wichita family magazine august 2015

Wichita Family • August 2015 - 1

HEADING BACK TO SCHOOL

august 2015

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Back-to-school food choices the whole family can feel good about

Get the upper hand on back-to-school shopping

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News and Information from our partners at Wichita Public Schools

Jill-E bag combines style, functionality for the man on the go

august 2015

Inside:


Call for a free consultation about your child’s development.

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Lucky 7 Publishing LLC316.295.8465

Publisher:

Todd Vogts

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Publisher Todd Vogts [email protected]

Wichita Family Magazine is published 12 times a year by Lucky 7 Publishing LLC. Wichita Family Magazine is available free, at schools, stores, restaurants, libraries, retailers and local attractions, as well as other places families frequent. For a complete list of where to find Wichita Family, or for subscription rates, email us at

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Copyright 2015 by Lucky 7 Publishing LLC. All rights reserved. Wichita Family Magazine is not responsible for errors, omissions or contest fulfillment from third parties. Reproduction in part or in whole without written permission is strictly prohibited. Wichita Family is distributed free of charge. The magazine’s advertisers make this possible, so support them! We reserve the right to edit submitted material. All submissions will be considered for publication, but we reserve the right to refuse material. Materials will not be returned. Any

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Message from the PublisherThis is an exciting time of the year.

Or, it is a terrifying and dreadful time of the year.

It’s all about perspective. Some are excited to for school to be starting up again, while others hate it.

Usually, those who hate it are students. Older students. High school students.

Elementary students are usually excited because they get to see their friends again and meet their new

teachers and get a bunch of cool gear to start the school year off right.

Sure, high school stu-dents might get all of that as well, but it isn’t as high of a priority.

And in an age of social media, they can Facebook, Tweet and Snapchat their friends whenever they want, so though school may be more of a socialize ven-ture for them, they can still socialize in the summer without even having to step foot into their buildings of educa-tion.

For me personally, I am always excited, if not a little nervous, about August rolling around.

As I’ve mentioned in the past, I am also a teacher, and my lovely new wife is a teacher as well.

It can be hectic trying to get plans ready, classrooms set up and simply into the right mindset to teach again.

However, I enjoy it. I consider my-self a life-long learner. I enjoy acquir-ing new skills and knowledge, and I try to impart that upon my own students.

When I think about it, I haven’t been out of school since I first started. There might have been a year in there when I was running a weekly newspa-

per in central Kansas. This was be-tween the completion of my bachelor’s degree from the esteemed Wichita State University and my deciding to become a teacher by pursing my credentials and master’s degree from Fort Hays State University. That span of time hardly counts, right?

I firmly believe education is im-portant for our society. That doesn’t mean everyone should earn a four-year degree or a master’s degree. Maybe it means securing a vocational certifica-tion or getting an associate’s degree.

It all comes down to where a person wants to see his or her life go. There is no one right answer. It is an individual decision.

The key is know what you want and then taking the appropriate steps to achieve it.

Never stop learning. Seize every opportunity to better yourself and your mind. And, most importantly, embrace back-to-school time.

Advertising Inquiries Contact:

Publisher Todd Vogts [email protected]

Todd [email protected]


News and Information from our partners at Wichita Public Schools

Students spend their summer learning STEAM

Students from Bucker, L’Ouverture, Mueller, Spaght, Brooks, Jardine and Truesdell are having fun during the summer at STEM and Arts Summer Academy. The 8-week program offers elementary lessons at Mueller and middle school lessons at Jardine centered around STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) themes.

Elementary students spend half of the day working on lessons in reading, math and science. The afternoons are spent with more hands-on lessons in science, but also fine arts activities like drama, dance and art. The elementary students go on field trips to see how STEAM themes are used outside the classroom, including a visit to a farm.

Middle school students have lessons in math and reading the first part of the week, and the final day is dedicated to working on projects they will showcase in July. The students declare a “major” and “minor” for their project, based on their interest in STEAM-related topics including photography, video production, crime scene investigation, computer repair, engineering and dance. Students from Jardine and Truesdell have the opportunity to attend week-long camps at Southwestern College to learn about college life.

The program is offered to students who are at or just below grade-level and need extra support and for students who are doing well and want to take enrichment classes.

Students had an opportunity to do hands-on projects with science, math and art in the SCOPE summer program. Students had many different classes to choose from including rocketry, video production, origami, French, cooking, digital photography, robotics, animation, painting, drawing and Pinterest.

