Fwd: NEWS ALERT: County Councilman Matt Drozd will hold a news conference this afternoon to urge residents to speak at Council meeting in support of his ordinance/referendum that gives the people a voice

MATT DROZD DISTRICT 1       COMMITTEES   Appointment Review Budget & Finance Economic Dev.& Housing Parks Public Safety     Office of the County Council 119 Courthouse ∙ 436 Grant Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Phone (412) 350-6525 ∙ Home Phone (412) 364-1600 Matt.Drozd@AlleghenyCounty.us Http://www.AlleghenyCounty.us/council           MEDIA ADVISORY, August 25, 2013 County Councilman Matt Drozd will be holding a news conference this afternoon (Sunday August 25 at 3:00 PM) in the Courthouse Court yard to urge the residents of Allegheny County to speak at County Council’s Tuesday night meeting (August 27th at 5:00 PM) in support of his ordinance which will place a referendum on the ballot to give the people of Allegheny County a voice as to whether or not to drill for gas in the County Parks.  The Councilman is quoted as saying that “my ordinance to place this subject on the ballot is also about giving the people the opportunity to voice their opinion on any major issue.  I am a firm believer that the people should have a say when it comes to any major decision that affect their future and day-to-day lives”.   In this particular referendum, our county Parks will greatly benefit by making them world-class parks and the people will also greatly benefit via tax relief similar to the people of Alaska.  A draft of the ordnance/referendum is found herein.  Hopefully, this will generate the largest turn-out ever of people speaking before Allegheny County Council.  In order to speak at Tuesday evening’s meeting, people will have to call the offices of County Council by no later than close of business tomorrow (4:30 PM-Monday, August 26) at 412-364-6525/6491   ORDINANCE   An Ordinance of the County of Allegheny, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania directing that a referendum question amending Article IV of the Allegheny County Home Rule Charter, pursuant to the Home Rule Charter and Optional Plans Law and Second Class County Charter Law, be placed on the 2014 Primary Election ballot contingent upon the passage of the referendum question.               WHEREAS, the citizens of Allegheny County adopted a Home Rule Charter, effective January 1, 2000, which provided for, among other things, the powers vested within each branch of government; and   WHEREAS, the Allegheny County Council desire to submit a proposed ballot question to the citizens of Allegheny County which, if passed, would either allow for or prevent the exploration for natural gas in the County Parks whichever is approved by a majority of voters; and   WHEREAS, there has been some discussion about the leasing of  County park mineral rights specifically Deer Lakes Park as there are plans to drill platforms adjacent to the park; and   WHEREAS, the mere discussion of a proposal to allow a private company to drill for natural gas on County Park land has generated public outcry for and against such proposals; and   WHEREAS, the County retains control of the mineral rights on all County-owned land which encompasses the County parks; and   WHEREAS, the County Council retains the authority over the use of Park lands, Parks have historically been created for the use and enjoyment of the citizens of the County; and               WHEREAS, while there has been no formal discussion or approval for the lease of mineral rights at this time yet many of the citizens of Allegheny County are aware of the possibility  and are concerned about using park land for such a controversial activity; and   WHEREAS, if a formal discussion about leasing the mineral rights of the County parks does take place the citizens of Allegheny County and the County Parks as an institution should benefit directly from any revenue generated; and   WHEREAS, County Council accordingly will create a fund in the amount of 1/3 of the revenue generated from any approved mineral exploration on County Park land for the purposes of maintaining and improving the County Parks Allegheny County and for the remainder to be deposited into the General Fund for the purpose of reducing the tax burden on the citizens of Allegheny County; and               WHEREAS, the approval of a ballot question accomplishing these changes would necessitate certain amendments to the Administrative Code; and               WHEREAS, these changes will inure to the benefit of the citizens and taxpayers of Allegheny County by promoting a more open, transparent and participatory government by increasing the opportunity for direct citizen involvement for the use of County Park land for the purposes of mineral exploration.     The Council of the County of Allegheny hereby enacts as follows:     SECTION 1.            Incorporation of the Preamble.   The provisions set forth in the preamble to this Ordinance are incorporated by reference in their entirety herein.      SECTION 2.            Ballot Question.   Pursuant to the Second Class County Charter Law and the Home Rule Charter and Optional Plans Law, the Allegheny County Board of Elections is directed to place the following question on the May 17, 2014 Primary Ballot for consideration and approval by the registered electors of the County:   Shall the Allegheny County Home Rule Charter be amended to establish that it shall be the decision of a majority of the voters of Allegheny County whether or not to allow for the exploration and extraction of minerals in, on, or below County Park land?     SECTION 3.      Provisional Amendment of the Administrative Code, Powers and duties of the County Council.   If the Board of Election certifies that the ballot question set forth in Section 2 above has been approved by the registered electors of the County, then the Allegheny County Home Rule Charter shall be amended as follows and pursuant to the effective dates established in Section 4 of this Ordinance:   A.            Amendment of Article IV, §2 (k):   (k) By ordinance, lease, convey, vacate or abandon, or permit the use of County land, buildings or other real or personal property, except for the exploration and or extraction of minerals from County Park land which will be decided by referendum of the citizens of Allegheny County and shall not be subject to a veto by County Council nor the County Executive for at least two years following its approval or disapproval.       SECTION 4.            Effective Dates.   A.      The provisions of Section 2 of this Ordinance shall become effective immediately upon the date of final approval.   B.      The provisions of Section 3 of this Ordinance shall become effective immediately upon the date of certification of passage of the date of certification of passage of the referendum provided for in Section 2.     SECTION      5.      Severability.         If any provision of this Ordinance shall be determined to be unlawful, invalid, void or unenforceable, then that provision shall be considered severable from the remaining provisions of this Ordinance which shall be in full force and effect.     SECTION      6.      Repealer.   Any Resolution or Ordinance or part thereof conflicting with the provisions of this Ordinance is hereby repealed so far as the same affects this Resolution.     PRIMARY SPONSOR:  COUNCIL MEMBER DROZD Enacted in Council, this ___________ day of ________________________, 2013 Council Agenda No. ________________.         CONTACT:  Matt Drozd can be reached at his home office (412-364-1600), or Council office line (412-350-6525).   News Coference:   This afternoon at 3:00 PM, Sunday, in the Court House          Court Yard Legislative session:  Tuesday evening August 27th, Court House Gold                                                                                      # # # #               To

