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Leland High School Speech Workshops

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Leland High School Speech WorkshopsLeland High School will be hosting two speech workshops for elementary school students this summer. The workshops will be led by coaches from the nationally ranked Leland High School Speech and Debate team, under the guidance of Gay Brasher, celebrated public speaking coach and Leland teacher.

The workshops are for students entering second grade through sixth grade and will be conducted in two sessions. During the workshops, students will be trained to write, practice and present short speeches. They will get a chance to develop key public speaking skills that will remain with them for a lifetime. The details are as follows:

Session 1: June 26, 27, 28
For students entering 2nd – 4th grades
Cost: $160
Location: Leland High School, Room J-2
Time: 9:00 am to 11:00 am

Session 2: July 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
For students entering 4th – 6th grades
Cost: $390
Location: Leland High School, Room J-2
Time: 9:00 am to 12:00 noon

To register, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/summerelementaryworkshop2019
Checks are payable to Leland Speech and Debate and all proceeds will benefit Leland Speech and Debate.

Kudos to Quixilver FTC team 8404

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Quixilver FTC team 8404

Quixilver FTC team 8404Leland Robotics Quixilver FTC team 8404 recently competed against 72 teams from 13 states at the West Super Regional Championships in Tacoma Washington. Of the 203 teams from Northern California, Quixilver 8404 was the only team to advance from the Silicon Valley.

After making it to the top ten in their division in the super regionals, Quixilver 8404 will now compete in the World Championships against 128 teams from 39 countries. The team is now having a fund-raising drive to buy sensors, cameras and other parts. If you would like to help this Almaden team get an edge in the world championships, go to their Go Fund Me page on https://www.gofundme.com/help-ftc-8404-go-to-the-world-championship. For more information about how to get involved with the FIRST Robotics program, contact FTC 8404 Quixilver at ftc8404@gmail.com.

Almaden Valley Youth Opportunities January 2017

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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 https://events.sjpl.org/event/brain_maps_6922

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 http://sjusd.org/leland/

More Almaden Valley Winter Holiday Events

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Here are a couple more Almaden Valley winter holiday events to enjoy in the days ahead…

Almaden Valley Winter Holiday Events Celtic RoseCeltic Rose: Rare Holiday Gems – An Afternoon of Celtic Holiday Music

The holidays are well and truly upon us. And what better way to enjoy a cold December afternoon in Almaden than with some ‘Rare Holiday Gems’? Celtic Rose: Rare Holiday Gems is a performance of holiday songs played to the accompaniment of the lute, the recorder, drums and the guitar.

Celtic music is the music of the people settled in the Celtic regions of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Cornwall, among others. The music has a lyrical quality to it and uses a variety of traditional instruments. Performed by Doris Williams and Caroline Garbarino, “Rare Holiday Gems” will take place at the Almaden Library on Saturday, December 17 at 3.00 pm. For more information, visit: https://events.sjpl.org/event/celtic_rose_rare_holiday_gems_9874

Almaden Valley Winter Holiday Events Leland DramaLeland Drama Presents: Comic Shorts

The holidays would certainly be incomplete without a healthy shot of laughter! Head to the Leland High School Cafeteria this week for a hearty laugh with Comic Shorts. This winter production by the Leland High Drama Club is a montage of short comedy scenes, including:

  • Bobby’s Brain (by Bruce Kane), directed by Braeden Thomson: When Bobby meets the girl of his dreams, things go haywire in his brain and uproarious situations arise.
  • Who’s on First, directed by Quentin Thorne: This hilarious scene, inspired by Abbott and Costello’s famous series, will surely leave you in splits.
  • A Very Memorable Family Reunion, directed by Aidan Bates: A boy meets his fiancé’s family but has a shock in store for himself!
  • Comedy 101, directed by Porter Aman: An instructor is dressed in a chicken suit and the students tell terrible jokes…meet colorful characters like Blueberry Bob and Terry Terry.
  • The Ultimate Student Presidential Election, directed by Melissa Webb: When two students compete for the post of President, the results are hilarious!

Performances take place December 15 & 16 at 6.00 pm. For more information, visit: http://www.lelanddrama.org/

Leland and Pioneer High School Performing Arts 2016

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High School Performing Arts

Don’t miss these two great plays presented by Leland and Pioneer High drama departments!

Arsenic and Old Lace at Leland High

Leland Drama presents Arsenic and Old Lace, by special arrangement with the Dramatists Play Service, Inc. Written by American playwright Joseph Kesselring, Arsenic and Old Lace is in the genre of black comedy. The plot revolves around the Brewster family, whose ancestors once arrived on the Mayflower, but whose members have now disintegrated into homicidal insanity. Performances are at Leland High School on November 16-18, 7 pm. Tickets: $10 for students and $12 for general admission. Limited seats, hurry and grab yours! For more information, visit http://sjusd.org/leland

Godspell Jr. at Pioneer High

To ring in the holiday spirit in December, Pioneer High Advanced Drama, with its 80-member cast and crew, presents Godspell Jr., a musical by Stephen Schwartz, based on the Book of Matthew. The play reminds viewers that “in a world that feels crazy, community is what gets us through”. The production is hip and modern with new upbeat songs. Performances are at Pioneer High School Performing Arts Center on December 1-3, 7pm. Tickets: general, $10, students, $5. For more information, call 408.365.1615 or get tickets online at https://phsdrama.ludustickets.com/index.php.

