Moving to a new place can be difficult. SMAS Student Anne has advice that can help: How to Settle Down in a New City/Country Quickly

Hi, I’m Anne.I have three kids, a 13 year old boy, 7 and 2 year old girls.  I have lived in four countries in the last 10 years - China, Singapore, Australia, and the United States.

I know it’s very hard for your family move to a new place. There are different cultures, different languages, different foods.

Let me share some experience with you that might help you.

First, find a place.
 

The first thing is find a place to live. You will need to consider the following things:

* Distance to the workplace
* School
* Medical treatment, includes dental
* Shops

All things come down to one point, budget.

Usually, companies are  in the busy business districts.

If you are a couple without kids, there are a lot of choices, such as apartments close to your work place, or scenic houses in the countryside.

If you have children, you will have to consider the schools. Remember, a safe, good school district usually is more expensive.

You can always use Google to do some research about rthe area and schools.

Second, school registration
 

Because we want our children to get into routines as soon as possible, instead of just doing nothing at home,we will need to register at the school right after moving into the house.

At the time of registration, the school will ask for a physical examination, so the next step is to find a family doctor.

Third, a family doctor
 

In Singapore and Australia, we can find a family doctor nearby and get a check up. But in the United States, you will need to find a doctor who accepts the insurance company of your employer.

After the children go to school, we can take our time to do the following:

* Get a driver’s license. Usually you will need a local driver’s license if you will stay for over 6 months.
* Buy a car. You will need to rent a car before you buy your own.
*  Find a dentist.
*  Find out about nearby shops, restaurants, parks.
*  Find out after class programs for children.

Each community will have some apps that are convenient for neighbors to contact. For example, nextdoor, to get informed and get involved.

Don't worry too much. Don’t stress yourself out, enjoy the journey of discovering new things. For Families

For children, I understand it was a little harsh for them in a new school, to make new friends. In particular, they also speak languages that you do not understand.

Please tell kids:

*  I love you, I understand your situation.
*  You will learn new languages very quickly and your adaptability is very strong.
*  Believe in yourselves and do your best.
*  Don’t try to please anyone.

Hopes this helps you.

Alt Text:   Monarch butterfly

Thanks a lot. Thank you, Anne!

 

Are you looking for fun for your family on the weekend or over vacation breaks?  Read this advice from ESL Distance Learning student Anne!

Share Some Tips To New Families

Hi, I’m Anne. My family has been living in the Bay Area for 1.5 years. We have three kids, a 13 year old boy, 7 and 2 year old girls.

    We love nature.  We try different parks nearby every weekend.

Coyote Point Park

Walk, run or bike, near the beach! It has  a great playground, boat marina, and CuriOdyssey Museum.

CuriOdyssey Meseum

A small zoo, fun science exhibits.

Crystal Spring Reservoir.(Sawyer Camp Trail)

A huge lake, perfect view.

Half Moon Bay State Beach  (Remember, do not approach or touch wildlife such as seals.)

Picturesque spot for camping & fishing.

Twin Pines Park

A neighborhood park features a creek, two playgrounds, picnic areas & a rec center.

And so on.

These are all places that you can return the same day. We usually use Google Map to search.

    If you luckily have public holiday and weekends back to back, you get a three day holiday. We choose popular places for camping, skiing, fishing…

Remember, popular campgrounds need reservations at least 3-6 months in advance.

Yosemite National Park

Amazing place! There are many things worth doing in different seasons.

Lake Tahoe

Amazing lake with crystal clear water! “Best lake”. We went to Tahoe skiing twice, and we’ll plan for the third time.

You can go to the parks official website to search for the information you want, including campground, hotels, restaurants, weather,etc.

    When kids are in school holidays, which usually are one week to two months, you have more choices. 

 

Holiday camping

At the school entrance and city council you can find generally advertisement. If your kids are not interested in these, use Google to search.

Most camping sites have early bird discounts.

Long trip

We usually do a two to three week road trip, stay in campgrounds which saves money, and fosters children’s social skills and independence.

Hope this helps you!

Thanks a lot.

