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Is Your Child Going to Kindergarten a Year From Now?: Make the Move Together

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Think about what would be best for your child and family as you make this transition. Consider how you can work with your Head Start program to help your child feel ready.

Published

2 years ago

September 23, 2024

Oakland Post

Submitted by Head Start Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center

Congratulations, your child is going to kindergarten a year from now! Making the transition to kindergarten is a big event for every child and family. You and your child may feel excited and proud about the next big step. You both may also experience some worry about the unknown and wonder how it will be at a new school.

Good news! You can start preparing for your child’s move into kindergarten with these insights from the Head Start Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center. Think about what would be best for your child and family as you make this transition. Consider how you can work with your Head Start program to help your child feel ready. Talk with your family service worker or child’s teacher about how your program supports the transition to kindergarten.

Consider the ideas below as you and your family get ready for this big change.

During the Year Before Kindergarten

Fall and Winter

Talk with your child’s current educator or your family service worker about the process—what to expect and what to do. Share your questions and make a plan to learn more about kindergarten.
Ask about kindergarten transition activities offered by your Head Start program. Find out when to start talking with your child about kindergarten.
Make a list of what you want to tell the new school about your child. Think about sharing your child’s strengths, interests, and favorite activities.
Find out if the new school offers any special events or kindergarten visits for new students and their families.
Learn as much as you can about the new school or schools in the district. Talk to parents and attend meetings of parent-school, cultural, and community groups, parent-led networks, and the school board.
Ask about the opportunities for parent and family engagement. What volunteer and leadership possibilities does the new school offer?
- Examples may include helping with reading and homework, volunteering, or joining a school or community organization.

Spring

Arrange to visit the new school and take a tour with your child. Many Head Start programs arrange this experience for families. Use this time to ask questions and share your concerns. Make a list OF your child’s new teacher and school, including questions such as:
- How do I register my child?
- When will we meet my child’s kindergarten teacher?
- What will the teacher expect my child to know and be able to do?
- What is the school and kindergarten schedule?
- Is there a dress code or are uniforms required?
- Are school supplies provided?
- Where are the bathrooms and the cafeteria?
- What are visitor sign-in policies and safety precautions?
- What other questions would you like to ask? Make a list!
Spend time in the kindergarten classroom and let your child explore. You can talk about what is the same and what is different from your Head Start program. Ask your child if there are questions about starting kindergarten.
Work with your child’s current educator to express in your own words what you see as the strengths and needs of your child.
Be prepared to share your child’s records with the new school. If your child receives special education or health services, such as an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or 504 Plan, ask how to ensure these services will continue.
If your child will be taking the school bus, find out if the new school offers a practice bus ride for entering kindergarteners.
Work with your child’s current educator to plan a “good-bye” event or special keepsake from the early learning program.

Summer

Plan fun activities with your child. Spend time outside, visit the library and local museums, and take advantage of free events, like a farmer’s market or summer festival.
Find out if the new school has an Open House at the end of summer to visit the classroom again.
Spend time having fun at the school’s playground, if available.
Create and practice routines for the morning and evening that you will follow during the school year.
Read with your child, including books about going to kindergarten.
Encourage your child to speak with other children to learn what kindergarten is like.
Gather supplies for kindergarten. Be on the lookout for free school supplies in your community.

A Week Before School Begins

Talk with your child about clothes and supplies for the first day of school.
Ask if your child has any questions about the first day of kindergarten.
Talk about the school routines (e.g., lunchtime, recess, the bus ride, and others).
Continue reading with your child, including books about going to kindergarten.
Help your child learn the names of the teacher, secretary, principal, and other staff at school.
Review the family schedule and routine.
- Who will take your child to school or bus stop?
- Who will pick up your child?
- What might your child have for lunch?
Begin working toward a reasonable bedtime.

The Night Before Starting Kindergarten

Aim for an early bedtime.
Talk with your child about the morning routine and what to expect.
Pack a school bag or make lunch, if your child needs to bring lunch or snacks.
Think of ways you can offer comfort to your child while you’re apart. For example:
- Put a family photo in their school bag
- Leave a kiss on your child’s hand to press on their cheek when they miss you
- Ask your child to draw a picture for you to share at the end of the day

First Week

Talk with your child about the routines for bedtime, waking up, and getting ready for school in the morning, and what to expect.
Get up in time to get ready and have breakfast unrushed—or be at the school for breakfast—each morning.
Plan to arrive at the bus stop or school early. Do you see any of your child’s friends from the Head Start program? Point them out!
Give lots of hugs to start the new day.
The first days and weeks in a new classroom can be exhausting, so spend extra time relaxing together at home afterward.
Check-in with your child about how he or she felt and what happened at school each day.

