2009 July

Professional Performing Arts Summer Camp

July 6th through July 31st, PASA, Performing Arts San Antonio, will offer a unique Performing Arts Summer Camp in Central Texas. “The Big Apple/Hollywood Professional Workshop” will offer Middle School and High School performing arts students the same high quality intensive workshop program that they would experience in New York or Los Angeles. Experienced 4th and 5th graders, as well as young adults, may also attend. Created by PASA directors, Paul Tinder and Vaughn Taylor, this unique opportunity will creatively challenge serious students desiring to maximize their talents with 30 hours of professional instruction every week. Paul Tinder and Vaughn Taylor-Tinder have extensive experience in the entertainment industry as performers, producers, writing and development. Their experience ranges from developing feature films for major markets and starring in national network television programming to creating and producing intimate local theatre. Paul and Vaughn have starred in over 550 episodes of major network daytime programming and well as many nighttime series, feature films and commercials. Paul and Vaughn formed Rising Star Entertainment to produce the feature film “The Long Ride Home”. Starring Randy Travis, Eric Roberts, Academy Award Winner Ernest Borgnine and Garry Marshall, the film was distributed by Lions Gate. Vaughn wrote the screenplay and played “Laura”, the female lead, and Paul produced the film and played “Abel Hart”, the villain. Acting, Acting on Camera and Musical Theatre Courses will consist of four (4) one week sessions, July 6th - 10th, July 13th - 17th, July 20th - 24th and July 27th - 31st. The “Film Making for Young Directors” program will be offered in two (2) two week sessions, July 6th - 17th and July 20th - 31st. 30 hours of professional training per week and to accommodate family plans for the summer, students may select any course during a convenient week.
Cost: $250.00 per week, 10% discount for multiple classes or family members
Host Camp Site: San Antonio Christian Schools, 19202 Redland Rd, San Antonio, TX, 78259 (Near Redland Rd & Hwy 281). Host Hotels: La Quinta Inn & Suites – San Antonio – Stone Oak 210-497-0506; Fairfield Inn & Suites – San Antonio – Stone Oak 210-491-9595
Contact: Paul Tinder - ptinder@satx.rr.com

Saturday Morning Discovery

Saturday Morning Discovery is a free introductory art experience offered for children on Saturday mornings during the school year.
This family-oriented program has been in place for nearly 40 years, giving children ages 5-16 a chance to work with artist-teachers in a wide variety of media — ceramics, drawing and painting, pinhole photography, silk-screening, stained glass, origami, and seasonal activities. Parents or guardians are required to stay with the children throughout the program and often work alongside them.
In 2006, the San Antonio Downtown Alliance honored Saturday Morning Discovery with its Downtown's BEST OF SAN ANTONIO Award in the Cultural category – which just goes to show that you don’t have to be the newest kid on the block to still be enriching lives and having fun.

Each month-long session meets from 9:30 - 11:30am on Saturdays. Advance reservations are required. For more information, call Regina Sanders, SMD Program Coordinator, at 210.224.1848 ext 321. You can also read a list of Frequently Asked Questions about SMD.
To register for a specific month, call our Registration Office, 210.224.1848, ext 317.

The Fairy Tale Courtroom!

If you’ve ever wanted to see those fairy tale villains brought to justice, then join the jury at the Seguin Art Center’s performance of Dana Proulx’s The Fairy Tale Courtroom! The Wolf and the Witch have been frolicking from fairy tale to fairy tale wreaking havoc as they try to prevent the general public from living happily ever after.  Here the personal accounts of what happened, told in testimonies and flashback sequences, from characters such as Snow White, Dorothy, Sleeping Beauty, the Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood and many others. Then decide the fate of this mischievous duo who try to outwit the witnesses with their outrageous courtroom shenanigans. Guaranteed theater fun for the whole family!
Performances are Friday, July 31st and Saturday, August 1st, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, August 2nd at 2:30 p.m. All performances are at the Palace Theater, 314 S. Austin St., in Seguin. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under, and may be purchased online at www.ticketstothecity.com. For more information, visit our webpage at www.seguinartcenter.com.

Library offers special resources/assistance for teachers

Teachers have a lot to do, and the San Antonio Public Library wants to help. We are offering a series of summer training sessions for teachers to familiarize them with resources available through the Library. The introductory class will be on Saturday, July 18, at 2:00 p.m. and will cover the new mySAPL website, catalog searching, LearningExpress Library and Live Homework Help. Participants will earn 2 CPE credits for each completed course. Not only will you find out a lot about the resources the Library has to offer you and your students, but your input will also help us decide what to cover in future classes. The program is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. To reserve a place, please register online at http://tinyurl.com/teacherdb or call (210) 207-2500. One hour of free parking is available in the Central Library parking garage with a validated ticket. For more information, the public may call 207-2500.

Fall High School History Class

I will have a high school class on "Deciding History" this fall. We will be reading books related to the "most important _____ in history." For each topic, the students will create a power point presentation or website with their top ten choices and why and write a book review of the assigned reading. We will discuss and edit all papers in class. We will also discuss the upcoming review of history standards for the Texas public schools. This will be a reading intensive class. I have a tentative schedule posted with contact information.

