What are preschools and elementary schools in Sherman oaks and Van Nuys offer to their students:

Environment:

o Exhibits high levels of cooperation, collegiality, and energy.

o Promotes respect for each other and for learning.

o Safe and supportive, children’s mistakes are accepted, expected and used to promote progress.

o Fosters pride in and respect for our physical environment.

o Recognizes and understands that students are unique and individual learners.

o Embraces outside resources to connect school and community.

o Supports a strong volunteer component.

” Curriculum:

o Embraces asperity significance.

o Sustain academic standards.

o Introduce and Exposes students to the arts and humanities.

Students:

o Streaming engagement in to academic and non-academic activities.

o Have a clear knowledge of the lesson objectives and are able to communicate the subject matters.

o Recognize and accept their responsibility for their work.

o Striving for excellence and doing their best.

o Communicate with the teachers about their success and difficulties.

o Learn and embrace habits of mind that are necessary cornerstones for success in lifelong learning.

o Participate in community service.

Personnel:

o Support the mission and strive toward the vision.

o Make decisions based on what is best for the students.

o Improve their craft through professional development.

o Recognize each student’s learning through differentiating instruction.

o Enrich students’ experiences through extra curricular activities.

Leadership:

o Is a whole school responsibility, encompassing students, staff, parents and the entire community.

o Promotes teams who study research and best practices in education

The average person changes jobs every 7 years, and they will change careers an average of three times in their working lives. Why? Because many people are chasing someone else’s dreams instead of their own. I have many friends who were pushed into careers they were not truly invested in by well-meaning parents. While most of these parents simply wanted to help give their child the best career and thereby best life possible, what they did not realize was that each person needs to determine for himself what he needs to do with his life.

Thankfully, my own situation is an example of the opposite. I grew up working in a family business, a small retail operation. However, my parents never pressured me to follow in their footsteps. In fact I was discouraged from doing just that. Instead they pushed me to go out and get a liberal education so that I could see all the world had to offer. They understood that the most important thing in life was to be doing something that would make me happy, to find a calling rather than just a career. I happened to find that in teaching, which is what I have been doping for 14 years now- 11 of them in the same school.

I could have ended up running the family business, making more money than I do now, and having the opportunities available to me that are exclusive to business owners. But along with those advantages would have come the required risks: the uncertainty of income from one year to the next, the reliance on the national and local economy, and the stress of running a multifaceted operation. Both my parents and I realized that these were not my strengths and that I would not thrive, personally or professionally, under those types of circumstances. Therefore, I was never pushed in that direction but was allowed to find my own path.

Most people I know do not look forward to Monday mornings, as it signals a return to a job or career that while financially rewarding, is not personally fulfilling. I am fortunate not to have that problem, as I have found something that I love to do and can do well. The self-satisfaction that comes from doing something you know you were meant to do is honestly hard to explain.

We live in a society that often puts too much stress on financial success and not enough on personal well-being. Because of this parents understandably can over-focus on guiding their children towards a lucrative career rather than giving them the time and space to find their own path in life. In the long run if you are doing something you truly love, then you will find ways to make that financially rewarding. Most importantly you will have that sense of well-being that only comes from finding a calling rather than just a career.

Over 30 million Baby Boomers provide countless hours of assistance to elderly parents at no charge. It is estimated that, using average hourly wages, the total amount of this uncompensated care is comparable to the entire Medicare budget. For the estimated 7 million Boomers who provide long distance care, actual out of pocket expenses amount to almost $5,000 per month. For caregivers who have, or are considering leaving the workforce to care for an ailing parent, the costs are even greater – over $650,000 in forfeited salaries, benefits and pensions.

This stark economic reality shows only one dimension of the price caregivers pay for this act of love.

Caregivers pay with losses that extend well beyond their bank accounts. They often forego the activities that bring joy and richness to their lives, like meeting friends for dinner, or going out to the movies or taking family vacations. They pay with their time, the loss of professional opportunities and the erosion of personal relationships that result in isolation.

