"President's Day: United in Service" includes Web-exclusive videos, presidential biographies developed with the help of area fifth-graders, coloring pages by a White House artist, and resources on volunteer service, history and civics for students, parents and teachers. In Web videos, "Lord of the Rings" actor Sean Astin, Arizona Diamondback Luis Gonzalez and former Washington Redskin Darrell Green discuss the importance of volunteer service.

Go to www.whitehouse.gov/kids/presidentsday/

IDEAS

TEACHER-SUPPORT PROGRAM OFFERED

This fall, Maryland's Anne Arundel County will introduce 623 newly hired teachers to its public school system through its teacher-support program for newcomers.

Designed to ease their transition into the school system, The Right Start New Teacher Support program offers mentoring services for educators new to the profession as well as a series of seminars on topics ranging from student discipline to data-driven instruction.

Approximately 250 of the program's participants are new to teaching, while the others are new to the county. According to district officials, 90 percent of those mentored by veteran teachers continue to teach in Anne Arundel five years later.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, The Achiever, September 2006 issue

HOMEWORK TIP

MAKE THEM TAKE A BREAK

To help alleviate eye fatigue, neck fatigue and brain fatigue while studying, it's recommended that youngsters close the books for 10 minutes every hour and go do something else.

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics