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Almaden Sporting League Registrations Winter 2018

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Almaden Sporting League RegistrationsHello Almaden friends and neighbors,

Winter break is underway and I trust many of you are enjoying it with your families at home or at wonderful holiday destinations.

For families with young kids who are excited to start or get back to sporting leagues, here’s a little reminder of Almaden sporting league registrations that are open now or scheduled to start in January.

The Almaden Valley Girls Softball League – Registration for the 2018 Spring / Summer season is open now. For more information, go to http://avgsl.org/index.html.

The Almaden Valley Recreational Soccer registration opens Jan 8, 2018. Check out their page on http://www.almadensoccer.org/news_article/show/866156?referrer_id=2633.

Registrations are also open for the Almaden Little League Baseball team. Visit their page at http://tshq.bluesombrero.com/Default.aspx?tabid=1844237.

As we prepare to wind up this year and ring in the new, I take this opportunity to wish you and your family a fun-filled and joyous holiday season, and a very happy new year!

Watch this space for more blogs on Almaden news and events in 2018.

Almaden Community Center Winter 2018 Catalog – UPDATED 2022

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Almaden Community Center Winter 2018

[CLICK HERE FOR ACCESS TO MORE RECENT ALMADEN COMMUNITY CENTER ACTIVITY GUIDE.]

The Almaden Community Center Winter 2018 catalog has arrived! The activity guide details a host of exciting activities from January 2018 to March 2018.

Highlights include a number of new classes, special events like the North Pole Party, and camps like the President’s Week Camp and Futsal Camp. Here’s a preview of what’s inside…

New Classes:

* Apprentice Aerospace Engineering – Up, Up and Away
* Junior Aerospace – Taking to the Skies
* Behind the Brush!
* Beginning Fencing

Special Events:

  • North Pole Party – Join Santa in this fun-filled party at the North Pole with lots of food, music, art activities and even a special gift. The event takes place on Dec. 14, 2017, 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm at the Almaden Community Center.

Camps:

  • President’s Week Camp – This camp is conducted by the Almaden Community Center staff and includes a variety of arts and crafts, games, activities and even a day field trip. Camp goes from Feb. 20-23, 2018, 8:00 am to 6:00 pm at the Almaden Community Center.
  • Futsal Camp – Futsal is a fast-paced 5×5 soccer game played indoors on a basketball court. This week-long camp is a great way to initiate your child into Futsal or soccer. Camp goes from Feb. 20-23, 2018, 9:00 am to 12:00 noon at the Almaden Community Center.

 

Almaden Community Center Fall 2017 Catalog – UPDATED 2022

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Almaden Community Center Fall 2017[CLICK HERE FOR ACCESS TO MORE RECENT ALMADEN COMMUNITY CENTER ACTIVITY GUIDE.]

The Almaden Community Center Fall 2017 Catalog lists a lot of new and exciting activities lined up this fall. The activity guide covers classes, camps and activities from September 2017 to December 2017.

The highlights include a host of new classes, special events like the Harvest Festival and Halloween Party, and camps like the Fall Break Day Camp. Here’s a summary of what you will find…

New Classes:

  • Elementary Funtoons!
  • Pastel Drawing – Even More Magnificent Masters
  • Apprentice Mechanical Engineering: Master Machines
  • Electronic Game Design – Platform Games
  • Girl powered engineering using Lego
  • Junior Mechanical Engineering – Widgets and Gadgets
  • Junior Software Engineering using Scratch – Space P
  • Little Sports Medicine
  • Little Veterinarian School
  • Beginner Fencing

Special Events:

  • 10th Annual Harvest Festival and Holiday Boutique – 10/21/2017, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm
  • Halloween Party – 10/26/2017, 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm
  • Breakfast with Santa – 12/9/2017, 9:30 am to 12:00 pm
  • North Pole Party – 12/14/2017, 4:00 p, to 5:30 pm

Camps:

  • Fall Break Day Camp – 10/2/2017 – 10/6/2017, 8:00 am to 6:00 pm

Almaden Community Center Summer 2017 – UPDATED 2022

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Almaden Community Center Summer 2017[CLICK HERE FOR ACCESS TO MORE RECENT ALMADEN COMMUNITY CENTER ACTIVITY GUIDE.]