Sometimes, otherwise healthy loved ones need a short dose of care as they recover from an acute medical episode like a broken leg. Usually loved ones are on a path of steady decline with cascading assistance needs. Some caregivers sacrifice large chunks of their own lives as they help their parents and other family members and friends peacefully make their transitions. Caregivers can pay with their own health and well-being. In fact, we have evidence that some caregivers pay for their acts of care with their very lives.

You can decrease the personal and economic costs of caregiving. This means proactive planning rather than reactive responding. Planning saves money. You know this as you reflect upon your experiences of going to the grocery store with and without a shopping list. Planning also minimizes personal wear and tear and decreases stress. You will feel much better when you know your options and develop back-up plans before you jump into a challenging project.

5 Tips to Decrease the Cost of Caregiving:

1. Begin the conversation today. We have tremendous cultural resistance to the recognition of aging, disability and death. Just as the first few steps uphill are the hardest, so, too, you may meet the greatest resistance simply starting the conversation about their possible need for care. Say today, “Mom and Dad, it would be great if you lived forever, but the discovery for the fountain of youth is nowhere on the horizon. What thoughts and plans do you have about enjoying your golden years?”

2. Create a plan. Talk with your parents about their ideal plan if they are no longer able to care for themselves. Then, start to work toward that proactively. Investigate long-term care insurance. Draw up the appropriate legal documents. Find out who would make medical choices if they were not able to make them on their own, along with some guiding principles for the choices. You can anticipate and limit parental resistance by saying, “Mom and Dad, I just got back from the lawyer’s office signing my will and durable medical power of attorney. I’ve asked Mitch to make my medical choices if I cannot make them myself. Just so you know, if I were in vegetative state, I wouldn’t want to be maintained on a machine. You probably already planned ahead too, right?”

3. Use personal and community resources. Make caregiving a family job to which each member contributes. Even children can make grandma’s life special with drawings and phone calls. Identify services that make your job as a caregiver easier. If you and your parents live in the same community, check with friends and neighbors and local organizations to learn about services and resources that will make your job easier. You say, “Mom has just moved in with us, and she wants to ‘find a card game with the girls.’ Do you know of any senior centers that have social events? How about transportation?”

We’re a mobile society and millions of caregivers live more than an hour away from their parents. Executive William Gillis learned from his own personal experience how challenging it is to identify community resources from afar. As he was carving the path that ultimately led his on-line portfolio management service, he became the caregiver for his father. Talk about mixed emotions! Professionally, he was introducing a service that let millions manage their investments with one click of a computer mouse. Personally, he was investing untold hours just to find one bit of information to help his dad.”

As with so many innovators, he used his personal and professional experience to launch Parent Care (www.parents-care.com), a service that he wished would have made his life as a caregiver-at-a-distance easier.

4. Gather cost-savings tips. This might mean something as simple as ordering generic medication or regularly inquiring about senior discounts. But, most cost savings opportunities aren’t as obvious. Mr. Gillis found, for example, that some states will pay for phones for hearing, visually or mobility limited seniors or fund home safety improvements. He said, “We’ve invested heavily to locate time and money saving resources that most would have difficulty finding. I made it a personal mission to help other caregivers avoid some of the costs and frustration I encountered.” You don’t have to re-invent the wheel. Tap into the resources others have collected.

5. Take care of yourself. You will be able to provide the best care as a caregiver when you’re at your best. Get good nutrition, enough sleep and regular exercise. Manage your stress and do a little something every day to nurture your soul. Understand that you are at increased risk for anxiety, depression, and weakening your immune system. Talk to your doctor if you see worrisome signs such as problems sleeping, changes in appetite or loss of interest in activities you enjoy.

Despite the costs, most caregivers say that they received much more than they gave. Most say they would do it again, and many do.

Sometimes the question is not the personal cost of caregiving; it’s the value that you bring to the lives of others that matter at the end. What personal cost are you willing to pay for the privilege of helping those who welcomed you into the world to enjoy their golden years and travel the road of illness with love and dignity?

