Growing Up Santa Cruz November 2020

NOV 2020

KEEPING

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NOVEMBER 2020 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

EDITOR/PUBLISHER

Brad Kava, Jennifer Ford, Steve Dinnen

Features

ART DIRECTOR

Zelzi Belle | Christy Shults DISTRIBUTION & SUBSCRIPTIONS

Susan Bernstein CONTRIBUTORS

Lisa Catterall, Deborah Feldstein, Zach Friend, Seb Frey, Emma Gilbert, Gretchen Heimsoth, Carolyn Kelley, Laura Maxson, Nick Morris, Luigi Oppido, Jeanette Prather, Christy Shults, Krista Tankoano, Suki Wessling, Nicole M. Young PHOTOGRAPHER

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Ann Fitts  ann@ growingupsc.com Linda Kay  linda@ growingupsc.com Sophie Veniel  sophie@ growingupsc.com CONTACT US

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P.O. Box 3505, Santa Cruz, CA 95063

12 November Bucket List

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Evenings • Saturday Classes • Birthday Parties

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Start at 4 months in our 94 ° indoor pool!

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Living History

Parenting......................................................................... 4 Ask Nicole........................................................................ 6 Parenting......................................................................... 7 Your Comments............................................................... 8 Tech Talk.......................................................................... 9 Teacher's Desk.................................................................. 10 Healthy Eating.................................................................. 11 A Month of Celebrations................................................... 12 November Bucketlist........................................................ 13 County Scoop................................................................... 14 Birth Matters.................................................................... 15 Cover Story: Boat-Schooling............................................. 16 Inside Education.............................................................. 17 Inside Education.............................................................. 18 Your Home....................................................................... 20 Local Artist...................................................................... 21 Distance Learning............................................................ 22 Family Guide.................................................................... 24 Coloring Page................................................................... 26

We’re asking for help from our readers to keep us printing.

VISIT OUR GoFundMe at gofundme.com/f/keep-growing-up-publishing

GrowingUpSC.com | NOVEMBER 2020

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Editors’ Note Even small changes can make a BIG difference.

Triple P is a scientifically-proven, world-renowned positive parenting program available to families in Santa Cruz County.

Triple P strategies address a wide range of parenting challenges by providing a toolbox of easy-to-use tips.

Find a full schedule of Triple P tips and classes at triplep.first5scc.org.

This program is made possible through a partnership between First 5 Santa Cruz County, Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency (MHSA – Prop 63 funds) & Santa Cruz County Human Services Department.

I n f o r m at I o n : first 5 Santa Cruz County 831.465.2217 triplep@first5scc.org • triplep.first5scc.org

We love the TV commercial that has the guy coming down to what he thinks will be a Zoom meeting in a button down shirt and underwear, only to find that the meeting is with live people on the patio.

It so captures the way we are persevering through difficult and confusing times.

(Don’t even get us started on some of the major national mishaps of our screen meeting life, but if you have some funny stories about Zooming or our new life online, we will print them).

For many, Zoom fatigue is setting in.

We are all getting tired of not being able to do so many things that were a big part of our lives, like hanging out with the people we love or going to restaurants, zoos and playgrounds. That said, California and Santa Cruz are doing better than much of the country because people are following the science of social distancing and wearing masks. Thanks for that.

But the experts say the worst may be yet to come, as people are forced to spend even more time indoors during the winter.

Looking back on the pandemic of 1918-19, it was the second year that killed more people, after many grew complacent and dropped their guard (There’s a great article about the timeline at CDC.gov, under the wrongly-named Spanish flu, which actually started in Kansas.)

Growing Up in Santa Cruz is trying to bring families ways to stay sane and safe during the pandemic. In this issue you will see feedback from the 2020 graduating class at Santa Cruz High about what can be done better in distance learning. Writer Nick Morris started taking pictures of the class and realized

there was a bigger story to be told.

You’ll also get a great list of podcasts for kids by baker and writer Krista Tankoano (owner of the Bookakery), with suggestions for ways to use imaginations more than screens. You can read our cover story by Carolyn Kelley about a family that’s taken home schooling to a new level—boat schooling.

People in our community do so many amazing things.

Writer Suki Wessling goes behind the scenes with the woman who keeps our public schools safe from the virus. It’s an important reference for all parents.

Nicole Young takes on what will be the biggest issue of this holiday season— how can families connect for the most important family time of the year?

Jeanette Prather has a guide for how parents can still take care of themselves while doing so much for their families.

That’s a lot but wait, there’s more, as they say on the commercials. Our computer expert Luigi Oppido answers whether you should buy the newest iPhone, and local politician Zach Friend looks at who is helping to build affordable housing in the county.

We’ve got a new feature coming soon, a column honoring the Teacher of the Month and next month we’ll have our local gift buying guide.

Yes, there’s still more great stuff, but we’ll leave you to find it yourselves.

Thanks for sticking with us during this troubling time and please, please, give us suggestions for what you would like us to cover.

Brad Kava, Jennifer Ford and Steve Dinnen

About the Cover Three year-old Rosie steers her home, a 50ft ketch sailboat, with the help of her father, Brian Kelley.

The Kelleys are raising their three daughters as livaboard sailors and hope to throw off the docklines and sail south next year.

Read their story on page 17 and see more beautiful photos from their adventures.

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NOVEMBER 2020 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

About the Photographer Carolyn Kelley lives with her family on their 50ft sailboat in Santa Cruz for half of the year and in Mexico for the other half. She homeschools her three daughters, is a member of the Santa Cruz Yacht Club, and runs a portrait studio in Live Oak. You can see her work at SoilandSeaPhotography.com

PARENTING Favorite Podcasts for Kids

BY KRISTA TANKOANO

“

We listen to them in the morning before school, while building LEGO, at lunchtime, during bath time, and sometimes for bedtime when I am just a little too tired to read.

I’ll admit we are a little late to the wonderful world of podcasts but during this time of staying home, we have discovered some amazing ones. The list below includes our family’s current favorite podcasts for kids.

Aside from the story and educational side of the podcasts, they have also become something that we can do together or alone when we just need a little downtime. We listen to them in the morning before school, while building LEGO, at lunchtime, during bath time, and sometimes for bedtime when I am just a little too tired to read.

Half of the time when we are listening to the podcasts, Sterling is knee-deep in his latest project and I don’t think he is paying attention and then days later he’ll recall some piece of the story or tie it into what we are doing and I will be amazed at how much he absorbed.

For a point of reference, my son is seven years old. The podcasts below would be good for kids ages 4+.

FAVORITE SILLY PODCAST

Story Pirates

BEST CLASSIC STORIES | FOLKLORE

Circle Round

Average Length: 30-40 minutes.

Why we love it: We have been long time

fans of Storybots and Magic School Bus and Brains On! is kind of the podcast equivalent. It’s perfect for all of the weird questions that kids come up with that we as parents may or may not know the answers to. You can listen to them randomly or search for ones that are tied to current hot topics in your home or class. If you like this one, check out its spinoff podcast Smash Boom Best.

BEST SERIAL PODCAST

Molly of Denali

About:Based on the PBS kids’ show of the same name, Molly of Denali follows Molly Mabray, an Alaska Native girl growing up with her parents, family, and friends. Join Molly and the gang and discover what life is like for a typical kid on big adventures in Alaska!

Average Length: 12-15 minutes.

Why we love it:The serial nature of this

podcast leaves you always wanting to click on to the next episode. Sterling loves hearing about the mysteries Molly solves. I love that these are quick, bite-size adventures that we can listen to in a spare moment. Originally, we had a whole season to listen to and went through it fairly quickly. We have now caught up and have to wait for a new episode every Tuesday which makes it a bit of a treat.

 Krista Tankoano is the Chief Bookworm and Baker at the Bookakery.

The Bookakery’s mission is to promote children’s literacy and help kids and their families explore the world through books and baking. You can check out their Bookakery Boxes at BookakeryBoxes.com.

About: Beautifully adapted folktales from around the world into sound- and music-rich radio plays. Each episode explores important issues like kindness, persistence, and generosity.

Average Length: 10-20 minutes.

Why we love it: We love discovering

timeless tales from around the world and the Circle Round podcasts bring the best of them into our house. As a parent, I love hearing unique stories that have been passed down for generations.

Sterling simply loves them because they are good stories.

BEST SCIENCE | STEM

Brains On!

About: Story Pirates is a group of actors, comedians, and musicians who adapt stories written by kids into sketch comedy and musical theater. Each episode includes the hosts reading word for word a story written by a kid. Followed by the Story Pirates’ adaptation and ends with an interview with the child author.

Average Length: 30 minutes for the current ones, the earlier ones are about 15.

Why we love it: Sterling loves it for the wacky and ridiculous stories that get sillier as the episode progresses. I love it for how it encourages kids to be creative and write their own stories.

About: Each week, a different kid co-host joins Molly Bloom to find answers to fascinating questions about the world sent in by listeners. Like, do dogs know they’re dogs? Or, why do feet stink? Plus, we have mystery sounds for you to guess, songs for you to dance to, and lots of facts -- all checked by experts.

GrowingUpSC.com | NOVEMBER 2020

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ASK NICOLE Physically Distanced but Socially Connected Holidays

BY NICOLE M. YOUNG, MSW

Final Thoughts

The public health guidelines to maintain physical distance, wear masks, and limit nonessential travel are likely to be our reality for a while, but we can still find ways to safely enjoy the holidays—and even discover new ways to celebrate that become family traditions for years to come.  Nicole Young is the mother of two children, ages 17 and 20, who also manages Santa Cruz County’s Triple P - Positive Parenting Program, the world’s leading positive parenting program. Scientifically proven, Triple P is made available locally by First 5 Santa Cruz County, the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency (Mental Health Services Act) and the Santa Cruz County Human Services Department.

To find a Triple P parenting class or practitioner, visit triplep.first5scc. org,facebook.com/triplepscc or contact First 5 Santa Cruz County at 465-2217 or triplep@first5scc.org.

CDC Thanskgiving Recommentdations Lower risk activities I love fall and winter holidays. I look forward to celebrating with lots of food, decorations, gatherings with friends and family, and other traditions. But holiday celebrations in any given year can be hard. It’s a challenging and overwhelming time for many families, especially if money is tight or stress and family conflict overshadow the spirit of joy and giving. In 2020, the holiday season will certainly be different because of COVID-19, but we can still find ways to be physically distanced while staying socially connected with friends and family.

This monthly column provides tips for raising children, based on the worldrenowned Triple P – Positive Parenting Program, available to families in Santa Cruz County. If you have a question or idea for a future column, please email me at triplep@first5scc.org.

Dear Nicole,

Do you have tips for handling family gatherings during the holidays? My partner comes from a big family that celebrates major holidays together. His siblings are tired of social distancing and think the family should get together like usual because “it’s tradition.” Our kids adore their cousins and will be disappointed if we don’t see them at all during the holidays, but I worry about being around so many people. I don’t want to fight with my partner, but I also don’t want to spend the holidays worrying about—or getting—COIVD. What should I do?

