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Masters At Their Trade |
Rotating photos of activities for the MATT program |
Masters At Their Trade or MATT provides art and music to students at Lillian Larsen Elementary School, Kindergarten through 8th grades.
The visual arts program invites distinguished artists working in a variety of mediums to teach an art unit during the school day. MATT has partnered with the LEAP after-school program to facilitate various classes.
The "Melodies" choral group and keyboard classes are instructed by certified teacher, Ann Granados. Soil to Succulent Flavors are also offered during the LEAP after school program.
All classes are offered FREE through the San Miguel Resource Connection. To learn more about how to enroll your student or to get involved yourself, please contact us by e-mail or call LEAP director, Shirley Hamblin at 805-467-3216. |
Healthy Hornets Update |
1. Universal Breakfast in the Classroom
All students will enjoy a nutritious breakfast in their classrooms this year during attendance, lunch count, morning announcements, and (depending on grade level) teacher reading introduction to the day’s lesson, daily morning quiz, student partner spelling and vocabulary drills or even reading directions to the opening activity. All children must be seated in class by 8:15. Yes, school starts earlier for all students this year but the bus is on the same schedule. While breakfast is being served at no charge, donations to the breakfast program will be accepted. Many states and school districts in California have found that feeding children in the classroom simultaneously with directed academic activities increases focus not only in fueling the brain but setting the tone for learning in the quieter setting of classroom versus cafeteria. Students who eat breakfast at school have fewer tardies, behavior problems, and social issues as well as to have improved grades, understanding of concepts, and in the long run higher test scores. Breakfast: It’s in the bag! Cool and warm rolling totes have been purchased for the delivery system and students from classroom jobs lists will manage the pickup and delivery of breakfast each morning. Our program matches up with the NFL and Dairy Council program: Fuel-up to Play 60! Check it out!
2.) Campus Cleanup and Barbeque
Saturday, August 28 will be Playground Clean-up Day at Lillian Larsen and at Cappy Culver Schools from 9 until noon. Bring your gloves and hand tools and help us clean-up the summer leavings from community activities to make the grounds a source of pride for our children and students. Starting with a clean campus helps children want to keep the play-yards clean and safe all of the time. You will have the opportunity to sample breakfast items for the Breakfast in the Classroom program and share in a barbeque at noon. What a fun family day and way to spend the morning at school showing how important school and its clean, healthy environment are to one and all. See you Saturday!
3.) The Healthy Hornets
Students 5th to 8th grades were invited to join the Healthy Hornet Youth Advocate Club this summer. They are working on a new nutrition campaign for the 2010-2011 school year as they retire the Rethink Your Drink Campaign. They are focusing on Foods as Superheros versus Foods as Villains. Stay tuned for presentations coming this fall. In addition the HH Club is learning new games to teach and play in the Recess Before Lunch playground time. Teams will be on the playground to teach, encourage participation, and referee activities. Equipment has been purchased from our TCE Grant with the help of the San Miguel Resource Connection to make everything possible. Awards are to be given for tastings, mileage club, activity hours logged and others. This all ties into the NFL and Dairy Council program: Fuel-up to Play 60! Watch for the purple shirts! All children are encouraged to wear purple on Thursdays to show commitment to Eating Health and Being Active. If your 5th to 8th grader has not joined the Club please encourage him/her to do so. - Submitted by Eileen Rogers |
Garden to Table Program |
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Students at Lillian Larsen grow food in their school garden to share as well as their own school cafeteria. The Soil to Succulent Flavors program teaches students about the path from farm to fork, and instills healthy eating habits that can last a lifetime. |
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In 2008 The San Miguel Resource Connection received a $50,000 grant from the California Endowment through SLO County's Healthy Eating Active Lifestyles, HEAL SLO, program. The aim of this 2 year grant is to promote physical activity and better nutrition and education about healthy living. One such project is the Soil to Succulent Flavors class taught by Christina Wilkinson. Students learn about growing, harvesting, preparing, and preserving foods as well as the benefits and science behind eating various fruits and vegetables. |
During this grant, this garden to table program was videoed to use as a model/ inspiration for other schools. You may view this video here: Alyssa's Story. Alyssa was also a Healthy Hornet, a leadership group composed of 7th and 8th graders to advocate for students being more active and eating better. |
Directed by Eileen Rogers, Healthy Hornets made presentations on healthy eating, conducted fruit and vegetable tastings at school, and assisted in promoting more physical activity among students.
Read more details about the HEAL SLO program to combat childhood obesity in *this article by Josh Petray of the Paso Robles Press. |
Hero Public Art Project |
Mural artwork by MATT program students |
Artist Steve Kalar directed students in the MATT program at Lillian Larsen School to create a mural for a public art piece. The theme of the mural was "Heroes" both real and imaginary. |
Lillian Larsen Artists
Live Free |
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Lillian Larsen student artists under the instruction of resident artist Steve Kalar, created a Live Free poster to promote drug, tobacco, and alcohol free living.