Could you hope to live without a career all life despite inheriting a legacy? Career is not just about living out of inherited money, nor is it limited to earning livelihood. Holistically speaking it is the progression of ones working or professional life. Career indeed means a lot these days. Nowadays, parents start grooming their children from the day one she starts her education, guide and help their children choose their career.

Choosing and Making a Career
To some, choosing a career is as simple as a ready to eat preparation served in a silver bowl, because their career is inherited through legacy. Still they don’t spare a stone unturned in their efforts to just pursue it and make successful careers. For example, Henry Ford, who is the third generation person to carry on the legacy of his parents successfully, has toiled hard to expand the empire beyond the Atlantic Ocean.

Students should start thinking about their careers while in High School. Career exploring in various fields such as Accountancy, Finance, Law, Engineering and Medical, Business Management etc should be given a serious thought while they are still in College level. Well planning and choosing the appropriate line of study will definitely get you a good pick of your own choice.

Career Counselors prove beneficial in personal development and if you need them to, they can double up as career coaches who guide you in choosing your career. They assess your scope of interest, ability, your personality and style of working and accordingly, help you choose your career.

Career development
Did you know choosing a career is much easier rather than developing it? Landing a suitable job may take less than a year but making a career is for the rest of your working life. Once you land up at your chosen career, you must try to manage it carefully by gaining deeper knowledge and skills, working ethically and with integrity, and climb the ladder of success, to achieve your goals by rising to a higher level or position in that organization. Slightest initial complacency would mean a longer stay at the same level for a long time, develop leadership qualities within and rise to higher level. Work conditions and ethics permit that you can have multiple careers to explore your capabilities. Be good at decision-making and this will be the step forward to boost your career. Never give up hope, as the saying goes `In every difficulty lies an opportunity’.

Parents go through tough time nowadays, juggling with the pressure of work and with their parenting responsibilities. Both the parents are busy and have to work in order keep paying their bills. Then time flies so fast that you don’t notice your child has grown up into a teenager. You now find that you have a problem at hand. You realize you can no longer control your teenager — your teen out of control.

It is not the time to blame who is at fault but to find a solution for your teenager problem. You can either self help or seek professional help. It would be a good idea to start with self help and only as a last resort, you then seek professional help. Not all cases are serious enough to need professional help.

There are many ways of getting self help. You would probably have tried different methods from various sources like from books, online help site and from family or friends. Usually these are the recommended methods to help regain control over your teenager. Some of these methods are:

• trying to reason with the teenager
• taking away privileges
• trying to be a tougher parent
• trying to be a nicer parent
• grounding

If the methods suggested do not help out, then you should consider an unconventional parenting strategy which has been proven to help when teen out of control. Do not expect your teenager behavior to be perfect using such method but it will be a whole lot better than it is now. Note that your out of control teenager will never work for what you want, but they will most likely work for what they want. If you need more information on this unconventional parenting strategy, check out our Teen Out-Of-Control guide.

America’s bestselling guide to caring for a baby is now better than ever since authors Heidi Murkoff, Arlene Eisenberg and Sandee Hathaway, B.S.N. have released their two-years-in-the-making, cover-to-cover, line-by-line revision and update of the 6.9-million-copy “What to Expect the First Year,” considered the parent’s bible for taking care of a newborn through their first year of life. 

This daughter/mother/sister team has included the most recent developments in pediatric medicine. Every question and answer has been revisited, and in response to letters from readers, dozens of new questions and answers have been added. The book is more reader-friendly than ever, with updated cultural references, and the new material brings more in-depth coverage to issues such as newborn screening, home births and the resulting at-home newborn care, vitamins and vaccines, milk allergies, causes of colic, sleep problems, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), returning to work, dealing with siblings, weaning, sippy cups, the expanded role of the father, and much more. Chapters focus on month-by-month development, and there are additional chapters that focus on other broader subjects, such as health issues, special needs children, and postpartum recovery. The authors also ingeniously include comprehensive information on developmental milestones. Information empowers a new parent, the authors surmise, and though too much information or conflicting information can cause confusion and frustration, having a reference book such as theirs to consult whenever the need arises alleviates insecurity and worry. 

