BreakfastFirst Campaign Success with SPAC

By Catherine Carlton, Endowment Fund Committee Member, 2010-2011 Senior SPAC Delegate

State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson, issued a letter on Wednesday endorsing innovative school breakfast models. Torlakson announced that he is now the Honorary Chair of the Breakfast First Campaign, emphasized that Classroom Breakfast and instructional minutes are perfectly compatible [referencing the prior State Supt./State Controller letter on the subject], and strongly promoted the BreakfastFirst Campaign!

This is wonderful support for school breakfast advocates working to ensure that all children start the day well-nourished and ready to learn through innovative school breakfast models! It doesn't mandate a conversation about breakfasts, but it does go a long way to meet our goal of working to educate the school boards, school administrators, etc. about the benefits of breakfast. State Superintendent Torklakson's letter is below, for your reference. As Honorary Chair of the Breakfast First Campaign, he will continue the effort to support Breakfast First implementation in schools throughout California.

IMPROVING STUDENT NUTRITION AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT THROUGH SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAMS

Dear County and District Superintendents, Charter School Administrators, and Nutrition Service Directors:

I am proud to be the new honorary chair of the BreakfastFirst Campaign. Promoting the School Breakfast Program (SBP) is integral to my Team California for Healthy Kids campaign, which focuses on making healthy choices the easy choices. In alignment with the Team California goal to promote good eating habits, BreakfastFirst aims to ensure that all students are served an optimally nutritious breakfast using innovative models such as Classroom Breakfast, Grab-and-Go, and Second Chance Breakfast. These models are known to dramatically increase participation, bringing the benefits of school breakfast to the maximum number of students.

Research confirms the clear connection between health, learning, and attendance. Healthy children are more successful in school, miss fewer days of school, are more attentive and well behaved, and are more likely to graduate from high school and go to college.

Healthy students not only excel academically, but also are more likely to be positively engaged in social, community, and extra-curricular activities. The implementation of inventive models like Classroom Breakfast links nutrition to our joint goal of increasing academic achievement in school. In most cases, the breakfast can be completely supported by federal and state meal reimbursement. In addition, as former Superintendent Jack O'Connell and State Controller John Chiang shared in a joint letter last year, "As long as the breakfast is served and eaten in the classroom while otherwise allowable instructional activities are underway, the time will not be considered free time by auditors . . . The SBP is an easy way to enhance children's health and improve their academic achievement." The full letter is located on the CDE Breakfast in the Classroom - Letters Web page.

I urge you to expand your School Breakfast Program (especially outside of the cafeteria) to serve the nutritional needs of your students and to strengthen their academic performance. If you would like information on innovative breakfast models, visit the California Food Policy Advocates Web site for the BreakfastFirst Campaign. You may also contact your Field Services Unit Child Nutrition Consultant by phone at 916-445-0850 or 800-952-5609.

Sincerely, Tom Torlakson


The following information regarding the JLPA-MP's involvement with the State Public Affairs Committee can also be found on our website.

Advocacy

The State Public Affairs Committee of the Junior Leagues of California (SPAC) is a non-partisan education and advocacy organization, representing 16 member Leagues, nearly 12,000 members, and millions of fundraising dollars in support for community programs that assist women and families.

Since 1971, SPAC has represented the interest of its member Leagues and the groups or issue areas addressed by Junior League projects accross California to policymakers at the national, state and local levels.

SPAC advocates in four issue areas: health, education, family support, and violence prevention.

The members of the SPAC delegation: 

• ADVOCATE for specific legislation relevant to member league issues
• EDUCATE their home Junior League members
• COORDINATE the exchange of information from community based league projects to policy makers.

Since 1992, SPAC has sponsored six bills, and co-sponsored two bills, that are now California Law; sponsored one California Resolution; and co-sponsored one Congressional Resolution.

Each year, SPAC solicits ideas for potential new legislation by holding its "There Ought to Be a Law" contest.

To learn more about the League's advocacy work, please download the CalSpac brochure, visit the CalSpac website or email the JLPA•MP delegates at spacdelegates@thejuniorleague.org.

Teachers in our Lives

By Valarie Dennis, DIAD Committee

Has a teacher made a difference in your life or the lives of your children? Want to give back to all those teachers that give so much to us? My answer to each of those questions was YES, and that’s why I volunteered to lead the DIAD Resource Area For Teachers (RAFT) event coming up in October. I know that my son and daughter, both teachers in inner-city schools, devote enormous amounts of their personal income to creating meaningful and enriching activities to the students they encounter as the parents don’t have the means to do so. I want to help them in their efforts to give back to an under served community in a time of shrinking state budgets and increasing class size.

If you haven’t heard of RAFT before, they help educators transform the learning experience through "hands-on" education that inspires the joy and discovery of learning. RAFT's products, services and low cost teaching supplies enrich and improve the education of over 600,000 young people each year. RAFT produces innovative "hands-on" teaching idea sheets and packaged activity kits that are created around important concepts in science, technology, engineering and math, as well as reading and art. DIAD volunteers will help them by sorting books, packaging academic kits, and sorting material donations.