Tony

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Dear Tony,

Thanks for your question! Holiday celebrations will need to be different this year to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

As the weather gets colder and (hopefully) rainier this winter, it might not even be possible or enjoyable to hold outdoor celebrations. So this is a good time to develop a plan for safe, healthy holiday celebrations.

Here are some tips to try: Talk with your partner about your hopes and worries about the holidays. Find a time when you’re not tired or rushed so you’re both able to stay calm and present. Start the conversation by saying that you don’t expect to agree on everything but are hoping you can listen to each other and agree on a holiday plan you can both live with.

Take turns describing your hopes for celebrating holidays during the pandemic and any worries or concerns about the family’s health and safety. Focus on listening to and understanding each other’s point of view before responding, and avoid criticizing or dismissing each other’s hopes and worries.

Treat public health guidance as “a neutral third person” in your discussion. Check state and local public health rules and guidance for holiday gatherings and travel, and look at the COVID-19 trends in the communities where you and your family members live.

This can help you and your partner make an informed decision about whether a modified, safe family gathering is possible, or if holiday gatherings are too risky, particularly for family members

NOVEMBER 2020 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

who are at higher risk for severe illness if they get COVID-19.

Be flexible and consider low-risk holiday activities. Although many families start making holiday plans months in advance, that will be tricky this year.

COVID-19 cases could rise again, so plans that are made even a few weeks in advance might need to change in response to heightened health and safety concerns. If the uncertainty about COVID makes holiday planning too stressful, consider choosing low-risk activities that your family will do, no matter what. This is the safest option that will allow you to enjoy the holidays while minimizing the risk for getting sick and missing out on work, school, family time, or other holiday celebrations.

Examples of low-risk holiday activities include: • •

• • •

A holiday meal with only the people who live in your household.

A virtual holiday celebration with extended family and/or friends.

Make it fun by sharing recipes, playing games, or giving family members different tasks like creating a music playlist or planning a virtual scavenger hunt.

A drive-by, no-contact visit with family members who live nearby.

Watching sports events, parades, and movies from home instead of in the community.

A neighborhood “parade” where families display festive signs, decorations, or other holiday items in their windows or yards, then walk or bike (maintaining physical distance) through the neighborhood to admire each other’s displays.

• Having a small dinner with only

people who live in your household

• Preparing traditional family recipes

for family and neighbors, especially those at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, and delivering them in a way that doesn’t involve contact with others • Having a virtual dinner and sharing recipes with friends and family • Shopping online rather than in person on the day after Thanksgiving or the next Monday • Watching sports events, parades, and movies from home Moderate risk activities • Having a small outdoor dinner with family and friends who live in your community • Lower your risk by following CDC’s recommendations on hosting gatherings or cook-outs.

• Visiting pumpkin patches or orchards where people use hand sanitizer before touching pumpkins or picking apples, wearing masks is encouraged or enforced, and people are able to maintain social distancing • Attending a small outdoor sports events with safety precautions in place Higher risk activities • Avoid these higher risk activities to help prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19: • Going shopping in crowded stores just before, on, or after Thanksgiving • Participating or being a spectator at a crowded race • Attending crowded parades • Using alcohol or drugs, which can cloud judgement and increase risky behaviors • Attending large indoor gatherings with people from outside of your household

PARENTING Crazy Decisions in a Crazy Time Can stressed parents also take care of themselves?

BY JEANETTE PRATHER

“

What’s overly emphasized during this pandemic is the in-person versus distance learning decisions that parents are faced with, especially as childcare facilities and private schools open (or have been open), and public schools remain closed. It’s been stated and seems to be the first, sometimes the only, topic of critical decision-making among parents, but what about everything else that we are giving up (i.e. loss of wages, personal time, orderly home, quality family time, etc.) to host not just distance learning but the continuing pandemic, SIP orders, and everything in between? “We make thousands of decisions every day,� writes contributing journalist, Brett Whysel, in a July 14 article for Forbes titled, “‘How Could I Be So Stupid?’ Making Decisions In A Pandemic.�. “Under pandemic conditions, many of these mundane decisions have suddenly become life or death choices. No wonder anxiety is rippling through society. Should we: get needed medical care; go to the park, see friends and family; go shopping; order-in; eat out; or send our kids back to school? Decisions must be made.�

Not only are parents riddled with seemingly simple daily choices, but already stretched schedules and fatigued moms and dads can come face-to-face with juggling long mornings full of zooms, remote work, distance learning, and toddler play.

Showers and personal daily maintenance that once had a set time and routine must be squeezed somewhere in free pockets throughout the day. “In times of crisis, self-care often goes out the window, writes Kristen Rogers, of CNN. “Who talked about self-care during the 1918 flu epidemic, World War II or the fall of Saigon? But this pandemic is different. Life goes on, albeit in an altered state, with parenting duties still piling up. Self-care is necessary, not optional, for recharging one’s batteries

and fulfilling responsibilities.�

Rogers addresses the issue of selfcare, but there is still a plethora of other items parents stick above self-care.

Things like choosing between extra early rising to complete a personal task over carving out time during an already busy day; planning outdoor activities (or any activity outside the house) instead of more screen time; attempting to work remote or choosing between unemployment benefits or paid family leave; maintaining a tidy home; and/ or actual human interaction over more zooms, tend to plague parents as they navigate throughout their days.

Not saying that every parent is having the same type of pandemic experience, but a lot of single-working homes or those attempting to work remotely while distance teaching, especially those with multiple children, are feeling the imbalance of mundane yet crucial decisions sprinkled throughout days on repeat, much like in the movie Groundhog Day. “I want families to recognize that they need to shift their expectations, particularly the ones they hold themselves to,� said Dr. Bruce Perry, an expert in child trauma, during an October 1 webinar for the Facebook group, Pandemic Parenting.

While there are resources abundant for parents grappling with self-care, there’s not a lot of discussion on forging the way through the day-to-days, although it can be construed that one is a direct link to the other--self-care versus overall parental decision-making. “As a parent at this time, it’s easy to feel that you have so many roles to fulfill that you can’t possibly perform any of them well,� advises helpguide.org “But it’s important to remind yourself that this is a unique situation, a global health emergency that none of us has had to face before. Don’t beat yourself up if

Another piece of expert advice is not to try and do everything all at once, and to rather space things out and take your time with tasks. .

you’re not functioning at your usual standard. This can apply to your quality of work, your upkeep of the home, or your ability to keep your kids focused on their schoolwork.�

For self-care, all experts suggest getting plenty of sleep, eating well, exercising daily, and practicing good personal hygiene. “Caregivers also should be sure to take care of themselves physically: eat healthy, exercise and get enough sleep,� writes healthychildren.org in a post titled, “Parenting in a Pandemic: Tips to Keep the Calm at Home.� “Find ways to decompress and take breaks. If more than one parent is home, take turns watching the children if possible.�

Another piece of expert advice is not to try and do everything all at once, and to rather space things out and take your time with tasks. “Your current lifestyle is likely chaotic, so don’t worry about making big changes all at once,� writes

Kristen Rogers. “You can make one little change at a time, so you don’t become overwhelmed.�

While there is no shortage of help and resources out there for over-stretched parents trying to navigate through this pandemic, and to remain solutionoriented, you can read more in-depth any of the articles referenced here. There are also a few communities set up like the Facebook group Pandemic Parents, and its accompanying website pandemicparent.org, that connects people via regular zoom sessions. First 5 Santa Cruz County offers regular classes on several topics and can be accessed here: first5scc. org/calendar/parent-trainings.

Whatever it is you’re trying to work through as a parent in these very unique circumstances, just know that there are definitely others out there experiencing the same or similar things. Sometimes it just helps to know you’re not alone.

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“

More than your response, I look forward to the action you will take during this critical time to put our school district on the right side of history.

Why Celebrate Christmas, but not Chanukah?

Why Don’t Public Schools Close for the Jewish Holidays?

BY DEBORAH FELDSTEIN, A LETTER TO THE SANTA CRUZ SCHOOL BOARD

Dear Superintendent Munro and Members of the School Board,

My children are in the 7th and 9th grades in the Santa Cruz City Schools.

For as long as we have been a part of SCCS, our family, and many others, have struggled every year with important school events, mandatory testing, school pictures, and other conflicts being scheduled during the most significant and widely observed Jewish holidays.

For the Jewish community, holding an important program or required event during the Jewish High Holidays is the equivalent of having an event on Christmas day. Jewish families (and others representing religious minorities) should not be put in a position of having to choose between participating in a school-sponsored program and observing an important holiday.

Yesterday, on Yom Kippur, Mission Hill Middle School had Back to School Night and Santa Cruz High had a Parent Town Hall Meeting. This is unacceptable and unconscionable, especially at this moment in history, when issues of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for all members of our society are receiving heightened attention.

Anti-Semitism is at an all time high due to our country’s “leadership”. The proposed California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC) did not acknowledge Jewish Americans as an ethnic group, and, in its first draft, failed to include antiSemitism as a form of discrimination, while including racism and Islamophobia.

Holidays of observance for all religions should be included in the school calendar and the school staff members and PTA’s should be asked to not schedule any school events on those dates. School districts across the country, with Jewish populations of all sizes, have this as a required operating policy.

I have written to Michelle Poirier and Kat McElwee, as I have every school principal since my children started school. As Superintendent and

Members of the SCCS School Board, it is only with your leadership that a critical cultural change will happen within our community around these issues for the Jewish community and all religious minorities.

More than your response, I look forward to the action you will take during this critical time to put our school district on the right side of history.

To support you in the process of exploring what an inclusive policy around religious holidays may look like, I’ve included examples below from districts around the country, along with two university examples. Many districts close schools on these holidays out of respect for teachers’ and students’ observances. Locally, only Kirby, a private school, closes for the Jewish High Holidays.

While there are varied perspectives about the nature of accommodations, if a single Jewish student is impacted, a conflicting event should not occur (this is the foundation of anti-discrimination policies). Many schools and districts embrace this perspective, as exemplified by published policies regarding the observance of holidays, some of which I have included below.

There have been school pictures, beginning of the year celebrations, testing, back to school events, board meetings, and field trips scheduled during Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and during the first days of Chanukah and Passover every year since my children entered the school system.

As I stated earlier, I have attempted, unsuccessfully, to address this with individual school leadership.A related issue that I hope you will address is the widespread celebrations of Christmas holidays in the classroom and the imbalance in curriculumbased education offering equal representation of all faiths, along with misrepresentation (in my daughter’s

Policy Examples From the Madison Metropolitan School District in Madison, WI: “In order to ensure that all students and families have the opportunity to participate in school activities, extracurricular and co-curricular activities and special events, the superintendent or his/her designee shall also distribute a shorter list of Observances That MayImpact Attendance schools shall avoidscheduling exams, athletic events/contests and other special events, such asassemblies, field trips, and back to school nights on days identified as Observances That May Impact Attendance.”

The list of “Observances That May Impact Attendance” shall be: • • • • • • • •

RoshHashanah Yom Kippur Easter Christmas Eid-al-Fitr Eid-al-Adha Birth of Baha’u’llah Naw Ruz

boarddocs.com/wi/mmsd/Board.nsf/ files/ADCSEH725285/$file/Policy%20 4039%20-%20Accommodations%20 for%20Religious%20Beliefs.pdf The school policy: One manner of accommodating students’ sincerely held religious beliefs is to be considerate of known religious observances when scheduling significant exams/events/activities. face.madison.k12.wi.us/religiousholiday-calendar

6th grade history class, the Jews were referred to as “The Hebrews” throughout the semester by her teacher, even in the case of modern references).