The authors encourage parents to utilize their most valuable resource – their instincts – and learn to trust in them, and remind readers that there is no such thing as a “perfect parent” and that we will all continue to make mistakes through our journey as parents.  The trick is to learn from them, thereby coming ever closer to the ideal of the perfect parent.

The United States of America is home to over 200 million cell phone users, with the fastest growing segment being young people. Whether your teenagers are already asking for a mobile phone or whether they just plan to start shortly, odds are good that you will have to choose whether or not to get them a phone, as well as which make, model, and service plan.

Although many adults are used to using a mobile communication device such as a cell phone, pager, or Blackberry for work, they are often unaccustomed to choosing their own plan or device. Actually choosing a service provider, plan, or mobile device is made additionally complex by the fact that the North American market particularly is home to a host of compatibility problems between devices, networks, and geographical locations.

Although convenient, cellular phones are the least reliable form of mainstream communication. As such, there are locations (even in major cities) where calls will be suddenly lost or where network access is totally unavailable.

For many teenagers, a cell phone is not as much a communication device as a fashion accessory. With this in mind, the style of the unit may be more paramount in their mind than the battery life, network modes, or other technological features. That said, it is very important as a parent to let your son or daughter have input into which phone model and/or service provider they want to use, as well as to understand the reasoning behind this choice.

If your teen’s choice is based solely on clever music video style marketing messages, you may want to go over their reasons for wanting a phone and what they intend to use it for. Try to see their reasoning, and at least get them to admit it if they want a particular model because they think it’s just “cooler”. There’s nothing wrong with buying something based solely on style, as long as they recognize their motivation for what it is.

As with most purchasing experiences involving both teens and parents, there will be compromise involved – if you are paying for the phone or plan, you may be inclined to make the final decision yourself. However, unless it’s solely a matter of price, it may be better to let your young person make the decision – they’ll have to live with it after all.

How web broadcasting works

A mobile phone is no longer simply a device with which you stay in contact with others. Today, a mobile phone is a multi-function fashion accessory, as necessary to your appearance as a hairstyle. From how the phone ‘flips’ open in front of your friends, to the groove of the ring tone, your mobile phone is a statement about who you are and how you address the world. And as every parent of a thirteen year old knows, you simply are not a ‘whole person’ without one.

To purchase a mobile phone, you need to address a number of issues, not the least of which is who you will be shelling out a small fortune to each month, and under what conditions, and what you want from your phone service. On top of that, you will want to decide which handset suits best and what extras and accessories you want to go along with it. Myshopping.com.au is where you can compare a range of different offers from different phones and service providers very easily, and arrive at a decision that works for you.

Mobile Phones

The centre of communications

Different phones suit different people, but at the heart of the decision is the question: Is your mobile phone the centre of your communications. The answer to this question will mean different things to people with different needs.

The student

The student’s mobile phone is very definitely at the centre of communications, but quite clearly students have little money to splurge and therefore need to buy a phone that has access to economically efficient communications. The trendy phone will be important, but at a low cost. It will need to have excellent texting facility, be able to accommodate ring tones, and be easy to carry. Of lesser concern are issues such as camera and video capacity.

The busy parent

Whether working out of the home or not, a busy parent needs to be able to be in touch at odd times and in odd places. This person will be seeking a functional handset with a good network capacity. Photographic features are handy as are texting features and long talk-time.

The executive

The executive is constantly on the go, and is always in touch while on the go. This person’s phone will have added features such as a teledex, web connectivity, video and photographic features. Additional accessories will include ‘hands-free’ capacity and portability across travel zones.

The traveller

The traveller’s phone needs most of all to be portable across travel zones and able to access networks in international zones. Long battery life, video, photographic and web connectivity features are all important features considered by the traveller.