 

Erik and then myself, Mark, at PPS School Board public comment with back to school message

Speaker # 20, Erik Rauterkus.



Speaker # 21, Mark Rauterkus.

Thanks for Summer Dreamers advertisement

Those were the days. Water polo action with our kids vs other legit teams.

Click image for a better view.

Back in 2010 we had access to some swim pool time in PPS pools and had a training group so that we could play water polo against some other high school teams. Here is Frane Poeting, Burke's big brother, a swimmer at Wooster now, pushing some good defense. His teammate is Tait Williams, a PIAA 50 Free Competitor. Frane was a home school kid and Tait transferred out of Frick/Schenley to City High.

We are playing this game at IUP and it is against a prep school from New Jersey, The Lawrenceville School.

http://www.lawrenceville.org/index.aspx

This summer we had nearly 200 kids playing water polo in the city with PPS Summer Dreamers. The aim is to develop a passion for sports and activities that can go further than the five weeks of Summer Dreamers and extend throughout their lives.

Sorta hard to do that when we don't have any pool time in August as per PPS Policy to stop all permits on August 1. And, we don't have any letter at the PIAA offices saying any of our PPS schools are sponsoring a water polo team. Back then we were a 'non-league team' and we could schedule a few games a year as "Schenley."

Not so much now, despite our wishes.

Anyone that wants to play water polo, boy or girl, high school ages and above, in deep water, come out to North Park at 8 am to 11 am on Saturday, August 24, 2013. After the play, there is a pot luck. Bring something to share. we'll be there to noon, I expect.

Online Schools dot Org

http://www.OnlineSchools.org

OnlineSchools.org is a higher education site with guides to using online learning to obtain degrees, jobs, or general education.

The database there is a comprehensive collection of every accredited online school in the United States, and is the most extensive searchable database available online. The site also features and online learning ebook as well as student interviews to help prepare everyone for online education.

