education program brings Castro Elementary School students into the Mountain View Senior Center Garden 12:30-2:30 p.m. on Tuesdays this spring. Each volunteer works with four students, who benefit by interacting with adults, learning new vocabulary words and asking questions while exploring nature’s life cycle in the garden. If you enjoy working with children, consider participating in this nine-week project.
For more information or to volunteer, contact Linda McCrary at lmccrary@rocketmail.com or 940-6024.