What I know from older members of the Santa Cruz Jewish community is that they have struggled with these issues for

From the Cherry Creek School District in Denver, CO: “The dates listed belowonly include severalmajor Muslim, Jewish and Christian holidays (and Chinese New Year) that occur when school is in session and that may affect student attendance/ participation. For more detailed and comprehensive listing of important dates ofthese and other religions, please use the link below toInterfaith Calendar.

Please be aware of the dateslisted below and do not schedule events, meetings, and major exams during these times.” cherrycreekschools.org/Page/9722 From Ann Arbor, MI public schools: “School district employees may not schedule any of the following during (three star) holidays.” (listed in this link a2schools.org/Page/7795).

• • • • •

Major exams Reviews for major exams tandardized tests Tryouts; for example, teams, plays One-time or major events (proms, graduation ceremonies, homecoming, elections, test simulations, etc.)”

Here are the stated policies from just a couple of universities. Similar policies are publicly available from dozens of universities. gdfs.ucsf.edu/scheduling-avoid-conflictreligious-holidays diversity.missouri.edu/religions/ holidays.php

decades. It is time for institutionalized, district-wide, change.

I, and others, are available to support you in this process. Please let me know how we can be helpful.

Best Regards, Debra Feldstein

Who knows what’s important to families more than family members?

As a community we are deluged with so much information, it’s hard to keep up with what we should focus on. We started our Issues and Debates section to encourage readers to bring up controversial topics and weigh in. So far, we’ve looked at the ongoing construction of the Rail Trail and had sensible debate on whether we should run a train with a bike trail or just a bike trail. We’ve

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NOVEMBER 2020 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

looked at the proposed construction of the new downtown library. We are looking for proposals from you on what we should look at next and we’d love to have your opinions read by our tens of thousands of readers. This month we look at whether other holidays, besides only Christian ones, should be celebrated by the school system. Last month we wondered how we should celebrate

Halloween during the pandemic. We want a variety of informed opinions on all our topics Write yours and it will appear on our community opinion page. In the future we will look at homelessness, water use, and whether schools should open—or whatever YOU propose we study.

Send your thoughts to editor@ growingupsc.com

TECH TALK Do you Really Need That New Smart Phone?

BY LUIGI OPPIDO

“

Apple just released its new iPhone 12 series and if you haven’t noticed, the buzz wasn’t as crazy as it was every other year. Many people didn’t even know that the iPhone 12 had not been released yet and when it did get released, people didn’t seem to care about its features and its updates.When do you buy a new (to you) smart phone?

When do you need a new smart phone?

My rule of thumb is to not fix something

if it isn’t broken. With the way the world is today, it’s smart to save your money when you can and that new iPhone sure is enticing but you probably don’t need it.

Apple has a set design for when their devices will fall into obscurity. People call it “planned obsolescence” and Apple has total control over all of their hardware and software. This allows the company to implement this idea series wide across iMacs, iPads, iPhones, and all MacBooks.

Currently the iPhone 6 is the last

When do you buy a new (to you) smart phone?

When do you need a new smart phone? My rule of thumb is to not fix something if it isn’t broken.

phone to meet this doomed fate. As of last week, the iPhone 6, and 6s are no longer meeting the hardware requirements for updates and will no longer be receiving security updates as of very soon. The new iOS 14 means that some phones are running incredibly slow like yours truly’s iPhone 7+. After I updated my iPhone, I found I needed to plug it in up to four times as often and all of my applications started to run slower than usual. There were lags and hiccups with photos and video. With the new operating system I needed certain pieces of software to run for my business and they would only run with the updated iOS 14. This put me in a pickle with my iPhone 7 Plus which is at the bottom of the list for Apple current-day approved devices. This forces me into a new phone.

Do I buy the brand new phone?

I did when my iPhone 7 came out and it has lasted me over four years. If I were to buy one step down I might be saving

$200 to $300 but in the long run I might be buying a phone up to a year earlier.

When it really comes down to it, Apple knows what its doing and they want to sell you a new phone every two years. You don’t need to buy the new phone unless your applications and the things that you do on the phone stop working. At that point I’d recommend asking a tech savvy friend to take a look at your phone to make sure it’s not user error. Otherwise you’ll be diving into a brand new device that might add to landfill waste and environmental woes. Maybe hold off on that smartphone for a bit.  Visit Luigi Oppido at 1824 Soquel Ave, Suite B. Call him at (831)464-2220. Email at PleasurePointComputers.com or visit his website at pleasurepointcomputers. com. Listen to his radio show every Tuesday at 7 p.m. on KSQD-FM (90.7) and KSQD.org

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TEACHER'S DESK Children are Parched for In-School Learning

BY LISA CATTERALL I’ve learned that terror doesn’t happen because some group of people somewhere like Pakistan or Afghanistan simply decide to hate us. It happens because children aren’t being offered a bright enough future that they have a reason to choose life over death.

– Greg Mortensen, 2009

My feet were dry and dusty. The heat was almost unbearable, and the smell of untreated sewage rolled along the dirt parking lot in clouds. The wall around the school in West Africa was the same dun brown as the dried out earth around it, with sharp metal spikes on top and a chain link door. The guard in full, oldfashioned livery greeted me with a giant smile and ushered me into the courtyard.

An old house with an exposed foundation stood in the middle of the courtyard, with a mud colored building in back and a complex of small mud brick rooms with corrugated metal roofing in the front. I could smell burning trash and sewage as we walked up the steps. The teachers greeted me proudly and showed me their classrooms, where unfinished lumber made desks that sat three or four more kids than they should have. They undid three enormous padlocks, and showed me the school library, which contained all the textbooks our school community had carried over from America,

six laptops, and a special server containing a vast number of academic documents, no internet needed. I had a suitcase full of Montessori preschool materials (we found many more ideas at the local market), textbooks, and 11 more laptops. It was 2008 and the third time I’d found myself trying to build a school in the middle of Africa, amongst impossible conditions on the outside, but lifted up on a plume of unquenchable human spirit on the inside.

Children and teachers will cross an endless desert and sit in the dirt to drink from that fountain of education that is the only slake for our universal human thirst for learning.

The preschoolers were in the mud building out back. There were 40 students in a 12-foot by 12-foot room with no supplies, and the teacher was guiding them through a beautiful singing lesson.

In 1918, while most U.S. schools closed for four months to prevent the spread of disease, Boston schools did not close during the height of the deadly flu pandemic. In Boston, students and teachers sat bundled up, in icy cold open-air, with cups of hot liquid in their hands, and held class. In New York City, classrooms sprung up on rooftops and abandoned ferries, open to the very cold, but safe, outdoor air.

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NOVEMBER 2020 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

“

More than your response, I look forward to the action you will take during this critical time to put our school district on the right side of history.

I once saw a teacher using a rock to draw letters in the mud for her three students, cut off from their distant school in Mali by the Niger River floodplain.

In the year 2020 in America, students and teachers are no less thirsty for knowledge. The assumption that we have become too soft to teach on dusty ground, in heat and cold, in the middle of nature, without our bulletin boards and supply carts and snack machines is false.

Every day we hear about adults blowing up over mask requirements or giving up and throwing parties. Children want and need to be with their teachers every day, seeing their eyes and hand gestures and compassion in person. Schools are the center of their communities. In fact, after the 1918 pandemic, schools were articulated as such as the government reopened them with the new functions of food distribution and healthcare. Children need school, communities need school.Children are not so set in their ways that wearing a

mask or sitting apart sends them over the edge. Teachers are so frustrated with the limitations of teaching through a screen that we will teach in the heat, ash, dust, and anything else the outdoors throws at us. Kids everywhere are thirsty to learn; it is the magic of being a kid. They can learn to be comfortable in conditions some adults can’t imagine, they are adaptable.

My fervent hope is that our leaders in Santa Cruz County and beyond have the faith in our children and teachers, and in our community of thinkers, and in our amazing outdoor spaces, to allow learning to continue in person.  Lisa Catterall teaches STEAM, math, science, and art at Mount Madonna School and is a senior associate of the Centers for Research on Creativity. She lectures and trains teachers and administrators on innovation in education in Beijing, China. Lisa has five children and lives in Santa Cruz County.

HEALTHY EATING Minimize Sugar Impact for the Holidays Have Healthy, Low Glycemic Treat Ingredients On Hand

BY GRETCHEN HEIMSOTH

Recipe

Pumpkin Mouse

INGREDIENTS: 2 cup heavy cream cold, straight out from the fridge (500 ml) 8.8 oz Cream Cheese cold, straight out from the fridge (250 g) 1 cup pumpkin puree, canned preferred (8.8 oz, 250 g) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon powdered sweetener erythritol or monk fruit or xylitol 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spices

DIRECTIONS:

The Holidays are just around the corner.

This year being the challenge presenter it has been, has many of us out of routine, having to think outside the box to recreate workout structure lost by the restriction on gyms during the pandemic. As the holidays approach, it is worth giving them some consideration and having some tools and strategies to keep our sugar consumption to reasonable levels. As delicious and satisfying as sweets are, the effects of sugar on our bodies, brains, and even moods do not go unnoticed.

Familiarizing yourself with some of the newer, healthier low glycemic sweetener options and gluten-free and lower-carb ingredients can help you have the best of both worlds. A little Holiday indulgence and minimal blood sugar shock! Collectively, most of us are aware that sugar raises glucose levels. But refined sugar also starts a cascade in the body, leading to increased cortisol levels and raised estrogen levels. Over time this can lead to broader issues. Luckily, these days it’s not all or nothing. We are not stuck with the likes of aspartame and sucralose anymore.

Sweeteners.

Stevia has become well known. You can find it in powdered form, liquid concentrate, even flavored like hazelnut for a winter mocha. I favor pure stevia extract over isolated rebiana.

Monk Fruit. Monk Fruit extract is the isolated antioxidant this plant makes.

It has no glycemic impact but hits our glucose receptors on our taste buds! It comes powdered and in liquid form.

As well as crystallized, one to one sugar replacement formulas. Monk Fruit tastes remarkably close to sugar if you ask me.

Sugar alcohols. This is where a product like Swerve comes in.

Erythritol. It sounds chemical and unnatural, but it is made through

fermentation and enzymatic breakdown process of certain root vegetables. Swerve is convenient because it is a one to one replacement for any recipe and has brown sugar formulations.

Store your whipping bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for 15 minutes before you start whipping the heavy cream.

Whisk on medium speed for 2 minutes, then increase on high speed and whisk for 2-3 more minutes. It will be ready when firm, stiff peaks form. If you like your mousse softer, you can stop when the cream forms a soft stiff peak; otherwise, beat longer until firm. Set aside in the fridge.

In another bowl, whisk on high speed the cream cheese, pumpkin puree, zero glycemic or low glycemic crystal sweetener, and pumpkin spices. It should not take

more than 2 minutes to get a consistent thick cream.