Teacher Vasyl's morning ESL class prepared a special presentation about making and reaching goals.  They explained the difference between short-term and long-term goals.  They showed the obstacles.  And they showed how to go around the obstacles to obtain success.

Check out their wonderful presentation!

Getting rest is crucial to our health and development.  Our brains work better when we spend time with people we like in places we like doing things we like.  We learn better and faster when we take time off from difficult work and take pleasure in nature, fun, friendship, and hobbies. 

Looking for a way to do that over Spring Break?  Here are some suggestions:

1. Take a trip down the coast on highway 1.  Stop at Pescadero for a bite to eat.  Visit the many beautiful small beaches.  Stop at Pigeon Point Lighthouse and Hostel.  Look for whales at the point.  Visit Swanton Berry Farms.  Finish up at Santa Cruz.  Do the Boardwalk or just enjoy the many beautiful beaches and West Cliff Drive.

2.  Thrill to the amazing wildflower show this Spring.  Check out these Peninsula hikes and best locations for flowers.

3.  Lands End in San Francisco. Check out the beautiful trails, enjoy the views, stroll along Ocean Beach, visit the gift shop at the Cliff House, discover the Camera Obscura, eat great food with great views at the Cliff House (expensive) or eat great food with great views at Louis' (not expensive), explore the Sutro Bath ruins, and if the tide is out, climb on Seal Rock. Lands End is in San Francisco where Geary Boulevard ends and Great Highway begins.

4. Fort Funston. Enjoy trails, views, beaches. and lots of dogs. Fort Funston is a great place for dog walkers or dog lovers. It is also where many hang gliders take off from. If you are very brave, you can try hang gliding. If you are not so brave, you can watch other people soar above the ocean. Fort Funston is not far from Lands End. You can put both together for a great day outdoors. It is on Great Highway near where John Daly Blvd ends.

5. This year, Spring Break falls on the first week of the month, which means many museums will be free.  For more info about free museum days, check out Free museum day SF.

6. Stay at a Youth Hostel - they are not just for young people! There are hostels at Pigeon Point and Montara on the Coast between San Francisco and Santa Cruz. They are cheaper than a motel and a good way to stay in a beautiful place and enjoy the surrounding area. In a hostel, you stay in a dorm room with other people of the same gender (all men or all women) and you share a bathroom. Hostels have a kitchen where you can cook food. This is a good way to save money also. Many hostels may already be booked over break. But it's always good to check and if you like what you see, you can make a reservation for a future visit.

7. Check out Goldstar for half price tickets to all kinds of places, events, concerts, theater, etc.

8. If you have kids and you want them to go to college, take them to Berkeley, Stanford, San Franicsco State or any of the other great college campuses around here. Walk around the campuses. Go in the libraries. Buy an ice cream or a frozen yogourt. Take about college life. Show your kids what college really looks and feels like. Visit the campus bookstore and ask someone for information about how to apply for college. Make college something real and good for your kids.

9. Also good for families: http://www.sfkids.org/. A great collection of information for families - things to do, places to visit, etc.

10. If you like airplanes, visit the Hiller Aviation Museum. Then get a bite to eat at the Sky Kitchen afterwards and watch the planes take off while you sip your tea or coffee.

11. Visit our wonderful national park at Pt. Reyes. Stay at the youth hostel at Pt. Reyes. Hike the trails. Take a kayak out onto Tomales Bay. Grab some food at the Palace Market in tiny town of Pt. Reyes Station and have a picnic out at Pierce Point with the tule elk.

12. Check out SCRAP or the East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse and gather up good stuff for arts and crafts.

13. Spend an afternoon in our own wonderful Downtown San Mateo. Visit the library. Wander through Central Park. Enjoy the fish in the Japanese Garden. Finish with a snack or beverage from one of the marvelous neighborhood restaurants.





Enjoy!

 

AAACE is the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education organization.

This Fall, November 8 to 11, AAACE will have a National Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  People will come from all over the United States to talk about Adult Education.  They will talk about why it matters.  They will talk about how to make it the best possible education for Adults.