Registration has begun for Almaden Community Center Summer 2017 activities and camps. The Summer 2017 brochure has details of activities and camps from June 12, 2017 to August 18, 2017. There are various fun and exciting sports and educational programs on the offer for children and teens. Be sure to take advantage of them!

In addition to activities, here are some other important highlights noted in the brochure:

R.O.C.K. Afterschool Program

Registration for 2017-2018 school year begins on Saturday, July 22, at 10:00 am.

San Jose Recreation Preschool

Details regarding 2017-2018 sessions are provided in the brochure. Sessions span from August 21/22 2017 through May 31/June 1 2018. Contact the community center to register.

Almaden Valley Summer Concert Series

There’s live music coming to your neighborhood with the Almaden Valley Summer Concert Series! Every Thursday night in July you can relax with your friends and family at Graystone Park and enjoy live music. Remember to carry some food and drinks, and don’t forget your chairs. So, mark your calendars for July Thursday nights, 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm at Graystone Park.

For more details about these and other exciting activities and events, check out the Almaden Community Center Summer 2017 brochure here: https://issuu.com/sjparksandrec/docs/almaden_community_center_fd73e1ce307b83

Summer Sports Camps in Almaden

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Summer is around the corner and if your kids are interested in sports, explore the following summer sports camps in Almaden…

Summer Sports Camps in Almaden - Almaden SoccerSoccer

Almaden Soccer is offering 7 weeks of soccer summer camps from June to August 2017. These camps are open for young soccer players of all abilities, born between 2003 and 2010. They will be held at O’Malley Field 2 (Steinbeck School) from 9:00 am to noon on the following dates:

June: 19-23 and 26-30
July: 10-14, 17-21, and 24-28
August: July 31 – Aug. 4 and Aug. 7-11

The cost of the camps is $165/week. To register, go to: http://www.almadensoccer.org/summercamps.

TennisSummer Sports Camps in Almaden - Skyhawks Sports

Skyhawks Sports in partnership with the Almaden Community Center is running summer tennis camps for kids of all abilities, ages 7 to 12. These camps will be held in July at the Leland High School tennis courts. The dates are as follows:

July 10-14, 17-21, and 24-28

The cost for the program is $166/ week. To register, go to: https://www.skyhawks.com/activity/tennis/skyhawks-tennis-camp/almaden-community-center/CA+san-jose+95120/36303/.

Summer Sports Camps in Almaden - NJB National Junior BasketballBasketball

The Almaden NJB Youth Basketball League (AVNJB), an affiliate of the National Junior Basketball League (NJB), will be running basketball camps in June and July. The dates are:

June 26-30
July 17-21

Fees are $210 for half day, and $325 for full-day camps. For more information and to register, go to: http://www.almadennjb.org/.

These camps fill up quickly and registration is now open, so be sure to sign up as soon as possible!

Almaden Valley Girls Softball League Tournament Tryouts

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Almaden Valley Girls Softball LeagueThe Almaden Valley Girls Softball League (AVGSL) is holding tryouts for the Almaden Lightning Tournament on Sunday, May 7, 2017. The tryouts are for girls in the 8U, 10U, 12U and 14U groups. The league is planning to field five to eight summer tournament teams in 2017.

Tryouts will be held at Bret Harte Middle School at the times below:

8U Pitcher and Catcher Tryouts 8:00 – 8:30
8U Team Tryouts 8:45 – 10:45
12U Pitcher and Catcher Tryouts 11:00 – 11:30
12U Team Tryouts 11:45 – 1:45
10U Pitcher and Catcher Tryouts 2:00 – 2:30
10U Team Tryouts 2:45 – 4:30
14U Tryouts 4:45 – 5:30

For more information and to register, go to http://avgsl.org/index.html.

Almaden Community Center Spring 2017 Catalog – UPDATED 2022

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Almaden Community Center Spring 2017[CLICK HERE FOR ACCESS TO MORE RECENT ALMADEN COMMUNITY CENTER ACTIVITY GUIDE.]