Phone choices

At the heart of your decision, is which phone to choose? Some limitations may apply according to the technology you need. If you live in a rural area, or travel to the country a lot, you will likely need access to a CDMA network, and not all handsets are compatible. The majority of Australia’s urban population (95%) is covered with GSM technology, and there are a huge number of handsets available that are compatible.

The technology

Other technologies that may affect both your choice of handset and your choice of service provider are the GPRS technology, designed for sending data over the GSM network, enabling mobile phones to access the internet and receive email messages; and the PTT service (Push To Talk), a technology that allows mobile phones to be used like two-way radios.

The handset

The next step might be to decide on the type of handset you favour. Handsets come in different configurations, from the ‘candybar’ format (long and slim) that is able to fit into a protective carrying case and be operated by one hand. The screen and keypad are limited by the size and shape of the handset. Flip-phones and slider phones have the advantage of small size, but their screens and keypads can be larger because of the use of two halves of a ‘clamshell’ case. Some slider phones have keypads on a swivel, offering a two handed operation. A smartphone has a fully functional keypad that enables the editing of Microsoft word documents, presentations and spreadsheets.

Screens and memory

Colour screens are now standard in most models, but size, resolution and colours can vary, from between 101×80 pixels to 353×288 pixels; and between 4000 and 262,000 colours. The better the screen resolution, the better backgrounds and graphic images can be displayed. Mobile phones also now have onboard memories from between 16MB and 96MB (although this is a standard that changes quickly). Additional memory (500MB or more) is available on phones dedicated to gaming and mp3 playing, and some phones also offer slots for adding additional memory cards.

Battery and camera

Battery re-charge life of a phone is determined by the number of features and the amount of talk time used, but today’s phones range between 10 and 14 days of standby time and 2 to 8 hours of talk time. Obviously memory intensive use shortens the re-charge time. Even the most basic phones now come with an in-built digital camera. Some now also have flash capacity, auto-focus, self-timing, continuous shooting and zoom and macro facilities. Many offer low-resolution video recording and can be used for video conferencing and receiving streaming video. Optimally, a camera with more than one mega pixel is desirable.

Connections and options

A USB port on a mobile phone enables it to be connected to your computer to transfer files. Wireless connectivity using bluetooth and infra-red allows connection between devices such as PCs and PDAs, as well as providing hands-free utilities. You may also want a voice-activated dialling feature, and voice recording functions that enable you to send MMS messages and voice memos. Phones with polyphonic ring tone capacity enable you to have a more musical ringtone, and produce a better sound.

At Myshopping.com.au you can compare all of the features of the different brand names and the prices offered by different vendors. This takes a lot of the difficulty out of narrowing down exactly what you want from you mobile phone.

Connection choices

There are essentially two choices for how you want to be connected to your phone network: a usage plan and term contract, or a pre-paid option. All service providers can offer both and under Australian legislation, your phone number is portable between service providers. Some however may charge a fee for early termination of a contract, and some may charge a fee for transferring your number from another service provider, and some may charge a fee for transferring you number to another provider. These fees are entirely at the discretion of the service provider and have no basis in actual network cost whatsoever. If it is charged, it is charged simply because they can.

You need to give some thought to how you intend (or do) use your phone. Call plan contracts are offered on the basis of how many minutes (or in some cases, 30 second units) of call time you use, and at what time of day. Carriers promote higher costs for high volume times of the day, and often reduce costs, or offer ‘free’ time during low times. Other low cost offers are made for calls between the phones on the same carrier network, while others offer discounts for bundling packages of home phone, mobile phone and Internet account. It’s important to read the conditions attached to any of these offers. Free calls between midnight and six am may be of little value to you if you’re sleeping at that time.

Pre-paid is popular choice, especially if you don’t make many calls. It also enables a better management of limited funds. When deciding on your plan, look at costs such as ‘flagfall’ costs and the different rates at different times of the day. Also check the cost of calls when you exceed your ‘cap’ or limit. It is often in this area that the carrier can make money out of unsuspecting users.

