Here’s this year’s chess club flyer.

and here’s the registration form.

Sign up quickly!

Our first Princeton Day School Chess Tournament is Saturday, October 6th. You can see all the details at www.PDS.org/chess or register at www.PDS.org/chessreg. If you have any questions, email me at Chessteach@gmail.org.

If you don’t preregister, you can sign up on site at 11:30-12:15 and pay a slightly higher registration fee. Players in CLOSED and FUTURE MASTERS must preregister and check in at 10:15 (the longer time control requires an early start). All other sections start at 1pm (check in at 12:20). Sections will start each round as soon as possible and awards will be given immediately to shorten your wait time. We should all be finished at 5pm.

If your player is rusty after the long summer, this tournament is a great way to get back into form!

See you October 6th.

Bonnie

Come join us for a game of chess! For beginners, the basic rules, chessboard layout, names of the various chessmen and their functions, good game openings, middle and end games, and how to keep score will be practiced. For advanced players, take your chess ability to the next level! Learn opening traps and zaps, middle game forks, pins, and skewers, and end game knockouts. And best of all, have a chess game with your classmates!

Mondays – February 5, 12; Mar 5, 12, 19, 26, 20;
April 16, 23, 30; May 7, 14, 21
Middle School Students 2:50 to 4:15
(late bus available to Middle School students who usually take a bus home);
Elementary Students 3:30 to 4:15;
Location: Rooms 209 & 210
Cost: $10

***Click Here for Registration Information***

WE NEED HELP!
The Chess Club is run and staffed by parent volunteers. We are in need of adultswho are willing to help teach a short lesson, supervise, organize snack schedules, orhelp with the newsletter. Little experience in chess is required – just a willingnessto learn. Our ability to continue to offer the chess club relies on having volunteers who can help. If you are able to do so (even once a month or sporadically), please contact Donna Huryn @ 259-2812.

EQUITY SPONSORS MIDDLE SCHOOL CAREER CLUB

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” was a question pondered by participants of the 2nd marking period Career Club offered to 7th and 8th graders. This club, first sponsored by EQUITY during the 2005/06 school year, was developed with the hope of inspiring the curious and developing minds of our district’s middle school students. The 2006/07 Career Club was kicked off by a session devoted to teaching the students some interview skills, encouraging them to be active and engaged participants with the future guest speakers, and discussing the quality of good and pertinent questions. Each Friday for the following six weeks, different community members graciously agreed to visit the school to talk to the students about their personal experiences and career paths. At the closing session, an “Ability Assessment” questionnaire was distributed to the club participants to help the students gain insight into their own interests and personal strengths, with guidance about what professions might suit them in the future. EQUITY extends a warm “thank you” to the following individuals who helped make this club a success: Eileen Heddy, Suzy Spreat, Mark Guterl, Donna Huryn, Kevin O’Neill, George Cier, Susan Nolan, and Christi-Ann McCulloch.

Come join us for a game of chess! For beginners, the basic rules, chessboard layout, names of the various chessmen and their functions, good game openings, middle and end games, and how to keep score will be practiced. For advanced players, take your chess ability to the next level! Learn opening traps and zaps, middle game forks, pins, and skewers, and end game knockouts. And best of all, have a chess game with your classmates!

Mondays – November 6, 13, 20; December 4, 11 & 18
Middle School Students 2:50 to 4:15
(late bus will be available to Middle School students who usually take a bus home)
Elementary Students 3:30 to 4:15; Rooms TBA
(You will receive a phone call before Nov 6. with information)
Cost: $5

***Click Here for Registration Information***

WE NEED HELP!
The Chess Club is run and staffed by parent volunteers. We are in desperate need of adults who are willing to help teach a short lesson, supervise, organize snack schedules, or help with the newsletter. Little experience in chess is required – just a willingness to learn. Our ability to continue to offer the chess club relies on having volunteers who can help. If you are able to do so (even once a month or sporadically), please contact Donna Huryn @ 259-2812.

In the fall of 1995, Jenkins, then a sixth grader, was feeling dejected. He had just been cut from the basketball team for being too small. Carroll, whose father was in jail and whose mother was not around, wanted to find a way to use the smarts he knew he had. And Durant had just been in a fight at school and was waiting for his punishment to be meted out.

That’s about the time they all encountered Thomas-El, then a Vaux educator and chess coach.

He recruited all three to play chess, and by the next school year, they were part of the Vaux team that won the national middle school championship in Knoxville, Tenn.

Read the whole story here.

Reminder: Chess Club resumes February 6th for 1st-8th graders. All are welcome!