Almaden Community Center Spring 2017 Activities

Coming up at the Almaden Community Center this Friday, March 24, 2017 at 4:00 pm is a free family movie evening. For more details about this event, call 408-268-1133.

Regular classes in art, music and dance begin the first week in April. Classes include ballet, hip hop, guitar and more. Sports activities like futsal, soccer, tennis and basketball begin at the same time. Additionally, there are enrichment activities for kids like Digital Computer Animation and Little Medical School. Registration has just begun. Hurry up and grab a spot in your favorite activity!

Almaden Community Center Summer Camps

Is your child interested in comic book design or in being an eco-explorer? Or perhaps she would like to be a young inventor. The Almaden Community Center Spring 2017 catalog includes a schedule of exciting summer camps and activities. Spread out from June through August 2017, there are a host of diverse and exciting day-long and half-day camps for children to choose from.

In addition to various sports camps, there are camps for technologically inclined children including Lego engineering, robotics, mobile app development, aeronautics and more. Camps for art enthusiasts include origami, photography, gardening, cooking and others. Your child can also learn to be a spy, train to be a super hero, or enter the magical world of Hogwarts – there are camps for those adventures, too!

Registration for summer camps is now open. Scholarships are available for select programs. For more details and to register, call 408-268-1133 or visit www.sjregistration.com.

Almaden Valley Youth Opportunities January 2017 – UPDATED 2022

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Exciting Almaden Valley youth opportunities this month at the Almaden Library and Leland High!

Almaden Valley youth opportunitiesBrain Maps – A Stimulating Workshop for Kids

Almaden children, ages 7 and up, will learn all about brain-mapping in this creative and engaging workshop at the Almaden Library on Tuesday January 31 at 4:00pm. This play and learn event will start off with some fun quizzes about the brain, and then kids will learn about personality and the different lobes of the brain. Thereafter, they will create their own brain maps by drawing on beach balls! For more details, visit: [EVENT IS CLOSED]

Build a Bot at Leland High

The annual Build a Lego Robot Day at Leland High is coming up on Saturday January 28. Conducted by the school’s FRC (FIRST Robotics competition) Team 604, also known as Quixilver, this workshop introduces students ages 6-14 to the basics of programming and designing robots. The workshop will be held in two sessions from 10-11am and 11:30am-12:30pm.

Earlier this academic year, the Leland Robotics team won the Chezy Champs Robotics competition at Bellarmine College Preparatory in an alliance with Spartan Robotics, Citrus Circuits and Presentation Invasion. Way to go, Leland Robotics! Keep up the good work. For more information, go to: [EVENT IS CLOSED]

Family Holiday Traditions near Almaden Valley

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The holidays are upon us, and here are some favorite family holiday traditions happening near Almaden Valley…

Family Holiday Traditions Fantasy of LightsVasona Lake Park Fantasy of Lights Spectacular – December 6-30

If you are looking for special holiday displays close to Almaden, you cannot miss the Fantasy of Lights spectacular at Vasona Lake Park. Take your family on a magical drive through the 1.5 mile long holiday lights display. It is a spectacular extravaganza to be enjoyed by both young and young-at-heart alike.

Driving through the park in the cozy comfort of your car, you will pass through over 50 exciting exhibits and themed displays like the Dinosaur Den with the sights and sounds of an erupting volcano, a playful pen of penguins, Santa shooting hoops, pirate cannons blazing and tunnels of moving lights. At the center of it all is a 90-foot twinkling tree for you to gaze at.

Important: Remember to purchase your tickets in advance to attend the Fantasy of Lights 2016. The park will not admit any cars without a prior ticket. For more information, visit: https://www.sccgov.org/sites/parks/fol/Pages/AnnualFoL.aspx.

Family Holiday Traditions Foxworthy Baptist ChurchBroadway Style Christmas Musical at the Foxworthy Baptist Church – December 9-11

The Foxworthy Baptist Church of San Jose presents a Broadway style Christmas Musical during the holiday season. It has been doing so since 1984, and as a holiday gift to all attendees, the show is presented entirely free.