If you are a JLPA-MP member and want to join us, save Saturday, October 22 from 1pm to 4pm and look for eNews for more information or go online to the DIAD section of the League website.

Shelter Network - First Workshop

By Amy Hamilton, Shelter Network Committee Member

Shelter Network hosted its first workshop for 2011-2012 at First Step for Families in San Mateo on Wednesday, September 7th - it was very successful! The training included 3 sessions led by Shelter Network committee members in small groups of 2-4 clients - Time Management, Money Management, and Interview Skills and How to Keep a Job.

The 10 Shelter Network clients who attended included one family, one couple, and other individuals. The clients received workshop materials relevant to the sessions (i.e. we provided alarm clocks during the Time Management session). The Shelter Network clients seemed very engaged and asked many questions! One client commented, Great! I am glad that I chose this meeting! Another exclaimed, I'm very appreciative that they have the time to help. Love it!.

I think the Junior League Shelter Network committee members get as much out of the Workshops as the clients! We really feel like we can make a difference when the clients ask questions and tell us their stories. Committee members have been asked to review resumes and give opinions such as what to wear to an interview and whether someone should cover their tattoo.

One of the best parts of the Workshops is the small groups. Each committee member discusses her topic with 1-4 Shelter Network clients at a time. This is a small enough group to facilitate discussions and feedback. We hand out course material and checklists for each topic along with relevant workshop materials including the alarm clocks and calculators. We will hold 10 Workshops during the League year (August, 2011 - May, 2012) - 5 Workshops at Haven House in Menlo Park and 5 at First Steps for Families in San Mateo. It should be a rewarding year!

Four Seasons Fun with My Least Likely Junior League Friend

By Jacquetta Lannan, Provisional Committee

There are hundreds of reasons why I love the Junior League. Making great new friends is certainly at the top of the list.

I met Valarie Dennis within the first hour of our Provisional Retreat. Val & I, along with Catherine Ross Stoll and Rachel Pickworth were mentored by Nina Bailey. We went around the table introducing ourselves. Valarie took a turn just before I did. Her introduction went something like this: I'm Valarie. I love volunteering and used to be very active in the National Charity League with my daughter. My husband and I just move here from Orange County and I just started my new job as a paralegal at Ropes and Gray. I'm surrounded all day by 30-something lawyers. I just can't take any more thirty year-old lawyers! So, I joined the league to meet some like-minded ladies to be my new NorCal friends.

Valarie didn't know that her worst nightmare had come true. It was my turn to do introductions. My introduction, paraphrased, was as follows: I'm Jacquetta. I just moved to Palo Alto to take a new job. Blah. Blah… Something about my poodle Lola. I'm a thirty year old lawyer. And you- directed at Valarie- are going to be my friend!  That is exactly what happened. While Valarie may have been looking for a different kind of friend at the league, she found me too, and we are both better for it.

Now, let’s jump forward several years.... It was a sunny but windy evening in May. I was at the JCC and it was time for the last JLPA*MP General Membership Meeting of the year. Out came Eugenie Atherton. The Endowment Committee was holding a raffle: a big spa day a the Four Seasons. Tickets were only $25. I bought a few tickets. My friend Valarie bought even more. I knew even if I didn't win, that one of my great new junior league friends would take me as a date. Sure enough, Valarie won!

Now, jump forward again to Friday, July 29. It was our day of leisure. I arrived to meet Kim, Valarie's daughter, and her friend Josie. Also, Valarie had invited a work friend, Nikki. We started our day with a little sparkling rose by the pool along with our spa lunch. Valarie put together adorable spa totes for each of us complete with towels, flip-flops, sun block, snacks and a handmade card. We retreated to our cabana where we lounged around until our yoga class began. The Four Seasons arranged for poolside yoga, setting up our mats with towels adorned with flowers. After yoga, we each were indulged with an aromatherapy massage. >We ended the day with cocktails down in Quattro with Valarie's husband Mike. Thank you Valarie for such a great day! And don’t forget to buy Four Seasons tickets at the next GMM!

Member Recognition Awards - September 2011

By Ansley Jentz, Member Resources

Jacqueline von Reichbauer

This month Member Resources has the great pleasure of recognizing Jacqueline von Reichbauer (PR  Chair)  and Michelle Hostrup (Social Media Assistant Chair) who demonstrated inspired teamwork and worked tirelessly to get our fabulous new League T-shirts sourced (major comparison shopping!), designed (worked closely with Kris Spencer-Jones), printed, and delivered. The t-shirts are a fantastic way for us to build the JLPA-MP brand and awareness within the community.

 

Michelle Hostrup

Jacqueline and Michelle started all this in May and worked very hard all summer to ensure the shirts were delivered in time for the League year to begin. From Summer Brill, Communications VP "It was an amazing feat and I feel very lucky to have these ladies on our team!" Way to go ladies!


Thanks for all your hard work and for going above and beyond!