Is that you, Prince Charming?

Assemblywoman Anna Caballero promised students of Los Padres Elementary School in Salinas that she would kiss a frog if they met their test scores goals.

Well, the students increased their test scores by 21 points, and Caballero delivered. On Monday, she went looking for Prince Charming. Juan, is that you in there?

It's not the first time that Caballero encourages Los Padres students by promising a stunt. Three years ago, she jumped out of an airplane to celebrate the students' accomplishments.

And speaking of motivating children, The Lyceum, in partnership with Hartnell College, is sponsoring a two‑day workshop designed to get kids and adults involved in fun, hands‑on astronomy experiments. Parents and kids will meet for two Saturday sessions and participate in a creative and educational project about the Earth’s moon and the solar system. This exciting class will have you seeing stars! The two sessions take place from 10 a.m. till noon, Oct. 9 and Oct. 23 at the Ching Planetarium in Salinas. $35 per child. For more info, click here.

The governor and his pen

In case you missed it, last week the guv signed to pieces of legislation that I'd covered in two separate stories published a few weeks ago. The first one is the Kindergarten Readiness Act, which will move up California's kindergarten entry date from Dec. 2 to Sept. 1 so children start school at age 5. Before, thousands of children would start school at age 4, often without the maturity and social skills needed to meet the ever-increasing challenges of our test-driven schools. Now the kids will be ready to fill in bubble tests in no time...

The second piece of legislation I was following was AB12, the California Fostering Connections to Success Act. Also signed into law Thursday, the bill will allow foster youth to stay in the system until they are 21. Previously when foster youth turned 18, they were basically on their own -- no home, no money, and basically a bleak future. This lack of stability makes foster youths much more likely to be homelessness, incarcerated, pregnant or addicted to drugs than the average teen.

Under AB12 foster youth who continue their education or job training and who work at least a part-time job would be eligible for extended benefits until they are 21. The costs for these extra years of benefits be covered partially by federal matching funds.

Of Bay View and MATE

While the wheels of bureaucracy continue rolling, parents of the Bay View Academy will start enrollment Saturday. Depending on how the political winds blow, the Academy would open at Hilltop Park or the site of the current Bay View Elementary next September. If you're interested, visit the Academy's site right here. Remember, there will only be 150 places, so they are likely to run out fast....

And speaking of innovative institutions, kudos are in order to the Marine Advanced Technology Education Center, housed in Monterey Peninsula College. The center was honored September 21 with the Marine Technology Society (MTS) Special Commendation and Award at the OCEANS’10 MTS/IEEE Seattle Conference in Seattle, Wash.
The Center is a national partnership of educational institutions and organizations, research institutions, marine industries and working professionals funded by the National Science Foundation. It’s mission in to disseminate information on marine-related careers and create enthusiasm for marine technology careers. The Center publishes books and articles, and exhibits at conference. It joined the society to create a catalog of higher education programs in marine science and technology. It helps teachers provide their students with technology-rich learning experiences through its Summer Institutes. The MATE Center is perhaps best known for its remotely operated vehicle (ROV) competitions, which are held around the U.S. and in several foreign countries. Winners of these regional events compete at an international competition each June. The Marine Technology Society is a co-sponsor of that event through its ROV Professional Committee.