Co-

Op

NSCC PARENT ADVISORY COUNCIL

COMMUNITY NEWS

MAY 2013

REMEMBERING VAL DONATO

Acclaimed NSCC Parent Educator Will Be Missed

Continued on Page 2

Val Donato, full-time faculty and former Parent Education coordinator at the College, passed away at her home on

Sunday, April 21, after a courageous battle with cancer. She continued teaching her online parent education class up

until a few weeks before her death.

Val was hired as a part-time instructor at North in 1974 when her children

attended the cooperative preschool at NSCC, which is still in existence to-

day. She became a full-time, tenure-track faculty member in 1992 and

achieved tenure three years later. Marcia Shaw, from Health and Human Ser-

vices, shared the news of Val’s passing with the College campus, noting that

Val touched many lives in the early childhood education/parent education

field. “Children and their families were her lifelong passion.”

The announcement of Val’s passing prompted an outpouring of remembranc-

es and appreciations by colleagues on campus and around the state:

Mark Mitsui, NSCC president, wrote: “Val was a moving force and respect-

ed professional in the field of parent education. Her dedication to her disci-

pline and her students is well known and admired across the state and nation.

She transformed the lives of many students and parents; and, by transforming

their lives, she created a brighter future for generations of children and the communities where they grew up. Her in-

fluence was such that her legacy will span both time and distance. Our condolences go out to her family, and we also

extend our thanks to them for sharing Val with us so generously for so many years.”

“In addition to all the extraordinary dedication that Val gave to the Parent

Education program at North, Val was a leader in the statewide organization

for parent education (OPEP),” noted Vice President for Instruction Mary

Ellen O’Keeffe. “Her colleagues across the state sought out her expertise

on policies that governed parent education programs. Val was also a wealth

of information on resources to help us, as grandparents, give our children

advice that empowered them in their parenting roles. Val was always eager

to help. I will miss her honesty and commitment to parent education.”

IN THIS ISSUE:

Remembering Val Donato 1

Calendar of Events 2

2013-2014 Co-Op Openings 2

Volunteer to Advocate for Kids 3

August Parent Lecture 3

Get Outside - Ideas from Nancy Blakey 4

REMEMBERING VAL DONATO - Continued from Page 1

Mary Margaret Brown, a part-time parent education faculty member, spoke of

Val several weeks before she died: “Her knowledge, experience, patience and

‘true grit’ have helped make the NSCC Parent Ed program the blue ribbon

program it is today. I am aware of all the extra time and dedication she has

given, not only to our program at NSCC, but to the Parent Education program

and the Coop Preschool program at the state level…It was through her pa-

tience and guidance that I discovered my own strengths and satisfaction in

working with the parents in our preschools.”

“I have known Val for the 19 years that I have been at North and always loved

our interactions,” wrote Peter Lortz, dean of Math and Sciences. “I also was a

student of hers, as both of my kids went through the NSCC coop system

[formally known as the NSCC Cooperative Preschools]. In many ways, Val

taught me how to be a father, and for that, I am ever grateful. Val’s sphere of

influence in this community is tremendous and can’t ever be truly measured.”

Jack Bautsch, director of Institutional Effectiveness, started working at North

in fall 1973, in the Home and Family Education division where Val taught.

“From the start, Val was a fierce and tireless worker on behalf of parent edu-

cation. The field has lost a champion, but her spirit lives on in the countless

lives she touched — a reminder and exemplar of how one person with passion

can do so much good.”

“I knew Val as member of the Executive Board of the Seattle Community

Colleges Federation of Teachers (now AFT Seattle) way back in the mid-

1990s,” said Ed Ciok. “As a union officer, Val put quality of education and

service to students first. She taught me a lot about what it meant to be in a un-

ion.”

Val’s teaching was both face-to-face and online. Tom Braziunas, director of

eLearning, remembers her as the first instructor he worked with when he came

to the Distance Learning Office in 1997. “Val was a delight to work with –

dedicated, tireless and compassionate with a great sense of life balance and

humor. I loved her gentle and generous laugh…but it wouldn’t get you ‘off

the hook’ if there was something that needed to be done for her students pron-

to!”

Tom continues, “Together with Betsy Bird and then Sandra Looper, Val

taught the fully online Special Topics for Parents of Young Children nearly

every quarter for the past 16 years. With about 20 students each quarter, that

means Val taught more than 1280 online learners who came from dozens of

countries (Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Taiwan, just to name a few) on nearly every

continent, as well as all across the U.S. Val touched lives and brought parents

and caretakers of young children together, ‘building North’s community’

across the world.”

“I will miss Val and her nudges toward always being active toward better

things,” commented physics faculty member Davene Eyres.

In September 2007, the NSCC Health and Human Services Division created

the Val Donato Award to recognize dedicated, hardworking, and outstanding

parent education faculty members. To make a donation in Val Donato’s

memory, please send contributions to the Education Fund via Paypal or visit

the Education Fund Web pages.

Calendar

May

20 PAC Meeting

June

6 Jumpstart Training for New Chairs and Parent Coordinators

August

15 Summer Parent Lecture

September

9 Fall Leadership Conference 20 Fall Scholarship Deadline

CO-OP Openings!

for 2013-2014

Infants

North Seattle (Tue, Wed & Thu)

Toddlers

Broadview North Seattle Northeast Northgate (Saturday morning) Northwest Olympic Victory Heights

Pre 3’s

Broadview Latona Meadowbrook Northwest University-Ravenna Vashon Wedgwood

3-5’s

Broadview Crown Hill Latona Meadowbrook Sandhurst Vashon Victory Heights Wedgwood

Multi-Age & 5’s

Meadowbrook 5’s Northgate 2-5’s Woodland Park 5’s

Volunteering to Advocate for Kids by Kristin King

When I left the co-op preschool system after five wonderful years, everyone suggested I look into volunteering at

my children's school. They were right! It's a great way to stay connected. I help out in the classroom and also took

on a position within the PTA. Every school has some kind of parent-teacher-community group, whether it is called

a PTA, a Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO), or something else. And they are always looking for volunteers - peo-

ple to organize book fairs, keep track of money, throw parties, fundraise, and all sorts of other things. Believe me,

if you want to volunteer, there will be something for you to do!