Foundation to assess city schools' Summer Dreamers Academy

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/foundation-to-assess-city-schools-summer-academy-699228/

Foundation to assess city schools' Summer Dreamers AcademyAugust 14, 2013 12:08 am
Niederberger / Pittsburgh Post-GazetteAs part of a $50 million investment in summer K-12 programs including one in Pittsburgh, the Wallace Foundation is taking a close look at whether those programs work.
Wallace has been one of the funders for Summer Dreamers Academy operated by Pittsburgh Public Schools.
The academy drew 2,200 students this summer. The foundation has spent a total of $2.8 million in 2011, 2012 and 2013 in Pittsburgh. It also has contributed to programs in Boston, Cincinnati, Dallas, Duval County in Florida and Rochester. In addition to the district investments, Wallace also awarded grants to four nonprofit organizations that support summer learning.
Wallace has hired the Rand Corp. to study whether the summer programs improve student learning and what the best practices are in such programs.In a report released Monday, the researchers made recommendations on how to launch summer learning programs, including planning early for summer programs, hiring teachers by February so the best teachers are available and using commercially available curriculum rather than district-created curriculum.
It also recommends spending three to four hours a day for academics.To be cost conscious, the report recommends avoiding assigning small numbers of students to many sites, using enrichment providers to fill out the program, hiring staff based on projected attendance rather than enrollment and operating a full-day program for five to six weeks.
The studies focus on summers of 2011 and 2012. Some 5,000 students are being tracked in the studies.
One goal is to document what efforts can narrow the achievement gap between low-income and higher-income students.
Ann Stone, senior research and evaluation officer at the Wallace Foundation, said many students forget a portion of their school year learning over the summer.
However, she said, research shows the losses are greatest for low-income children, who already enter school academically behind their higher-income peers.
"We think summer learning could be one of the best ways to reduce that achievement gap," Ms. Stone said.

Here is my $.02 for this overall mission.

We need more parent engagement. The parents need to know that the schools are going to try hard, but without some boosters and support at home, then the efforts won't really work in the long run. 

I enjoyed meeting the parents when this was possible. But, it isn't woven into the programs as it is now. The kids get on the bus. The kids get off the bus. There are few, if any, times when the kids, their parent(s) / grandmothers / guardians, and their peers and the teachers as well as the activity providers get to interact. 

The "night out" was a flop.

The "open house" was a flop. too. 

Our swim party and group swim lesson had potential, but it wasn't organized in advance and didn't occur. 

Our post camp trips / days were great, but too many were not invested and tied into the program.

I loved seeing some of the parents play SKWIM. That's more of what we need. Then, sky is the limit for the kids and the district.

PA Youth & Government in 30 seconds

Message to PPS Board and Administrators at public comment about Erik and Summer Dreamers too

My name is Mark Rauterkus

My family and I live at 108 South 12th Street, South Side.

I'm a proud parent, concerned citizen, scholastic coach and the lead activity provider with the BGC with Summer Dreamers Swim & Water Polo Camp.

Erik is going to make a great swimmer for Swarthmore. Of course he'll take care of his studies and figure out what to devote his life to along the way.

Erik was also a varsity golfer. He was in the top 10 in PA Junior cycling.

As governor, he delivered more than a dozen podium speeches to hundred-plus audiences. He gave 2 keynote speeches. One to the PA Lobbyist Assn and another to the state-wide YMCA professionals.

He attended three week-long conference: One for fellow youth governors and twice went to CONA, a Congress of North American Affairs. As he enters college he already has good friends and contacts from around the nation.

Erik was a fixtures on a great Ultimate Frisbee team that played in the regional semi-finals.

He and his mates went to Ohio twice for water polo. Last year our side had 8 wins and 1 loss there.

He was 7th in his graduating class.

For 4 years he went to the PIAA Swim Championshps. Last year our relays set new city records in the pool, going faster in 2 events than than anyone ever in the city.

But this is what I want to stress. For the past 3 years, Erik worked as a coach for PPS Summer Dreamers Swim & Water Polo Camp.

This summer, Erik, with 2 other recent PPS graduates, led Swim & Water Polo activities at Camp Carmalt. They bonded with the kids, taught butterfly, and backstroke. They played great water polo. Almost all passed their deep water test. The last day of Summer School, tears came with their Good Byes. They bonded with the kids. Eight of the Carmalt kids, ran in the Liberty Mile. Erik WON the Liberty Mile in 2012.

It was a busy, action packed summer for myself and the 25 others on the staff in five sites. We ran, exercised, swam, played water polo, raced and did an “A for Athlete” literacy project that we're sharing with the world on a wiki.

The staff, like Erik are mostly young adults, mostly varsity swimmers. They worked half a day and made some money. Plus, they made tremendous impacts on the lives of the PPS students. The students, mostly going into 4th grade, learned a life skill that they'll never forget and had a sports-camp experience.