High school students from North and East volunteered to

A middle school student takes apart a computer to learn how it works as part of the STEAM summer program.

Ortiz students honor memory of teacher

A student in the STEM summer program at Mueller learned how to design a video game and make a working game controller with Play-Doh and electrodes.


Students in the SCOPE program make brownies in a cooking class.

Students had an opportunity to do hands-on projects with science, math and art in the SCOPE summer program. Students had many different classes to choose from including rocketry, video production, origami, French, cooking, digital photography, robotics, animation, painting, drawing and Pinterest.

High school students from North and East volunteered to

help with the classes. SCOPE, which stands for Summer Curriculum

Opportunities for Personal Expression, is a summer program designed to provide fun and exciting educational opportunities for identified gifted students from the Wichita Public Schools and outlying districts.

Students in SCOPE program explore arts and sciences

A middle school student takes apart a computer to learn how it works as part of the STEAM summer program.

Students in Ortiz Elementary’s Girls on the Run group honored the memory of teacher Danielle Nance as part of their community service project. Mrs. Nance was a 2nd grade teacher at Ortiz when she passed away in December. The Girls on the Run members each decorated a rock to represent a specific interest or memory of their teacher.

The rocks are part of a special memorial by the Ortiz flagpole.

Ortiz students honor memory of teacher

First day of school is Tuesday, August 18, with a half-day orientation for 6th and 9th grade students on Monday, August 17.


As you gear up for a new school year, it’s important to put your kids’ nutrition on the school

checklist. Countless studies link school performance and healthy eating habits. Treat this season of “academic begin-nings” as a chance for the whole family to take a fresh approach to better-for-you eating.

From on-the-go breakfasts and brag-worthy brown bag lunches to after-school snacks and family-friendly dinners, there are plenty of ways to pack nutrition and flavor into every meal. Often, creating healthier meals can be as easy as simply trading-up or swapping one food ingredient for a more nutritious choice.

Selecting menu options that help your family eat better begins at the grocery store with your shopping decisions. If the A-B-Cs and 1-2-3s of food labels make your head spin, you can rely on tools such as the NuVal(r) Nutritional Scoring System, which provides scores near the price on the shelf tag to identify better-for-you foods. Based on a scale of 1 to 100, the scores rank foods and beverages on their nutritional content with the most nutritious choices scoring highest.

You can take other steps to make shopping easier for healthy eating, says Marisa Paolillo, a nutritionist with NuVal.

First and foremost, she says, don’t go when you’re hungry.

“It really is true. If you shop hungry, you’re more likely to toss foods into your cart that will satisfy the hunger pangs at the moment, rather than what you actually need for the week ahead,” she adds.

Another smart shopping tip is to plan, plan, plan. Paolillo suggests starting out right by planning a full week’s worth of menus, then creating a shopping list. This not only streamlines meal preparation, it saves household budget, aids nutrition choices and reduces the frustration and extra time associated with return trips to the store.

1. Determine what you will serve

Better bets for back to schoolFood choices the whole family can feel good about

Photo Courtesy of Getty Images


As you gear up for a new school year, it’s important to put your kids’ nutrition on the school

checklist. Countless studies link school performance and healthy eating habits. Treat this season of “academic begin-nings” as a chance for the whole family to take a fresh approach to better-for-you eating.

From on-the-go breakfasts and brag-worthy brown bag lunches to after-school snacks and family-friendly dinners, there are plenty of ways to pack nutrition and flavor into every meal. Often, creating healthier meals can be as easy as simply trading-up or swapping one food ingredient for a more nutritious choice.

Selecting menu options that help your family eat better begins at the grocery store with your shopping decisions. If the A-B-Cs and 1-2-3s of food labels make your head spin, you can rely on tools such as the NuVal(r) Nutritional Scoring System, which provides scores near the price on the shelf tag to identify better-for-you foods. Based on a scale of 1 to 100, the scores rank foods and beverages on their nutritional content with the most nutritious choices scoring highest.

You can take other steps to make shopping easier for healthy eating, says Marisa Paolillo, a nutritionist with NuVal.

First and foremost, she says, don’t go when you’re hungry.

“It really is true. If you shop hungry, you’re more likely to toss foods into your cart that will satisfy the hunger pangs at the moment, rather than what you actually need for the week ahead,” she adds.

