take a minute and read this..

 Hi Everyone,

Take your time and read this. It is going to be one of those long mails from Sensei Miko and while I do highlight the main points it is worth reading because there are some interesting, inspiring fun and plainly important things that I want everyone to know.  So, here goes.

First thing's first: Bragging.  My son Eitan was, as some of you know, on the Coronado Water polo team that went to Hungary and Slovakia. They were there for 10 days training and then they were at a tournament with 10 other countries including Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Israel, US and a few others. Now the team is on their way back to he US but Eitan went to Israel to visit his grandparents, uncles, aunts cousins, etc., and basically to get spoiled and pampered for about 10 days.  This is important not only because visiting family is fun but because once he returns water polo seasons starts and the training schedule is insane plus he will be a Junior at CHS next year and he wants to maintain his 4.3 GPA.

So if you have been wondering where he has been, that was it.  If anyone wants to write to him: Eitanpeled@aol.com

Now lets talk about the Relay For Life.  We set a goal of $5000 or better.  We are at $1500 at the time of writing this. We have commitments from parents for about $1200 more. We need a strong push to make sure we stay the top team, like we were last year.

The Sauter's, Ryan and  Garrett's parents, committed a dollar per pushup and that adds up to about $400 and both parent's work place will do a match (we hope). If you can do something like that it would really get us to where we need to be.  Now, don't underestimate the penny jars!  They brought in a lot of money last year so keep those coming. 

If you want to donate directly and receive the tax write off you can go to our page on the Relay For Life site and donate that way.  You get the tax benefit and it is still counted as part of the MAA team.  Just go to:

You can also take an envelope to work and encourage people at the office to contribute. People are very generous and cancer is an issue that has touched everyone.

On the day of the event we will be there the entire 24 hours!  The dojo PAST (Parents and Sensei together) is organizing a camp out. This will be terrific. Plan to tell stories, in fact have you child think of a story they want to share. The Senseis will be there to tell stories too and it promises to be a fun day for everyone, and a super important cause to support.  We have been giving up so basic info and more will come next week.

Please see the email regarding the PAST Parent and Senseis together) it is the dojo PTA or PATT or the parents support group.  They have initiated and organized a ton of stuff so far and you will be getting an email introducing the parents who have so far come regularly.

Actually here is the first message from Jeremiah Harkema, Chris and Gabriel's dad about the parent group:

Hello,

  I'm Jeremiah Harkema, I'm Christopher and Gabriel's dad. Christopher (age 8) just got his blue belt, and Gabriel (age 6) just got his tiger 1 belt. You'll see us at the dojo every Monday and Wednesday, and every special event we can get to.

  If you've been at the dojo for even a short time I'm sure you can see the differences beginning to show in your kids. A little more confident, a little stronger, a little more respectful. My wife and I enrolled our kids to give them the experience of working for and achieving goals. During our time at the dojo we've attended the annual award ceremony, annual wrestling tournament, annual karate tournament, board breaking for the cure, beach training, Karate Kid movie event, countless kids safety classes, and Gabriel's sixth birthday party. We have been continuously impressed by the Senseis and the program they use to teach with the emphasis on respect.

  The dojo is more than just a place where the kids learn karate, its a community. For the past few months my wife and I have been members of the parent group at the dojo. The parent and Senseis group are the ones who help organize all the functions including the bonfire after the beach training, the karate kid movie event, and the upcoming campout for the relay for life. The parents group is our chance to help the Senseis and learn more about what's happening at the dojo. Every month we have two meetings, they alternate morning and evening (I'm sure you've seen the Sensei Miko's emails.) All parents are encouraged to attend if they can, even if you are just a fly on the wall, you will learn a great deal, and you may even come up with a solution or two.

  I am encouraged to think that in a few more years we'll be looking at our kids as the future leaders they have become, and I'll be able to say I knew that guy back when he was a kid in my son's karate class. As part of the dojo community we are helping to shape these future leaders.

Thank you,

Jeremiah Harkema

  

Finally, I will be taking Doroni and Tali to Israel to visit family next month.  We leave Aug 2 and return on the 23. I expect that with my poor ability to handle jetlag I won't be in the dojo for a couple of days after that but we'll see.  Like many of you know we have a large family there, mostly in Jerusalem.  We will spend time with them and then probably take a short trip to a neighboring country, I am guessing either Egypt or Jordan where hotels offer the best service, the best food and terrific facilities by the Red Sea for very reasonable prices.  I am sure many of you know that I am also very much involved in Israeli Palestinian issues, the peaceful-dialogue side of the issues, and I will be doing a bit of that as well.  I am a member of Rotary and they just inducted a Rotary club in the city of Ramallah, which is a Palestinian city about 30 minutes from Jerusalem, in what is called the West Bank. It is a beautiful city with beautiful surrounding hills and I visit there quite often. So I plan to attend a Rotary meeting there as well. As you can tell I really like the Middle East and I enjoy it whenever I can get there.

I look forward to seeing everyone at the next beach training and bonfire.