Student Album Nominated for 2011 Grammys

        ArtsWest, a private arts school located in Eagle, announces that last year’s student album Redefinition from Origins Records was entered into nomination for the 2011 Grammy Awards. The album was placed on the First Ballot in five categories including “Best Vocal Jazz” album. Redefinition was released last June and has been played on over 75 stations world-wide and charted on the JazzWeek Radio Top 100.

        “This is an incredible accomplishment for any artist and even more so for individuals with an average age of only 15,” says Jeff Baker, ArtsWest Executive Director and Vocal Jazz Instructor. The Grammy Awards will be held on February 13. For more information about ArtsWest, visit www.artswestschool.org.

Take Your Family to School         

        PTAs nationwide will participate in PTA Take Your Family to School Week to connect families with their children’s school experiences. PTA has designated the week of February 13–19, 2011, to strengthen parent-school partnerships. PTA leaders aim to work with principals and teachers to plan special events throughout the week to motivate parents to step away from the daily grind and into their children’s school.

        Contact your local PTA to find out what parents and families in your community are doing for PTA Take Your Family to School Week.

WHY It’s Important:

•  PTA Take Your Family to School Week gives parents a new perspective on their children’s school day;

•  PTA Take Your Family to School Week lets children know that their families value education; and

•  PTA Take Your Family to School Week provides schools with a new way to invite families into the school and build positive partnerships with parents.

       You can also visit National PTA’s website at pta.org for more information.

Treasure Valley Students Get Moving 

        Over 5,000 Treasure Valley students achieved their fitness goals and earned free Fit for Fun tickets to Wahooz Family Fun Zone in Meridian. Wahooz launched Fit for Fun last fall in an effort to get kids to exercise and to fight childhood obesity by encouraging a physically active lifestyle.

        Fit for Fun was offered through school PE teachers and required students to complete 20 hours of exercise outside of school in October and November. Students, in kindergarten through 8th grade, who completed the program can use their Fit for Fun ticket on unlimited Laser Tag, Max Flight Simulator, and 10 Arcade Tokens. Over 250 teachers also received free Fit for Fun tickets for administering the program. Special congratulations to Hunter Elementary in the Meridian School District for a record 275 students earning Fit for Fun tickets.

        Registration for the next Fit for Fun will begin at the start of the 2011 school year. For information about the program visit www.wahoozfunzone.com.

Seeking Unwanted Vehicles        

        The Dehryl A. Dennis Professional Technical Education Center (under the joint direction of the Boise and Meridian school districts) is in need of your unwanted vehicle. Does it run? Is it totaled? It doesn’t matter. They have 400 students who would love to get their hands on it.

        “Students in the Dennis Center’s Collision Repair and Automotive Technology programs use these donated cars as a way to get authentic work experience,” said Kyle Kallmeyer, Principal. “Once the car is put back together, it is sold at a severely discounted rate to students or community members.” The funds from the sale of the vehicle go toward the student leadership organization Skills USA.

        To make a vehicle donation and for more information about the program, contact Norm Markham at 854-5826.

2011: The Year of Idaho Food        

        The Year of Idaho Food is a grass-roots, year-long, statewide look at the surprising variety of foods grown in Idaho—not simply focusing on the foods themselves, but also on the social, economic, and environmental significance of those foods.

        That’s a lot to put on one menu. That is why the Year of Idaho Food is asking for help from individuals and organizations all over the state. Anyone can contribute stories, photographs, video—anything that explores a connection to food and agriculture in Idaho (to find submission guidelines visit nwfoodnews.com). Farmers, ranchers, restaurateurs, restaurant patrons, gardeners, home cooks, lovers of county fair corn dogs, and anyone else who eats and/or grows food in Idaho are all welcome to contribute.

        Visit www.nwfoodnews.com to read stories and find news updates on the Year of Idaho Food. The website also features a calendar of events, which will list classes, programs, and activities.

Fun with Fruits and Vegetables  

        To make fruits and vegetable more exciting to kids, author David Goldbeck conceived the idea for The ABC’s of Fruits and Vegetables and Beyond. Goldbeck enlisted the help of children’s entertainer Steve Charney to write 26 poems, one for each letter, to introduce these foods in an amusing context. Goldbeck then created a second complementary part to the book that goes beyond the ABCs, providing food lore, history, geography, recipes, jokes, unusual facts, shopping tips, and other appetite- and thought-provoking activities.

Get Your Child Ready for Kindergarten 

        Boise Public Library invites children ages 4–5 years old to bring their parents to the free “Get Your Child Ready for Kindergarten” classes. Parents will receive hands-on experience in getting children ready for reading. The classes are designed to help children and parents learn early literacy skills that help to prepare children for reading success in school. One of the skills will be highlighted each week, and parents will have a chance to practice it with their child during class.

        Families will receive a free children’s book at each of the five classes, and will learn about other early literacy resources found in local public libraries.

        Boise Public Library, Main Library, 9am, Thursdays, February 24–March 24.

        Library! at Cole & Ustick, 11am, Saturdays, February 26–March 26.

        Registration is required at www.boisepubliclibrary.org, click on the Library calendar and search for the class. You can also register by calling the Main Library at 384-4200 or the branch at Cole & Ustick at 570-6900.

Photo Exhibit at World Center for Birds of Prey 

        A new collection of photos that explores the phenomenon of bird migration to the Arctic will be on display at The Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey, February 1 through July 31, 2011.

        “Arctic Wings: Miracle of Migration” features 30 large-format color images that capture the global bird biodiversity abundantly represented in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, an ecosystem that is crucial to the survival of more than 190 bird species.

DID YOU KNOW?

•  Most birds double their weight by adding enough fat to complete a nonstop migration. The average human male would have to eat 53 cheeseburgers a day for a month to reach the equivalent of the number of calories consumed by migrating birds during their short time in the Arctic.

•  An estimated 230,000 shore birds nest on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge during the breeding season.

•  The Arctic Tern makes the longest migration on the planet and will fly a minimum of 24,000 miles in one year, from the South Pole to the North Pole and back.

•  Birds of prey observed in the Refuge include Osprey, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Swainson’s Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Golden Eagle, American Kestrel, Merlin, Gyrfalcon, and Peregrine Falcon.

For more information, visit www.peregrinefund.com or call 362-8687.