SFkids August Newsletter

Back to School 

Seems hard to believe that it's almost time for school to start, but it's true. Time to take those supply lists to the store, decide whether the kids need new school clothes, and figure out how to make sure everyone has a great school year ahead.

Getting Ready

• Lee Ann Slaton of Parents Place shares this great article Preparing for Preschool 

• GreatSchools.net, the fantastic locally-grown website, has a number of really useful articles to help get everyone ready for school. See:

       • No More Back to School Blues for great tips on how to transition successfully.
       • Get Your Child Organized for School 
       • Ten Tips for Adjusting to a New School (also in Spanish)

• Heading to Middle or High School?  See tips on our Education Page 
• Print out the San Francisco Unified School District Instructional calendar 

Get Your Gear 

Whether it's for school clothes or supplies, this is the season for stocking up. See our Family Finds page to find clothes, books, and more.

Buying clothes doesn't need to break your bank. Try Goodwill, Chloe's Closet, Thrift Town, and other second-hand clothing stores we have listed.

Doin' it Green: Read our article Eight Easy Tips For A Greener Back-to-School Season.

See more on backpacks and lunchboxes below.

Get Involved

• Read GreatSchools.net's Parent Involvment Primer, which includes many articles about why parent involvement is important and how to become involved.

• View Help Wanted: No Pay Great Benefits, a YouTube video produced by local high school students for Parents for Public Schools.

• Visit Parents for Public Schools San Francisco's new and improved website. If you're not a member, make sure to join and help our public schools by getting involved.

• Read the SFUSD's Strategic Plan for 2008-2012.

Looking for a Camp for the Last Weeks of August?

We've compiled a list of camps operating August 18–22 and August 25–29. See the list here ...  

CCSF Child Observation Classes and Rec. & Parks Child Development Classes are Starting Too! 

CCSF Child Observation classes (for newborns to 5-year-olds) return for the Fall semester on August 18. Classes are FREE! See the full Fall Semester schedule on CCSF's Child Observation webpage. 

SF Recreation and Parks Department's Child Development classes (formerly Tiny Tots) are also starting the week of September 8th.  You must have a family account with www.sfRecOnline.org in order to sign up. Fall classes run through early November.

Got Afterschool? 

SFkids.org will be launching our database of afterschool programs in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned!

SF Recreation and Parks Department Afterschool latchkey program sign-ups started August 2nd, but there's still room in several programs around the City. Find out more at www.sfRecOnline.org.

Locally-Grown Olympic Heroes 

Cheer for our San Francisco Olympic athletes: track star Shannon Rowbury, swimmer Ben Wildman-Tobriner, fencer Gerek Meinhardt, and badminton player Howard Bach. Ben Wildman-Tobriner won a gold medal on Sunday as part of the American relay team! Check out SFgate.com's article about the San Francisco Olympians and one about Bay Area Olympians in general.

San Francisco Victory Gardens  

Victory Gardens 2008+ is a pilot project funded by the City of San Francisco to support the transition of backyard, front yard, window boxes, rooftops, and unused land into organic food production areas.

The City Hall Victory Gardens will be in place July–September 2008. Check out the great pictures.  

Read Grow your own vegetables — all the cool people are doing it, an SF Chronicle article (7/26/08).

Save the Dates! 

Family Festival — Saturday, October 18, 2008, Yerba Buena Gardens

Family Appreciation Day — Sunday, January 11, 2009

Backpacks, Lunchboxes, Water Bottles, Oh My.

Are you up to date on all of the current safety trends in school supply safety? Rolling or regular? Plastic or Paper? Nalgene or Stainless Steel? There's so many options and so much research to keep up on.

• Read Lunchbox 101 by Laure Latham
• See Tips for Buying a Backpack and Carrying it Safely from Greatschools.net.
• Strive for waste-free lunches by choosing reusable packaging, avoiding pre-packaged foods, and sending cloth napkins, stainless steel water bottles, and washable utensils.  See WasteFreeLunches.org for more resources.
• Maybe your kid doesn't need a lunchbox afterall.   Watch Tomatoes and Romaine and Carrots - Oh My, a video about San Francisco Unified School District's salad bars.

Giving Back

Time to also start thinking about service learning and donation opportunities for your kids and yourself. Check our Volunteering Page for some ideas.

Current Donation Opportunities:

Mo' MAGIC Backpack giveaway: Mo' MAGIC, (Mobilization for Adolescent Growth in our Communities) is collecting donations for its annual backpack drive. Donations can be dropped off during business hours at the African American Arts & Culture Complex, 762 Fulton St. (just east of Webster), c/o Sheryl Davis, by Thursday Aug. 21. Backpacks will be distributed on Sunday Aug. 24 at a community event. The wish list includes: markers, pencils, colored pencils, notebooks, binder paper, construction paper packs (multiple colors), pens, binders, and crayons.