I think it is imperative that PPS put at the top of its priority list a vision that screams: WE PLAY Well with Others.

That is what we need in our neighborhoods. The wellness has to spring to life in the afternoons, evenings, nights, weekends, holidays and summers.

Summer Dreams is 5 weeks. I also worry about the other 47. Summer Dreamers had 5 sites, 2 with PPS pools, and had more than 1,300 rejection letters.

Our capacity in terms of QUALITY interactions leaves something to be desired.

We had a lot of help: Shoe vendors, Pgh Marathon, PPS, sponsors, partners, Citiparks.

With a little more help from PPS and a philosophy that puts Erik and other kids much like him on our team – together – we are 10-times better, stronger and more robust.

The key to a thriving PPS comes with a serious change of heart to the overall after-school approach within PPS.

PPS has to be a place were we value, teach and learn how to play well with others. Playing well with others is a learned skill that must happen year-round and beyond the school day.

How much wood would a wood church tweet, ...

Pittsburgh guy gets to pull the plug on his twitter account thanks to some counter attack from a professional athlete. 

Small world story. 

Link

http://thenosebleeds.com/paul-bissonnette-teaches-twitter-hater-a-lesson-in-trolling/

The key to Pittsburgh's future is turned first in open yet closed schools

Opening closed schools is good work. I wish the best to all in that effort. Opening closed schools as schools again is even better. Wouldn't it be nice to have families desire to live here because of the thriving schools and programs for our youth,... Rather than the other way around. But perhaps best of all is the work and mission of opening our existing and in use schools as places for community development. Yep. Lets talk about the schools we have in use with school programs in school days, but are closed to us in afternoons, evenings, nights, weekends, holidays and summers. Getting a pool permit for August days in a public school that is operational, with water, with EVERYTHING, including staff, proved to be IMPOSSIBLE. This, my friends, is where the journey to a healthy Pittsburgh begins.

Fwd: Celebrate the greatness of your youth! August 15th -starts at 3 pm

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From:
Date: Friday, August 9, 2013
Subject: Celebrate the greatness of your youth! August 15th -starts at 3 pm
To: rflanag@aol.com

Celebrate the greatness of your youth!

 

1) Neighborhood Learning Alliance's (NLA) Reading Warriors

2) BGC's City of Pittsburgh/Pittsburgh Partnership Summer Employment Workers

3) BGC's Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board In School and Out of School Employment Program

4) Amazing youth that recovered failed school credits in a program implemented by the NLA and many citywide partners.

 

 

You are be asked to attend the

 

End of the Summer Celebration of Success Event!

 

 Thursday, August 15

 

3:00 pm (Food and informal greeting of the youth)

 4:00 pm (Brief testimony)

 

 Eastside Neighborhood Employment Center

5321 Penn Avenue

 

Food, Fun, and Positive Testimony!

 

 Family, friends, and worksite supervisors are strongly encouraged to attend. Government, community, and agency leadership are also encourage to attend.

 

 

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Mark Rauterkus       Mark.Rauterkus@gmail.com    
PPS Summer Dreamers' Swim and Water Polo Camp Head Coach
Pittsburgh Combined Water Polo Team

http://Rauterkus.blogspot.com
http://FixPA.wikia.com
http://CLOH.wikia.com
412 298 3432 = cell

Last Day Slide Show from Camp CAPA at Summer Dreamers Swim & Water Polo Camp

Swim & Water Polo Camp slide show for last day of 2013 Summer Dreamers with Pittsburgh Public Schools from Mark Rauterkus

Great job to Max, Sam and Martin, as well as the PPS Teachers and PPS Students.

Fwd: Training Camp Sign-Ups are open now!

This looks like a great weekend event. I wish I was 15 again. 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: JCCS Communications <info@jccsailfish.org>

JCC Sailfish

Training Camp Sign-Ups are open now!