Another smart shopping tip is to plan, plan, plan. Paolillo suggests starting out right by planning a full week’s worth of menus, then creating a shopping list. This not only streamlines meal preparation, it saves household budget, aids nutrition choices and reduces the frustration and extra time associated with return trips to the store.

1. Determine what you will serve

for breakfasts, lunches, snacks and dinners.

2. Create a grocery list of food ingredients that are needed.

3. Don’t forget to check specials and coupons in your store’s weekly circular. (Consider swapping listed ingredients for seasonal or onsale foods.)

“Taking a list to the grocery store will ensure that you stick to your bud-get and only buy what you need,” says Paolillo.

If you’re pressed for time and on a spur-of-the-moment shopping run, however, keep these better-for-you food basics in mind. Consider these:

• Breakfast: Scrambled eggs are a

quick and easy breakfast - but hard-boiled eggs are a great option for an on-the-go snack.

• Mid-Day Snack: Get a quick pro-tein and calcium boost during the day with cottage cheese or plain yogurt with fruit or granola.

• Lunch and Dinner: Make sure to include vegetables in all meals.

• On-the-Go Snack: Fruit like apples, bananas, tangerines and pears are perfectly portable for on-the-go ease.

• Dinner: Round out your day with lean protein at dinner, such as poultry or fish seasoned with herbs.

Paolillo offers some final healthy

Better bets for back to schoolFood choices the whole family can feel good about

. . . continued on PAGE 11



It is that time of the year when you are buying school supplies, new sneakers and an updated wardrobe for your children, but why should they be the only ones that use this time of the year to freshen up their looks?

Jill-E Designs has a plethora of great accessories for mom and dad, and these stylish accoutrements will make you as excited about a new week at work or running errands as the children are about getting back to school and friends.

The ladies always have options when it comes to picking out something new to set of their look, but it can be more difficult to find something for the guys. Luckily, Jill-E has the JACK Lenox Portfolio.

This over-the-shoulder back is the perfect combination of style and functionality. It can hold your laptop or tablet with ease, and there is a pocket for your phone. It has space for pens and cards as well, and it is all contained within sleek and soft brown-leather.

It comes in two sizes depending upon your needs: a 13-inch and a 15-inch.

This may not sound like a huge amount of space, but it

is perfect for whatever device you need in your day-to-day efforts. And, if you are like me, the limited space helps you stay away from carrying extra clutter you don’t really need.

I highly recommend this bag for the stylish man in your life. They start at only $169.99.

Check out www.jill-e.com to purchase this bag and check out everything else they have to offer.

Jill-E bag combines style, functionality

. . . continued from PAGE 09

By Todd Vogts


is perfect for whatever device you need in your day-to-day efforts. And, if you are like me, the limited space helps you stay away from carrying extra clutter you don’t really need.

I highly recommend this bag for the stylish man in your life. They start at only $169.99.

Check out www.jill-e.com to purchase this bag and check out everything else they have to offer.

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eating, back-to-school shopping tips. Take advantage of in-store nutritional scoring systems or services to help guide food choices, and make the ma-jority of food selections from the outer perimeter of the store.

“Think produce, dairy, fish and meat,” Paolillo says. “This will ensure that most of your food choices are more nutrient-packed and fresh, ver-sus heavily processed foods that tend to be loaded with additional sugar, salt and fat.”

Find nutritious trade-ups and family-friendly meals to kick off the new school year at www.nuval.com/Shop/Recipes.

Bring Breakfast-to-GoEven if breakfast finds you

crunched for time, prime the kids with morning nutrients to energize their day. Give them a breakfast boost with make-ahead options that can be enjoyed on-the-go in cars and buses. Try portable Scrambled Egg Cups or Oatmeal Cups, which provide plenty of

protein to get them through the day.

Unbeatable “Brown Bag” TipsWhen it comes to packing school

lunches, stick to what your kids like. If they aren’t crazy about something, it may end up in the garbage or get traded for an unhealthy snack.

These simple swaps will make your kids’ brown bag lunch unbeatable:

1. For sandwiches, swap white bread for a higher NuVal-scoring brown bread or pita.

2. Replace deli meats with lean roasted beef or poultry or low fat cheese.

3. For a delicious, nutritious sandwich spread, trade mayonnaise for a mashed avocado. Make fruits and vegetables a go-to snack. Chop up carrots, pep-pers and celery in advance and stash some in lunch bags with hummus; or sprinkle apple and pear slices with lemon and cin-namon to satisfy a sweet tooth.

4. Choose water to hydrate and calcium- and vitamin D-rich milk to strengthen growing

bones.