Kindergarten is a fun time, and these guidelines will help make it a success for all!

Oakland Post

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2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring Review — Is This $136K EV Sedan Worth It?

AUTONETWORK ON BLACKPRESSUSA — Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, but it still feels elegant instead of trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

Published

1 week ago

May 3, 2026

Oakland Post

The 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring is the kind of luxury EV that makes people stop and ask a simple question: Is this really better than a Tesla Model S, Mercedes EQS, or BMW i7? At $136,150, it has to do more than look futuristic. It has to feel special every time you get in it.

Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, yet it still feels elegant rather than trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

Inside is where the Air Grand Touring really makes its case. The 34-inch Glass Cockpit Display and retractable Pilot Panel screen give the cabin a clean, modern look that still feels different from other EVs. The Tahoe Extended Leather and Lucid Black Alcantara headliner lifts the sense of occasion, and the front seats are a highlight. They are 20-way power-adjustable, heated, ventilated, and include massage. That matters because luxury buyers at this price expect comfort first.

Rear passengers are not ignored either. You get 5-zone heated rear seating, a rear center console display, and power rear and rear side window sunshades. Add in the Surreal Sound Pro system with 21 speakers, and the Air feels like a true long-distance luxury sedan.

Lucid also gives this car serious EV hardware. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive system, 900V+ charging architecture, and Wunderbox onboard charger are big talking points. Buyers in this segment care about range, charging speed, and everyday ease, not just raw performance. That is where the Lucid continues to stand out.

On the technology side, the Air Grand Touring includes DreamDrive Premium, with 3D Surround View Monitoring, Blind Spot Warning, Automatic Park In and Out, Automatic Emergency Braking, and a Driver Monitoring System with distracted and drowsy driver alerts. This one also has DreamDrive Pro, which adds future-capable ADAS hardware.

There are still some real-world annoyances. Based on your notes, the windshield wiper control is hard to find and use, and that matters more than people think in a high-tech car. When controls become less intuitive, even a beautiful interior can feel frustrating.

Still, the 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring succeeds where it matters most. It feels luxurious, advanced, comfortable, and thoughtfully engineered. For buyers who want an EV sedan that feels truly premium and less common than the usual choices, this Lucid makes a very strong case.

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Snoop Dogg Celebrates 10 Til’ Midnight at the Compound

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL — The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles.

Published

1 week ago

May 3, 2026

admin

Snoop Dogg celebrated the premiere of 10 Til’ Midnight at his Inglewood recording studio & multipurpose facility, The Compound, but the night felt like much more than an album release. It felt like Los Angeles. It felt like legacy. And it felt like another major move from one of the city’s greatest cultural architects as he continues to prove that he is not just dropping music — he is building moments, shaping narratives, and pushing the culture forward in real time.

What made the event so powerful was the clarity behind the vision. During a panel conversation with DJ Hed, Snoop opened up about the heart behind 10 Til’ Midnight, explaining that the project was created to help bridge older and younger generations while also speaking to the long-standing divisions between Bloods and Crips in a unique way through film. That alone gave the project a different kind of weight. This was not just about songs. This was about using creativity as a tool for connection. This was about taking a story rooted in Los Angeles and telling it in a way that could bring people together.

Snoop Congratulated By Rapper & Fellow 10 Til Midnight Cast Member G Perico (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles. The film was shot in the city, including at WePlay Studios in Inglewood, which gave the entire project an even deeper hometown feel. It was not just a West Coast story in content — it was a Los Angeles-made production from the ground up.

That matters because, in a city like this, authenticity still carries weight. Snoop understands how to make sure that what he creates does not just represent Los Angeles on the surface, but actually comes from it.

What also makes 10 Til’ Midnight significant is that it represents another major step in Snoop’s evolution as both an artist and executive. Public reporting around the project identifies it as his 22nd studio album, but the bigger story is what it represents in this season of his life. This is one of several consecutive moves he has made in his 50s that show he is still building, still expanding, and still finding new ways to reinvent what the next chapter looks like.

