APOGEE - a defined purpose - a living destiny...

Dictionary: ap·o·gee

noun/ˈapəjē/

apogees, plural

1. The highest point in the development of something; the climax or culmination.

2. The point in the orbit of the moon or a satellite at which it is furthest from the earth.

image source: www.jgiesen.de/.../ PerigeeApogeeDistance.html

Edward Merrill Root (January 4, 1895 - October 26, 1973) was an American educator and poet. For the individual, Root stated his philosophy as a person's "outermost expression of his innermost essence... Man, being finite in existence, but infinite in essence, succeeds by reaching his highest point of failure."

Root's central philosophy was what he called "Essentialism". His intention was "...to make coherent and affirmative a certain philosophy, and American philosophy, and to do so in terms of art."

He stated his philosophy thus: "More and more as my life has matured ... I have realized that I wish to preserve the roots of life whence grow the blossoms and the fruits of life, and that I have become a genuine radical - i.e., one who works with the roots of life, laboring to set them more firmly and to nourish them more richly. I applaud fruitful change that comes from an enhancement and intensification of the last things that maintain their continuity with first things. But, as I see it, such change must be growth from within, so that you and I and our nation become ever more clearly, more richly, more truly, what we always are, potentially in principle. Man is ever seeking novelty; God is forever and ever making things new. He does not make the seasons, nor the rose, nor the Labrador retriever, nor the lover nor the poet, novel - He makes them new. And because they are new in their fundamental being, they are vitally old; as tomorrow's sunrise will be the newest of dawns and the oldest of dawns, since it shone upon the Birthday of Creation."

To all my students...

You aspire and hold to your potential, your unfolding abilities and developing competencies, your vision, and known will be the success inherent in who you are. This in belief, in faith, in trust.

Beyond content mastery be there application and purpose, beyond grade point average, be there relevancy and identity, beyond frustration and failure, be there untapped potential and undefined quest. Learn and live the way of the APOGEE Achiever™.

Best always,
Rose Marie Raccioppi

With autonomy, mastery and purpose,
creative, caring, conceptual thinkers
and doers are developed.

• Inquiries welcomed •
• Call or post •
• All Questions Answered •

The APOGEE Achiever Program™
The Academics and the Arts
~ Soar To Success ~

•Individualized Subject Tutoring•
•Study Skills and Mastery Strategies•
•All Learning Styles•
Reading
Mathematics
Writing
Organization
Communication Skills
Assignment Management
Stress Management
Acu-Tone™ Sound Therapy
Relaxation, Breathing, Attention and Focusing Exercises
Achievement Goals
All Ages ~ All Grades ~ All Subjects
PSAT~ SAT ~ All Test Preparation
APOGEE Cognitive Kinesiology™ - Cause and Effect
Coaching
Family Therapy


For more information on services
provided for all learning needs:

http://www.apogeelearning.com
http://www.acu-tone.com

APOGEE Learning ~ A Whole Child Paradigm

•Learning styles honored and supported•
•Readiness experiences provided•
•Task analysis applied•
•Student interests as motivators•
•The Whole Brain approach to study and mastery•

Inquiries Welcomed
Call for your FREE Introductory Consultation.
845-359-9056
toll free: 1-866-228-8663
1-866-ACU-TONE

A Natural Joy for a Growing Child ~ Visit Our Organic Farm

Food and nature as it is intended.
Open land, natural setting, organic farming.
Enjoy!

Which Food Additives Make Children Behave Badly?

Which Food Additives

Make Children Behave Badly?

by TIM UTTON, Daily Mail, UK

Research has shown that the food additives used in hundreds of children's foods and drinks can cause temper tantrums and disruptive behavior. A Government-funded study confirms what many parents have long suspected about the effect of chemicals put into sweets, biscuits and foods. Colorings in products such as Smarties, Jelly Tots and fizzy drinks could spark behavior changes in up to a quarter of toddlers.

Research into a group of three year-olds found they were more likely to lack concentration, lose their temper, interrupt others and struggle to get to sleep when they drank fruit juice dosed with colorings and preservatives.

Following the study, food watchdog the Food Commission has found that 200 children's foods and drinks contain one or more of the additives called into question by the research.