Smart Swaps for After SchoolChips and packaged cookies, move

out of the way. Swap them for smart after-school snacks that are home-made, nutritious and fun to make.

Custom-create a smoothie. Have kids choose their favorite fruit and vegetables.

Toss them into the blender with ice and fat free yogurt for a snack that’s easy, fun and filling.

Make banana sushi rolls. Top a whole grain tortilla with nut butter and a whole banana sprinkled with cin-namon.

Roll it up and slice like sushi rolls. (These are great for lunches, too.)

Other after-school smart snacks include:

• Apple slices topped with almond butter.

• Air-popped popcorn (Avoid mi-crowave popcorn, which is often high in trans-fat and sodium.)

• Fresh salsa and tortilla chips.

— Family Features

. . . continued from PAGE 09


While kids and parents alike ea-gerly await the fresh start of a new school year, the back-to-

school season is not without its share of stressors for busy families. The start of school means new schedules, teach-ers, shoes, backpacks and friends; as well as new academic challenges.

Adding some fun and excitement to the newness can help smooth the way. For example, allowing kids to help choose their outfits for the first day of school can help diffuse that nervous anticipation. Similarly, the chance to put a fresh set of pens to use or show off a cool new notebook can provide a distraction from those first-day jitters.

If the shopping itself is adding stress to your household, ease the back-to-school burden on your family with

these helpful tips to simplify shopping for the school year ahead.

Make note of your inventory. School lists often carry over each school year, so make sure you aren’t buying multiples of things you already own. Some supplies are more exciting when refreshed every year, but buying the same old boring ruler year after year is simply a waste of money.

Make a list with your children. Put everything you need on that list, and be clear that once the list is done, it’s done. Having everyone on the same page with a complete list helps ensure nothing vital is forgotten, and the list can serve as a handy tool to keep your budget in check. Get uber organized using vibrant Sarasa gel pens by Zebra to create lists color-coded by kid or

category to make your shopping more manageable.

Begin shopping as early as pos-sible. Hunt bargains before the tradi-tional back-to-school season to get the best deals. Not only will you save some cash, shopping before the rush will give you a wider selection to choose from, so you’re sure to find the items you need in the styles you (and your kids) want. Spreading the shopping over several weeks or months also allows you to distribute the expense across several pay periods, helping lessen the chance that you blow your monthly budget with one mega shop-ping excursion.

Be a savvy online shopper. Check out your favorite brands and retail-ers online, and sign up for their email

alerts, so you’ll be in the know when the best deals hit. Many retailers now offer online-only specials, so watch ads closely to know when you’re better served making purchases in-store or online. Also keep an eye out for free or reduced shipping for extra savings that make it even cheaper than buying in person when you factor in the cost of gas. Remember that you can also rely on social media to follow back-to-school offers and hashtags.

Create a back-up bin at home. You may find that your kids consis-tently run out of certain items midyear. Devote a special area of your home to keep extras in stock, and take advan-tage of sales during back-to-school season or buy in bulk to get a better price.

Put quality ahead of price. While it’s tempting to go for cheap when your list is long, remember that sometimes quality buys actually save more in the long run. You can buy a ton of cheap pens that skip, or simply stop working.



category to make your shopping more manageable.

Begin shopping as early as pos-sible. Hunt bargains before the tradi-tional back-to-school season to get the best deals. Not only will you save some cash, shopping before the rush will give you a wider selection to choose from, so you’re sure to find the items you need in the styles you (and your kids) want. Spreading the shopping over several weeks or months also allows you to distribute the expense across several pay periods, helping lessen the chance that you blow your monthly budget with one mega shop-ping excursion.

Be a savvy online shopper. Check out your favorite brands and retail-ers online, and sign up for their email

alerts, so you’ll be in the know when the best deals hit. Many retailers now offer online-only specials, so watch ads closely to know when you’re better served making purchases in-store or online. Also keep an eye out for free or reduced shipping for extra savings that make it even cheaper than buying in person when you factor in the cost of gas. Remember that you can also rely on social media to follow back-to-school offers and hashtags.

Create a back-up bin at home. You may find that your kids consis-tently run out of certain items midyear. Devote a special area of your home to keep extras in stock, and take advan-tage of sales during back-to-school season or buy in bulk to get a better price.

Put quality ahead of price. While it’s tempting to go for cheap when your list is long, remember that sometimes quality buys actually save more in the long run. You can buy a ton of cheap pens that skip, or simply stop working.