Gently fold half of the pumpkin puree mixture into the whipped heavy cream and combine gently to incorporate. Add the rest of the pumpkin puree mixture and keep stirring to blend and create a consistent mousse. Cover the bowl with a plate, refrigerate the mousse into the bowl for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Serve in a glass jar, alternate layers of mousse and spiced nuts, currants, or add a drizzle of melted chocolate on top of the mousse. Use a piping bag to swirl the mousse into jars for dramatic effect easily!

Flours.

It can be fun to experiment with the different flavors and textures of the various gluten-free and paleo flour options. From rice flour to one to one gluten-free baking mixes. Almond flour, cassava(tapioca), and coconut flour. Bobs Red Mill makes a reliable one to one gluten-free baking mix. Almond flour lends itself well to many cookie recipes.

Coconut flour is good for crusts and even tortillas. But all of these take some experimentation, and you will play around with different binding agents.

Especially for bread. Eggs if you are open to eating them. Or things like flax, guar gum, and agar-agar.

Also, think of desserts like poached pears and baked apples. But with one of the mentioned zero glycemic sweetener options. If you cannot see yourself going for those, consider basting with honey, maple syrup, or sprinkling with roasty, malty coconut sugar. The three of these are natural, lower glycemic options. And they are all genuinely delicious!! A baked compote with a seed topping instead of the sugar, gluten, and butter-laden crumble topping. Hats off to crumble!!

These options pack more fiber and are no less delicious!!

I wanted to include a simple, indulgent, low glycemic pumpkin mousse to get your repertoire for the season kicked off!! Happy, healthy Holiday eating!

Recipe by Biscuits & Beets

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SUNDAY 1 MAH Community Altars & Ribbons at Evergreen Cemetery 12-3:30pm Stroll through Evergreen Cemetery in a self-guided walking tour of community ofrendas (altars) and view of a community-sourced ribbon installation Recordando Recuerdos. MAH staff members will be onsite to maintain a safe viewing experience.

Masks and social distancing are required.

Daylight Saving Day National Author’s Day National Calzone Day National Cook For Your Pets Day

SUNDAY 8

SATURDAY 14

STEM/STEAM Day STEM represents science, technology, engineering and maths.

“STEAM” represents STEM plus the arts – humanities, language arts, dance, drama, music, visual arts, design and new media.

National Pickle Day World Diabetes Day

WEDNESDAY4 MONDAY 9 Go to an Art Museum Day National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day

TUESDAY 10

International Day For Tolerance International Day for Tolerance is observed on 16 November annually to raise awareness about the importance of tolerance in society and to make people understand the negative effects of intolerance in our lives.

National Candy Day

THURSDAY 5

TUESDAY 3 General Election Day National Homemaker Day

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MONDAY 16

WEDNESDAY11 National Chicken Lady Day National Chicken Lady Day is named in honor of Dr. Marthenia “Tina” Dupree, a businesswoman and motivational speaker.

Dupree’s inspiring story and successful business acumen led to a meeting with President George W. Bush. National Chicken Lady Day is meant to honor Dupree’s efforts to raise educational standards in her community.

Community Ofrenda at the MAH Nov. 2- 7 Take a moment to pause with a community altar (ofrenda). The ofrenda welcomes your stories of loved ones who have passed. Altars are built to honor the dead, welcome them to the living world, and celebrate with the offerings placed on the altar. Stop by the MAH to view the ofrenda and hold space for reflection.

National Bison Day National Deviled Egg Day

National Clean Out Your Fridge Day National Philanthropy Day National Recycling Day

National Pupusa Day National Sundae Day Mr. Sonntag created the dish "after the urgings of patrons to serve something different." He named it the "sonntag" after himself, and since Sonntag means Sunday in German, the name was translated to Sunday, and later was spelled sundae.

MONDAY 2

Day of the Dead The Day of the Dead (el Día de los Muertos), is a Mexican holiday where families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives for a brief reunion that includes food, drink and celebration

SUNDAY 15

Ensamble Musical de Senderos musical performance Bring the beautiful music of Día de Muertos to your home thanks to Ensamble Musical de Senderos in a pre-recorded musical performance filmed at Evergreen Cemetery. The video will be posted here on November 5th for you to enjoy and share. santacruzmah.org/blog/dia-2020 American Football Day International Stout Day National Hot Sauce Day National Love Your Red Hair Day

FRIDAY 6

TUESDAY 17 Veterans Day When first celebrated as Armistice Day, the day marked the end of World War I, formally recognized on the “11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month” in 1918.

Today we continue to celebrate the day as Veterans Day, still recognizing the original tie with November 11 and honoring those who served.

THURSDAY 12 National Happy Hour Day

National Nachos Day National Team Manager Day

FRIDAY 13

SATURDAY 7

National Hug a Musician Day World Kindness Day World Kindness Day is to highlight good deeds in the community focusing on the positive power and the common thread of kindness which binds us. Kindness is a fundamental part of the human condition which bridges the divides of race, religion, politics, gender and zip codes.

National Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day

NOVEMBER 2020 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

National Baklava Day National Hiking Day National Homemade Bread Day

WEDNESDAY18 Minnie & Mickey Mouse’s Birthday National Princess Day

THURSDAY 19 National Camp Day National Rural Health Day

FRIDAY 20 Future Teachers of America Day Even as children we knew there was great power in being a teacher. Remember playing school and fighting over who was going to lead the group? Celebrate just how great teachers are.

National Pay Back Your Parents Day

THURSDAY 26 WEEK LONG NOV 10-16

National Split Pea Soup Week

NOV 11-17 World Antibiotic Awareness Week

NOV 17-23 GERD Awareness Week

MONTH LONG Transgender Day of Remembrance A day to memorialize those who have been murdered as a result of transphobia. It is a day to draw attention to the continued violence endured by transgender people.

IMG: Jacobs, Ethan. "Remembering Rita Hester."

EDGE Media Network.

Universal Children's Day

SATURDAY 21 Great American Smokeout The Great American Smokeout is an annual intervention event on the third Thursday of November by the American Cancer Society.

Approximately 40 million American adults still smoke, and tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the country.

International Survivors of Suicide Day

SUNDAY 22 Go For A Ride Day Go For A Ride Day encourages you to get out into the world – hop on your bike, into your car, or simply get your walking boots out of storage and go on a trip.

MONDAY 23 National Adoption Day Did you know that last year alone, 4,000 adoptions were finalized on the Saturday before Thanksgiving? Events are held all over the country to celebrate this holiday — during which communities and courts join efforts to find the right families for children in the foster care system. Let’s celebrate National Adoption Day as thousands of foster children are welcomed into their forever homes!

National Espresso Day

WEDNESDAY25 International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women The premise of the day is to raise awareness of the fact that women around the world are subject to rape, domestic violence and other forms of violence; furthermore, one of the aims of the day is to highlight that the scale and true nature of the issue is often hidden.

Thanksgiving Celebrates the harvest and other blessings of the past year.

National Day of Mourning National Family Health History Day World Lewis Day World Lewis Day, observed November 26, serves to raise awareness about the hundreds of koalas who have passed or have been displaced due to the recent Australian bushfires, and encourages people to donate to charity groups working to help them in anyway they can.

FRIDAY 27 Black Friday

SATURDAY 28 Small Business Saturday Small Business Saturday is an American shopping holiday held during the Saturday after US Thanksgiving during one of the busiest shopping periods of the year. Support your local artisans and businesses this holiday season, and all through the year!

National French Toast Day

SUNDAY 29 National Lemon Cream Pie Day

MONDAY 30 Cyber Monday GUiSC will attempt to update the calendar listings as needed; however, it is the responsibility of the organization listed to provide updated information.

GUiSC assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. Readers are encouraged to check the accuracy of the information provided. Events that are free or cost less than $10 can be submitted for inclusion in the calendar. GUiSC does not guarantee that a submitted event will automatically be included. Preference is given for events of interest to children and/or parents. Calendar entries must be received by the 15th of the month prior to the month of the event. Calendar entries and photos will be selected by the Calendar Editor. Please email christy@growingupsc.com.

Banana Pudding Lovers Month National Alzheimer’s Disease Month National Diabetes Month National Epilepsy Awareness Month National Family Caregivers Month National Fun with Fondue Month National Healthy Skin Month National Novel Writing Month National Peanut Butter Lovers Month National Pepper Month National Scholarship Month No-Shave November PTA Healthy Lifestyles Month

RELIGIOUS SUNDAY 01 All Saints’ Day

MONDAY 02 All Souls’ Day

TUESDAY 03 Milad un Nabi (Shia)

WEDNESDAY 04 Karwa Chauth

FRIDAY 13 Dhan Teras

 Fall Picnic in the Park  Pumpkin Spice Treats  Make Caramel Apples  Play in the Leaves  Volunteer with a Charity  Bake a Pie  Donate Food  Write Notes of Gratitude  Make Homemade Soup  Make Apple Cider  Make Kettle Corn  Collect Pinecones  Make a Leaf Rubbing  Enjoy a Nature Walk

Diwali

 Build a Scarecrow  Star Gazing

MONDAY 16

 Apple Picking

SATURDAY 14 Bhai Dooj

FRIDAY 20 Chhath Puja

SUNDAY 22 Christ the King

TUESDAY 24 Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib

SUNDAY 29 Advent - first Sunday

MONDAY 30 St. Andrew’s Day Kartik Poornima

MONDAY 30 Guru Nanak Birthday GrowingUpSC.com | NOVEMBER 2020

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COUNTY SCOOP Partnering with Habitat for Humanity On Accessory Dwelling Units

BY ZACH FRIEND, SANTA CRUZ COUNTY SUPERVISOR

“

Michael Construction working on a private ADU. Photo by Mikayla Shults

Cal Dre# 0209111 VMishkin@BaileyProperties.com ValerieMishkin.com

VALERIE MISHKIN REALTOR® Cell 831.239.0504 | Office 831.426.4100 ext. 405

Giving Thanks for Home, Community, Culture,and Resilience in Santa Cruz!

WWW.BAILEYPROPERTIES.COM

14

NOVEMBER 2020 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

There isn’t one simple solution to reducing housing costs. But one promising approach is to increase the number of accessory dwelling units (ADUs).

Throughout California there are discussions about how to address the significant affordable housing crisis. The recent fires also highlight the need for displaced residents to have access to safe and affordable housing. Recent studies done on home affordability have shown that in some coastal communities less than a quarter of people earn enough income to be able to purchase a home in their community and many can’t afford rising rents. Our parents and grandparents also are struggling to stay in the homes they own with a rising cost-of-living.

In fact, there are over 15,000 families currently on the Section 8 voucher waiting list locally. Of those who have received housing choice vouchers, over 400 families have been unable to find a landlord willing to accept the fair market rates offered under the program.

There isn’t one simple solution to reducing housing costs. But one promising approach is to increase the number of accessory dwelling units (ADUs). The state (and many local communities) have been working to provide incentives for increased ADU construction. Over the last few years the County has significantly streamlined the process for building ADUs making it easier for homeowners to design, permit and construct these units. Additionally, the Board of Supervisors reduced permitting fees, streamlined the permit process and created a forgivable loan program (that could cover the cost of fees and even construction in some cases) for units that are deed restricted affordable housing units. Put simply, it’s now cheaper, easier and faster to build an ADU in the unincorporated area.

