Spring Baseball for 7th/8th Graders

Top10Baseball, a group of coaches and parents who want to create more opportunities for our kids to play our National Pastime, is looking for energetic 7th and 8th grade boys for the spring season to play in the Park and Rec league. There are still spots available. Please visit http://www.top10baseball.com to read all about this exciting opportunity. Coach Tony Lopez is available to talk with you and answer any questions you may have. He can be reached at 415-515-1986 or ALopezsf@yahoo.com. The sign-up deadline is Fri., Feb. 13.

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Broadway's Classical Musical, The Pajama Game

The San Francisco Arts Education Project (SFArtsEd) celebrates the eighth year of its musical theater company, The SFArtsEd Players, with a two-week-run of Broadway's Classical Musical, The Pajama Game, at San Francisco's Eureka Theatre.

-Sat., Feb. 7 at 2pm & 8pm (gala performance)
-Sun., Feb. 8 at 2pm
-Sat., Feb. 14at 2pm & 730pm
-Sun., Feb. 15 at 2pm

On Sat., Feb. 7, B.D. Wong will be the host of the benefit evening that will raise money for scholarships for SF Arts Ed's special programs. Mr. Wong currently stars in Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. He is a San Francisco native, who attended public schools and is a long time activist for alternative families & arts education.

Tickets to The SFArtsEd Players' performances of The Pajama Game are $15 for adults; and $10 for seniors and students. The cost for the gala performance on Feb.7 is $30 for all tickets. To purchase tickets, call City Box Office at (415) 392-4400, or visit the City Box Office website at www.cityboxoffice.com. For more information about SFArtsEd and its programs, please call (415) 551-7990.

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Youth Unpiring Program Through San Francisco Little League

Youths age 13-18 are eligible to be paid for umpiring after attending our mandatory training sessions. Returning or otherwise demonstrably experienced umpires between the ages of 18 and 21, who are still students are also eligible for our paid program. Youth umpires are paid $30 per little league game and $35 for Juniors baseball and softball games. Apply for the Program by February 13, 2009. The earlier you apply, the better your chances of being accepted. For more information, please visit http://www.sfll.org/page/show/58473-youth-umpiring-program.

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Summer Camps & Summer Jobs

Save the date: Sat., Mar. 14, 2009. Mayor Gavin Newsom's 4th Annual Summer Resource Fair at the Concourse Exhibition Center (8th & Brannan Streets). Find information about camps, classes, programs, and services from over 200 exhibitors. Young people ages 14 to 18 will also find everything youth need to get work this summer from workshops and mentors at the youth workforce development section of the fair called Jobs Space.

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Expanding Your Horizons in Math and Science

Saturday, March 21 from 8:15 to 300pm at Skyline College in San Bruno. An all-day conference for 6th through 12th grade girls. Over 1000 girls attended the 2008 conference. The majority of girls came from San Mateo County, however, girls came from as far away as Fairfield and Gilroy. This conference allows young women to meet women who use science and math in their careers as well as women in non-traditional careers. These outstanding women are eager to share their career paths with the students, to answer their questions, and to encourage them to 'Go for it!' Each girl attends three hands-on workshops during the all-day conference. The workshops are exciting and cover careers in Biotechnology, Medicine and Health, Life & Environmental Sciences, Physical Science & Math and Life Skills. Conference participants conduct lab experiments, wire high-tech phone systems, examine microscopic creatures, and design their own computer software. During the day, the girls participate in a problems and puzzles contest. Contest winners receive 'A Day With a Scientist'.

Advanced registration is required because participants select the 3 workshops they will attend. Return deadline: March 14, 2009. Lunch and materials fee: $10.00 per person (nonrefundable). Make checks payable to EYH. Please send in your registration and payment to Expanding Your Horizons, SMT Division, Skyline College, 3300 College Drive, San Bruno, CA 94066-1698. Questions: Call 650-738-4376 or -4230 or email eyh@smccd.edu.

