from the December, 2010 issue of Kiai!

Special New Year’s Training for Kids
and Annual Meeting for Parents

Ensure your child’s enthusiasm and commitment to their karate training in 2011 by bringing them – and yourself - to a special New Year’s program we’re hosting on Saturday January 8 from 10:30 am to noon. The free event is for juniors, youth and teens age 12-14 AND their parents.

The kids will enjoy a special workout led by the team of TW’s staff instructors while parents meet with TW Directors, Nancy Lanoue and Sarah Ludden and Board Chair Pat Broughton. We’ll share exciting new offerings for kids at TW that will be starting soon and listen to parents’ feedback on how we are doing and how we might better meet your family’s needs .

A special New Year’s training called Kagami Biraki (meaning Open Mirror) has been a revered tradition for adult TW members for 25 years. With two thirds of our members now under age 18, we decided it was time to create this fun, meaningful experience for them as well. After a spirited workout, the kids will gather in small groups to talk and listen with each other and a teacher about what they’ve enjoyed and learned in karate in 2010 and to set goals they will work to achieve in 2011.

As a non-profit organization, we hold an annual members’ meeting every year in January. The gathering gives us a chance to share important financial and programmatic information about how we are doing and to get input from our stakeholders. But not many parents of child members typically attend.

By holding a separate annual meeting just for parents this year, we hope more parents will come, both to learn more about TW and to share their ideas. New programs we are planning for children that we’ll be talking about include special workshops, a tournament, mini-camps on days when schools are closed, our summer day camp, and a new teen initiative we’re planning with Uplift School in Uptown.

We hope to see you on Saturday morning January 8 at 10 am. This special New Year’s program will replace regular kids’ classes on that day, and children will receive normal class credit for participation.  If you have any questions you would like to see addressed or other input pertaining to the parents’ meeting, please e-mail Jun Shihan Nancy at nlanoue@thousandwaves.org.