Children's Chorus of San Antonio Auditions

The Children's Chorus of San Antonio is pleased to announce a new season of its choral music program for boys and girls ages 7 through 14. CCSA is a community-based organization serving the greater San Antonio area; our mission is to bring the highest quality choral music education and performance opportunities to our children and youth. Our ensembles and membership represent a true tapestry of San Antonio's rich culture!

The Junior Chorus, ages 9-14, begins rehearsals the first week of September. Sessions meet 4:30 p.m. to 6:10 p.m. every Tuesday and will continue through the season with several concerts planned. Rehearsals will be held at Alamo Heights United Methodist Church.

The Prelude Choir, ages 7 and 8, also begins rehearsals the first week of September. Rehearsals will be held at Covenant Presbyterian Church.

Children do not have to know how to read music. Training in musical skills comes with membership in the chorus.

Auditions will be held on Saturday August 15th from 9:00 - 4:00pm.
All auditions must be scheduled in advance. Please call 826.3447 to reserve your audition time.

Academic Testing

Janis A. Curran, LPC, LMFT, is opening a new counseling practice at 8103 Broadway, Suite 206, San Antonio (just inside Loop 410) on July 6th.. She recently retired after 12 years as Clinical Director at Boysville, a children’s home in Converse. Mrs. Curran has also worked as a diagnostician for special education doing intellectual and academic testing to determine if children have learning disabilities/dyslexia, and will include this in her practice. Intellectual and academic testing to determine if children have learning disabilities/dyslexia. Call Janis A. Curran, LPC, LMFT at 210-566-5472. Office at 8103 Broadway, Suite 206, San Antonio.

Military Families Homeschool Support Meeting

Just a reminder about our next Military Families Homeschool Support Meeting. June 26, 2009 2:30pm-3:30pm at the Airman & Family Readiness Center, Randolph AFB. Children are welcome but there is no childcare available at this time.

We have several new families to Randolph who are homeschoolers and a couple that have been here but are choosing to homeschool next  year.  I hope that they will be there and if you can be there to introduce yourselves and maybe share about groups & co-ops you are a part of to help them decide where to "plug " in to in San Antonio. The purpose of this group is to be a conduit of information for all military homeschoolers(active duty, reserve, & retired) and to allow a platform of discussion to raise any requests or concerns on how Randolph AFB and the military as a whole can better meet the needs of it homeschooling families. Already we have seen progress and it is exciting. For instance...the "interest list" at the base fitness center for family friendly exercise classes is already two pages long!  That helps all military families, too, not just homeschoolers.

I have two large binders full of homeschool "stuff" for the Airman & Family Readiness Center, but I still need your input.
Please continue to send me flyers, cards, etc about homeschool friendly activities and businesses.
Also, I would like to compile a list of community service opportunities.  Please send me any info you have or recommendations. Have a great rest of the week and I look forward to seeing you next Friday! 
 
Blessings,
Sandi Killough
killough4him@yahoo.com

Home School Book Swap

Buy and sell gently used curriculum and books. No entry fee or table fee. Please contact Oly Schaefer to reserve a table. 659-6833 or olypops@yahoo.com

Tuesday, June 30th
Northern Oaks church of Christ
17435 Redland Road
(Just inside 1604)
9am-noon

MTV True Life: I'm Homeschooled

My name is Morgan Robinson and I'm helping to produce and episode of MTV’s award-winning documentary series, “True Life,” about young people who are homeschooled.  We’re looking for people who want to tell their stories, share their opinions, and possibly dispel some misconceptions about what it really means to learn at home.  

Our goal -- as with all episodes of “True Life” -- is to help MTV’s young audience understand why many young people, and their parents, choose to homeschool.  We also want to show the benefits and challenges that home-schooled kids experience on a daily basis. We will treat the people who participate in this documentary -- and the educational, philosophical or religious beliefs they possess -- with respect.  

I'm reaching out to you in the hopes of finding young people with particularly interesting homeschooling stories who would like to share their stories on this episode of True Life.  I'm also hoping you would be open to helping us spread the word about this important documentary by distributing our flyer to people in your network.  We are considering both sports and non-sports related homeschool stories.  I've attached our flyer that provides more information about the episode, which you are welcome to distribute to anyone and everyone who might wish to share their story.

I look forward to hearing from you and hearing your ideas.  Please call or email me know if you know of any stories or if you can help us spread the word, 
 
Sincerely, 
 
Morgan Robinson
Associate Producer
718-422-0705
morgan@punchedinthehead.com
TLhomeschool@gmail.com

More Camps

Choreography Workshop. Erica Wilson-Perkins. 11 a.m. -1 p.m. Berta Almaguer Dance, 138 S. Josephine Tobin Drive. $40. Call 207-3132 for more information.