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Parenting Skills Program sponsored by Community Youth Center of San Francisco (CYC)

Tue. evenings from 530-730pm at The Juvenile Justice Center, 375 Woodside Avenue in San Francisco, Main Conference Room. Enrollment is open. They accept new parents weekly. They are a court-approved service provider (participants receive certification upon completing 10 classes). They accept participants by referral from various agencies citywide and also welcome parents who wish to come involuntarily. Certificates are provided upon completion of the tenth class. Classes provided free to participants; refreshments served.

Classes are offered in Spanish on Mon. evenings and Cantonese on Thr. evenings. For additional information contact: Debra Valdivia, Project Coordinator, at (415) 753-7594. This event is a great opportunity for parents to learn new tools in dealing with their children, and how to build healthy relationships with their children.

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Family Guide

Designed for parents and other adults involved in the lives of 7- to 18-year-olds, the Family Guide Web site emphasizes the importance of family, promotes mental health, and helps prevent underage use of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs. See our latest articles, e-cards, and coupons, as well as news and resources. Check it out at ww.family.samhsa.gov!

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A Stategy for Teaching Your Children to Set Goals

Children as young as five can be taught to set simple goals that yield quick results. The important thing is to instill the habit of setting goals, and show children how to plan their actions to achieve them. Here are five steps to get started, according to Terri Khonsari, author of "Raising A Superstar: Simple Strategies to Bring Out the Brilliance in Every Child":

1. Define the goal: Help your children define their goal and what they want to achieve. Resist the urge to set goals for them.
2. Put it on paper: Ask your children to write down their goals or draw a picture of them and placing them on a wall or a door.
3. Lay out an action plan: Help them understand the importance of having a plan. Help them create a road map and set a date for the goal to be reached.
4. Teach persistence: Help your child when they get discouraged and frustrated. This is when they learn to overcome failure. Encourage them to visualize success in their mind. Give your children the motto of "when you believe it you can achieve it!"
5. Celebrate success: Acknowledge your child’s good work and celebrate success!

When you teach the process of goal setting it is essential for your children to see you as their role models. Share your own goals with your family and brainstorm with them when you create your personal action plan. Get them involved and practice mutual support in helping each other. This way the benefits of goal setting and hard work are clear to the whole family, and you can all share in the rewards! To learn more about Khonsari's work, visit RaisingASuperstar.com and sign up for more free tips on raising happy, healthy and successful children.

http://www.pta.org/2203.htm#1

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Study Skills That Improve Performance

Proper and effective study habits and skills for learning will serve your child in the present and the future. This is especially true for older students as they prepare for high school or college. Help your child process and apply information more effectively with these steps to better studying from StudyTips.org, a group dedicated to furthering educational opportunities for youth:

• Help your kids keep a bigger picture in mind. Don't allow them to become distracted by friends and other pursuits.
• Help your child discover how he or she learns best. Is it by memorizing, reading, speaking, summarizing or other methods? Under what conditions do they study best? On what kinds of tests do they perform well? Understanding these learning processes is the first step to becoming a successful student. As parents, you can help them by observing how they study and learn.
• Help them prioritize their tasks. Generally, the most difficult task should be done first when concentration is highest. Subsequent tasks will not seem as hard.
• Help break assignments down into smaller steps so kids can accomplish them one step at a time. The successful completion of tasks will motivate students to keep going.
• There is no best way to take notes. Students should take notes in a way best suited to them. But you can tell them some things to listen for that would prompt note-taking: definitions, examples of definitions, lists, cause-and-effect statements, when superlatives such as "best," "largest," or "greatest" are used.
• To manage time better, note how long it takes for your child to read one chapter of a textbook. This should provide a benchmark for study plans.

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Bullying Affects All Middle School Kids

Excerpt from Family Guide. Many middle school kids experience confusion between the desire to be accepted, which is strongest in middle school, at the same time that:

• Kids report more bullying than students in grades 9 and 10.
• Almost 9 out of 10 kids say they’ve seen someone being bullied.
• For every 25 middle school kids, an average of 2 kids are harassed daily and another 2 to 3 are bullied weekly.
• Modern technology has added new ways to bully—cyberbullying.

Please click here for the full article and more Family Guide information.

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