The Commission is calling for the additives to be removed from the everyday foods and drinks which appeal to children. Even youngsters with no history of hyperactivity can be affected, said the scientists. They concluded that all children could benefit from the removal of specified artificial food colorings from their diet.

The Food Commission claims it is the first time a Government-sponsored scientific study has corroborated the link between food colorings and preservatives and changes in children's mood and behavior.

A group of 227 three-year olds from the Isle of Wight took part in a month long project by the UK Asthma and Allergy Research Center. For two weeks the children drank a daily fruit juice dosed with 20mg of artificial colorings and 45mg of preservative, which are either equal to or below permitted levels. The additives tested were the artificial food colorings Tartrazine E102, Sunset Yellow E110, Carmoisine E122, Ponceau 4R E124, and the preservative Sodium Benzoate E211. All five were given at the same time in a single drink.

For the other two weeks the children drank a fruit juice which was identical in appearance but without the additives. Parents filled in reports assessing their child's behavior on criteria such as interrupting, fiddling with objects, disturbing others, difficulty settling down to sleep, concentration and temper tantrums. The report said the results showed the artificial food colorings and sodium benzoate preservative had 'substantial effects' on behavior.

The scientists concluded that significant changes in children's hyperactive behavior could be produced by removing colorings and additives from their diet. They added: 'The findings suggest that benefit would accrue for all children from such a change - and not just for those already showing hyperactive behavior or who are at risk of allergic reactions.'

The Food Commission wants a ban on the additives and says the colourings tested have been restricted in other countries to protect children.

A spokesman for the Government's Food Standards Agency said the research was not conclusive. Nestlé Rowntree, which makes Smarties, Fruit Pastilles and Jelly Tots, said food additives it used were permitted by European and UK laws and any additives or colours had been tested to the highest standards. GlaxoSmithKline, which produces Ribena, said: 'We certainly wouldn't use any additives unless they were approved as safe.' Burton's Foods, which makes Jammie Dodgers, said its biscuits contained only half the amount of Carmoisine stated in legal guidelines. Cadbury Trebor Bassett, which makes Maynard Wine Gums, said: 'Carmoisine is a permitted colouring which has been used for many years.' Campina UK, which produces Yazoo Milk Drinks, said it used only approved ingredients.

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk/health...

Which Additives Do We Need To Look Out For?

Artificial Colors

(in sweets, drinks, takeaways, cereals and many processed foods)

• 102 tartrazine,
• 104 quinoline yellow,
• 107 yellow 2G,
• 110 sunset yellow,
• 122 azorubine,
• 123 amaranth,
• 124 ponceau red,
• 127 erythrosine,
• 128 red 2G,
• 129 allura red,
• 132 indigotine,
• 133 brilliant blue,
• 142 green S,
• 151 brilliant black,
• 155 chocolate brown Natural colour,
• 160b annatto (in yoghurts, icecreams, popcorn etc, 160a is a safe alternative)

Preservatives

• Preservatives200-203 sorbates (in margarine, dips, cakes, fruit products)
• 210-213 benzoates (in juices, soft drinks, cordials, syrups, medications)
• 220-228 sulphites (in dried fruit, fruit drinks, sausages, and many others)
• 280-283 propionates (in bread, crumpets, bakery products)
• 249-252 nitrates, nitrites (in processed meats like ham)
• Synthetic antioxidants - in margarines, vegetable oils, fried foods, snacks, biscuits etc
• 310-312 Gallates 319-320 TBHQ, BHA, BHT (306-309 are safe alternatives)
• Flavour enhancers - in flavoured crackers, snacks, takeaways, instant noodles, soups 621 MSG 627, 631, 635 disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, ribonucleotides

Table compiled by Sue Dengate, author of the bestselling book and film 'Fed Up: Understanding how food affects your child and what you can do about it.'

Our food has changed so drastically in the last few decades it is no wonder that food-related behavior and learning problems in children are increasing. Contrary to what many parents think, additives - more importantly than just sugar - are to blame for behavior problems. Reactions are related to dose, so the more additives children eat, the more likely they are to be affected.