Service providers

The carriers of mobile phone services in Australia include Telstra, Optus, 3 (Hutchinson), Orange (Hutchinson), Vodafone, Virgin, B and a number of smaller carriers, or agencies who provide services on behalf of other carriers.

Each of the major carriers can offer you the connection to their network on contract plan or pre-paid, as well as sell you a pre-packaged handset. Quite often a contract will include a monthly service and you pay for a number of minutes of talk or sms connections, as well as pay for the handset. Once the contract is ended, you are free to change the plan to a different one, or change carriers altogether.

Sometimes the plan you select is not right for your usage, and you find that after a few months, you could reduce your costs by changing to a different plan. Some carriers enable you to do this mid-contract without any extra penalty; others may charge you a fee to change your plan. Study any plan carefully and imagine how you will use your phone to take best advantage.

You may also need to compare the services offered by the different carriers, especially their capacity to service your area within their network. There’s not a lot of point in being with a carrier whose network doesn’t enable anyone to call you when you’re at home.

Use Myshopping.com.au to compare different to find one that suits you. But before you sign on to any mobile phone plan, be sure you understand all of the conditions attached to that contract.

If you have not looked in to the benefits of having satellite television from DirecTV, you are long past due. If you are still watching cable television, or even if you have another satellite TV provider, take a look at DirecTV’s programming package prices, you will be seriously surprised at DirecTV’s affordability. DirecTV offers a wide array of programming packages starting at or around 50 channels and going up above and beyond 250 channels! DirecTV takes the viewers style of entertainment and entertainment needs in to consideration when creating programming packages. Because of this consideration, the result is a huge selection of programming packages, of all shapes and sizes, that cater to individual entertainment styles and niches. DirecTV offers all the great channels that you have become familiar with, a seemingly endless selection of new channels, as well as the most popular sports and movie channels as well.

Networks such as ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS and Fox are offered through DirecTV as well as other channels like A and E, ABC family, American Movie Classics (or AMC), Bravo, Cartoon Network, OH! Oxygen, America’s Store, Bloomberg, BBC America, Animal Planet, CMT, CNN, SOAP, Spike TV, The Learning Channel (or TLC), USA, TNT, RFD TV, Independent Film Channel (or IFC), C-SPAN and C-SPAN2, Current, The Discovery Channel, Sci Fi, Sprout, VH1 Classic, Logo, XM Radio Channels, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNEWS, Nick At Night, Turner Classic Movies (or TCM), Discovery Health, Discovery Home, E!, Reality, HGTV, FitTV, CNN Headline News, QVC, Comedy Central, TV Guide, Style, G4, Black Entertainment (or BET), VH1, and Sport South to name a few. The list actually goes on and on and on. DirecTV also offers the Sports Pack and movie channels like Cinemax, ShoTime, Starz, and HBO. With DirecTV, you will also still get all of your local channels, you will get 100% digital picture quality and sound, absolutely no equipment to purchase or start up fees, and a absolutely 100% free professional installation. Basically, along with all the great channels in your programming package you will get all of the necessary equipment and hardware and a professional installation of that equipment and hardware for absolutely no cost or charge to you. Pretty incredible huh? Well there is still a lot more!

DirecTV offers awesome features like parental controls, DVR, digital High Definition Television format (or HD TV) compatibility, TiVo, and all at the touch of a few buttons on your (free) remote control! DirecTV’s parental controls system solves all of the problems previously caused by television’s “free spirit” as of late. With DirecTV’s parental control system, you will be able to actually lock out entire channels from your children, or you can simply lock them at certain times. This way, if the channel only gets raunchy late at night but still has some wholesome programs during the day, your child will not have to miss the good programs. All of the parental control systems features have a password protection so you do not have to worry about your child getting into the parental control feature itself. Take a closer look at DirecTV vs. its competitors. Don’t wait any longer!

Written by David Johnson. Find more information on satellite tv and cable tv as well as dish network tv