The blackboard The blackboard (September 21, 2005)

KATRINA OPEN MIKE . . .Gunn High School students are sponsoring an open mike night combined with an art and food festival two nights this week to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina. Students from the school's Thespian and Slam Poetry clubs and the facing history and ourselves class will host the events, which start at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday in Gunn's Little Theatre. Tickets are $5 to enter and $3 to perform. All proceeds will go to the American Red Cross. Those interested in performing should e-mail Alana Ju, Gunn senior and Thespian Club president, at shakespearegurl@hotmail.com.

TB OR NOT TB A VOLUNTEER . . .Under the state's education code, all school volunteers who may come into contact with students must show evidence of a valid, negative tuberculosis test, which is good for four years. The local school district is administering free TB tests for parents from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Monday at the district's office, 25 Churchill Ave. Volunteers must also attend the mandatory test reading Sept. 29. Test results from a private physician can also be submitted. For more information, call the district at 329-3700.

SALLY'S SCIENCE FEST . . .Hundreds of girls in fifth- through eighth-grades are heading to the Sally Ride Science Festival to take part in experiments, enjoy food and music, and hear the first American woman to enter space, Sally Ride, speak. There will also be dozens of workshops hosted by women ranging from veterinarians to aerospace engineers. Parents and teachers are encouraged to attend. The festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Oct. 2 at the NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field. The cost is $18 in advance and includes lunch and all festival materials and activities. For more information, visit www.sallyridefestivals.com or call 1-800-561-5161.

CYCLIN' KIDS . . .The PTAs from Escondido and Nixon elementary schools are offering a free class, called Bringing up Bicyclists, to help parents teach their children, aged 10 and under, how to be responsible, legal, and predictable bicyclists. The course will cover differences between adults and children cyclists, basic skills and safety tips, mistakes children bicyclists make, and how to evaluate a child's skills. The presentation will also cover helmet and bicycle selection and fit, and will include the video, "A Kid's Eye View." The course, which is for parents not children, will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at Nixon, 1711 Stanford Ave. Admission is free. For more information, call Richard Swent at 493-7979 or e-mail bikeclass@swent.net.

GATHER AT THE GARDEN . . .Children and parents are sure to a have a ball at Gamble Garden's upcoming community day and country fair. There will be live music, arts and crafts projects and beekeeping demos. Kids can also enjoy taking hay rides, checking out the "Butterfly Man," and scouring vintage farm and garden equipment, as well as the old-fashioned country store. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 9 at the garden, 1431 Waverley St. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.gamblegarden.org or call 329-1356.

KIDS AT RISK OF OBESITY . . . Stanford University is hosting a workshop series on obesity for families with adolescents ages 11 to 17. There will be three half-day workshops. The first will be in early October, held under the direction of Stanford's expert staff, including a child psychiatrist, pediatrician, nutritionist and physical therapist. The workshops will provide education on nutrition and exercise . Interested parents should call Sarah Forsberg at 723-7885. Groups of five families will be selected to participate.

Send notices of news and events related to schools, child care or youth activities to Alexandria Rocha, Palo Alto Weekly, P.O. Box 1610, Palo Alto, 94302, or arocha@paweekly.com. The monthly school section runs the third Wednesday of each month. The deadline is the second Thursday of the month at 5 p.m.

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