Enjoy the drama season!

Leland Dandiya Raas Night

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Leland Dandiya RaasLeland Dandiya Raas Night – Celebrate an Evening of Ethnic Music and Dance!

Skirts swirling, sticks clashing, Almaden Valley’s Indian community is getting ready to swing and groove to the beats of ethnic Indian folk music. On Saturday, October 22, 2016, neighborhood families, all decked out in richly patterned and colorful, traditional Indian attire, will gather in hundreds at Leland High School, for the community’s biggest festive event of the year, the annual Leland Dandiya Raas night.

Dandiya Raas, literally meaning “dances with sticks” is a traditional dance performed during the Navaratri (nine nights) festival. Almaden’s Leland Dandiya Raas Night, an annual event for almost a decade, is organized by the Leland Parent’s Club. All proceeds from this event go towards supporting Leland High School’s academic enrichment programs, capital improvements and supplies.

Over the years, the Leland Dandiya has evolved as one of the biggest fund-raising events for the school. To this end, it also draws Almaden families from other communities who mingle with friends and dance to live music and drum beats. I am proud to be a sponsor of this wonderful event.

So, come out in your ethnic best for an evening of music, dance color and gaiety at Leland High School, 6677, Camden Avenue, San Jose, CA 95120, on Saturday, October 22, 2016, 7 pm to 11 pm. Food is available for purchase at the venue, and tickets ($20 each) are sold at the gate.

Pay It Forward Tutoring at Leland High in Almaden Valley

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Pay It ForwardWhat does the term ‘pay it forward’ mean? It means if you have benefitted from a philanthropic act, you repay by helping another person in need instead of the one who was originally kind to you. In other words, instead of paying back, you pay it forward. In Almaden, a group of altruistic high schoolers are doing just that with ‘Pay It Forward Tutoring’.

The Pay It Forward team comprises a group of highly motivated students from Leland High who “understand the value and impact of education in their lives and in the community”. And their way of giving back to the community is by tutoring elementary and middle school children throughout the year in various subjects.

The program benefits Reading Partners, a non-profit organization that, in turn, works nationally to offer in-school, one-on-one tutoring to needy students as well as helps them develop literacy skills.

For their tutoring service, the Pay It Forward team accepts donations made out directly to Reading Partners. The team estimates that this year the donations received will help sustain individual tutoring for more than 1,300 students in the Bay Area alone. To this end, they expect to raise $10,000. So, if you have a child at home in need of tutoring, don’t wait. Reach out to http://www.payitforwardtutoringsj.org and help pay it forward!

Underage Drinking and Driving Community Forum in Almaden Valley

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Leland High School, in collaboration with the Santa Clara County Public Health Department’s Traffic Safe Communities Network, will be holding a community forum in Almaden Valley to discuss a number of topics and issues related to teen drinking and driving.

The event is for students, parents, and interested members of the community. The forum will include presentations by representatives of medical response teams, police officers, the District Attorney’s office, and counseling services. A major component of the forum will be a question and answer segment.

Motor vehicle crashes are the major cause of injuries and deaths for teens, and alcohol is one of the primary causes for the collisions. This community forum was organized in response to the recent fatal motor vehicle accident that occurred on September 21, 2010, involving two 2010 Leland High School graduates.

The forum is at Leland High School on Tuesday, October 19, 2010, at 7pm.

2010 Citywide Youth Track Meet in Almaden Valley

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The 2010 Citywide Youth Track Meet is being held in Almaden Valley. The meet is free for all participants, and is being sponsored by the City of San Jose and the San Jose Police Amateur Athletic Foundation.

The meet is for boys and girls ages 9 to 14, and includes various running races (50, 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1600 meter and 4 x 100 meter relay), standing long jump, and softball throw.

The meet is at Leland High School on Saturday, May 8, 2010. Registration is from 8am to 9am, and the events from 9am to 3pm.

The top three winners in each event, with the exception of relay teams, will participate in the Hershey’s Nor-Cal State Track Meet, which will be held at Oak Grove High School on Saturday, June 19, 2010.

More information about the 2010 Citywide Youth Track Meet:

Or contact Judi Baxter, Track Meet Director, at Judibax@sonic.net or (707) 546-3986.

9th Annual Math Enrichment Summer Program at Leland High School

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Math Enrichment Summer Program further develops each student’s intellect and knowledge in mathematics and language arts. The curriculum is tailored to the grade the student will be entering for their upcoming school year.

Kindergartners through sixth graders learn math, reading, writing, and computers. Middle school students receive a broad education in college preparatory math courses, from pre-algebra to math analysis. Students can also participate in a wide variety of recreational activities planned throughout the summer, including Toy Story 3 movie day, on-campus carnival, Wii time, field trip to Six Flags Marine World in Vallejo, and end of Summer raffle and banquet.

Math Enrichment Summer Program is fully accredited by the Schools Commission of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Math Enrichment tuition and any after school care fees are eligible for flexible spending plans (FSA).

Math Enrichment Summer Program is being held at Leland High School from June 14 to July 23, 2010. Class is Monday through Friday from 9am-3pm. Care is available before school starting at 7:45am and after school until 6pm. Tuition is $900 (less than $5 an hour). Register by Friday, April 16, 2010 and receive a $50 early registration discount.

More about the program…