I wanted my volunteer work to have a broad impact. I wanted

something that could benefit ALL children across the Seattle school dis-

trict. Every child deserves a good education, regardless of income level,

race, ability level, or any other factor. When I look into the eyes of an-

other parent's child, I think to myself, "Well, obviously my child is the

best and most important thing in the entire world . . . but at the same

time, every other child I see has the same potential for love and won-

der as mine."

To help make a difference, I took on a position that most peo-

ple haven't even heard of: advocacy chair (also called legislative

chair). As advocacy chair, what I do is keep the school informed about

political happenings that affect schools. Is there a State budget up for a

vote? A boycott happening? School board elections? Most people

simply don't have time to keep track of it, and so I stay informed and

send a quick blurb every week to the school newsletter.

I pay special attention to state budgeting for schools. Parents

are fundraising more and more to meet basic school expenses like

playground supervision and teacher salaries - costs that the state should cover. According to the Washington State

Supreme Court, the state is required to make steady progress toward fully funding education. That means an addi-

tional $5,000 per pupil by the 2018 school year. That's a ton of money! But it won't happen by itself: parent in-

volvement is key.

The other thing I do is look for opportunities to get other parents excited and involved. For example, one

year, the school district was putting prospective students on a waiting list although our school was underenrolled.

Because the district allocates funding on a per-student basis, this was a big deal for us. I helped organize a group of

parents to go down and explain the problem to the school board, and we succeeded!

My work has been so exciting, and I've met so many people who are as passionate as me about working for

the good of education across the state. But many schools have unfilled advocacy chair positions. So if you plan to

volunteer when your children get to elementary school, consider the advocacy chair position. It's a fun job that

makes a big difference!

If you want to know more, please feel free to email me at kaking2@gmail.com.

SUMMER PARENT LECTURE:

JEAN ILLSLEY CLARKE

Following on last year’s popular parent lec-

ture on overindulgence, Jean Illsley Clarke is

returning this summer for another lecture

on a timely topic. Illsley Clarke is the author

of two recent books: Growing Up Again:

Parenting Ourselves, Parenting Our Children

and Self-Esteem: A Family Affair.

Date: August 15

Time: 7 - 9 p.m.

Location: Faith Lutheran Church

8200 18th Ave NE

Fee: Suggested donation

Get Outside! Ideas from Spring Parent Lecture Author Nancy Blakey

Dog Wash: Start with your own dog, then start a neighborhood business! Fill a plastic pool with wa-ter. Brush the dog first to remove loose dirt and debris. Make a scoop from a plastic gallon milk jug cut on the bias leaving the handle on. Place the dog in the pool and gently scoop water over him. Massage in shampoo. Rinse thoroughly, then towel the dog off with a big old towel. Run before he shakes!

Paint the Town: Small children love this activity! Provide a bucket of water and old paintbrushes of different sizes. Have your child “paint” pictures or words on the driveway or sidewalks, fences, decks or patios.

Night Tag: This is a version of freeze tag. When the person who is ‘It’ beams light from a flashlight onto a runner, the runner is frozen until someone touches him.

Working with Wood: Almost every lumber supply store has a bin or pile of scrap wood they give away for free. Load up the car, supply a coffee can of nails and a hammer and let your child come up with the idea of what to make. Sometimes it is enough for young children to do nothing more than im-portantly nail a few pieces of wood together and call it a go-cart!

Searching for Balls: Go to your local high school when school is out and walk the fields and play-grounds looking for old lost balls. This is much more fun than it sounds. We have done this many times over the years, and found tennis balls, lacrosse balls, playground balls, and baseballs. Even the balls buried in dirt or the bushes for years have value for your dog!

Walk to School: The Japanese do not have school buses. They believe walking to school in the morning prepares you for learning, and walking home after school helps to integrate information. It is a wonderful time to talk with your child, observe the change of seasons, and repair those rough morn-ings that happen to the best of us. If your child rides a bus or school is too far, consider walking to a further bus stop or drive within a few blocks of school and walk the rest of the way.

Rivers and Dams: Do you have a sandbox, or a corner of the yard you don’t mind digging up? This is a wildly messy activity that will preoccupy a child endlessly. Have your child dig interconnecting riv-ers and streams, lakes and channels in the dirt. Fill the rivers with water from a garden house. Make boats to float down them.

Taters in a Tire: Find a sunny place in your yard that is level. Mix equal amounts of compost (or the steer manure mix) with your garden soil. Stack two tires on top of each other and place the soil mixture into the tires. Plant 3-6 seed potatoes into the tires and water the soil until damp. Keep in mind water is important for potatoes to grow nice and fat. When the weather is dry, remember to wa-ter! When the potato plant is established, add another tire and more soil to the stack, taking care to leave some foliage above the dirt. Over the summer as your plant grows, continue to add a tire and soil, spaced out over the growing season. Potatoes will grow along the soil-covered stem as you add the tires. In the fall when the plant looks dead, you are ready to harvest--the best part! Remove the tires and proudly reap the bounty!

Nancy Blakey is a parent educator and author of five books in the Mudpies Activity Book series.