January 22, 2009

Calendar of local events

Unless otherwise noted all phone numbers are in the 408 area code.

MUSIC

Jan. 26 – Feb. 3
West Valley Masterworks Chorale Auditions: Experienced singers are encouraged to make audition appointments. Location is Room MU-11 in the Music Building (next to Theater), of West Valley College, 14000 Fruitvale Ave, Saratoga. Spring rehearsals begin Feb. 3, every Tuesday night from 6 - 9:10 p.m. The West Valley Masterworks Chorale will sing in Carnegie Hall Summer 2009.  There are openings in all voices, especially Tenor & Bass. For more information, go to www.westvalleychoirs.org   

DANCE

Jan. 25 & Mar. 15
Ballet San Jose Audition Tour For 2009-10 Season: Dennis Nahat, Artistic/Executive Director of Ballet San Jose, announces open auditions for the company’s 2009-10 season, which runs from Sept. ‘09 – May ‘10. Requirements; bring headshot, resume and dance photo if available. Women must wear light or skin color tights and bring pointe shoes.  Men must wear light color tights and bring ballet shoes.  All dancers should bring character shoes. Audition will include ballet class, pointe work and partnering. No pre-registration required.  Please arrive at least 20 minutes early to fill out the audition application and pay any fees. Location is 40 North First St, from 1 – 3 p.m. – phone 288-2820 for directions. Fee: $20 registration (Member of AGMA, fee is waived). For additional information, contact Les Reinhardt, Stage Manager – 408-288-2820 ext. 235 or PSM@balletsanjose.org. If you are unable to attend, send a DVD or VHS highlighting your work to: Les Reinhardt, Stage Manager Ballet San Jose, 40 North 1st Street, San Jose, CA 95113

CHILDREN/FAMILY

Jan. 29
The First Annual San Jose School Leaders’ Roundtable:”How to Avoid Overparenting and Its Impacts on Children.” Parents today are more involved and engaged in the lives of their children than ever before. While academically-prepared, alarming indicators show our children are also among the least resilient, self-reliant, and/or independent. These unintended consequences follow when overly protective driven, and enabling parents allow their ambitions for their children to impair the natural progression of youthful misjudgments, anxieties, and – ultimately – independence. Learn firsthand from educators representing some of San Jose’s finest private and public schools how “overparenting” can lead to serious setbacks in a child’s adult life, and what our school leaders recommend as parents prepare their children to become successful adults. Participants in this open forum discussion include:Tim Brosnan, Principal, Archbishop Mitty High School; Liz Chamberlin, Principal, Leland High School; Ole Jorgenson, Head of School, Almaden Country School; Harry McKay, Head of School, St. Andrew’s Episcopal School; Mary Miller, Principal, Presentation High School; and Mary Beth Riley, Principal, Notre Dame High School. The School Leaders’ Roundtable will be hosted at Almaden Country School at 7 p.m. in the auditorium. Admission is free and open to the public; refreshments will be served.

Jan. 30
Smucker’s Stars on Ice “On the Edge” tour returns for its 23rd season at the HP Pavilion at 7:30 p.m.:This all-new production features Olympic Silver Medalist Sasha Cohen and as a special guest, 2008 World Champion and Olympic Bronze Medalist Jeffrey Buttle. Cohen and Buttle will be joined by an outstanding cast of Olympic, World and National Champions. Show time is 7:30 p.m., and tickets for the Smucker’s Stars on Ice performance are on sale now and start at $25. They may be purchased at the HP Pavilion Box Office, by visiting www.starsonice.com, or by calling Ticketmaster ticket centers throughout the Bay Area (408) 998-TIXS, (415) 421-TIXS or (510) 625-TIXS. Group (10+) information is available by calling 408-999-5841. A Portion of the Smucker’s Stars On Ice Proceeds to Benefit Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Jan. 31
St. Timothy’s Lutheran School of San Jose will host an Open House for prospective families and students from 9 a.m. to noon. This WASC accredited school is noted for its strong spiritual and academic programs. Serving a pre-school through grade 5 population, parents, students, and alumni give the school high marks. Class sizes are small, ensuring strong and consistent student-teacher interaction. A rigorous academic curriculum, supported by strong Christian foundations, prepares the children for success and leadership in advanced grades at both public and private middle and high schools. Come and see for yourself what distinguishes St. Timothy’s from other local schools. Contact Gayle Renken, Principal, for more details, or visit the Open House at 5100 Camden Avenue, San Jose, CA 95124. Phone: 408-265-0244. www.stlcsj.org/school 

CLASSES

Jan. 26
The Almaden Valley Counseling Service announces its Winter Session of STEP (Systematic Training for Effective Parenting). This 7-week positive parenting class is for the parents of preschool, school age, and teenage children. All classes will be held from 7:15 to 9:15 pm. School Age class will be held on Monday nights starting Jan. 26, Teenage class will be held on Wednesday nights starting Jan. 28th, and Preschool Age class will be held on Thursday nights starting Jan. 29th. The cost is $110 for one parent or $165 for a couple. Contact AVCS at: (408) 997-0200 / staff@avcounseling.org. Visit our website for registration form: www.avcounseling.org. Location: 6529 Crown Blvd., Suite D, San Jose, CA 95120

Ongoing
Ceramics Classes in Almaden...Ever wished you could make a ceramics piece of your own from start to finish to show off to family and friends? Hands On Clay classes for adults is now accepting new students. These small classes are held on Wednesday mornings 9-10:30 a.m., and Thursday evenings 7-8:30 p.m. in the artist’s studio in Almaden. The materials, kiln firings, use of tools and glazes are included, so just come on down! All levels are welcome. For more information call 679-0238.