The project was sponsored as a coordinated partnership of the San Miguel Resource Connection with HEALSLO, LINK, and SLO Co. Community Foundation. |
HEAL SLO Update |
Christina Wilkinson gives presentation at Cal Poly |
Healthy Eating Active Lifestyle Grant Update: *Click here for complete report.
Program/Progress/Challenges
- HH have recruited seventh graders to help with tastings, playground and fitness (especially BMI calculations) for balance of this year and next year.
- Equipment order to increase activities being ordered this week
- Sandra Diamond and the Farmer’s Market supporting tastings
- 3rd grade teachers making use of HH in their classes weekly
- Challenge: administrator support of PE and Recess before lunch so that there is teacher buy in and follow through
- Soils to Succulent Flavors is progressing nicely. Ways of expanding some of the benefits of this program to others in the school are being explored.
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Sharing what we’ve been doing:
- With help and referrals thru CCAN and Kim Pascuito, Soils to Succulent Flavors program and Healthy Hornets were filmed as a project of CFJ (Center for Food and Justice). Funding was from the Network for Healthy Calif. This will be one of 5 very short videos highlighting best practices in farm to school programs across the state with a particular emphasis on the connection between farm to school nutrition education programs. Each segment focuses on a different aspect of farm to school and at Lillian Larsen they are looking at garden-based learning. The video is intended to empower and educate viewers on how to implement effective farm to school nutrition education programs of their own, and will be distributed by the Network and posted on the farm to school website. (CFJ is a part of the Urban and Environmental Policy Institute at Occidental College in LA)
- Presented at Cal Poly Hand On Health in Oct :.Eileen Rogers, Christina Wilkinson and Laverne teamed with Kim Pascuito, Sandra Dimond , and Jennifer Codron to present information on our grant programs.
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Healthy Hornets |
Healthy Hornets are pictured in the school garden used for the Soils to Succulent Flavors class. Pictured are: Jordyn, Diana, Chris, Candy, Stephanie and Lisabeth.
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Seen any purple shirts around the Lillian Larsen campus? That’s because the Healthy Hornets are on the buzz. Healthy Hornets are a group of students at Lillian Larsen School that, with the help of the San Miguel Resource Connection, Mrs. Rogers, Nova Cassidy and many others, are promoting healthy choices with students and teachers. September 3rd was the first “Tasting Thursday” and featured a yellow cherry tomato known as Sunshine. Healthy Hornets, trained by Ms. Wilkinson, taught children how to do proper tasting and then polled the results. A majority of the children indicated that they liked the yellow tomato and would try it again. Sure enough the tomatoes appeared on the salad bar the next day and were consumed. On September 17 the Healthy Hornets and the cafeteria staff are featuring fresh spinach for Tasting Thursday.
Many Thursdays will be “Tasting Thursday” featuring fresh produce grown locally and prepared by the cafeteria staff with Healthy Hornets assisting to minimize impact on the kitchen schedule. The goal of the tastings is to introduce students and staff to new and sometimes different fresh fruits and vegetables so that offerings on the salad bar can grow and vary with the seasons. These offerings will help children to request new foods at home when talking to parents, helping with the shopping and cooking.
Students have been issued a stamp collecting card and receive a new stamp for each tasting in which they participate. The goal is to earn a Healthy Hornet Button to become a member of the Healthy Hornet Club. In addition to the tastings to promoting healthy eating, activities at noon, walk to school days, Larsen Fun Run, and physical challenges at school and home will promote active living toward obesity prevention throughout the year. Go Healthy Hornets! - article submitted by Candace Montgomery, Healthy Hornet Youth Advocate |
Grant Awards |
Students use sign language to say thank you! Steve Kalar stands with Vedria Millage and Laverne Buckman with the American Sign Language class. |
The SLO County Prevention Alliance awarded a grant of $2,000 to the Masters At Their Trade arts program. The Prevention Alliance has a new Community Coordinator, Vedria Millage, who presented the check in person while visiting the students. The MARCLED Foundation awarded MATT a $5,500 grant for the program in 2008.
The funds will be used for the American Sign Language class as well as a new poetry class to start in January during the LEAP program. The ASL class, also known as the "Cantamanos" is taught by Vicki Mullins, well known for her "Singing Hands" group. Ann Granados teaches "The Melodies" choral group and keyboard. Resident artist, Steve Kalar, volunteers his time to teach art in the form of watercolor, acrylics and drawing to students K through 8th grades at both Lillian Larsen and Cappy Culver Schools. |
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Brand New Home Mission Meadows
$247,000 |
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Midland Pacific Homes has just broken ground on their newest model at Mission Meadows in San Miguel, priced at $247,000.
Now is the time to buy while prices are low and the new Federal and State tax incentives are available.
Call (805) 467-2793 or visit online at MidlandPacific.com to find out how you can own the home of your dreams.
Just north of Paso Robles, exit Hwy 101 at Mission, right on River, left on Bonita, then right on Crispin.
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| The Midland Pacific Foundation is a proud sponsor of the MATT program at Lillian Larsen School. |
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