Even with these changes, cost is still a barrier for many people to build ADUs. Habitat for Humanity, in partnership with the State and County, has some programs that could help.

Habitat was awarded CalHOME funds from the state of California, which allows more flexible financing for homeowners interested in building an ADU or JADU (Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit) on their property for increased rental income, and creation of long-term affordable housing units.

Habitat offers $100,000 of funding per ADU and doesn’t charge for labor. However, whatever difference there is must be covered by the homeowner, either through savings, equity, or a commercial loan. These funds can cover actual construction costs, as well as predevelopment costs such as architectural, engineering, or legal services; permit or application fees, bonding, site preparation, water or sewer development and more. It is

financed as a 30-year low or no-interest loan.

To qualify, households must have incomes at the Low Income, Very Low Income, or Extremely Low Income brackets. Households impacted by an event deemed later as a disaster can have incomes up to 120 percent of these levels as well. For example, the 2020 income limits for two, three, and four-person households are $85,000, $95,600, and $106,200 per year, respectively. That’s 80 percent of the area median income, adjusted for family size. The 120 percent figure for two, three, and four-person households are $105,600, $118,800, and $132,000 per year, respectively.

The homeowner must live on site, but once the ADU is built, the homeowner can continue to live in their home or move into the ADU. New construction, conversions (of garages for example) as well as rehabilitating, repairing, and reconstructing ADUs are eligible activities. Additionally, these ADUs are not allowed to become short term rentals (vacation rentals).

In addition to the CalHome program, the County is making up to $80,000 available at 3 percent simple interest (deferred for 30 years) as a loan to applicants who agree to make their ADU affordable to those making up to 60 percent of area median income for a specific period of time. Through the “My House My Home” program, the County has partnered with Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay and Senior Network Services to assist low-income seniors interested in building ADUs to create extra income and remain in their homes.

The loan is also payable upon sale or transfer. In exchange for participating in the My House My Home Partnership, homeowners will enter into a deed restriction that will require them to rent the ADU or the primary home at a rent affordable to low income households, defined as those whose incomes are at or below 60 percent of Area Median Income adjusted for household size.

As always, I appreciate any feedback you may have on this (or any other County issue). You can learn more from Habitat for Humanity about these programs by contacting familyservices@habitatmontereybay.org or by phone at (831) 469-4663 x14.

 I’m maintaining regular updates on social media at www.facebook.com/ supervisorfriend and during the shelterin-place order I’m hosting regular teletownhalls with County and community leaders on Tuesday nights from 6-7 pm.

The call in information for the town halls is 454-2222 with the Meeting ID: 145384# - you are welcome to speak about this issue during the town halls or you can always call me at 454-2200.

BIRTH MATTERS The Golden Hour

BY LAURA MAXSON

“

It is important not to bathe the baby at this point as the amniotic fluid smell that lingers on the baby’s hands is similar to the smell of the nipple and actually helps the baby to find the breast.

Or maybe not, maybe that was just another in several attempts as the baby works on feeding skills. Babies will often find themselves suddenly staring into their parents’ faces. Both will be mesmerized and drinking each other in with their eyes. This is important work as well, and a big part of their important survival skills.

Those unaware of the value of the golden hour after birth might easily miss this opportunity by taking the lead on attaching the baby or using this time to pass the baby around to other family members to ooh and ahh over. Experience The first hour after birth is known as the golden hour for good reason.

A newborn is at a heightened level of alertness during this time, more alert than it will be again for a few weeks.

Babies are born with an internal checklist for survival that attentive parents can observe while marveling over just how smart their little one is. There is no hurry to get the baby to breast and the reality is that the first attachment often goes a little smoother when the baby leads the way. Immediately after birth the baby goes skin-to-skin now on the outside of the baby bump. Tummy-to-tummy, both baby and mother can catch their breath, as there is no agenda but to observe and fall in love.

The baby’s body should be gently dried (except the hands) then loosely covered with a dry blanket. It is important not to bathe the baby at this point as the amniotic fluid smell that lingers on the baby’s hands is similar to the smell of the nipple and actually helps the baby to find the breast.

Some babies will get right to work squirming their way up toward the breasts, while others will rest for a bit before beginning their breast crawl. Babies can range from quiet-alert to quite vocal. Soft voices and dim lights can help them settle and encourage them to open their eyes and look around. Give them time to get themselves organized. They are safe and warm - tummy-to-tummy and skin-to-skin - until they are ready to get moving.

It might look like babies are not doing anything, but they are going through that

checklist. The baby will begin to salivate in anticipation of their first meal, often making little bubbles in their mouth.

Their mouth will begin to get active, poking their tongue in and out, smacking their lips and licking/sucking on their own hands and fingers.

A baby lying skin-to-skin does not need any procedures, including receiving an injection or placing medication in the eyes. There’s no need to weigh or measure the baby at this point and unless the baby needs help to breathe, they should be left alone.

The newborn will instinctively begin to make crawling motions with their feet and knees helping to move up the abdomen toward the breasts. It’s a big journey for a new baby and it will likely have several starts and stops. Baby is busy, even when the newborn isn’t actively crawling and squirming their way up to the breast; they may take a rest, but it’s a working rest.

Baby will be alternately reaching their hand out and bringing it back to their mouth and tongue as they move to the breast. Eventually they will begin to bob their head about, swiping back and forth, mouthing the skin – looking, feeling, tasting, and smelling to locate the nipple.

Baby will often stare hard at the nipple when it is within reach. There is a little dance of hand to mouth, hand to nipple, then sucking on the hand that is still holding on to the nipple and so on.

Eventually, the baby gets lined up, lifts its head, opens wide and lunges for the nipple. Success!

FREE EVENT

and studies show that giving a baby and parents this time together, undisturbed, for the baby to find its way to the breast helps build breastfeeding success.

Of course, parents can only do what they know or circumstances allow.

Latching adjustments may still need to be worked on as breastfeeding gets established. Emergency situations or other complications can take precedence to a leisurely golden hour. Babies born by cesarean section can also participate in skin-to-skin with a little help and higher up on the chest. Another person can provide skin-to-skin while waiting for the birthing parent to become available and/or help facilitate the skin-to-skin and breast crawl on a parent not able to fully participate on their own due to anesthesia or exhaustion. The golden hour can also be recreated days or weeks after birth providing an opportunity for healing from a rocky start.

Breastfeeding support resources – Birthnet.org Breast Crawl video – globalhealthmedia.org choose “Breastfeeding in the First Hours”

Virtual Meet the Doulas Saturday, November 21, 4pm

Learn about how doulas support families though the birth and postpartum experience during our current COVID19 situation.

Preregister to join our free live zoom event: BirthNetSantaCruz.EventBrite.com

One-stop-shopping for pregnancy, birth & parenting services

www.BirthNet.org

Breast milk is the best first nutrition for all babies! If you are a parent in need of pasteurized donor breast milk for your medically vulnerable baby or a new lactating mother in need of a breast pump, we are here to help.

Call us at 877.375.6645 or visit mothersmilk.org

GrowingUpSC.com | NOVEMBER 2020

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NOVEMBER 2020 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

BY CAROLYN KELLEY  Carolyn Kelley and her family split their time between Santa Cruz and Nayarit, Mexico. They live aboard their 50ft sailboat in the Santa Cruz Harbor and are members of the local yacht club. Carolyn is a wedding and portrait photographer and runs a studio in Live Oak. You can see her work at SoilandSeaPhotography.com

To this day, I’m amazed that we didn’t give up. In January of 2018, we sold our house and moved with our three daughters onto a big ol’ 70s cruising boat with the goal of renovating her and sailing to Mexico.

Naturally, almost everything on our bargain boat was broken before we moved aboard, and, through our own incompetence, we quickly managed to finish off the few things that weren’t.

Within a month, just as we were in the trenches of potty training our youngest, the toilet pump “pooped” out. Soon after, all of the lights began to flicker and, one by one, succumb to a slow corrosioninduced death. The engine stalled in the middle of the harbor, the sail tracks began to slowly and ominously detach from the mast, and the girls enjoyed their nightly game of running around with bowls to catch the water that leaked from every bolt, window, and hatch.

It was, to put it kindly, not the paradise that my husband and I had dreamed of. For two years, we just kept going. We plumbed and potty trained, hammered and homeschooled, drilled and disciplined, until our family routines and the daily projects on the boat became indistinguishable. In fact, I admit that I hardly remember the first two years at all. I had dreams of blogging and taking happy photos out on the big blue. Instead, I was covered in sweat and eating a can of olives in the engine room.

And then, something happened.

It’s like we reached a tipping point of hilariously poorly done projects

“

And then, something happened. It’s like we reached a tipping point of hilariously poorly done projects and unexpectedly entered the realm of having enough experience to start doing them right.

and unexpectedly entered the realm of having enough experience to start doing them right. Instead of fixing things with chewing gum, we began to meticulously plan and execute. Instead of screaming with panic every time we attempted to dock, my husband and I began to communicate with *gasp* calm words. And instead of fearing the way the boat leans when it sails, we began to actually yearn for more wind.

With our newfound confidence came the overwhelming joy of involving the girls more and more, which is when the magic really began to happen.

As a family, we ventured out of the harbor and set our new anchor near the Santa Cruz wharf. We could toss the boards off the boat to paddle over to Cowells, or take a dinghy ride to have dinner on the wharf - which involved precariously docking the little boat, wading through the harbor seals, and climbing the old wooden ladder to the restaurants, always crossing our fingers that a brave seal wouldn’t clamber into the dinghy while we were away (it only happened once).

The encounters with wildlife were each time more exciting and terrifying.

Once, as I was making breakfast with my daughter, we looked up just as three dolphins dove under the keel. We raced to the other side just in time to see them surface and continue on. We exchanged a look and ran to save the burning eggs.

After that, weeks later, as we made the daily commute from the boat to the harbor, we saw a whale off in the distance

curving to the surface every few seconds.

Whale sightings were becoming a common occurrence, but we still stopped every single time. This one distracted us just long enough that we didn’t notice a second one cresting about forty feet from our little boat. The wake stunned me and I accidentally shut off the engine. I grabbed the belts of the girls’ life jackets and yanked them toward me in case of a capsize. The whale continued to surface around us over and over for several minutes. With tears streaming down my cheeks, I droned on about the beauty while the girls attempted to squirm out of my grasp. They were, unsurprisingly, more concerned with my reaction than the actual whale.

As I look back, I realize that my mountains of parental guilt are as unfounded on the boat as they were in a house. As we do our daily chores, they learn about electricity, engines, the physics of sailing, resource management, and most importantly, they learn about hard work and patience. Surrounded by wildlife, they pass the hours feeding anemones and chasing harbor seals off the docks. Their neighbors are circumnavigators, fishermen, and charter captains from all over the world. At 4, 5, and 7, they can now explore the harbor on their own SUPs and our oldest has sailed around Point Conception twice.

