The educational and personal benefits for a child involved in music at a young age have been widely reported for years.  To help foster that growth in Toledo area youth, the Toledo Symphony Orchestra is currently enrolling students in its Toledo Symphony School of Music (TSSM).  TSSM offers 30 minute to 1 hour private lessons, group lessons, enrichment activities, and the opportunity to perform in front of a live audience for youths studying violin, piano, viola, and cello.  Private lessons are held throughout the week with groups sessions held on Monday afternoons and Saturday mornings.  The classes start at $30 per week, and Chamber Music Coaching is available for intermediate and advanced students for $15 per week.  All instruction is Suzuki certified.  Private and group lessons are held at the Toledo Symphony’s Education Center located at 1838 Parkwood Ave., with select instruments taught at the BGSU satellite location.  For more information, contact Rachel Zeithamel at 419-418-0022.

Toledo family counselor Raquel Wilson is expanding her Wellspring Counseling Services, and relocating to new West Toledo offices at 4041 W. Sylvania. Wilson, who specializes in individual and family mental health therapy, is eager to collaborate with two other mental health professionals who run their practices from the same location. Cheryl Kinnersley principally counsels adults and couples, while Cindy J. Livingston works with troubled adolescents and substance abusers, in a addition to providing couples therapy. Wilson, who earned a Master of Social Work degree from Michigan State University, believes strongly that every patient’s concerns are unique, and therefore uses a wide variety of therapeutic styles tailored to help each client achieve their therapeutic goals. 

Nature photography is a style and genre that gives photographers the chance to capture the earth in its purest, unaltered form.  The WGTE Family Channel partners with the Metroparks of the Toledo Area, inviting area youths, under the age of 13, who enjoy snapping pictures to send in some of their favorite nature photos.  Whether from a backyard or a Metropark, WGTE wants to see nature and wildlife (pets don’t qualify) from your perspective.  Entries will be accepted online through October 25 and can be uploaded at www.wgte.org/wgte/watch/item.asp?item_id=7244.  On Saturday, October 30, WGTE studios at 1270 S. Detroit Ave. in Toledo, will host a special event showcasing the submissions. Those selected will then be displayed at WGTE and Secor Metropark’s National Center for Nature Photography.  For more information, call 419-380-4600.

Two Toledo Public schools, East Side Central Elementary (ESC) and Sherman Elementary, have jumped up in the ranks of the Ohio Department of Education’s report card rating scale.  ESC was classified as “Academic Watch” and rose two levels to “Effective” while Sherman climbed one level from “Academic Emergency” to “Academic Watch.”  The scale adopted by the State of Ohio has five stratifications: Academic Emergency, Academic Watch, Continuous Improvement, Effective, and Excellent.  The improvement in both schools is being credited, in part, to the United Way’s Social & Emotional Learning (SEL) program currently operating at each institution.  SEL was introduced by the Women’s Initiative of of United Way, the Toledo Federation of Teachers, and the Toledo Association of Administrative Professionals to increase graduation rates and to lower the incidence of suspensions and teen pregnancies.  The program uses teachers to model social and emotional behavior as an example to students, offers direct instruction of social and emotional skills, and provides a supportive and cooperative environment for students to practice what they’ve learned.  In the wake of SEL’s implementation, ESC and Sherman observed a decline in suspension and discipline rates as well as improved academics and respect for teachers.  To learn more about SEL, visit www.unitedwaytoledo.org/education.

Drop-offs, pick-ups, daycare, dinner, bed times: the return of the school year inevitably means a return to a hectic schedule for moms of young children.  But the Toledo Ballet is offering a Mommy and Me program on Thursdays, beginning October 7, during which moms can enjoy peace and quiet through a weekly hour of yoga and stretching while their youngsters, ages 3 – 5 interact with other children in creative movement and storytelling session.  “We know that young mothers’ days easily fill with frenzied chores and errands, so we wanted to offer an activity that gets them out of the house but does not require child care,” said Executive Director Mari Davies. “This program allows them to have an hour to themselves in a relaxing, healthy environment while their youngster has a wonderful time just down the hall.”  The program runs for 14 weeks and costs $440.    For more information, call 419-471-0049 or visit www.toledoballet.net.