Uncommon Good

This morning some volunteers were able to harvest the seedlings Teen Green planted several weeks ago! We got some Swiss chard, baby kale mix, Serrano peppers and bell peppers!

Last meeting we put a emphasis on cultural significance. The environmentors led activities about pre-Colombian foods and their nutritional value. We also had our interns from Kazakhstan cook a traditional meal called Kuurdak! They had some Halva and Kvasse they let the students taste! Thank you to the .garden47 for using your site!

Looking for something to do with your mentor or mentee? Like to play games like Dungeons & Dragons? Or are you curious to see what D&D is all about?

Uncommon Good's Dungeon & Dragon's Club is accepting new players and is open to Uncommon Good Middle & High School students and their mentors!

Our in-person groups meet once a month: one on a Saturday (11am to 3pm) and another on a Friday (4pm to 7pm).

New & experienced players are welcome!
Supplies are provided!

To sign-up or if you have any questions contact Francesca
[email protected]

Hola, les recuerdo que hoy continuamos con el taller de Historia de Mexico Prehispánico.

10:00 am
Zoom ID:
847 8795 4844
Codigo de entrada:
858406

Una oportunidad para los padres y hijos aprendan juntos.

Last week our Teen Green group had the chance to talk about the importance of Composting with ! We want to thank for letting us use their site as well! We also made some chicken skewers with some of the veggies from our farm!

The 2023 college application season is here and our high school scholars are ready to make their college dream a reality.

Our Teen Green students participated in National Public Lands day at the Santa Monica Mountain Conservancy this past Saturday. We planted 3,000 native plants to rehabilitate old grazing lands. Thank-you for giving our students this wonderful opportunity!

Dr. Shabnam Jacobson is a dentist with Northeast Valley Health Center, which serves patients in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys. Dr, Jacobson strives to meet the cultural needs of her patients in a variety of ways, from designing individualized treatments for her patients to strengthening her communication skills in Spanish. In addition to her work at Northeast Valley, Dr. Jacobson has volunteered with theUnion Rescue Mission and USC Mobile Clinic.

Uncommon Good’s MED program provides educational loan repayment assistance to physicians, dentists, optometrists, and pharmacists throughout Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties. Uncommon Good also administers LA Care Health Plan’s Elevating the Safety Net Provider Loan Repayment Program; providing loan repayment assistance to new primary care doctors and primary care psychiatrists working in public or private practices within Los Angeles County and serve the Medi-Cal population.

Uncommon Good Readers Recommend "The Lemonade War"

"The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies is a realistic fiction novel about a brother and sister who challenge each other to see who can make the most money selling lemonade. We call it “an ice-cold book of drama” because it is about sibling rivalry, different kinds of skills and strengths, young love, assumptions, coping with feelings, understanding each other, and forgiveness. This funny book includes life lessons about anger, what causes it, and how we should talk it out. With a positive ending focusing on the importance of family, this book earns a rating of 8.9."

–Students in the Uncommon Good Reading Academy, Summer 2022

Dr. Mohammed Feroz Iqbal is a physician participating in Uncommon Good’s MED program. Dr. Iqbal background in Family Medicine has exposed him to several aspects of medicine from women and men’s health to Medication-Assisted Treatment for patients overcoming addiction. Dr. Iqbal also uses his skills with languages- including Spanish and Hindi- to communicate with his patients while they receive care.

Uncommon Good’s MED program provides educational loan repayment assistance to physicians, dentists, optometrists, and pharmacists throughout Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties. Uncommon Good also administers LA Care Health Plan’s Elevating the Safety Net Provider Loan Repayment Program; providing loan repayment assistance to new primary care doctors and primary care psychiatrists working in public or private practices within Los Angeles County and serve the Medi-Cal population.

Uncommon Good Readers Recommend "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen

"Liar, Liar, by Gary Paulsen is a humorous realistic fiction novel appropriate for 10- to 14-year olds. The story begins with 8th grader Kevin Spencer claiming that the only people who think honesty is the best policy are those people who are terrible liars. As the plot unfolds, we see Kevin lie to nearly everyone in his life: his friends, family, and teachers. His main reason for lying is to get people to like him, especially a girl named Tina. However, by the end, Kevin finds that he is stuck in a very sticky web of lies, and he rethinks his policy on lying. We give this book a rating of 7.1 stars out of 10."

–Students in the Uncommon Good Reading Academy, Summer 2022

Uncommon Good Readers Recommend "Loser" by Jerry Spinelli

"In Loser, the author Jerry Spinelli tells a story about a boy named Donald Zinkoff who is unique in more ways than one. The book follows Zinkoff as he grows up. Some of the characters think he’s weird, but Zinkoff doesn’t let it get him down. In fact, he’s happy most of the time, and he shows us that he is a loyal friend when he helps someone in need. This book is about the ups, downs, and squiggly lines of growing up. Readers who appreciate a person with differences will enjoy this book. We recommend it to readers in 4th grade and up. We give this book a rating of 7.3 stars out of 10. "

–Students in the Uncommon Good Reading Academy, Summer 2022

Save the Date / Reserva la fecha!