The Alamo Summer Camp

Session One July 6 – 10, 2009
Session Two July 13 - 17, 2009
Session Three August 3, - 7, 2009
The Alamo invites children ages 9 to 14 to make new friends, have fun and engage themselves in the history of the Texas Revolution and the Alamo. Learn what it was like to live in 1830’s to 1840’s Texas.
Some activities include:
Alamo History, School of the Soldier, Period Cooking, Fire Starting, Period Crafts, Period Games and Toys.
For more information Contact: Sherri Driscoll or Ernesto Rodriguez
erodriguez@thealamo.org 210-225-1391 x 28

Witte Summer Adventure Club

Summer Adventure Club at the Witte Museum is a great way for kids, grades 1-2 & 3-5, to explore the people, environment, science and history of this incredible place we call South Texas. Also, investigate the mystery of time in the summer exhibit Playing with Time.
All sessions are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Cost per week is $180 for museum members and $230 for non-members. A $50 non-refundable deposit is required to hold reservations. Limited, need-based scholarships are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Scholarships are generously provided by USAA Federal Savings Bank. To make a reservation call 210.357.1910 or for more information click HERE.

Home School Book Swap
Buy and sell gently used curriculum and books.
 
Tuesday, June 30th
Northern Oaks church of Christ
17435 Redland Road
(Just inside 1604)
9am-noon
No entry fee or table fee.
 
Please contact Oly Schaefer to reserve a table.
659-6833 or olypops@yahoo.com

Children's Vegetable Garden Program

The San Antonio Botanical Garden in partnership with Texas AgriLife Extension Service, provide an opportunity for children to grow their own vegetables and ornamental plants with the help of mentors from the Bexar County Master Gardeners.  Each child is allotted one plot, approximately 4’x 28’ in size. Children have fun growing different types of seeds, herbs, vegetables, and ornamental annual flowers. Weekly educational presentations pertaining to gardening will stimulate these young minds as well as children participate in fun, hands-on Junior Master Gardener activities after they have tended their garden chores.
 
In order to gain the most from the learning experience and to help ensure successful growing, participants are required to attend all sessions (two absences are allowed). Families are welcome to share the gardening experience with their child(ren); however, parents should remember that this is the child’s plot and learning experience.
 
How to Apply:
Legibly complete the attached application and submit it to the San Antonio Botanical Garden no later then Friday, July 24, 2009.  
Space is limited, so apply early. The submission of an application does not necessarily confirm acceptance into the program. 
Acceptance in the program will be based on completeness of the application and willingness to attend each Saturday morning session (two absences are allowed). Participants accepted into the program will be notified by August 16.

Submit Fall 2009’ Application no later then Friday, July 24, 2009 to:                               
Children’s Vegetable Garden Program
San Antonio Botanical Garden
555 Funston  ·  San Antonio, TX 78209
    

Upcoming Camps

San Antonio Museum of Art. What's in Your Museum? Stories and Myths from Around the World Monday - Friday, June 15 -19, 10 am to 4 pm Ages 6 to 8. $200/member, $225/non-member. Call 210.978.8183 to register. Space is limited.

Junior Naturalist Summer Camps June 15-19; Ages 6-8 years
July 6-10; Ages 9-12 years. 9:00 AM-4:30 PM Explore nature as you learn outdoor skills including native plant identification, birding, fishing, hiking and ethnobotany. Fee: $175/wk ($150 Botanical Society members)

Junior Gardener Summer Camps June 22-26; Ages 6-8 years.
July 13-17; Ages 9-12 years. 9:00 AM-4:30 PM. Participants get their hands on horticulture from flowers and vegetables to basic botany and garden design. With the help of garden experts, kids will learn to plant from seed, take cuttings, and design their own garden. Fee: $175/wk ($150 Botanical Society members)

Online Writing Workshops for Summer and Fall

My name is Jamie Miranda, founder and coordinator of Haven Home Educators. After homeschooling my own sons for 15 years, all of whom are now in college (one in grad school at Texas A & M University, one at Baylor University, and one at Texas State University), I returned to college to finish my degree. I have earned a Bachelor of Arts in English, graduating Magna Cum Laude, and have worked for the past two years to the present as an English, history, and speech tutor (Tutor V) at St. Philip's College as I attend grad school. In that capacity, I have developed two writing courses: a junior high creative writing course that focuses on poetry and short fiction, and 2) a high school composition class that mirrors college freshman composition. Both classes are online and consist of a series of weekly modules emailed to students and parents. The courses last twelve weeks. I limit the number of students in these courses so that I may provide quality feedback on student work. Comments such as, "Great job" or "Nice work" do not give students any information on how to improve their writing skills. I provide a combination of constructive criticism and praise to build confidence and enable students to hone their skills as writers. Registration for both summer and fall has begun. In developing these courses, I have combined expressivist, critical, and process teaching methods to impart skills to students in what I call a hybridized pedagogy. Even strong writers can benefit from detailed commentary to enable them to strengthen their writing further. The summer courses begin June 19, and the fall courses begin September 19. The deadline to sign up for summer is June 14. and Sept. 10 for fall. Space is very limited for the fall. Please feel free to pass this information along. For course outlines/syllabi and fees, please contact me at 210-733-1757, MirandaWorkshops@aol.com , or mypinkkoala@aol.com.