This year, the Church will be presenting six free shows, two on each day between December 9 and 11. The 90-minute show features 30 singers in a fully staged and choreographed Broadway style production. It includes many favorite Christmas songs and special guests including Rudolf, Frosty, SpongeBob, the Grinch and Olaf. They’ll also gather around the manger to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Reason for the Season, and the Savior of the world. The musical is directed by Don and Diann Fugate. Performances are December 9-11, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 2.00pm and 7 pm. For more information, visit: http://www.foxworthy.org/upcoming-events.html.

Family Holiday Traditions Christmas in the ParkChristmas in the Park in Downtown San Jose – Now until January 1

If you and your family would like to enjoy a free and fun holiday event near Almaden Valley, the Christmas in the Park celebration at downtown San Jose is a must do. In December, the two-acre Plaza de Cesar Chavez at downtown San Jose turns into a winter wonderland.

At the heart of the festivities is a majestic 60-foot Community Giving tree. Attractions include over 40 animated exhibits with glittering lights and music, a toy train ride and a mini park of Christmas trees decorated by children of San Jose schools. Additionally, there are a host of other rides, games and a variety of foods from local vendors to be savored. You can enjoy free arts and crafts activities every Saturday.

Christmas in the Park is open now through January 1. For more information, visit: http://www.christmasinthepark.com/.

Internet Safety Reminder for Winter Break

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Internet safetyInternet Safety – The holidays are about to begin and your children will very likely spend a lot of time online with multiple devices. Now is a good time to educate or remind them about Internet safety, and to reinforce the need for caution while browsing or posting on social media.

Surfing and Social Media Internet Safety

The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 requires that websites aimed at children under 13 must get parental consent. According to the Library of Congress, in the US, three among four children have access to smartphones and social media apps like Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Vine and Tumblr. And while they are using these apps, most kids never customize the privacy restrictions on their profiles, and many of them even publicly post their address and/or phone number.

Monitoring children’s online activities can be overwhelming and time consuming, but some basic steps should be taken to ensure their protection. Here are some guidelines for both parents and children.

For parents:

  • Educate your children about Internet safety – Include Internet safety and privacy in all “growing up” discussions with your children.
  • Follow and be a ‘friend’ on social media – Your children might be reluctant to let you into their virtual world, but get an agreement on this before allowing them to use social media. Having you on their accounts will make them careful about what they post. It will also help you weed out people who may not really be friends. However, keep some distance and avoid stalking them.
  • Adjust privacy and parental control settings – This should be done on each device before you let them use it.
  • Install monitoring software – There are various software and apps available to track browsing history and block dubious sites from baiting and preying on your children through advertising.
  • Make kids anonymous on the Internet – Avoid posting pictures of your children on social media sites and the Internet. If posted by friends and family, un-tag as much as possible. Ask family and friends to seek your consent before they post any pictures of your children.

It is very important that children understand the reasons behind the rules to ensure compliance. So talk about the risks and keep that dialogue going.

For children:

  • Protect your passwords – Create strong and unique passwords, and don’t share them with your friends. If you think someone has gained access to your password, change it immediately. Use different passwords for email and social media.
  • Select online friends carefully – Do not add anyone as a friend on your social media if you do not know him/her well, and in person. You may be tempted to have more social media friends than others in your peer group, but think carefully before you add people on. Someone doesn’t qualify to be a friend just because you have other friends in common.
  • Privacy Settings – Set your privacy settings to “friends only”.
  • Every post is permanent – Your social media posts, including pictures, remain on the Internet even after you remove them. Increasingly, social media sites are screened by colleges and employers for admissions and jobs. What you post today could impact your future.
  • Be kind and sensitive online – Don’t post anything that might be hurtful to others. Avoid anything that might seem like cyber bullying, which is not just wrong but could also get you into big trouble. A rule to follow is this: if you can’t say it to someone’s face, don’t say it online.

For more information on Internet safety and protecting your child’s privacy, go to:

https://www.comparitech.com/blog/vpn-privacy/protecting-childrens-privacy