Saturday, July 9, 2011

FREE GED CLASSES

FREE GED CLASSES
Classes offered by El Camino Real Community Adult School. Receive the skills necessary to pass the GED Exam!
Classes will include:
English
Writing
Mathematics

Classes open to students 17 and 10 months years old – Adults
Register Now!!!
Classes begin July 12, 2011
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 p.m.– 7:30 p.m.
6931 Van Nuys Blvd. Suite 201
Van Nuys, CA 91406
For more information please call (818) 786- 4098

From the Mayor's Office

ASPIRE STIPEND PROGRAM 2011-12
Do you aspire to be the best Early Childhood Educator that you can be? The ASPIRE program will put you on the path to improving your practice and furthering your education by providing you with financial and advisement support.

What is ASPIRE?
ASPIRE is a new statewide First 5 CA professional development program for early childhood educators, also known as CARES Plus. Participants will complete a free on-line training regarding the CLASS observation tool, academic and career advisement, and 3-6 semester units of coursework. By doing so, they can earn a stipend of at least $1,000 in August 2012.

Why ASPIRE?
Working with small children is a joy-filled, yet challenging job. You need all the skills that you can get to be your best. Unfortunately, wages in the field are low and it may not be easy to pay the costs of further training and education. That's where ASPIRE comes in. Not only will you receive free training and advisements sessions, but you will get a nice financial boost on completion!

Who is Eligible?
ASPIRE is open to people currently working in the ECE field who are looking to do coursework and training to improve their practice. For more details on eligibility, visit this website after July 8th for an application. Applications will be due in October 22, 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: Teaching staff who qualify for L.A. County's "Investing in Early Educators" Stipend Program (AB212) are not eligible for the ASPIRE Stipend Program. The ASPIRE Stipend Program Application will provide details on who is eligible for the County program. To visit the website for the L.A. County's "Investing in Early Educators" Stipend Program click here.


###

Sincerely,

Angelica Ayala, MPA
East Valley Area Director
Office of Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa
14410 Sylvan St. Room 211
Van Nuys, CA 91401
818-778-4990
818-778-4995 (fax)

405 Freeway try Metrolink Trains

On Friday, July 15, ramps along the 10 mile closure will begin to be shut down as early as 7 p.m., and closure of freeway lanes will begin at 10 p.m. to ensure full freeway closure by midnight. The closure will continue until 5 a.m. Monday morning, July 18. Ramps and connectors will be reopened by 6 a.m.

Metro will provide free rides on the Metro Red/Purple Line subway, as well as on the Metro Orange Line and select bus lines during the closure weekend to further spur transit trips between the San Fernando Valley and downtown Los Angeles. Valley residents are encouraged to park at available park & ride lots at North Hollywood, Van Nuys, Sepulveda, Balboa, Reseda, Pierce College and Canoga Stations, that together offer more than 4,000 parking spaces, and ride Metro to reach their destinations. Walking, bicycling or taking transit to access stations is also encouraged.

Metro will also add a total of 61 buses to normal Saturday and Sunday schedules for eight major bus lines and up to 16 buses to protect late night and owl services serving key San Fernando Valley/Westside routes to accommodate increased travel times. Both the Metro Red and Purple Lines will operate weekday peak period service levels, or approximately every 10 minutes all weekend, with six and four car trains, respectively. The Metro Green Line will also run every 10 minutes throughout the weekend.

Metro will closely monitor traffic congestion on all routes in the I-405 construction area and will make needed adjustments to bus service based on the current traffic conditions. Transit patrons should, however, anticipate longer trip times to reach their destinations and plan accordingly.

Metrolink will supplement its current weekend schedule by offering seven round-trips on its Ventura County Line and nine additional trips on its Antelope Valley Line during the closure weekend. Metrolink will also offer its $10 Weekend Pass, which enables passengers to ride any Metrolink train, as many times as they would like between Friday night at 7pm and Sunday night at 11:50pm for one low rate.

More information on Metrolink service and affordable ticketing options can be found at www.metrolinktrains.com.

DON"T FORGET THIS WEEK's DRIVE Will be worst than usual

405 CLOSED JULY 15-17, 2011
The closure of the I-405 between the U.S. 101 and the I-10 will begin at 7 p.m. Friday, July 15th, and end at 6 a.m. Monday, July 18th.

$500 Grants

Sodexo Youth Grants
Deadline: September 16
YSA will award 25 Sodexo Youth Grants of $500 each to support youth-led service projects in the United States that address the issue of childhood hunger during National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week (November 13-20, 2011). We're looking for projects that engage your peers, friends, families, neighbors, Sodexo employees, and other community members in creative, youth-inspired solutions to ending childhood hunger in your community. Learn more at www.YSA.org/grants/sodexoyouth

More Service Grants from the LA Mayor's Office

STEMester of Service Grants
Deadline: July 15
YSA is seeking middle schools with large populations of disadvantaged youth in the 19 states with highest dropout rates (AK, AZ, CA, CO, DE, DC, GA, HI, IL, LA, MI, MT, NV, NM, NY, NC, RI, WA, WY). Grantees will engage students in a STEMester of Service addressing critical environmental and disaster preparedness needs and connecting them to STEM curricula. The $5,000 grant supports sustainable service projects that launch on MLK Day of Service (January 16, 2012) and culminate on GYSD (April 20-22, 2012). www.YSA.org/grants/stemester

Summer Grants w/July 15 Deadline

Sodexo Lead Organizer Grants
Deadline: July 15
Sodexo Lead Organizers will work with partner organizations to engage at least 600 youth volunteers in learning about and addressing the issue of childhood hunger in their communities, beginning during Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week (November 14-20) and continuing through Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) (April 20-22, 2012). Sodexo Lead Organizers receive a $2,000 planning grant, travel and lodging for YSA's Youth Service Institute, and ongoing training and technical assistance. www.YSA.org/grants/sodexoleadorganizer

July 6th through September 3rd Summer Night Lights

FROM THE MAYOR'S OFFICE

SUMMER NIGHT LIGHTS
Summer Night Lights is an anti-gang initiative that keeps parks open after dark--during the peak hours for gang activity--with free food and expanded programming. By empowering communities and targeting the traditionally most-violent summer months, Summer Night Lights has become a national model for violence reduction. Since 2008, SNL has expanded from 8 parks to 24 citywide, leading to a 57% reduction in gang-related homicides in SNL neighborhoods.

This year the program has expanded to 32 parks. The program takes place from July 6th to September 3rd, Wednesday through Saturday night from 7pm to 12am throughout the summer.

Come out and visit your local SNL Park:
- Delano (CD 6)
- Hubert Humphrey (CD 7)
- Sepulveda Recreation Center (CD 7)
- Valley Plaza (CD 2)
- Sun Valley (CD 6)
- Lanark (CD 3)

For more information: http://mayor.lacity.org/Issues/GangReduction/SummerNightLights/index.htm