It's time to Sign-up for the JCCS Training Camp! This is a team travel meet. Location: Emma Kaufmann Camp, Morgantown, West Virginia  (along Cheat Lake) Google Map Who Can Attend:  Any JCCS swimmer, from any group, who is at least 13 years old. Departure Date:   Saturday, September 7th.  The bus will depart from the Forbes Ave. entrance of the JCC at 7:00 am.   Swimmers should have already eaten breakfast before getting on the bus. Return Date:  Sunday, September 8th by 6:30 pm Fee for weekend: $100.00 to cover bus, meals, room, workouts, and fun activities.  Fees are due by August 29th.  Checks should be made out to JCC Sailfish and mailed to: JCC Sailfish 305 Sharon Dr. Pittsburgh, PA 15221 Besides swimming workouts, there will be fun AND time to do homework, if needed! Lake Activities: canoeing, kayaking, paddle boats, trampoline blob Pool Extras: diving board, slide Field Games:  rope courses, basketball, volleyball   What to Bring:  Pillow; sleeping bag or linens for a twin size bed Towels, swim suits, & wet bag with fins.   Water bottle Appropriate clothes and athletic shoes for rope course/basketball. Water shoes for boating activities. Warm clothing and jackets for cooler nights. Schedule: Saturday AM: Swimming workout as soon as the bus gets to camp Lunch after practice Free time for fun after lunch 4:00-6:00pm: Swimming workout 6:30pm: Dinner and talk on strokes, mental training, and season plan 8:00-10:00pm:  Free time   Sunday AM: Swimming workout Breakfast after practice Rest of the day: Fun, Lunch. Fun Depart for home at 5:00 pm   There is only room for 20 girls and 20 boys (13 years and up).   You should sign up on the team website by August 8th. Because this is a team travel event, you must be signed into the website to see this event. Questions can be directed to Al by email or phone (412) 906-2583.

Visit Us Online at: http://www.jccsailfish.org/

Fwd: Youth Organizers for Educational Change - Apply Now!

------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Hill District Consensus Group <hdcg@wildapricot.org>
Date: Fri, Jul 26, 2013 at 1:17 PM
Subject: Youth Organizers for Educational Change - Apply Now!
To: Mark Rauterkus <mark@rauterkus.com>

MEMBERSHIP + PARTICIPATION = POWER TO CHANGE, TO RENEW, TO BUILD UPON THE LEGACY OF OUR COMMUNITY Youth Organizers for Educational Change Program Dear Community, I am pleased to announce the Hill District Consensus Group Youth Organizers for Educational Change Program for high school students. Recognizing the need to closely understand how community issues affect youth in the community. We have developed a youth organizing program for local high school students to work alongside community organizing staff in the community. This is a yearlong paid endeavor. The youth organizing program will provide participants with an opportunity to promote youth empowerment, organizing and action to improve Hill District schools and the broader community. If you know youth that could become strong organizers, please share the info below with them. Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis. For general information about the Consensus Group and a link to the electronic copy of the application, please refer applicants to our website at www.hdcg.org. You (or potential applicants) can contact me at (412) 697- 4692 or via e-mail at brown@hdcg.org with any questions or concerns. Sincerely, Brian Brown Community Organizer & Youth Organizer Coordinator This project is funded by The Heinz Endowments. Our Mission The mission of the Hill District Consensus Group is to work together through the differences and with the commonalities, to establish and enforce standards and processes in all aspects of community life: economic, political, spiritual, and social, for the ongoing health and prosperity of the community. Copyright © 2013 Hill District Consensus Group. All rights reserved. Contact email: info@hdcg.org

Rand Paul to Veterans of Foreign Wars

Fwd: STOP THE FRACKING OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY REGIONAL PARKS

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Douglas Shields
Date: Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Subject: STOP THE FRACKING OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY REGIONAL PARKS

Dear Friends,

I just created the petition "Stop The Fracking of Our Allegheny County Regional Parks" and wanted to ask if you could add your name too.

This campaign means a lot to me and the more support we can get behind it, the better chance we have of succeeding. You can read more and sign the petition here:

http://org.credoaction.com/petitions/stop-the-fracking-of-our-allegheny-county-regional-parks

Thank you!

Douglas

P.S. Can you also take a moment to share the petition with others? It's really easy – all you need to do is forward this email or share this link on Facebook or Twitter:

http://org.credoaction.com/petitions/stop-the-fracking-of-our-allegheny-county-regional-parks

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Ta.
 
