FCS FLASH ISSUE 119:  March 23, 2010
Link to Complete FCS Calendar (color-coded by discipline for easy reference)
April 8-10: Long Beach: California Association for the Education of Young Children Annual Conference and Expo
April 9: Westwood: 2010 California Council for Gerontology & Geriatrics Annual Meeting,“Preparing for the Next Generation”
April 16: Downey: Student Culinary/Hospitality Symposium & Competition Online registration for Hot Food and Tablescape Competitors here! Online Registration all others here!
April 16: Downey: Culinary Faculty Professional Development Workshop, Special  Session with Speaker, Ted Russin, Food Scientist, CP Kelco
April 29-May 1: Costa Mesa: Business Education Statewide Advisory Committee, of particular interest to Fashion Merchandising Faculty, only $100 for conference includes four meals
May 14: San Jose: Hospitality and Culinary Arts Professional Development Workshop- Info and Online Registration here! 

FCS Newsmakers! Dana Wu Wassmer, Cosumnes River College, shares information on portion size vs. serving size.  Knowledge is power so don’t be fooled by what you read on nutrition labels. Wendy Reiboldt, FCS Department Chair at Cal State Long Beach, offers two more articles in her series of “Turning Research into Classroom Practice”, this time for Nutrition and for Gerontology.

FCS FLASH Activity:  Overcoming ROAD Blocks to Student Success
While your students undoubtedly started the semester with energy and enthusiasm and set some challenging goals for your course, the chances are some of them may be losing their momentum because a problem, challenge, or obstacle confronts them, and they are ready to settle for a lower grade or simply drop your class. But, if you can help them to “hang in there” and persist, there is a good chance they will succeed. It is easy to underestimate or overlook the power of persistence, but it’s a fact- successful people don’t give up, they work harder. So, to keep your students going and growing, now is a good time to offer them a strategy that will help them confront and overcome obstacles that are getting in their way. ROAD, an acronym, is a simple technique students can use to get back on the highway to success. 

Try this:
Ask students to interpret these sage sayings.

          Success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. (Thomas Edison)

          Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. (Confucius)

          I find the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have. (Thomas Jefferson)

          Why is persistence especially important at this point in the semester?

Distribute ROAD to Success activity guide, review directions, and give students a few minutes to complete the activity.
Divide into small groups, 3-5 students, have them compare and discuss their responses.
Present some common obstacles your students might be facing and complete the ROAD strategy as a class.

FYI: If you're going through hell, keep going. Winston Churchill

 This newsletter was brought to you by the California Community College Chancellor's Office Family and Consumer Sciences Collaborative Grant (#09-0160). Please contact Joann Driggers (jdriggers@mtsac.edu) or at 909/594-5611 x5203 with any questions.