FIFTY-PLUS

SeniorNet registration has already taken place and the following courses have openings: E-Mail using Vista Mail, Basic Word Processing, Quicken, Managing Your Files, Intro to Google,Digital Video Editing, Taking & Editing Pictures, Windows XP and Internet & E-mail. Classes begin the week of January 12. For more information call Don House (408) 268-1703.
Welcome Wagon Chapter #3: Women’s Social Group with activities that include Golf, Tennis, Hiking, Bridge, Canasta, Pinochle, Luncheons, Movies, Antiques, Book Club, etc. For more information, please email Gail:  gailmagg@aol.com, Or call Veronika (408) 559-3734

MISCELLANEOUS

Jan. 24
Happy Hollow Park & Zoo Free Electronic Waste Collection Event: Items can be dropped off for free from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the collection site located in the main Happy Hollow parking lot, 1300 Senter Road, San Jose. Accepted items: Computers, Monitors, Laptops, Keyboards, CPUs, Televisions, Fax Machines, Radios, DVD/VCR Players, Speakers, Cell Phones, Zip Drives, Lab Equipment, Printers, Microwave Ovens, DVD Players, VCR’s, Shredders, Power supplies, Cables/Cords, Telephones/Cell Phones, and more! NO kitchen appliances, fluids, copiers, ink or toner cartridges and batteries. Receive a Happy Hollow admission pass for the new Happy Hollow experience (opening in Fall 2009) when you bring in a monitor or television, as these items are the most toxic when disposed of improperly. Drop off is free and all items will be recycled by ASL, a state authorized e-waste recycler. 100 percent of the funds earned will be used to support Happy Hollow’s conservation efforts. For more information, please call 408-277-3065 or visit www.hhpz.org.

Jan. 27
At this month’s meeting, the Civil War Round Table of the South Bay will hear Charles Sweeney discuss the many aspects of slavery during the Civil War period.  What a difference 150 years has made! Discussion begins at 7:15 p.m, Come earlier if you will order dinner at Holder’s Country Inn, 998 South De Anza blvd( also called Saratoga/Sunnyvale Road).  A close cross street is Highway 85.  Check our web site, sbcwrt.org, for more CW information.  Talk about history and receive our newsletter before deciding to join our round table.  Contact Bill Noyes at 408 374-1541 for more information.

Jan. 31
Free Electronic Waste Recycling Event: Held at the Almaden Community Center, 6445 Camden Avenue, San Jose, this event is sponsored by District 10 and the Volunteer Center of Silicon Valley. Hours are 9a.m. to 3 p.m. and all computer and electronic equipment is accepted including monitors, laptops, printers, copy & fax machines, PDAs, TVs, radios, DVD players, keyboards and more. Check our website at www.earthcarerecycling.com for a complete list of what we’ll accept. No refrigerators, ACs, batteries, or items with motor oil, please. For more information call Steve Ramona at 943-9943

Ongoing
Marine Corps League: We meet the third Saturday of every month at 9 a.m. in various locations around the County in aid of former Marines and their families. We are a family member organization with youngsters and mothers, brothers and sisters and other relatives and friends of Marines as members and associate members. For more information, phone PR Officer Dick Whitaker, MCL Detachment #1122 Santa Clara County at 219-3024 or visit the MCL website at http://www.usmcleague.com/

Adopt a Rose for Valentine’s Day: With your donation of $50.00, Friends of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens can help you select the perfect rose for adoption. Perhaps you will choose pink for grace, white for innocence, or red for that deep and undying love and respect you are feeling. We can also search our database of roses to see if your Valentine’s name matches one of our 3,900 historic roses. Your rose will be marked in the garden with an engraved plaque with your own personal inscription for one full year. To present your gift you will receive a beautiful Valentines box that includes a small box of decadent chocolates from Schurra’s Candy Factory, a large gourmet cookie from Café Too! at the San Jose Museum of Art, and two tickets for the Children’s Carousel at Arena Green. You will also receive a special gift card announcing your rose adoption. Gift packages will be available for pick-up, prior to Valentine’s Day, at the Guadalupe River Park & Gardens Visitor & Education Center located at 438 Coleman Avenue. For more information about adopting a rose for your Valentine, call 408-298-7657 or visit www.grpg.org

Call for Artists: Tapestry Arts, San Jose’s oldest and largest downtown arts festival, is now accepting applications for its 34th annual arts festival. This outdoor event will be held over Labor Day Weekend, September 5-7, 2009. Applications must be postmarked no later than March 30, 2009. Artists can submit applications in one of two ways: by mail or online. Application fees are $15 for Santa Clara County residents and $20 for nonresidents. Entry forms are available by calling 408 494 3590 or at www.tapestryarts.org.


HAVE AN ITEM FOR OUR CALENDAR?
We are seeking calendar items pertaining to the south bay communities we cover in our seven monthly community newspapers: Blossom Valley, Cambrian, Campbell, Evergreen, Santa Teresa, Willow Glen, Fifty Plus, and our weekly publication, Almaden Times Weekly. Items must be submitted by email or fax several weeks before the event. Send an email to candy@timesmediainc.com or fax to Candy Richter at 494-7078. Photos should be sent digitally as jpegs or mailed to Calendar, Times Newspapers, 1310 Tully Road, Ste. 107, San Jose, CA 95122. Due to the large volume of items received calendar requests left on voice mail cannot be used. Space is limited.