Uncommon Good Readers Recommend "The One and Only Bob"

"The One and Only Bob is a novel written by Katherine Applegate. It is an adventure story starring Bob, a smart, funny, brave, and confident Chihuahua. We recommend this book to readers 4th grade and older. In this novel you will also meet Julia (a girl), Ivan (a gorilla), Ruby (a baby elephant) and a whole bunch of other animals and human characters. The plot involves a tornado, hurricane, and flood, so be ready for some serious adventure as Bob faces danger and begins to understand who he is and what he is capable of. We give this book 8 stars out of 10."

–Students in the Uncommon Good Reading Academy, Summer 2022

Parents end of summer workshop field trip to El Pueblo Historical Monument (Placita Olvera) via Metrolink was full of culture, art, and architecture history. Thank you to Oscar Alcantara for his colorful and knowledgeable guided tour.
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La excursión del taller de padres al Monumento Histórico de El Pueblo (Placita Olvera) a través de Metrolink estuvo llena de cultura, arte e historia de la arquitectura del sitio. Gracias a Oscar Alcántara por su colorida y bien informada visita guiada.

Uncommon Good Students! Looking for something to do during the school year? Teen Green and Dungeons & Dragons Club are starting up again.

If you are interested in either of these clubs contact Dre ([email protected]) or Francesca ([email protected]) to sign up!

Uncommon Good 2022-2023 parent leader training.

Returning leaders:
Ana, Patricia, Ceci, Neri, Adriana, Socorro, Tere, Mireya, Nancy, Betsy and Obdulia

Welcome new leaders:
Maria Elena, Luz, Dulce, Angela, Petra and Maria.

Start of the Game Design Coding camp at University of La Verne through a partnership with :CODERS

End of Summer Senior luncheon and trip to Pasadena Playhouse. Great way to end of college intensive program for the class of 2023.

Connect to College beach cleanup and fun day 2022.

That’s a wrap on the 2nd year of Uncommon Good’s Dungeons & Dragons camp! The students were led through a five day adventure that began with everyone creating their own unique characters, all with their own backstories and motivations to be on this journey. From there they worked with their ’adventuring party’ to weave an epic story that spanned realms- from a magical carnival to a fantastical fairy world. It was a week full of harrowing battles, riddles and puzzles, and cleverly outsmarting those that stood in their groups way of their goals.

Visit to La Plaza de la Raza

Educational Trip to Getty Villa...
Uncommon Good students visited the Getty Villa. With breathtaking views of Malibu, the students enjoyed the art collection of art, from the end of the Stone Age to the fall of the Roman Empire.

Congratulations to Connect to College student, Kevin Rodriguez-Romero, for been selected to receive the California Latino Legislative Caucus Foundation (CLLCF) 2022 Scholarship worth $5,000. Kevin will be attending Columbia University in New York City this fall.

Members of Uncommon Good's Class of 2022 were accepted to 125 different colleges and universities. Congratulations, graduates!

There is only a month left before Uncommon Good's summer camps begin! Contact Dre' ([email protected]) or Francesca ([email protected]) to sign up for any of these camps!

Dr. Rebeca Marin is the Dental Director and a practicing dentist with Universal Community Health Center in Los Angeles. She is a recent graduate who has always aspired to reach as many patients in need of dental care as possible. Dr. Marin has been proactive in building Universal Community Health Center’s new dental program from the ground up. She provides crucial dental services to a diverse patient panel of both adults and children, including patients with disabilities who have been unable to find care with other dentists., Dr. Marin hopes to expand services to include school visits and teledentistry appointments in the near future.

Uncommon Good's MED program was created to help idealistic young doctors, dentists, optometrists, and pharmacists who devote their careers to serving in low-income and under-resourced communities. This program provides educational loan repayment assistance grants to medical professionals practicing in community clinics throughout Southern California. Information and applications can be found on our website: Uncommongood.org

Congratulation to Luis, Diamond Ranch High School, for been selected to receive a four-year full tuition leadership scholarship from the Posse Foundation. Luis is among 100 students from the Los Angeles area who will each receive awards estimated at $190,000.

Luis plans to attend Kalamazoo College in Michigan and plans to major in Sociology.

Congratulations to Daniel, Diamond Ranch High School, for selecting Cal Poly Pomona as his future academic home as a Psychology major. Daniel has participated in Uncommon Good since he was 5 years old.
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Felicitaciones a Daniel, Diamond Ranch High School, por seleccionar a Cal Poly Pomona como su futuro hogar académico como estudiante de Psicología. Daniel ha participado en Uncommon Good desde que tenía 5 años.

Congratulations Hayley, Diamond Ranch HS, for your acceptance of the University of California San Diego. Hayley is the last of four siblings to graduated from Uncommon Good's Connect to College Mentoring Program and attend a four-year University.

Congratulations to the future Leopard! Anthony, Chaffey High School will be attending the University of La Verne this fall as an animation/graphic design major.

Congratulations Kassandra, Garey High School, for accepting UCLA as your home for the next four years. Kassandra is the first in her family to graduate from high school and attend college. She will be majoring in Biology.

Congratulations to Denny, Bonita High School, on his selection of the University of Redlands! Denny, the founder and lead conductor of The La Verne Youth Ensemble will be majoring in Music Education.
University of Redlands,