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SPRINGFIELD — Standing before a class of 20-plus Maple Elementary third-graders, Maria Avila reads with the poise and enthusiasm of a seasoned teacher, even stopping on occasion to ask the children a question or remark on something silly.
She gets tripped up only once — over “bow wow,” the only English word she comes across in her Spanish-language version of a book of children’s poetry. She pronounces it “boe-woe,” laughing because she knows she didn’t get it right.
Avila didn’t always have such confidence. For her and a dozen other Hispanic parents who read stories at Maple, it’s taken time to grow comfortable at the head of the class.
Helping Spanish-speaking families feel comfortable, welcome and valued is a primary aim of Maple’s Family Bridges/Puentes de Familias program, which began in earnest in the fall of 2006, spearheaded by English Language Learner teacher Zehra Greenleaf.
The program encompasses a range of activities, but at its core are classroom readings, scheduled once every couple of months. Hispanic parents (mostly mothers) stand side-by-side with teachers, taking turns reading storybooks — the teacher in English, the parent in Spanish. Afterward, the pair lead the children in a craft — typically something related to the story and Hispanic culture.
On this day, Avila and student teacher Gina Pearson read “From the Belly­button of the Moon and Other Summer Poems,” a whimsical compilation featuring sunflowers, summer storms and a bi­lingual dog that barks in English (“bow wow!”) and Spanish (“guau guau!”). Then they pass out orange and yellow construction paper circles and ovals, and the kids use glue sticks to create their sunflowers.
Near the front is 8-year-old Giovanni Avila, Maria’s son. Having his mother come in to read to his class (this is her fourth appearance) makes him proud and happy, he says, “because I love her so much.”

registerguard.com

Give CBS Sports studio analyst Seth Davis some TV bragging rights. At least until the Sweet 16. The Sports Illustrated basketball writer correctly predicted Sunday that Davidson would upset Georgetown. During CBS’ pregame show, Davis did it emphatically, jabbing his finger at viewers for emphasis while chiding colleague Clark Kellogg for playing it safe with his picks.
“The shock of the day is going to be in Raleigh, N.C., where the 10th-seeded Davidson Wildcats are going to take down the Georgetown Hoyas,” Davis told TV viewers.
Getting a big prediction right on national TV is nice, Davis said Sunday night. But he’s the same guy who predicted Notre Dame and Siena would win their games.
“You can’t take this stuff too seriously; I’ve gotten plenty wrong. But you can’t make a shot unless you take a shot,” he said. “I thought Davidson was playing well and Georgetown would be susceptible to their style.”
During the chaotic first weekend, studio host Greg Gumbel smartly kept coverage focused on game action, rather than long-winded analysis, while guiding viewers from game to game.
“You don’t want to get in the way of the game. And you never, ever want to assume people are tuning in to see you instead of the game,” Gumbel said.
Among the highs and lows of CBS’ NCAA coverage this weekend:
Best interview. Trent Johnson’s frank exchange with CBS’s Jay Bilas on Saturday after the Stanford coach was ejected from his team’s win against Marquette. A depressed-looking Johnson told Bilas he asked his players to “bail me out” at halftime. Bilas and partner Dick Enberg also had a great replay to work with, one that showed Stanford assistant Doug Oliver holding his head in his hands after Johnson got the boot.
Worst promo. Who’s the genius behind the lame promo during CBS’s coverage of the tournament Saturday and Sunday about Britney Spears’ appearance on How I Met Your Mother? In the clip from tonight’s episode, Spears’ flirty receptionist asks Neil Patrick Harris’ character if they can have sex, then go shopping. Cute. We know Hollywood loves to outrage the squares in Middle America. But there are kids watching these games.

usatoday.com

39th Dick Windemuth Spring
Pool B: Central Valley, Davis, Enochs, Modesto Chr., Redwood Chr. Sierra.
At Downey High, Pitman vs. Sonora, 9:30 a.m.; Sonora vs. Downey, 12:15 p.m.; Redwood vs. Modesto Christian, 3.
At Davis High, Sierra vs. Davis, 9:30 a.m.; Enochs vs. Sierra, 12:15 p.m.; Central Valley vs. Enochs, 3.
At Modesto High, Ceres vs. Modesto, 3.
At Downey, Downey vs. Pitman, 9:30 a.m.; Hughson vs. Pitman, 12:15 p.m.; Hughson vs. Ceres, 3.
At Davis, Davis vs. Modesto Christian, 9:30 a.m.; Sierra vs. Redwood, 12:15 p.m.; Redwood vs. Central Valley, 3.
At Modesto, Sonora vs. Modesto, 3.
At Downey, Modesto vs. Hughson, 12:15 p.m.; Ceres vs. Downey, 3 p.m.
At Davis, Central Valley vs. Davis, 12:15 p.m.; Modesto Christian vs. Enochs, 3 p.m.
Thursday: At Downey, 9:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. Championship game at 3. At Davis, 9:30 a.m., 12:15 p.m. and 3.
49th Atwater-Winton Lions
Pool B: Central Catholic, Livingston, Merced, West.
Tracy vs. Patterson, 10:30 a.m.; Livingston vs. West, 1:30 p.m.; Merced vs. Central Catholic, 4:30; Atwater vs. Moreau, 7:30.
West vs. Central Catholic, 10:30 a.m.; Moreau vs. Tracy, 1:30 p.m.; Livingston vs. Merced, 4:30; Atwater vs. Patterson, 7:30.
Central Catholic vs. Livingston, 10:30 a.m.; Patterson vs. Moreau, 1:30 p.m.; Merced vs. West, 4:30; Atwater vs. Tracy, 7:30.
Fourth-seeded teams, 10:30 a.m.; third seeds, 1:30 p.m.; second seeds, 4:30; top seeds (championship), 7:30.
Gustine vs. Denair, 11 a.m.; Turlock Christian vs. Riverbank, 2 p.m.
Turlock Christian vs. Denair, 11 a.m.; Riverbank vs. Gustine, 2 p.m.
Livingston vs. Denair, 11 a.m.; Turlock Christian vs. Waterford, 2 p.m.
Turlock Christian vs. Denair, 11 a.m.; Waterford vs. Livingston, 2 p.m.

modbee.com