I think back to when I worried about whether we made the right choice and all I can do is chuckle.

GrowingUpSC.com | NOVEMBER 2020

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INSIDE EDUCATION Inside Education Monthly This month two teachers of young children presented about the joys and challenges of teaching online courses for our youngest TK-12 students. Alicia Romero teaches in Live Oak’s dual immersion Spanish/English program, which is a new program this year. It’s quite a challenge, she says, not only to teach the youngest children but to try to develop a new program at the same time. Her students are online for 180 minutes a day, and she is focused on trying to make second language acquisition fun and interactive.

Kelly Liebenthal teaches transitional kindergarten for the youngest set at Santa Cruz Gardens. She points out that the adults are more anxious about the online learning environment than the students are. “They show up to the meetings smiling. This is school for them and they are ready to learn.” The students are online 40 minutes a day, and come once a week to the school campus to pick up materials and pick up books from the library that they have ordered online.

Sita Moon, Maria Castro, and Erendira Guerrero gave a wonderful presentation about the Head Start program. Head Start in stretches to both ends of Santa Cruz County, with the

majority in Watsonville. Because most Head Start is through home providers, the pandemic has had an outsized effect on the program, with current enrollment at about half what it was before. Watch these pages next month for an in-depth article!

Amity Sandage, Environmental Literacy Coordinator at Santa Cruz County Office of Education, and Heather Molloy, Director of the Santa Cruz County Outdoor Science School have found their expertise suddenly of great value in the age of education during a pandemic. Sandage and Molloy have been advocates for the many benefits of outdoor learning for years, and are now in the process of helping schools develop more outdoor learning that can last through the cold winter months. They point out that during this pandemic, inequities that already exist in education are augmented. Although they applaud the use of any outdoor space, they are focusing on helping schools identify onsite spaces to develop. “There are beautiful outdoor spaces where we might be able to support [student] learning.

Schoolyards are the most equitable location because that’s where families are used to dropping off their children.”

“

Readers: Each month we feature notes from the Santa Cruz County Office of Education’s “Inside Education” outreach group. Find out what’s going on in education in Santa Cruz!.

Are you a community member who would be interested in getting an in-depth look at our local education system? Contact Les Forster at lforster@santacruzcoe.org to join Inside Education’s next round.

Empowering Students to Shape Their Futures with Confidence.

We always want to do more for teachers and here’s something we can all do. Send your nominations for a teacher who deserves to be honored.

Write us a letter about why this teacher is special.

We will print your letters and choose teachers to receive cash, flowers and a bottle of wine!

How has your nominee gone above and beyond to help your kids?

How have they inspired your kids during the pandemic?

We are looking for teachers of all grades, from preschool to college.

You can even send us a video. Let’s celebrate those who do so much for all of us. Even though they deserve to be paid as much as professional athletes or Senators, this is a something we can all do for them to express our appreciation and deep gratitude.

Send your nominations to editor@growingupsc.com

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NOVEMBER 2020 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

Kirby School is an independent, college preparatory day school in Santa Cruz for grades 6-12.

Join us at one of our upcoming virtual admissions events to learn about our high quality distance learning program, our commitment to tuition assistance, and our new recreation area with an amphitheater, sport court, and outside classroom space.

Visit kirby.org.

INSIDE EDUCATION How the Office of Education Fights an Invisible Invader

BY SUKI WESSLING

“

Jennifer Buesing is a mom who really hopes that her two kids can go back to school soon.

She’s also one of the people in charge of deciding when that will happen.

“Things always seem easier on paper,” admits Buesing, Director of School Safety for Santa Cruz County Office of Education (COE). “You think you have a great plan, but until you actually go to the school and you walk through your day, then we realize that we have some pieces to work out.”

Until March of this year, Buesing had a very different job.

“All of the schools were prepared for a critical incident,” she remembers. “All of our teachers and students were prepared [with] a good safety plan: active shooter trainings, prevention work.”

“And then Covid came.”

One statistic stands out when looking at how quickly the definition of ‘school safety’ changed: March was the first month without a school shooting in the US since 2002. The most feared visitor to a school campus is now an invisible virus.

School safety in the era of Covid

Buesing uses the word ‘pivot’ a lot when speaking about what it’s been like to work on safety in our schools since March.

“Since Covid came I have taken on the liaison position with our health providers,” Buesing explains. “A lot of focus is on children’s social and emotional health during distance learning. We’re trying to make sure that we can reach all of our students either who were at risk before or who are at risk now.”

The COE’s first pivot was when the ‘temporary’ school closure in March became longer-term and then extended through the end of the school year. Plans were made and then revised. Eventually, once schools were declared closed through

the rest of the school year, they could focus on fall. The COE and districts had to put together plans for three possibilities for fall: full distance learning, a hybrid model, or full-time in-person learning.

Three plans for each school and for each program within those schools.

It was a lot to process.

“We’ve been really getting good as a community at pivoting,” Buesing says. “At the SCCOE, we put together a framework for reopening for all schools—public, private, and charter.

We had a team of people and we would go to each school with our checklist to see what the plan is, and of course our three different options. Then we’d provide feedback and necessary changes.”

As her team ‘walked through’ a typical day at each school, they were faced with mountains of details to sort through.

Multiple entrances to one school would be logistically difficult, so they had to choose one entrance and figure out how to close off the others. They had to look at how children were arriving at school— walking, in private cars, or in busses.

Parents of new kindergarteners would have to drop them at the entrance rather than walking them in, as is typical.

They had to look at the accessibility of hand-washing facilities and supplies. They had to look at each and every classroom to see how many children could be seated safely for in-person instruction.

With desks facing forward and six feet apart, “Class sizes will have to be smaller, which is a tricky piece. At the same time that this is happening the state has requested that all school districts reduce their budget. It would be great if we could hire a lot more staff and teachers, but instead we have to be very creative about how it is going to work.”

You think you have a great plan, but until you actually go to the school and you walk through your day, then we realize that we have some pieces to work out.

The crystal ball: back to school for some

Buesing says that now that Santa Cruz County is in the state’s “red” zone, many schools have already started oneon-one and small group instruction for at-risk students. Those students may be struggling emotionally, living in unsafe conditions, or unable to access the Internet for distance learning.

“We’re going to start small and see if we can do it in a safe manner for our students and teachers and the community,” Buesing explains. “We’re dealing with small groups, baby steps first, working out all the kinks, then it will be easier for us to open for full inperson instruction.”

A big piece of the puzzle recently fell into place when the county reached an agreement with Stanford Labs to provide the surveillance testing required by state law. All staff will be tested at least every two months, and anytime on demand.

But there’s still planning to do as the programs ramp up. For example, what will each school do if a child gets sick during the school day?

“We don’t want to send a sick kid to just sit in the front office,” Buesing says.

“There needs to be a concrete plan for who would be the person with an increased level of personal protective equipment.”

Buesing says that her own children ask her and she answers that she doesn’t have a crystal ball. “What I have told my children is when they’re having a hard time with distance learning, my estimate might realistically be after the holidays.”

But she admits that even then, many families might not be ready to send their students back. The county will most certainly finish out this school year with a mix of in-person, hybrid, and distance learning.

Plenty to do right now

In the meantime, Buesing says that even though campus violence is no longer a huge issue in her daily work, students are keeping her plenty busy.

First of all, because teachers are not trained to work with students at a distance, safety training has taken on a new look.

“There is training specific on recognition for signs of abuse or trauma, neglect, what it might look like, ways to report it.”

And even though students are not in school, the schools are still looking out for their emotional health.

“The students are not engaging academically as perhaps we’d like, but the bigger focus is being able to connect with them on an emotional and a social level,” she explains. “My concern is when we’re on the other side of Covid, what is it going to look like for our students?

If they weren’t getting support at home, school was a place for them where they could get support.”

As for Jennifer Buesing herself, at the end of a long day of trying to keep all the students in Santa Cruz County safe, she takes refuge in baking.

“Maybe it’s not the healthiest thing,” she admits.

But like all of us, the people working to keep our community’s kids safe and well-educated are doing what they can to pivot, over and over again, as Covid demands new ideas and flexibility.

Podcast! Interested in hearing the full conversation? Check out our podcast of this interview at tinyurl.com/GUISCPivot2020.

 Suki Wessling is a local writer and teacher and the mother of two college students. Read more at SukiWessling.com.

GrowingUpSC.com | NOVEMBER 2020

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YOUR HOME What to Know about Buying a Home in Santa Cruz

BY SEB FREY homebuyers. With 20 percent down on a $1,050,000 sale price, you’d be paying on a $840,000 mortgage, requiring a household income in the neighborhood of $168,000 per year (pre-tax, assuming you have minimal-to-no other debt payments).

The median price, though, can be a misleading figure. That’s because different houses sell in different months and years. Recently, we’ve seen a greater number of larger homes on larger lots selling. We can thank out-of-town Silicon Valley buyers for that. These buyers are looking for more spacious homes they can live in and work from, with a generous amount of outdoor space.

Craftsman Bungalow in Felton. Built by Michael Construction in 2016.

One of the most popular pieces I’ve written in 17+ years selling real estate in Santa Cruz county is one where I take buyers through the whole process of buying a house in Santa Cruz, from start to finish. But with prices surging to astronomical heights, this real estate market feels so much different than anything I’ve seen before. But what,

exactly, is so different about today’s Santa Cruz real estate market?

To get a perspective, the median sale price for single family homes in the third quarter of 2020 was $1,050,000 – that compares with a median Q3 sale price in 2019 of $855,000 and $900K in Q3 2018.

These pricing levels are obviously putting the hurt on the vast majority of would-be

If you want proof, take a look at today’s market (Q3 2020) versus the two years which preceded it.

Q3 2020 581 homes sold Avg. lot size 74,730sf Avg. home size: 1,892sf Avg. $/sf: 673 Days on Market: 27 Listed Homes: 556

Q3 2019 487 homes sold Avg. lot size: 55,603sf Avg. home size: 1,789sf Avg. $/sf: 593 Days on Market: 39 Listed Homes: 652

Q3 2018 509 homes sold Avg. lot size: 52,191sf Avg. home size: 1,786sf Avg $/sf: 604 Days on Market: 34 Listed Homes: 706 For more information and charts, visit GrowingUpSC.com

jeff myers | owner

Jeff@JeffMyersConstruction.com JeffMyersConstruction.com 831.247.0458

4440 Bain Avenue | Santa Cruz, Ca 95062

20 NOVEMBER 2020 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

As you can see, homes sold in the third quarter of this year tended to have been on larger, more expensive lots (nearly 30 percent larger), and the homes themselves are nearly 6 percent larger. The priceper-square-foot is up about 15 percent compared to the previous two years, but much of that is because the price per square foot does not account for the additional value of the 30 percent larger lots.

Another characteristic of today’s real estate market is that homes are selling about 26 percent faster this year than in the previous two years. This is explained to some degree by the fact that about 12 percent fewer homes were listed for sale in Q3 2020 as compared with Q3 in the previous two years, while the number of homes sold was about 15 percent higher this year. Fewer homes for sale plus more homes selling = a wonderful experience for a home seller, but something akin to misery for buyers.

