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... Family Day - A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children: Mon., Sept. 22, 2008. This is a national movement to inform parents that the parental engagement fostered during frequent family dinners is an effective tool to help keep America 's kids substance free. Family Day reminds parents that Dinner Makes A Difference!

... Free Cartoon Art Classes: Free classes at the Cartoon Art Museum (655 Mission Street) are available by application. Call 227-8666 ext. 303 or email education@cartoonart.org. A few application forms are in the main office.

... A Century of PTA and Mothers Clubs: The exhibit runs through Oct. 31, 2008, in the San Francisco History Center (6th floor of the Main Library at 100 Larkin Street). Hours: Tue.-Thr. and Sat., 10am-6pm; Fri, noon-6pm; and Sun, noon-5pm.

Just one year after the Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, Mothers Clubs organized as the San Francisco Congress of Mothers, with the goal of improving the education, health, and welfare of children and youth. Now known as the Parent Teacher Association, the PTA is the nation’s oldest and largest volunteer agency working on behalf of public schools, children, and families.

The San Francisco Public Library celebrates the early Mothers Clubs’ and San Francisco PTA’s work through a small exhibit of scrapbooks, historical photographs, minutes, publications, and ephemera from three new collections. Second District donated its records to the library in 2006. Second District President, Barbara Lee, said, “We are pleased to be a partner with the library in making this important history accessible. Thanks to Carl Barnes and Ann Melamed (past district presidents) and the rest of the 2006 board, for having the foresight to place the collection with the library."

The collection guide is available online at: http://sfpl.org/librarylocations/sfhistory/pdf/SF_PTA_Finding_Aid.pdf

... Family Guide: Designed for parents and other adults involved in the lives of 7- to 18-year-olds, the Family Guide Web site emphasizes the importance of family, promotes mental health, and helps prevent underage use of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs. We've launched a new homepage at Family Guide to give you better access to all we have to offer! See our latest articles, e-cards, and coupons, as well as news and resources. Check it out at ww.family.samhsa.gov!

... Study Skills That Improve Performance. Proper and effective study habits and skills for learning will serve your child in the present and the future. This is especially true for older students as they prepare for high school or college. Help your child process and apply information more effectively with these steps to better studying from StudyTips.org, a group dedicated to furthering educational opportunities for youth:

• Help your kids keep a bigger picture in mind. Don't allow them to become distracted by friends and other pursuits.
• Help your child discover how he or she learns best. Is it by memorizing, reading, speaking, summarizing or other methods? Under what conditions do they study best? On what kinds of tests do they perform well? Understanding these learning processes is the first step to becoming a successful student. As parents, you can help them by observing how they study and learn.
• Help them prioritize their tasks. Generally, the most difficult task should be done first when concentration is highest. Subsequent tasks will not seem as hard.
• Help break assignments down into smaller steps so kids can accomplish them one step at a time. The successful completion of tasks will motivate students to keep going.
• There is no best way to take notes. Students should take notes in a way best suited to them. But you can tell them some things to listen for that would prompt note-taking: definitions, examples of definitions, lists, cause-and-effect statements, when superlatives such as "best," "largest," or "greatest" are used.
• To manage time better, note how long it takes for your child to read one chapter of a textbook. This should provide a benchmark for study plans.

... Bullying Affects All Middle School Kids: Excerpt from Family Guide. Many middle school kids experience confusion between the desire to be accepted, which is strongest in middle school, at the same time that:

• Kids report more bullying than students in grades 9 and 10.
• Almost 9 out of 10 kids say they’ve seen someone being bullied.
• For every 25 middle school kids, an average of 2 kids are harassed daily and another 2 to 3 are bullied weekly.
• Modern technology has added new ways to bully—cyberbullying.

During this transition from childhood to adolescence, middle schoolers begin to place more importance on making friends and being part of a group. They also start to check out how other kids act, look, sound, and dress. Some kids may seem to be searching for a reason to tease or torment another student.

Alone or as part of a group, youth can take part in bullying. In a growing number of incidences, the term “bully” includes the children who watch the bullying occur—even if they don’t actively participate. Witnessing bullying behavior can be defined as condoning it.

Please click here for the full article and more Family Guide information.

... Excellent information on San Francisco Public High Schools. Visit www.calfeeschoolguide.org for EXCELLENT information and pictures of all the different programs at each of the public high schools in SF, including the charter schools.  It's a great place to do some research before you turn in your high school applications.

... Mayor's Teacher of the Month Award. Commencing May 2006, Mayor Gavin Newsom established the San Francisco Mayor's Teacher of the Month (MTM) Award to recognize outstanding San Francisco public school teachers for their dedication, professionalism, and work on behalf of our City's young people. Teachers receiving this award are nominated by the community - parents, youth, educators, administrators, and other community members - for excellence in their classroom, their school, and their City. Click here for more details.