*** Please note the following time change for middle-school students: Chess Club for all grades will meet from 3:30 - 4:15 in Rooms 201/202. Cost is $10/student. ***

Spybotics - Secret Agents at Work (5th and 6th graders) is full. Students enrolled in this class will be contacted this week. The first class will meet on Tuesday, February 7th, from 2:50 - 4:15. Please note: the room has changed from 214 to Room 212.

Junior Engineering (1st through 4th graders) is full. A second session, which will begin on April 19th, is full. Students enrolled in both sessions will be contacted this week. The first class of Session I will meet on Wednesday, February 8, from 3:30 to 4:30, in Room 224/Art Room.

Dear Community Members,

EQUITY is planning the next session for our Club periods. This activity was extremely successful during the 2nd marking period and we would love to continue to offer this worthwhile activity to our students for the 3rd and 4th marking periods.

EQUITY invites those interested in volunteering their time during the 3rd or 4th marking periods (Club for 7th and 8th grade students meets on Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:15-12:05) to come in and share your expertise/talent with the students. You may volunteer for one or more days during the marking period.

Please contact us at ufrsdequity@aol.com if you are interested or have any questions.

Thank you!

Enrichment Programs
Sponsored by EQUITY/Computer Explorers

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Chess Club – All Grades Welcome

Come join us for a game of chess! For beginners, the basic rules, chessboard layout, names of the various chessmen and their functions, good game openings, middle and end games, and how to keep score will be practiced. For advanced players, take your chess ability to the next level! Learn opening traps and zaps, middle game forks, pins, and skewers, and end game knockouts. And best of all, have a chess game with your classmates!

Mondays – February 6, 13, 27, March 6, 20, 27, April 3, 24, and May 1, 8, 15, 22
Middle School Students 2:50 to 4:15 (late bus will be available to Middle School students who usually take a bus home); Elementary Students 3:30 to 4:15; Rooms 201 & 202 (Cost: $10)

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Spybotics - Secret Agents at Work
Grades 5 and 6

The innovative Lego Systems has designed the ultimate secret agents – awesome spybots that the students build and program. With the remote control Lego spybot and our computerized link to S.M.A.R.T. (secret agent headquarters), the students will be able to plan missions, program their robot vehicle, download the missions and track their scores. Join us on this journey into a world of undercover agents, high tech robots, and secret missions. Let’s go agents…the countdown has begun!

Tuesdays - February 7, 14, 21, 28, March 7, 21, 28, and April 4 from 2:50 to 4:15 (late bus available for students who usually take a bus) Room 214(Cost: $120; class limited to 12 students)

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Junior Engineering
Grades 1 - 4
This class is designed to introduce students (both boys and girls!) to the fun and exciting world of Lego engineering. Guided exploration will be used to teach basic concepts such as levers, pulleys, wheels, gears, and more. We will introduce Lego component parts, work together in teams and learn to build several simple machines. Once we have mastered building, we will add a special motor to make our creations “go.” This is a fun, “hands on” class exploring how simple machines work together to make things move.

Wednesdays February 8, 15, 22 and March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
from 3:30 to 4:30 in Room 224/Art Room (Cost: $85; class limited to 12 students)

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Registration

1. Register by mail
Complete the registration information below - one form per person. For additional registrations, copy form or use blank sheet. DO NOT SEND CASH. Mail completed form(s) with check or money order payable to UFRSD Community Education to:
UFRSD Community Education Program
Attn: Ed Tranosky, Coordinator
Allentown High School
27 High Street
Allentown, NJ 08501

2. Walk-in Registration
Complete the registration form - one form per person. For additional registrations, copy form or use blank sheet. Take completed registration form to: Allentown High School, Main Office.

3. District Website
Go to the Upper Freehold Regional School District website: www.ufrsd.net and click on link for Community Education. There you will see a listing of classes and also a Registration form to use. You may use the mail, fax, walk in, or email the necessary information. The email address is: tranose@ufrsd.net.

Name:_____________________________________________________________________________

Address:___________________________________________________________________________

Email:_______________________________ Age and Grade (child only):______________________

Phone: (Day)____________________________ (Eve) _____________________________________

Course Title/Day_________________________________________________ Fee: $__________

Course Title/Day_________________________________________________ Fee: $__________

This New York Times article talks about how schools are introducing chess into their curricula, especially for the young ones. The example is from the Philadelphia school system, whose goal is to have all second and third graders receiving chess instruction by next year.

They are using a chess program called First Move, which was created by America’s Foundation for Chess, a nonprofit organization started in Seattle in 2000. The program uses an interactive DVD and a series of exercises to introduce children to the game and train teachers too. There’s a cool video you can watch too.

Perhaps this is something we should look into for the new Chess Club! Read the article, check out First Move, and give your input in the comments section.