If you’re actively trying to buy a home right now, let me assure you: you’re not imagining it. There are few homes for sale, and homes are selling very quickly. In fact, in Q3 2020, more homes were sold than were listed in the quarter, in a marked departure from the two years prior.

But in terms of pricing and affordability?

If you’re not looking for a monster home on a monster lot, you’ll probably find that prices aren’t up nearly so much as the median price would indicate. And don’t forget that one thing driving these prices is cheap money. The 30-year fixed mortgage is averaging about 2.5 percent at the time of writing - but in October 2019 that same mortgage averaged 3.69 percent. That means that $500,000 worth of mortgage today costs $1,975 a month – but a year ago, that same money cost you $2,299. In other words, you can borrow $580,000 today for roughly the same monthly cost as $500,000 a year ago.

But in the coastal flat lands, even a small home is still likely to run north of $800,000. For a house that price, you’d need $160,000 cash (plus another $15K or so for closing costs) to have 20 percent down – and who has that kind of liquidity? Obviously, few first-time home buyers will have that saved up, what with the ridiculous cost of rent.

I’m going to let you in on a couple of secrets here:

First, many first-time home buyers get gifted cash from family. Many others take a tax hit and liquidate a portion of an IRA or 401K – but little of it is coming from money folks have just saved up from their day job wages.

The other “secret” is that many buyers – most, probably - will simply come in with less than 20 percent down. It’s not uncommon for a first-time homebuyer to have only 5-10 percent down for their first home. You might think you’d have a hard time getting an offer accepted with a smaller down payment, but what matters more to most sellers is the offer price, not a buyer’s down payment.

Yes, it’s a challenge to buy a home in Santa Cruz, especially in this market.

But having been a part of many homebuying journeys with my clients over the past 17 years, I can’t think of when it’s ever been easy. But if Santa Cruz is where you want to be for the long term, it’s going to cost you a lot more to be a renter over time than to be a homeowner.

Next month, I’ll share some more tips and insights into buying a home in Santa Cruz which may help you make the jump from renter to owner!

 Realtor Seb Frey is the author of the book Get It Sold! Besides selling houses, he gives seminars on important issues for homeowners and does a podcast, and has TV Channels, on Instagram and Facebook. Learn more on his website and reach him at sebfrey@sebfrey.com

LOCAL ARTIST Emma Gilbert AGE 10 | FOURTH GRADE Hi, I'm Emma! I am ten years old, as of Halloween! I like things like riding my bike around our driveway and down in our cul-de-sac, and I also love playing soccer and softball. I also really enjoy playing with my friends and siblings! I love animals, can you guess my favorite animal? It's a Cat! However, my very favorite thing to do is art!! And that is what I’m here to talk about! My favorite type of art is drawing.

Here are a few drawing styles that I like: CARTOON DRAWINGS

I like drawing cartoon types of drawings because it's fun, and interesting to make. For example, the different head shapes and faces are always fun to make!

The next type of drawing is: REALISTIC

I like drawing realistic things because, they always look like something I would see in real life.

But my personal favorite type is: ANIME/MANGA

I love drawing anime because, I like that they look semi realistic and cartoony all in one! Do you ever get artist block?

Here is one way to get rid of art block- go on a nature walk and look at the things around you, when you do this you can see different things and shapes. It helps me get new ideas. I'm so thankful to get to show you all my art!

GrowingUpSC.com | NOVEMBER 2020

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BY NICK MORRIS

 Nick graduated as part of class of 2010, his mother and brother also attended SCHS.He originally intended to only take a couple photos of the SCHS celebration at the Boardwalk, but when he realized he was the only photographer there he felt a responsibility to capture the event for posterity. Every photo has a story and he is on a mission to collect as many of the stories that his collection of photos represent as a way for future generations to understand the times we are living through. The goal is to turn this collection into an exhibition for the community to enjoy after the pandemic ends. If anyone is, or knows of, a SCHS graduate from the class of 2020 and would like to participate please email nickolaidmorris@gmail.com to schedule a phone interview.

What the Students are Saying

“

The pandemic has changed life for everyone and as class continues in the virtual world we should strive to make the experience as good as we can.

Schools remain nearly empty as class continues virtually. Let us not waste the experiences from last spring and instead use them to learn how to improve the quality of distance learning this year.

As part of a project to record this moment in history I have had the privilege of interviewing graduates of Santa Cruz High’s class of 2020 and listening to what they have to say about distance learning.

Three themes that ran through every conversation include communication, structure, and flexibility.

COMMUNICATION Communication provides the foundation for learning both academically and in the social-emotional sense. Teachers’ communication with students should be proactive, not reactive. This means teachers should reach out to students, and counselors, when they notice absences from class meetings online or missing work because these behaviors could signal that a student either does not understand the material or may need support dealing with a personal issue. One student I interviewed admitted the pandemic caused her to experience situational depression that she didn’t overcome until after her government teacher emailed her, her parents, and her counselor expressing concern and iterating his expectations of her. That teacher’s simple act of showing concern via email helped this student realize how to pull herself out of a low point and back into a position to pass her class and graduate.

Communication on the student’s part also plays an important role in successful learning in the virtual world and Trey Williams has advice for students. “My advice I give to students is to stay determined and communicate. Make sure you communicate to your teachers what’s going on. I’m not saying you

have to spill your whole life to them, but communicate with them, I say at least once a week.”

Students can start conversations with teachers by providing feedback on lessons and assignments or explaining how they’re having either a good or a bad week. Equally important as student-toteacher communication is student-tostudent communication. Learning occurs socially and allowing students to learn from their peers, who they most easily relate to, has many benefits.

Student Mia Formente talked about the social aspect of learning and explained how she liked when her teachers “...would do things such as make a group chat for students so that we could all be connected even if we weren’t on a Zoom. And doing that without the students having to make one themselves.

That way everybody’s included.”

Many apps, like the one called Remind, facilitate communication between teachers, students, and parents.

Communication takes little effort compared to the gains and benefits it offers to every party involved.

Teachers, take a moment to reach out to your students and create a safe space where your students also feel comfortable initiating a conversation with you.

STRUCTURE Structure gives students a sense of normalcy during this time of constant unknowns. Routines help physical classrooms run efficiently by establishing norms and expectations and continue to serve the same important purpose in the virtual classroom. Students I interviewed said after a few weeks they eventually settled into a routine that allowed them to balance schoolwork, home life, work, and hobbies. Not all students can effectively budget their time

22 NOVEMBER 2020 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

in a way to accomplish both short-term and long-term goals so incorporating some instructional scaffolds and a little practice will help set up students for success. One teacher I learned about created videos explaining all the work due over the course of the following week and outlined a suggested schedule of how she expected students to use their time to accomplish all the assigned work by the due date.

A student I interviewed who had this teacher said this kind of instructional scaffolding helped them budget their time efficiently even if their own plan didn’t exactly follow what their teacher advised. Mia’s strategy for structuring time involved buying and using a planner for the first time. Similarly, Aria Brauner would start each day by making two lists: the first list included the things that she needed to get done and the second list was all the things she wanted to do. Allowing herself to do something on the second list only if she completed something on the first list motivated her and kept her focused throughout quarantine. With students realizing how little control they have over things, providing some structure in class can ease some of this pandemic-induced anxiety from so many unknowns.

FLEXIBILITY Flexibility in balance with structure allows students to avoid unnecessary additional stress. Because the pandemic has burdened students and their families with immense pressure like we haven’t experienced before flexibility and empathy can also help prevent students from feeling overwhelmed. For teachers this might mean slowing down or not overworking students. Isaiah BrouseJones explained, “We might have a lot of time on our hands during distance learning, but don’t just throw a bunch of homework at kids thinking they’re going to do it. Once you start throwing a bunch of homework at kids, that’s when they start not caring because you’re showing that you don’t care about their time. Care about their time and they’ll care about your time.”

Also, students may not have the ideal learning environment at home so when a teacher gives students a little flexibility it shows to students that they understand no one has ideal conditions in quarantine. Bella Birkhofer best sums this up in her experience, “It took away a little bit of stress when teachers were more flexible with due dates and stuff, when they understand that we’re using Wi-Fi at home, and I have siblings who are in my house too, and it’s a completely different environment than anything we’re used to at school.” Aria echoed Bella’s thoughts and said the physical environment of campus gets her in the mindset to learn compared to in her room where it takes far more effort to have a learning mindset. For students flexibility means learning in new ways and actively finding resources to help you learn because as Bella said, “You’re gonna have to not depend on the teacher as much as you normally would.”

Finding new resources also gives students an opportunity to contribute to class and take ownership of their own learning. Flexibility continues to play an important role in distance learning as the pandemic’s uncertainty burdens students, families, and teachers.

The pandemic has changed life for everyone and as class continues in the virtual world we should strive to make the experience as good as we can. There is no reason to rest or throw our hands up when we have things we can do to improve distance learning. Santa Cruz High School’s graduates of the class of 2020 have been both generous with their time and thoughtful in their feedback and listening to what they have to say will improve the distance learning experience a little better going forward.

If you are, or know of, a SCHS graduate from the Class of 2020 who would like to participate please email nickolaidmorris@gmail.com to schedule a phone interview.

Santa Cruz High School Senior Celebration Seniors Left to Right | Top to Bottom

1. Ivan Guerrero Martinez 2. Aria Brauner 3. Trey Williams 4. Bella Birkhofer 5. Isaiah Brouse-Jones 6. Zayah Osborne 7. Rashonda Rhodes 8. Mia Formenti GrowingUpSC.com | NOVEMBER 2020

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SANTA CRUZ FAMILY GUIDE BIRTH Birth Network of Santa Cruz County

interested in Gateway School to visit, ask questions, and get to know our community!

For more information and to schedule a tour, please call or visit our website.

Santa Cruz birthnet.org We provide parents and professionals with information, education, and advocacy for safe, empowering, joyful birth.

Visit birthnet.org for an extensive listing of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum related service providers. Learn about the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative and become a more informed healthcare consumer. Find registration information on our Upcoming Events webpage for Meet the Doulas and other virtual events. Due to COVID19 recommendations, events such as Bellies, Birth & Babies will be delayed until in-person events are safe. Keep in touch with our local birth and parenting community with Birth Network Santa Cruz on Facebook and Instagram.

Kirby School

EDUCATION

Mount Madonna School

Distant Learners LLC

Capitola 831-246-6212 distantlearners@gmail.com distantlearners.wixsite.com/home We are an in-person, socially distanced, distance learning facilitation, and classwork support program that also includes daily social group activities. Leaders are assisting students in the completion of their classwork and homework, as well as preparing for their day with their virtual classroom. This program allows for the social factor of school with acknowledging social distancing. It’s easy to get lost in the craziness of it all and we are here to help students succeed while having fun! Space is limited. Call or email to schedule a time to check us out!

Gateway School, K-8

255 Swift Street, Santa Cruz 831.423.0341 ext 302 gatewaysc.org The Learning Continues – 2020 marks an important milestone in Gateway’s history – 50 years of providing families with an exceptional educational experience.