 
Mark Rauterkus       Mark.Rauterkus@gmail.com    
PPS Summer Dreamers' Swim and Water Polo Camp Head Coach
Pittsburgh Combined Water Polo Team

http://Rauterkus.blogspot.com
http://FixPA.wikia.com
http://CLOH.wikia.com
412 298 3432 = cell

Fwd: 3rd ANNUAL JAKIM DONALDSON BASKETBALL CAMP 2013

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: City Council District 6 - DISTRICT 6 NEWS
Date: Friday, July 19, 2013
Subject: 3rd ANNUAL JAKIM DONALDSON BASKETBALL CAMP 2013

	3rd ANNUAL JAKIM DONALDSON BASKETBALL CAMP 2013 Sent 07/19/2013 @ 3:50 pm Greetings-   As part of my "Fit in Six" initiative, it is a goal for me and my office to promote a healthier community by encouraging a better maintenance of self and families in an active and healthy lifestyle throughout the district. Thus it is my pleasure to announce that the 3rd annual Jakim Donaldson's P.R.O.M.I.S.E basketball camp will take place from Wednesday, August 14th to Friday, August 16th.    This camp provides open enrollment for boys and girls ages 8-18. This is a FREE camp that has 100 slots available to participate. Please register at the Pittsburgh Allegheny Middle School located at 810 Arch Street in the Northside in order to join.    Volunteers are needed for the basketball camp. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please call 412-258-0506. For more general information on Jakim Donaldson P.R.O.M.I.S.E. basketball camp, please call 412-321-1019.   Regards,   R. Daniel Lavelle
	© 2013 City of Pittsburgh | City Council District 6 | | Having trouble seeing this message? Click here to view it in your browser.

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Ta.
 
 
Mark Rauterkus       Mark.Rauterkus@gmail.com    
PPS Summer Dreamers' Swim and Water Polo Camp Head Coach
Pittsburgh Combined Water Polo Team

http://Rauterkus.blogspot.com
http://FixPA.wikia.com
http://CLOH.wikia.com
412 298 3432 = cell

Guest Running Motivation from one of the best in the world headed to our Summer Dreamers Campers

   810 River Avenue—Suite 120—Pittsburgh, PA 15212 Ph (412) 586‐7785

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Kelsey Jackson, 417‐425‐9400

Sub-4:00 minute Miler Jordan McNamara Uses Social Media to Inspire Kids to Run GNC Live Well Liberty Mile McNamara Serves as Honorary Coach of Youth Summer Running Program

As Jordan McNamara sets new personal records and impresses fans in European races this summer, he shares his excitement through Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. He will use the same social media channels to inspire young runners in Pittsburgh, Pa. who are training for the upcoming GNC Live Well Liberty Mile.  

McNamara will serve as an honorary coach for a youth summer running program that provides coaching, training plans and running gear to 180 elementary and middle school students of Pittsburgh Public Schools. As McNamara travels throughout Europe, he will send instructional and motivational videos to the students who will complete a 5-week training program, as part of the Summer Dreamers Academy.

After the kids complete their training, they will run in the GNC Live Well Liberty Mile on Friday, Aug. 9. Then the students will cheer on McNamara, a top contender in the professional heat, and other top American milers.

Last year, McNamara met the kids in the program a few days before the race to share his excitement for the event. The kids challenged him to buy them pizza if he won.  McNamara again will meet with the kids and celebrate their final training run during race week.

“I’m excited to work with the kids this summer and inspire them to get involved with the sport I love,” McNamara said. “It’s important for me to give back to the running community. The GNC Live Well Liberty Mile is an awesome event to introduce new runners to the sport. I had such a great time meeting the kids in Pittsburgh last year, and I’m excited to come back.”

Event sponsor Elite Runners and Walkers and the Pittsburgh Three Rivers Marathon, Inc. will provide the students with new running shoes, socks and a training t-shirt.

“As a rising star in the mile distance, Jordan is a perfect ambassador for the GNC Live Well Liberty Mile,” said Patrice Matamoros, executive director of Pittsburgh Three Rivers Marathon, Inc., the organizers of the GNC Live Well Liberty Mile. “Jordan has a great social media presence and knows how to inspire runners and non-runners alike with his photos and videos. We hope this partnership inspires a new generation of athletes.”

In 2012, McNamara finished second at the inaugural GNC Live Well Liberty Mile with a time of 3:59.1.  McNamara has had a successful summer and has set a new personal record of the 3:34.00 in the 1500 meter in Heusden-Zolde, Belgium.

Follow Jordan’s tips at @LibertyMile and see his videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/LibertyMile.

About the GNC Live Well Liberty Mile
Organized by Pittsburgh Three Rivers Marathon, Inc., the GNC Live Well Liberty Mile is Pittsburgh’s premier street race for all ages and abilities. The 2013 event is an official stop on the inaugural Bring Back the Mile Tour. It’s also hosting the 2013 USA Masters 1 Mile Championships.