Additives are now used widely in foods such as bread, butter, crackers, yogurt, juice and muesli bars as well as in junk food. Parents who say ‘we eat healthy food’ are generally shocked to find that their children can be consuming 20 additives or more per day.

Irritability, temper outbursts, oppositional defiance, restlessness and difficulty falling asleep are the main behavioral effects of additives. But parents rarely realize that food chemicals can be associated with many other effects including arguing with siblings, making silly noises, speech delay, anxiety, depression or difficulty concentrating. Additive-free children are generally calmer, happier and more cooperative.

Rashes, headaches, bed wetting, stomach aches, sneaky poos, constipation or asthma can also be a problem. Parents of asthmatic children are usually unaware that sulphite preservatives (220-228) in foods such as dried fruits, sausages, cordials and some fruit drinks can irritate airways.

So what can we eat? Read ingredient labels. Choose preservative-free bread. Buy color-free yogurts, ice creams and lollies such as caramels and toffees. Choose plain rather than flavored chips, crackers and noodles. Encourage your children to drink water as their main drink.

Source: www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info

Pesticides harm kids’ ability to learn

Sat, 2011-03-12 12:00

Pesticide Action Network

Kids and pesticides just don't mix, according to scientists. The body of evidence showing children's health harms from pesticide exposure continues to grow. Case in point: current research by Dr. Warren Porter, covered by the Bay View Compass reveals how pesticide exposure in the womb harms the ability to learn. According to the Compass article, girls may be especially vulnerable.

Porter found that:

... female mice whose mothers were exposed to the pesticide chlorpyrifos during pregnancy were slow learners. Male mice from the same mothers were unaffected, possibly because they have different levels of liver-detoxifying enzymes.

The article notes that 94% of the U.S. population has measurable pesticide break–down products in our urine from the family of pesticides to which chlorpyrifos belongs. Additional data is forthcoming, though the Compass reports that Porter is hesitant to offer public preview before publishing due to his experience with attacks from the pesticide industry.

Porter's work builds on other research that links pesticides with learning and developmental disorders, such as ADHD. “I really got into the issue of children’s pesticide exposure after reading an article in 1997 that looked at student disabilities in the Madison Metropolitan School District,” Porter explained in his 2004 article, "Do Pesticides Affect Learning and Behavior?" “The data showed that the number of children in Madison [who] were emotionally disturbed increased 87 percent, children with learning disabilities increased 70 percent, and children with birth defects increased 83 percent” from 1990 to 1995.

Porter's scientific assessment is blunt:

We’re dosing our kids with neurotoxins like chlorpyrifos, and then we wonder why they’re having trouble learning and concentrating. We wonder why we have to medicate them all the time.

The Compass article also highlighted research showing the power of personal food choices as a solution. A recent study of 23 elementary-school-age children in Seattle showed:

When parents in the study fed their children an organic diet...for as little as one week, the levels of chlorpyrifos metabolites in their urine dropped more than four-fold to undetectable levels. This study demonstrated that an organic diet provides a dramatic and immediate protection against exposures to organophosphate pesticides commonly used in agricultural production.

Article source: http://www.panna.org/blog/pesticides-harm-kids%E2%80%99-ability-learn

Children

Children | Pesticide Action Network
Article source: http://www.panna.org/your-health/children

When it comes to pesticides, children are among the most vulnerable. Pound for pound, they drink 2.5 times more water, eat 3-4 times more food, and breathe 2 times more air. They therefore absorb a higher concentration of pesticides than do adults.

Infants and children also face unique exposure because of how they interact with the world: they crawl on the ground, and put things in their mouths - including their hands. They also face exposure during critical windows in the womb and via breast milk.

Developing Brains & Bodies

Since they grow so fast, infants and young children are more susceptible to the effects of pesticide exposure than adults. Their developing brains and bodies are in the midst of complex and fragile developmental processes that regulate tissue growth and organ development - these developmental processes can be irreversibly derailed by pesticide exposure.

Drawings by preschoolers exposed to pesticides (Valley) compared to those by preschoolers not exposed (Foothills). See "Developmental Delay" below.