Three San Mateo Adult School Student Leaders submitted a proposal to present a workshop about Student Council at the Conference.


SMAS Student Leaders

The three leaders are:


Cristina Munoz Ulrich

Marina Kravtsova

Denise Carrasco

Denise Carrasco - 2015/16 Day Student Council President

Cristina Munoz Ulrich - 2015/16 Day Student Council Vice President

Marina Kravtsova - Student Council Advocate in 2014/15.

Now Marina is our English Learner Specialist and the Advisor to Student Council.  She is not a student anymore.  She is part of the SMAS staff.  At the Conference, she will share from both her student and her staff experience.

These three leaders applied to present a workshop.




SMAS Leaders Going to Conference

Their proposal to talk about Student Council was accepted.

Not many Adult Schools have Student Councils or active student communities.  SMAS is a leader in this area.  AAACE wants other schools to learn about our programs.  Our leaders will explain how we do it.  Other schools can learn from us and create student councils and build active student communities at their school.

Other people will present workshops on other topics.  Our leaders can learn from them and bring back new ideas to help our school.  It is a interchange of information to make Adult Education the best it can be at our school and everywhere across the USA.


Fundraising

It will cost money for the leaders to go to this conference.

The Teachers' Union voted to give them 600 dollars.

The cost is higher than 600 dollars!

To raise money to go to the conference, they will be selling pizza meals - a slice of pizza, a cold drink, and a cookie for five dollars.  What a great deal!


Pizza Sales

The pizza sales will be:

Days by the Flag Pole

Wednesday, October 5  12 noon to 12:30 pm

Wednesday, October 19th  12 noon to 12:30 pm

Wednesday, November 2nd  12 noon to 12:30 pm

Evenings in the Student Lounge

Tuesday, October 18th   8 pm to 8:20 pm

Are you an ESL or GED or High School Diploma Student?

Are you a parent or grandparent or caregiver?

Do you want to be involved in your children’s school life?

Do you want to know more about the California school system?

Do you want to support your children?

 

Then Parent Lunch Bunch is for you!

 

Please join us every Friday at 12 noon in Room 29 for Parent Lunch Bunch.

 

 

At our weekly meetings we will

 

* share our problems

* learn from each other’s experience

* learn about the California school system

* learn about local resources

* support each other

* ask questions

* get information

 

Marina Kravtsova

Bring your lunch and your questions every Friday from 12 p.m. to 12:30 pm in Room 29.

 

This group is led by English Learner Specialist Marina Kravtsova

 

 

Poplar Interchange Project

Updated July 20, 2016

Attention Parents, Students and Staff of SMUHSD

Major City of San Mateo Street Construction Coming

August 2016

Near the District Office, San Mateo High and Adult School.

Hours of Operation: 8:30am to 5:30pm.

Project Duration: August 2016 to end of the year.

The City of San Mateo shared the following information with the SMUHSD and the District team wants to be sure you have the details of this construction project.

During this upcoming fall semester, the City of San Mateo and its contractor will be performing major roadway and median installation work on Poplar, from US 101 to Humboldt. Pedestrian safety improvements will also be performed on Humboldt, Poplar Avenue to College Avenue.  What does this mean for you?

Traffic Delays:

Expect delays and detours. Although the City’s contractor will post detour signage, driving through the construction zone will be challenging. We highly recommend you do the following:

·       Use carpools

·       Allow extra time to arrive to school

·       Plan an alternative route to entirely avoid Poplar/US101 and Humboldt.

·       Have you ever considered biking to work or getting to work via SamTrans? Take advantage of these options if they are right for you.

Limited Parking:

If you park on the streets around the Adult School and San Mateo High, expect greater “competition” for those spots as there will be NO PARKING on Humboldt. Again, allow extra time to encounter these normal construction inconveniences.

Noise and Dust

·       Noise and dust from certain types of construction activities is normal and should be expected.

To learn more about the scope of work and to see a copy of the City’s notice to residents and organizations in the area, visit www.smuhsd.org or click here.

Questions?

Call the City of San Mateo at 650.522.7344.

Meet our New College & Career Navigator:  Patty Villar!