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Fwd: [New post] The Education Gap Starts in the Summer

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Hive Learning Network Pittsburgh
Date: Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Subject: [New post] The Education Gap Starts in the Summer

Sarah Jackson posted: "Summer—that idyllic time of pick-up games of baseball and ice cream cones on the front porch. Ha! Summer these days is jam-packed for most kids, with sports schedules, Maker weekends, museum visits, and constructive, guided learning. This exposure is a de" New post on Hive Learning Network Pittsburgh The Education Gap Starts in the Summer by Sarah Jackson Summer—that idyllic time of pick-up games of baseball and ice cream cones on the front porch. Ha! Summer these days is jam-packed for most kids, with sports schedules, Maker weekends, museum visits, and constructive, guided learning. This exposure is a deliberate strategy on the part of parents to keep their kids busy and stem the dreaded "summer slide"—the learning backslide that happens in the summer months. Yet not all children are heading to museums and camp. Many families simply can't afford to send their kids to these events, or their schedules don't coincide with work, or there is no transportation to get to and fro. In fact, the famous "summer brain drain" is not universal. Low-income and disadvantaged children are more likely to suffer from the summer slide. And it is that loss that might in fact be responsible for the growing "performance gap" among higher and lower income children. Researchers in Baltimore found that, during the first five years of schooling, low-income children actually saw greater gains in reading than high-income children. But lower-income students fell behind each summer during the study while the more affluent children continued to gain ground in school. As a result, over time the performance gap widened. Pittsburgh-based researcher Catherine Augustine, who works with the RAND Corporation, agrees. "The main problem," she told WESA, Pittsburgh's NPR affiliate, "is that low income students lose ground, on average, on reading and literacy-related skills over the summer whereas, on average, middle and higher income students maintain where they were in the spring or even gain ground over the summer. University of Pittsburgh child psychologist Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal also finds that students from higher-income areas are having more enriching summer experiences than youth from lower-income areas. But there are other factors at play as well. "High exposure to traffic, to noise, to violence, to things in their everyday environment— lead exposure—it's that stuff," said Votruba-Drzal. "But it's also access to stimulating and engaging conversations with other kids and with adults that are important, especially in the early years, for things like language skill development." Ironically, the impulse in many school districts is to keep kids in school longer rather than focus on summer and out-of-school opportunities to bolster the learning. "Rather than increasing school time," write John Falk and Lynn Dierking in Scientific American, "perhaps we should be investing in expanding quality, out-of-school experiences for disadvantaged children." Creating richer out-of-school experiences was one of the goals for Pittsburgh's Summer Dreamers Academy, a no-cost summer learning camp and one of five school district-run programs in the US that was selected for an ambitious RAND study. The program combines elements of traditional classroom instruction with outdoor activities and other opportunities for "relatively unstructured engagement" with teachers and peers. They're building social and emotional skills through team work, options to choose activities and set personal goals—skills that are important to a strong foundation for learning. Votruba-Drzal said that programs like Pittsburgh's are ideal because they limit the risk of burnout. "If you just continue through the summer [in school], …you end up killing engagement and motivation," said Votruba-Drzal. "So you may be improving test scores, but down the road you may be really shooting yourself in the foot with respect to keeping kids loving school and loving learning." She also explained that the media hype around the "brain drain" concept has been blown a bit out of proportion. Ironically, the parents who tend to be most distressed about, say, enforcing daily flash card drills, are likely to have the least to worry about. "From that standpoint, the extent to which it engenders anxiety in these parents is kind of ridiculous," Votruba-Drzal said. While, hopefully more programs like Pittsburgh's Summer Dreamers Academy will soon pop up in other cities across the country, Votruba-Drzal said parents and educators should keep the bigger picture in mind. "I think it's important with summer setback to have the broader context of what's happening in our country right now with respect to socioeconomic disparities and kids' development and their long term life chances," she said. "It really should be alarming to people." Sarah Jackson | July 17, 2013 at 8:00 am | Tags: Out of School / Informal Learning, Research, summer | Categories: Blog Post | URL: http://remakelearning.org/?p=12031 Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://remakelearning.org/blog/2013/07/17/the-education-gap-starts-in-the-summer/

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Mark Rauterkus       Mark.Rauterkus@gmail.com    
PPS Summer Dreamers' Swim and Water Polo Camp Head Coach
Pittsburgh Combined Water Polo Team

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