ProjectNightNight.org: Project Night Night donates individual tote bags each filled with a security blanket, an age-appropriate book, and a stuffed animal to children (ages 0 to 10) in homeless shelters. They are in need of NEW products (children's blankets, books, and stuffed animals), which can be mailed or dropped off at any of the locations listed on their website.

Looking for Something? 

We have over 1000 things to do, classes, camps, and places to go. 
• Adventures Pages - Hit the Bay Area beaches, playgrounds, and more.
• Activities Pages -  Boating, fishing, kite flying, skating, and more.  
• Out of the City Pages - Find the sun or just get out of the City for a break.
• City Sights Pages - Cool ideas for playing tourist.
• Transportation and Getting Around Pages - A great day trip can be had just riding the rails while you spare the air!  

Plus tons of resources for family support, education, health, and safety.
• SFK Crisis Page
• SFF Health Pages (Environmental Health, Maternal Health, Medical, Vision & Dental)
• SFK Parent Resources Pages (Housing, Legal, Food, and more)
• Education Pages (Public, Private & Preschools)

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Wednesday 8/13
• Wednesday storytimes and lapsits at San Francisco Public Library Branches. FREE
• Circus Vargas Show at AT&T Park held August 13–17
• Youth Weight Training Classes at Rec. and Parks Clubs FREE
• Family Skate Night at Yerba Buena Ice Skating Center at 7:30–9pm. $6.25–$8 admission; free skate rentals.  

Thursday 8/14
• Balto movie at Sunset Branch Library at 10:30am. FREE
•  Alcatraz Night Tour held Thursday– Monday evenings.
• Drop by any day at the Randall Museum live animal exhibit. FREE

Friday 8/15
• Breastfeeding Mothers Group at Newborn Connections FREE
•Mission YMCA Parents Night Out, $10 per child 
• People in Plazas—Free Lunchtime Concerts at several plazas. FREE
• Storytime at Bird and Beckett Books and Records at 11am. FREE


Saturday 8/16
• Aloha End of Summer Family Party
• Family Activities at the Legion of Honor
• America True Youth Day at India Basin for ages 8 to 18. FREE
• Our Family Coalition BBQ and Campout for LGBTQ Families
• Viva Las Americas at Pier 39 celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. FREE
• Neighborhood Parks Council Park Workdays at Glen Canyon, Holly Park, Alamo Square, Boeddeker Park, and more. FREE
 

Sunday 8/17
• Drop-In Art Making and Family Gallery Adventures at Contemporary Jewish Museum
• Support for Families of Children with Disabilities Family Fun Day FREE
•  Me, Myself, and I: The Family Studio and Family Tour at SF Museum of Modern Art
• Storytime at Barnes & Noble, Fisherman's Wharf FREE
• Movie Nights at THE CANNERY featuring Mrs. Doubtfire. FREE

Upcoming Events

August

8/19: Stonestown Galleria Mall Movie in the Mall: Cars. FREE

8/20: Friends of the SF Library $1 Book Sale 

8/22–28: Little Mermaid Sing-Along at the Castro Theater $10–$15

8/25: First day of school for SFUSD and many private and independent schools.  Drive safely!

8/29: Beyond Your Brain workshop for teens at the Main Library. FREE

8/30–9/21: SF Shakespeare in the Presidio. FREE  

8/16, 23 & 30: Zeum—Superhero creations 

September
9/1: Labor Day. See What's Open.

9/6: Homeownership Fair. 11am–3pm. Meet and talk with representatives from over 40 different organizations all dedicated to increasing access to affordable homeownership opportunities in San Francisco

9/6: SF Birth and Baby Fair at Fort Mason, $5 per adult.

9/6: SF Bicycle Coalition Family Day in Golden Gate Park. FREE

9/6: Harvest Moon Festival – Chinatown’s Grant Ave. will transform into a pedestrian-only bazaar. 11am–6pm. FREE

9/6&7: Ghirardelli Square's 13th Annual Chocolate Festival 

9/7: Mexico Marvels: The Family Studio and Family Tour at SF Museum of Modern Art. FREE

9/17: JCC Preschool Preview Night at the San Francisco County Fair Building, 9th and Lincoln, Golden Gate Park. 5:30–8pm. (415) 359-2454. $5 per person.

9/20: Parents for Public Schools Elementary Enrollment Panel event, Rosa Parks Elementary, 1501 O’Farrell at Hollis St. Start your elementary school search! Meet with Parent Ambassadors from various public schools and learn about the enrollment process.  Free Chinese interpretation and KidsWatch available (ages 3 and up), RSVP for Chinese interpretation and/or KidsWatch to PPSevents@ppssf.org or (415) 861-7077. 10am–noon. FREE

9/20 & 21: Family Kite Day at the Marina Green at 11am–6pm. FREE

9/27: Academy of Sciences re-opens in Golden Gate Park with a weekend-long celebration.

Inside SFkids.org

•  Looking for a class for your child?

•  Looking to meet other parents? See our list of parent Yahoo groups.

•  San Francisco Free Museum Day List

•  Search for activities by your child's age. See our age pages on the left side of the home page.

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