San Mateo Adult School now has something new to help you move forward, one step at a time, to make your college and career dreams come true:  a College and Career Navigator!

What does “navigator” mean?  A navigator is the person who finds the way.  Ships and airplanes and exploration teams have navigators.  The navigator checks the maps and looks ahead to find the best way forward.  Our navigator will help ESL students find the best way forward to college and career.

Who is our new College and Career Navigator?  Some of you already know her.  She is Patty Villar.  She has been our English Learner Specialist, helping students register for ESL classes and giving them orientation tours and taking them on trips to visit College of San Mateo. As many students know, Patty is a very kind and organized person.  She has helped many students at our school.

In her new role as Navigator, Patty will help students with their transitions to career and college.  Her goal is to make their path clear and smooth, helping students map out the best route to their destinations.  She will help students set career and academic goals and find the support they need, on or off campus, to reach them.

She will also stay in touch with students after they move on to college or career.  Sometimes when we try new things, we meet new obstacles.  Patty will be there for advice and support if that happens.

You might wonder about Patty’s own college and career path.  Patty is a “local girl.”  She grew up in San Mateo and went to Hillsdale High School.  She went to the College of San Mateo for two years while working at a bank.  From there she transferred to the College of Notre Dame in Belmont where she got a degree in business and economics.  She worked in the corporate world for a while as an IT person at a consulting firm.  And then she moved into the world of education, working in administrative support at Notre Dame and then College of San Mateo.  As you can see, Patty knows a lot about our local community, colleges, and careers.  Like many SMASrs, she also knows about family.  Patty is a working mom to three sons.

Her new office will be in Room 28, where Distance Learning is now.  Until she is officially moved in, she will be at her usual desk in the Smart Center, where she will help the new English Learner Specialist learn their job.

Patty will be at work during the Summer Break.  In the Fall semester, she will work Monday through Friday, including one evening a week - probably Tuesday evening.  Most days, she will work from 8 am to 4 pm.

Call 650 -558 - 2105 or email her at pvillar@smace.org to make an appointment to meet with her.

Meet Our New College & Career Navigator:  
                                               Patty Villar!

San Mateo Adult School now has something new to help you move forward, one step at a time, to make your college and career dreams come true:  

a College and Career Navigator!

What does “navigator” mean?  A navigator is the person who finds the way. Ships and airplanes and exploration teams have navigators.  The navigator checks the maps and looks ahead to find the best way forward.  Our navigator will help ESL students find the best forward to college and career.

Who is our new College and Career Navigator?  Some of you already know her.  She is Patty Villar.  She has been our English Learner Specialist, helping students register for ESL classes and giving them orientation tours and taking them on trips to visit College of San Mateo. As many students, Patty is a very kind and organized person.  She has helped many students at our school.

In her new role as Navigator, Patty will help students with their transitions to career and college.  Her goal is to make their path clear and smooth, helping students map out the best route to their destinations.  She will help students set career and academic goals and find the support they need, on or off campus, to reach them.

She will also stay in touch with students after they move on to college or career.  Sometimes when we try new things, we meet new obstacles.  Patty will be there for advice and support if that happens.

You might wonder about Patty’s own college and career path.  Patty is a “local girl.”  She grew up in San Mateo and went to Hillsdale High School.  She went to the College of San Mateo for two years while working at a back.  From there she transferred to the College of Notre Dame in Belmont where she got a degree in business and economics.  She worked in the corporate world for a while as an IT person at a bank.  And then she moved into the world of education, working in administrative support at Notre Dame and the College of San Mateo.  As you can see, Patty knows a lot about our local community, colleges, and careers!

Her new office will be in Room 28, where Distance Learning is now.  Until she is officially moved in, she will be at her usual desk in the Smart Center, where she will help the new English Learner Specialist learn their job.

Patty will be at work during the Summer Break.  In the Fall semester, she will work Monday through Friday, including one evening a week - probably Tuesday evening.  Most days, she will work from 8 am to 4 pm.

Call 650 -558 - 2105 or email her at pvillar@smace.org to make an appointment to meet with her.