JAK CHAT

Sponsored by Wisconsin Virtual Academy  A tuition-free, online public school option for grades K-12 When students are inspired to learn, they grow more curious. Curiosity, in turn, leads to passionate interests. And those interests soon blossom into full potential—and an exciting future. We’re ready to put this goal in sight for your child. Because it’s amazing what can happen when you’re free to learn. Read more... As a full-time, tuition-free, online public school authorized by McFarland School District for grades K–12, Wisconsin Virtual Academy (WIVA) lets students learn in the ways that are right for them. We combine the research-based, award-winning curriculum from K 12 — America’s K–12 online education leader—with expert teachers and extensive support to provide an outstanding education that meets or exceeds state standards. The key is our individualized approach, which makes the most of each child’s potential. In K–8, students can set the pace to their learning day, guided by hi...

Special Children Need by JAK guest blogger, Amanda Burns, of Racine Hi there. My name is Amanda J. Burns, and I founded Children with Disabilities in February of 2007 inspired by my son who was born with Cerebral Palsy . The goal of this organization is to help fund programs that serve special needs children. These children require a lot of supplies at school and acquiring those supplies can get expensive. The teachers and teacher’s aides that work in the special needs classes purchase a lot of the supplies that are used at school. As there isn’t a budget for these supplies, the cost comes out of the pockets of the teachers and staff. The supplies include such things as laundry soap, tissue, baby wipes, dish soap, and liquid hand soap. Other supplies are school and craft items such as markers, paints, construction paper, and so forth. The children also go on outings that include going to Target, Wal-Mart , and the bowling alley. These outings require the parents and caregivers of the ...

Let it Flow Sponsored by Next Step Goals, LLC Written by Julie O'Keeffe Henzey What a rainy few days we’ve had in the past week. I’ve been in our unfinished basement pulling up fabric runners and mopping up water that inevitably leaks in through the wall each time we experience heavy rains. Box fans have been going full blast and I’ve left the lights on to warm it up a bit. As of today, we’re all good again. Water is amazing because as much as we try to control it, we can’t. Sure, we can dam it up or redirect it here and there, but our planet is covered with rivers that choose their own path, with no human intervention. Funny thing is, it’s the same with stuff that happens in our life. There’s a lot we can’t control. We can’t control when our kids will get sick or when we’ll get a flat tire. We can’t control when our job is eliminated during downsizing or when our mother will do something about her weight . The writer Pema Chodron talks about life as a river and our problems as the...

Springing Forward by Just Add Kids Founder, Paula Herrmann Allow me to be the messenger of this annual reminder.  This daylight savings time has really crept up on me. You? Once again, we need to set our clocks ahead one hour before we go to bed this Saturday night, March 9th. As a mom, trust me, losing an hour of life, sleep, in bed, does not bring me great joy.  I am sure you can relate! At the same time, READ MORE... the extension of daylight into the evening is welcomed. It's amazing the impact that one hour can have on our bodies. Yet instead of being discouraged with the change, think more about a time FOR change, new beginnings: start fresh.  Isn't that always the beautiful thing with life? You can always start afresh with a new day or a new season.  Now if the weather would continue to cooperate (it's amazing what one day of sunshine and melting snow can do). I found myself the past couple of weeks just absolutely in a funk, so I made a change. This one was suggeste...

Snow Day: Little Man by Just Add Kids Founder, Paula Herrmann He's my son. He's my youngest child. And he's alive and healthy...thank God!  I can attribute the fact that he was able to snuggle up on the couch with our puppy on Wednesday's snow day to his bus driver. Only a week ago, his life was nearly wiped out  Read More...  by a driver who flew through our bus stop, apparently completely oblivious to the fact that there was a big yellow vehicle stopped with flashing lights and stop sign, and a group of little people enroute to board, like any other school day at 8:30am. I remember I was a bit miffed at my 10 year old daughter for her deliquency in turning in a project and I was chatting with another parent who was sitting in her van discussing that fact (her son is in the same grade/had the same project).  I saw the bus approach with lights triggered prior to the bus making the full stop and I acknowledged to the kids that it was time to move toward the bus. Casually...

April is Prevent Child Abuse Awareness Month But we've got problems now. This minute. Today. Last week a  JAK-ie  (one of  Just Add Kids  friends, followers, mom) contacted me in a frantic, helpless state.  A young neighbor girl had been sexually assaulted and her own children witnessed the assault.  On top of that, the accused and admitted violator was released back into his home, right next door to his victim. Oh my gosh, what do you do? And you may have heard of this one...a high school gym teacher is charged with child enticement.  This is just what we know in one week in our community. READ MORE... Nothing happens by chance. This past Monday, I got together with the committee behind the Turn the Town Blue Campaign , Kenosha County's collaborative initiative to bring awareness to preventing child abuse and keeping kids safe in conjunction with National Child Abuse Prevention Month .  As we build toward April and the culmination of activities, information and events that wi...

Cave Dweller? Sponsored by Next Step Goals, LLC Written by Julie O'Keeffe Henzey It's Valentine's Day and I'm sorry, but behind all of those boxes of chocolates and bouquets of flowers are some really annoying people! For example, the guy at the check out counter just had a long conversation with the cashier as he paid for long-stemmed roses, even after glancing back to see that I was waiting with my hands full. Those people are so frustrating! This Valentine's Day, make it your goal to love and accept everyone (even those people ) around you "as is", even if it kills you. Which it won't! Read more.... We are wired to label people as either "in our group or "outside of our group" and to treat them accordingly.  To achieve this, we have to look for clues as to whether someone is worthy of membership in our group. Our caveman ancestor would watch a stranger approach his cave and want to know, Is this man going to offer us mastodon meat or...