Students and alumni proudly embody the school’s values and inspire future generations as Gateway embarks on its next 50 years. Gateway School is a co-ed day school in Santa Cruz, CA for students in grades Kindergarten through 8th. We are a community dedicated to nurturing academic excellence and intellectual curiosity, high character and personal compassion, and individual agency and engagement. We invite all families

425 Encinal St., Santa Cruz 831.423.0658 kirby.org/ Grades 6 through 12 Kirby School empowers students to shape their futures with confidence. Our independent, coeducational middle and high school has been preparing students for college and beyond for over 25 years.

In classes averaging 12 students, teachers are responsive to each learner’s strengths and interests. Our rigorous academic and arts curriculum, intensive study paths, and inspiring faculty challenge each student based on their interests and readiness, rather than grade level. Kirby graduates go on to attend excellent four-year colleges and universities.

These are the questions we are asked most: What are the best places for families to do sports, arts, music, theater and take care of their health with the best doctors, dentists and clinics ? Well, we have the answers right here in our annual Family Guide. This is a great place to start your quest for the best of Santa Cruz. You can cut out the guide and post it on your refrigerator or, realizing we are in a new century, turn to it on our website, growingupsc.com, where all of our guides are posted year round. development of children. Small class sizes, an organic garden, and an animal farm create enriching “whole child” learning experiences that are hands-on and individualized. We provide Strong Core Academics, Excellent Science Curriculum, Art, Music, Physical Theater/Circus Arts, Electives, Ceramics, Archery, Swimming, Leadership, Field Trips, Drama Productions, and more.

Rocking Horse Ranch Preschool

Lic #444400117 4134 Fairway Dr, Soquel 831.462.2702 Rocking Horse Ranch is a play-based preschool located on 3 beautiful acres in sunny Soquel. We are open from 9-5:30 and offer morning, afternoon, and full day sessions. Our outdoor space offers lots of room to explore, including our gardens and many different kinds of animals. Come visit us!

Santa Cruz Waldorf School, ParentChild Classes and Preschool-8th

Pre/K-12th grade 491 Summit Road, Mount Madonna 408.847.2717 MountMadonnaSchool.org With its emphasis on health and COVID safety protocols, MMS offers small class sizes and outdoor classrooms, with inperson, on-campus and remote learning options for students in grades preschool through twelfth grade. At the heart of Mount Madonna’s educational commitment is a focus on forming meaningful relationships and creating transformative growth for our students. MMS strives to prepare well-rounded human beings who get into and succeed in college, learn to value collaboration, and engage with their local communities, nation and the world. The CAIS and WASC-accredited program features a Montessori-influenced preschoolkindergarten, a 375-acre campus, science and technology labs, life skills, marine biology, oceanography, athletics, and visual and performing arts. Bridging tradition with innovation since 1979, at Mount Madonna School each person is supported in becoming a caring, self-aware and articulate critical thinker, who is prepared to meet challenges with perseverance, creativity and integrity.

2190 Empire Grade, Santa Cruz 831-425-0519 santacruzwaldorf.org enrollment@santacruzwaldorf.org Waldorf Education nourishes the whole human being in every phase of development. In Preschool and Kindergarten, children learn through supervised free play, protected from inappropriate intellectual demands.

Elementary school is filled with rich and deep study of the whole of human experience, engaging head, heart, and hands – math, science, and reading, fully integrated with artistic development and bodily engagement through crafts and movement. Waldorf graduates love to learn and are prepared for whatever is to come next. They thrive on solving problems.

Colleges and universities are now seeking them out for their promise, for the whole human beings that they are. Visit our campus, which borders UCSC and is touched by redwoods.

Orchard School K-6

BookakeryBoxes.com Are you looking for at-home activities for your kids? Check out Bookakery Boxes!

Our monthly subscription boxes are filled with picture books, recipes, baking tools, and activities, curated to foster a love of reading and baking in kids, and encourages parent-child activities. Bookakery Boxes facilitate activity-based learning of reading, following instructions, counting, and more. Bookakery Boxes are the perfect gift for preschoolers and early elementary

2288 Trout Gulch Road, Aptos 831.688.1074 orchardschoolaptos.org Orchard School, established over 30 years ago, provides a unique, yet comprehensive K-6 education. At Orchard, we weave together the magic of an extraordinary faculty, a 14-acre campus, and a down to earth philosophy that nourishes and honors the natural growth and

24 NOVEMBER 2020 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

ENRICHMENT The Bookakery

age children! Use the code GUISC10 at checkout for 10% off any length subscription (renews at standard price).

HEALTH Alison K. Jackson, DDS

Children’s Dentistry 7545 Soquel Dr, Aptos 831.662.2900 santacruzkidsdentist.com We provide comprehensive dentistry in a caring environment for children of all ages. We are preventive-dentistry oriented and very thorough in our evaluations and consultations. We have a pediatric anesthesiologist on our premises and are able to treat special, challenging children safely and comfortably under a general anesthesia. We have a 24-hour emergency service available for all our patients.

Dignity Health Dominican Hospital

1555 Soquel Drive, Santa Cruz, CA 95065 831-462-7700 dignityhealth.org/dominicanbirthcenter Dominican Hospital offers the most advanced maternity care available in the Monterey Bay area, combined with the comforts of home. Our Birth Center provides a welcoming environment for families, advanced technology for new moms and babies, and a commitment to a positive birth experience for you. We are a certified Baby-Friendly® hospital, which means we offer comprehensive lactation support, and your baby will remain by your side throughout your stay. And through our partnership with Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Dominican offers a Level III NICU, so families can rest assured they have access to the highest level of care available in the area.

Ultraderm | California Skin Institute

3311 Mission Dr., Santa Cruz 95065 (831) 272-0936 californiaskininstitute.com/locations/ ultraderm-santa-cruz/ As the days get longer, sunnier and filled with outdoor activities you need to protect your family’s skin from UVA/UVB rays.

Remember to apply/reapply a sunscreen with SPF 30 or more. If you have any concerns about the health of your child’s skin, California Skin Institute is a premier dermatology practice in Santa Cruz, Freedom, & Monterey with board-certified dermatologists and specialists helping families with their skin health. Visit our website or call to make an appointment and ask us about our teledermatology options.

SANTA CRUZ FAMILY GUIDE PARENTAL SUPPORT

RESTAURANTS Kianti’s Pizza & Pasta Bar

First 5 Santa Cruz County

831.465.2217 triplep.first5scc.org First 5 Santa Cruz County promotes the healthy development of children from birth to age 5. Parents and caregivers of newborns can contact First 5 to receive a free “Kit for New Parents” with parenting videos, children’s books, information on caring for babies and local resources. First5 also offers parenting support through the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program, a world-renowned program that strengthens families by building positive relationships.

To find Triple P classes or quick tips, visit www.triplep.first5scc.org or www. facebook.com/triplepscc Mothers’ Milk Bank

Valley Medical Center, San Jose 877.375.6645 Mothers’ Milk Bank helps fragile babies thrive by making donated breastmilk safe in cases when a mother’s own milk is not available. Contact us, if you are a parent or legal guardian in need of breastmilk, a new mother needing an electric breast-pump or a lactating mother with extra breastmilk.

1100 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 831-469-4400 kiantis.com Offering Curbside and Take Out for our ENTIRE menu and drinks. NEW! Kianti’s delivery and online ordering for pickup and delivery, including alcohol.

Dine on all three of our outdoor patios with touchless menu options. Our great specials include: Kianti’s Kids Pizza Kits, $3 Per Day Home School Lunch, Family Dinner Special, Happy Hour Monday - Friday 2-5 pm for curbside and dine-in, Bottles of Kianti’s Wine and Kianti’s Vodka, Gin, Whiskey or Rum, gift cards and apparel. Delivery services include Kianti’s delivery, UberEATS and DoorDash. Visit Kiantis.com/virtualfun for Kids Pizza Making Videos, Kianti’s dance tutorials and more!

SPORTS Adventure Sports Unlimited

303 Potrero Street, #15, Santa Cruz 831.458.3648 asudoit.com Adventure Sports Unlimited (ASU) is Santa Cruz’s premier swim school. We teach infants through adults the joys of water and adventure. Our Ocean programs introduce families to our magnificent marine environments through the Big Sur Camping

Trip and Kelp Pickling Class. We explore the world-renown underwater landscape of Monterey Bay through our Open Water Scuba courses. It all starts in our custom-built aquatics facility with our tropically heated pool. We want to make your entry into the water world truly enjoyable. ASU – Come Play With Us! Jim Booth Swim School

Santa Cruz at Harvey West Pool and Watsonville at Duncan Holbert Pool 831.722.3500 jimboothswimschool.com Be a water wonder! From our Little Otters swim class for parents and their babies to Aquaphobics, our adult beginner class, the whole family splashes together at Jim Booth Swim School. Little Otters beginning at age 4 months is a gentle introduction to our 94-degree pools that will make you confident that you are guiding your infant to a happy water experience. Our lessons emphasize quality swimming in an exciting class taught by our caring, well-qualified teachers. The whole family can swim at Jim Booth Swim School.

and empowerment in their bodies, to build self-esteem through success, to open up imaginations, and to feel confidence and joy in their exploration of movement.

Santa Cruz Gymnastics Center, Inc.

2750 B Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz 831.462.0655 scgym.com We at Santa Cruz Gymnastics Center understand how important physical movement is in developing a healthy brain in children. Healthy brain development leads to proficiency in learning and overall confidence to lead a successful life. Our gymnastics instructors take pride in offering gymnastics training packed with a lot of fun in every class!

Each lesson offers a wide range of sensory integration activities through the usage of our gymnastics equipment on the floor, bars, balance beam, vault and trampolines. We offer a range of classes from preschool to competitive teams. Check our website to see what is available for your child today.

Junebug’s Gym

3910 Portola Drive, Suite 2, Santa Cruz 831.464.BUGS (2847) junebugsgym.com JuneBug’s Gym is a place where your child can experience a fun-filled adventure in movement. We have a caring, respectful, and supportive staff that encourages every child in their growth of large motor skills and gymnastics along with social, emotional and cognitive development. Our goals for our students are to help them feel control

is your home hive humming? join our new

Bee Smart Pods Sign up for one or more of our three pods:

• Banana Slug Pod : Tuesday * • Honey Bee Pod : Thursday * • Monarch Pod : Friday * K through 3rd grade • 12–3pm Starts Tuesday, September 8th, 2020 8 weeks = $360 / 4 weeks = $200 10% sibling discount available.

junebugs gym gymnastics junebugsgym

*To insure safety, pod days are not interchangeable.

C A L L U S O R C H E C K O U R W E B S I T E F O R D E TA I L S :

831-464-BUGS(2847) •www.junebugsgym.com 391O PORTOLA DRIVE SUITE 2 & 3 • SANTA CRUZ, CA 95O62

GrowingUpSC.com | NOVEMBER 2020

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COLORING PAGE

26 NOVEMBER 2020 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

On-the-way-tothe-market care.

This Open Enrollment, choose a network with doctors nearby.

When signing up for your health insurance plan this Open Enrollment, make sure it includes Dignity Health. With the most physician locations in Santa Cruz County, it’s easy to find a doctor close to the places you go to the most.

GrowingUpSC.com | NOVEMBER 2020

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