Snoop Dogg at the Premiere of 10 Til Midnight (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

Now, as the head of Death Row Records and the newly aligned leader of Death Row Pictures, he is taking the brand into a new dimension. That is what made this moment feel bigger than music. Snoop is not just protecting the legacy of Death Row — he is stretching it. He is expanding it beyond records and into film, visual storytelling, and larger creative worlds that can continue carrying the label’s impact forward. Public reporting has noted that this project arrives as part of that broader cinematic push.

That is a major Los Angeles move because the city has always been built on the intersection of music, film, neighborhood identity, and cultural storytelling. With 10 Til’ Midnight, Snoop is leaning all the way into that intersection.

The room at The Compound reflected that. It felt like a private premiere, but it also felt like a statement — a reminder that Snoop Dogg’s staying power has never been based only on nostalgia. It comes from his ability to remain connected, remain visionary, and remain in tune with how to move the culture without losing the essence of who he is.

That is why this premiere mattered. It was not just about celebrating another album. It was about witnessing a Los Angeles legend continue to evolve, continue to unify, and continue to use art to tell stories that hit deeper than entertainment alone.

In that sense, 10 Til’ Midnight became more than a project launch. It became another example of how Snoop Dogg is still taking Los Angeles to the next level — using music, film, and legacy together to build something bigger than a moment.

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OP-ED: Small Businesses Need Minnesota to Act on Pass-Through Tax Policy

MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN RECORDER — A Twin Cities immigrant entrepreneur who built several businesses including grocery stores in underserved neighborhoods is calling on Minnesota lawmakers to extend the Pass-Through Entity tax option before it expires, warning that its loss would hit small businesses already recovering from Operation Metro Surge with higher federal tax bills.

Published

1 week ago

May 3, 2026

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A Twin Cities Small Business Owner Is Urging Minnesota to Extend a Tax Policy That Could Save Thousands of Businesses

By Daniel Hernandez | Minnesota Spokesman Recorder

I came to the United States as a teenager with a clear goal: to build something meaningful through hard work. I put in long days in construction, restaurants, and landscaping; doing whatever it took to learn, save, and eventually start my own business.

Over time, I built and ran several successful ventures, including an event photography company, a magazine, a tax and accounting firm, and now grocery stores serving neighborhoods across the Twin Cities where other retailers chose not to invest. I’ve created jobs, supported families, and committed to communities that deserve stability and opportunity.

That’s why I’m speaking out now.

Small business owners in Minneapolis and the communities we serve are recovering from serious disruptions, including the impacts of Operation Metro Surge. That event hit immigrant communities especially hard. In my own case, I lost nearly half of my 60 employees and saw revenue drop by about 85%. While I worked to provide competitive wages, health benefits, and paid time off, the real hardship fell on the people who lost their jobs and income.

Even as we rebuild, small businesses are facing another challenge. The Minnesota Legislature is considering letting an important tax policy expire: the Pass-Through Entity tax option.

Here’s what that means in plain terms.

Many small businesses, including mine, are pass-through businesses. That means the business itself doesn’t pay income tax. Instead, the owners report the income on their personal tax returns. But under current federal rules, there’s a limit on how much state tax we can deduct. That often leads to higher federal tax bills.

The Pass-Through Entity option fixes that. It allows the business to pay the state tax directly, which means the business can fully deduct those taxes on its federal return and lower the total amount of income taxed federally. The result is straightforward: small business owners pay less in federal taxes, without reducing what the state collects.

This policy is not new or controversial. Thirty-six states already offer it. It doesn’t cost Minnesota anything, it’s revenue neutral. And it benefits more than 66,000 businesses across the state.

In a state where the cost of doing business is already high, it’s hard to understand why we wouldn’t offer the same basic tax treatment as states like California and Illinois.

Small businesses have carried a heavy load in recent years, through a pandemic, rising costs and public safety disruptions. We’ve adapted, reinvested and stayed committed to our communities. What we need now are practical policies that support that work, not make it harder.

If the Minnesota House does not act soon, many businesses will face significantly higher federal tax bills. That’s money that could otherwise be used to hire workers, raise wages or reinvest in local neighborhoods.

I urge Gov. Tim Walz and members of the House Tax Committee to pass House File 3127 and extend the Pass-Through Entity election.

Small businesses are the backbone of our communities. We’ve proven our resilience. Now we need our state leaders to show the same commitment to us.

Daniel Hernandez is the owner of Colonial Market located at 2100 E. Lake St.

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