Research indicates that children exposed to pesticides either in utero, or during other critical periods face significant health risks including higher incidence of:

• Birth defects
• Childhood brain cancers
• Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD)
• Neurodevelopmental delays
• Endocrine dysruption

Many of the worst pesticides, known as “persistent organic pollutants,” or POPs, contaminate our water and soil for years. They move on the wind and in streams, rivers and oceans and concentrate as they move up the food chain. So, while farmer and farmworker's children bear some of the highest risks, pesticides contaminate the environment and permeate the food chain such that even kids in city cafeterias face daily exposure.

Health Effects: the State of the Science

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder & dietary pesticide exposure :: A May 2010 study out of Harvard shows that even tiny, allowable amounts of a common pesticide class can have dramatic effects on brain chemistry. Organophosphate pesticides (OP’s) are among the most widely used pesticides in the U.S., they work by interfering with brain signaling in insects. OPs have long been understood to be particularly toxic for children, but this is the first study to examine their effects across a representative population with average levels of exposure.

Childhood Brain Cancer :: Brain cancer is the second most common type of cancer in children, and it has been on the rise, but why it develops remains unclear. This February 2009 study finds that children who live in homes where their parents use pesticides are twice as likely to develop brain cancer versus those that live in residences in which no pesticides are used.

Developmental Delay :: A study of Yaqui Indian children in Mexico sharing similar genetic and cultural backgrounds with one significant difference - those living in one area were regularly exposed to pesticides in an agricultural community. Researchers found that an array of impaired brain and nervous system functions, including social behaviors and the ability to draw, are correlated to pesticide exposure during development.

Acta Pediatrica, Vol. 98, Issue 4, 2009

Birth Defects :: This April 2009 study reports that birth defect rates in the United States are highest among women conceiving in the spring and summer, a time period correlated with increased levels of pesticides in surface water.

Autism Spectrum Disorder :: Researchers found a sixfold increase in risk factor for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) for children of women who were exposed to organocholorine pesticides, this study was one of the first to link in utero pesticide exposure to ASD.

Brain Development :: Many developmental effects are not measurable at birth, or even later in life, because brain and nervous system disturbances are expressed in terms of how an individual behaves and functions. Reviewing the literature on pesticide exposure at various points in neurological development, this article finds that current pesticide risk assessment strategies are ill-equipped to measure or protect against the many kinds of exposure faced by developing fetuses, infants and children.

Developmental Neuroxicity :: Results indicate that chlorpyrifos (CPF) affects serotonin—a neurotransmitter involved in brain development—in several ways during discrete critical gestational periods. These effects are likely to contribute to the noncholinergic component of CPF's developmental neurotoxicity.

Developmental Neurotoxicity :: Fetal and childhood exposures to widely used organophosphate pesticides, especially chlorpyrifos (CPF), have raised concerns about developmental neurotoxicity. This study finds a wide window of vulnerability of cholinergic systems to CPF, extending from prenatal through postnatal periods, occurring independently of adverse effects on general cellular neurotoxicity.

Developmental Effects Beyond Neurotoxicity: Immediate & Delayed-Onset Effects on Heart & Liver Function :: The fetal and neonatal neurotoxicity of chlorpyrifos (CPF) and related insecticides is a major concern. Developmental effects of CPF involve mechanisms over and above cholinesterase inhibition, notably events in cell signaling that are shared by nonneural targets. This study finds that the developmental toxicity of CPF extends beyond the nervous system, to include cell signaling cascades that are vital to heart and liver functioning.

Low Birth Weight :: Pregnant women in upper Manhattan who were heavily exposed to two common insecticides had smaller babies than their neighbors. Recent restrictions on the two substances quickly lowered exposure and increased babies' size.

APOGEE Learning™

Provides a clean, toxic free, pesticide-free, supportive and comfortable learning environment.

For more information on services
provided for all learning needs:

http://www.apogeelearning.com

Inquiries Welcomed
Call for your FREE Introductory Consultation.
845-359-9056
toll free: 1-866-228-8663
1-866-ACU-TONE

The Power of Human Emotions - The Language of Intent

Emotional feelings toward learning, toward pursuit of understanding, toward knowledge of self, are to be considered in ourselves as learners. As parents, as educators, as mentors, as guides, our appreciation of emotion as a driving force, as a well spring within the conscious and subconscious mind, will facilitate a viable accord within ourselves and those we are destined to teach. There is an emergent science that has come to more fully embrace the process and the power of emotion driven energies. This presentation by Gregg Braden brings us closer to understanding the interrelationship of emotion and the body - mind connections. These are the very considerations taken into account, when implementing an individualized APOGEE Achiever ™ Program Plan.