Or you can look at alternatives, such as Zebra’s Z-Grip brand, which are affordable, quality pens that allow chil-dren to focus on writing, not on the pen. Known for delivering a smooth-flowing writing experience at a great value, a Z-Grip pen truly delivers for young learners.

Make your children shopping buddies. Involve your kids in the back-to-school shopping process by giving them a budget. Help them allocate money for all the expenses, including clothing, school supplies, shoes and more. Use the opportunity to talk about how shopping smart for the necessities can leave room for some fun buys, too.

Reduce and reuse. Save plastic and money by encouraging kids to embrace reusable items, such as lunch bags in place of paper sacks and plastic containers instead of sandwich bags. If water bottles are allowed at school, look for a durable refillable option that can be used again and again.

Make the old new again. Turn barely used items into something new by decorating or adding stickers. Not only is this a fun activity that can help get the kids excited about and engaged in planning for the year ahead, it’s easy on the budget and eco-friendly. Keep leftover supplies on hand to revive the enthusiasm with fresh designs at the end of the quarter or semester.

Swap with other moms. Make back-to-school time more fun by hosting a swap event with other moms for clothing, backpacks, shoes, etc. It seems that kids are forever trading with their friends, so embrace that mindset and see what exciting new treasures you can find for your kids to call their own.

Find your zen during back-to-school shopping at www.zebrapen.com/findzen.

— Family Features

Make it a peaceful shopping experience

Though back-to-school shopping can be fun, it can also be over-whelming. These tricks may help you add some Zen to the experience, or at least cut some of the chaos.

Know yourself: Are you better at doing all of your shopping all at once, or would you rather make separate trips throughout a couple of weeks to ease the stress? There is no one “right” way to tackle back-to-school shopping; just go with what works best for you.

Create a democratic shopping experience: Instead of taking it upon yourself to get the supplies you think your kids need, turn it into a fun experience for every-one to enjoy. Ask what your kids want and what colors they like. Encourage them to stimulate creativity with whimsical supplies, such as the fun and funky patterns of Cadoozles mechanical pencils.

Want your high school or college bound academians to have a little extra swag for school? Look for a few simple purchases that reflect their confidence, such as Zebra Steel pens, with a sleek design perfect for the advancing student.



Teachers have it easy, and I can say so because I am one. Of all the professions, teaching allows for a whole season of escape. I’ve heard rumors of year-round school, and talk of ridding the system of the old agrarian way of doing educa-tion. We simply do not need summers off because so few engage in farming anymore. That’s how the talk goes, and there’s more about the benefits of a year-round schedule, how students are more likely to hold on to what they’ve learned if the long summer break doesn’t interrupt the flow of learning.

The advantages of year-round school aside, I have some-thing to say about summer -- especially because the school year approaches so quickly, and I want to cling to it a little longer.

There are different kinds of leisure, two that float up be-fore me. One includes swimming, books, and long naps; the other kind isn’t one that we think of quite as quickly -- it’s work that doesn’t require much of our brain.

The first is what we all want right when the last school bell rings in May, even those of us who haven’t had a proper summer break since school days. The heat and the water call to us, or maybe it’s the hum of the air conditioner or the

sound of a fishing reel. Memories forged from the unforgiv-ing July sky aren’t readily forgotten. This kind of rest gives the mind a fresh starting place for the flurry of the fall.

As a student I didn’t see my summer painting job as a leisure activity, but I see it now. In between lifting weights and running for fall sports, I did the slow work of rolling and brushing paint on thirsty walls. I would wake early and work long hours, sometimes outside in the heat, some-times inside. I could let my mind wander while my arms and hands did the work. Even now, similar tasks at home allow me the space my mind needs to have ideas and think through problems. Often it’s during these times that I pray, too.

Perhaps our nation has outgrown the original purpose of summer break, but perhaps not. Students and teachers alike not only need time to choose their own reading, or do a bit of sleeping in, but also the opportunity to work at things that allow for reflective thought. As the school year energy begins to flow, I wonder whether it would come without summer break; I don’t want to find out.

Ian Anderson is a teacher, a husband, and a dad. He lives with his family in Central Kansas. Occasionally, he tweets here: @ian_writes.

By Ian Anderson

Fall Without Summer~ A BAck-To-School ESSAy ~


Fall Without Summer

16 - www.wichitafamily.comWest side of Wichita in Goddard

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wichita family magazine august 2015

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