Inquiries Welcomed
Call for your FREE Introductory Consultation.
845-359-9056
toll free: 1-866-228-8663
1-866-ACU-TONE

You Are Loved - Dedicated to Each of My Students - known be your APOGEE ...

To all my students...

You aspire and hold to your potential, your unfolding abilities and developing competencies, your vision, and known will be the success inherent in who you are. This in belief, in faith, in trust.

Beyond content mastery be there application and purpose, beyond grade point average, be there relevancy and identity, beyond frustration and failure, be there untapped potential and undefined quest. Learn and live the way of the APOGEE Achiever™.

Best always,
Rose Marie Raccioppi

With autonomy, mastery and purpose,
creative, caring, conceptual thinkers
and doers are developed.

• Inquiries welcomed •
• Call or post •
• All Questions Answered •

The APOGEE Achiever Program™
The Academics and the Arts
~ Soar To Success ~

•Individualized Subject Tutoring•
•Study Skills and Mastery Strategies•
•All Learning Styles•
Reading
Mathematics
Writing
Organization
Communication Skills
Assignment Management
Stress Management
Acu-Tone™ Sound Therapy
Relaxation, Breathing, Attention and Focusing Exercises
Achievement Goals
All Ages ~ All Grades ~ All Subjects
PSAT~ SAT ~ All Test Preparation
APOGEE Cognitive Kinesiology™ - Cause and Effect
Coaching
Family Therapy


For more information on services
provided for all learning needs:

http://www.apogeelearning.com
http://www.acu-tone.com

APOGEE Learning ~ A Whole Child Paradigm

•Learning styles honored and supported•
•Readiness experiences provided•
•Task analysis applied•
•Student interests as motivators•
•The Whole Brain approach to study and mastery•

Inquiries Welcomed
Call for your FREE Introductory Consultation.
845-359-9056
toll free: 1-866-228-8663
1-866-ACU-TONE

Russian DNA Discoveries - and the APOGEE Learning™ Paradigm

* http://otherworldradio.ning.com/forum/topics/russian-dna-discoveries-mind

When reading and upon completion of these reported findings related to DNA discoveries, I found great relevance to both the development and the successful application of 'sound' modalities that define APOGEE Acu-Tone™. http://www.acu-tone.com See also: http://www.apogeelearning.com/acutone/sound.asp Since 1983, APOGEE Learning™ has offered supports to children and adults across the age span to more effectively manage every day stress and to develop orientations and strategies that bring about effective learning, mastery, and well being. I have taken excerpts from the article, "Russian DNA Discoveries," that are particularly related to my own findings and experience, and encourage all to avail themselves of the full text posted at the above provided link.

Excerpts:

"Fifty percent of children will become a problem as soon as they go to school, since the system lumps everyone together and demands adjustment. But the individuality of today's children is so strong that they refuse this adjustment and resist giving up their idiosyncrasies in the most diverse ways.

At the same time more and more clairvoyant children are born. Something in those children is striving more towards the group consciousness of the new kind, and it can no longer be suppressed." *

Since my early teaching days that date back to the 60's, I have recognized the 'different learner,' one inherently aware, sensitive to all aspects of the immediate environment, and deeply responsive to teachings and supports respectful of their learning styles, interests, motivations and their particular world view. These particular aspects of the 'different learner' are so very well expressed by this young man: Indigo Child's Views on How to Save the World - http://apogeelearning.blogspot.com/2011/02/indigo-childs-views-on-how-to-save.html

APOGEE Learning ~ A Whole Child Paradigm

•Learning styles honored and supported•
•Readiness experiences provided•
•Task analysis applied•
•Student interests as motivators•
•The Whole Brain approach to study and mastery•

Inquiries Welcomed
Call for your FREE Introductory Consultation.
845-359-9056
toll free: 1-866-228-8663
1-866-ACU-TONE