April 2011 Newsletter
Greetings, Friends!
April brings plenty of opportunities to enjoy and help our park. Come hear the fabulous SHE’s and help maintain the grounds, join the recreation council or propose a capital improvement. Or sit back and catch up on sandbox news. Spread the love! Please use the link at the bottom of this newsletter to forward it to your friends so they can join our list and stay up to date, too.
News
Tots Rock with Teens
This month’s live Saturday concert for kids on April 9 features the SHE’s, four native San Francisco teenagers who’ve gone from playing the Noe Valley Farmer’s Market to headlining at Bottom of the Hill.
The name of the band is an acronym of their first names: Sami Perez (bass and vocals), Hannah Valente (lead vocals and mandolin) Eva Treadway (guitar and vocals) and Sinclair Riley (drums). The four girls have been best friends since Kindergarten, which wasn’t all that long ago—they’re only in their mid-teens now.
Since they began playing together three years ago, they’ve developed an original blend of rock ‘n roll, power-pop and surfer music have earned them gigs at famous venues like The Fillmore in San Francisco and The Catalyst in Santa Cruz.
Sponsored by the Friends of Noe Valley Recreation Center, the band will wow the little ones with amplified acoustic music from 9 to 11 a.m. Tot toys will be out for the under 5s.
Summer Camp Registration Still Open
The center will host one summer camp (not two, as previously reported) called Art & Sports Explosion for boys and girls ages 9 to 11. The four two-week sessions start June 6 and run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with extended care available from 8:30 a.m. until 6 p.m.
Scholarships are available to eligible San Francisco residents through the Recreation Scholarship Fund. To find out if you are eligible, please email the department at sfreconline@sfgov.org or call (415) 831-6800 during business hours.
See listings at SF Rec Online. To search for our center’s programs, click on Programs tab, then click on “Click HERE TO SEARCH BY FACILITY OR ADVANCED SEARCH” and choose “Upper Noe Recreation Center.”
You can register for classes at SF Rec Online, but you must have a “family account” to do so. Click here to create a family account. You can also register in person: Ours is one of 12 recreation centers that offers on-site registration for summer camp
Two Ways to Improve our Park
Facility Director Joe Scott is still accepting applications for members of the Upper Noe Recreation Council. Councils specific to each recreation center are meant to determine what programming and improvements neighbors would like to see. For more information call at 970-8061. Terms last two years, and the council will meet once a quarter, hopefully starting in April or May, Scott says.
Alternatively, do you see an improvement that could be made to Upper Noe’s building or grounds? The $5 million Community Opportunity Fund provides money for residents, neighborhood groups and park advocates to initiate capital improvements in their parks. The COF can fund small projects like additional benches and trashcans as well as larger capital projects. (Events, classes, programs, and maintenance work do not qualify.) The public monies must be matched by private funds, so please contact Friends of Noe Valley Recreation Center with your ideas. The deadline for the second round is June 24, 2011. A representative for each application is required to attend a COF workshop.
Sandbox Solution
Based on popular vote, Friends of NVRC bought a sandbox cover to foil kitties looking for a litter box. It should be in place by the end of April. This option means the sandbox will be covered and locked at night and on Sundays and Mondays when the recreation center is closed. Please do not let children sit, stand or walk on the cover so we can keep it in good shape.
Tricycles and Other Toddler Vehicles Needed
If you have a nearly new or gently used tricycle, Skuut, pedal car or other toddler vehicle and would like to donate it to the recreation center, we would greatly appreciate it. If we get enough tricycles, we could run a class called “tykes on bikes,” which sounds like a lot of fun. Please make sure any donations have all parts and are in working order. Donate to Joe Scott at Upper Noe Recreation.
NERT Training at Upper Noe
The Friends of NVRC would like to thank the San Francisco Fire Department and the organizers of the recent Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT) training. About 50 neighbors participated, said Upper Noe Neighbors’ Vicki Rosen, a participant and organizer. The six-week class covered home preparation for disaster, basic first aid and light search and rescue techniques. The final night included disaster simulations, such as fire and falling buildings, complete with “injured persons” who volunteered to look bloody.
As your neighbors, we thank you.
Volunteers Needed
We are looking for volunteers for the following events:
- Tabling on April 9 from 9-11 a.m. Contact molly@noevalleyreccenter.com) or kate@noevalleyreccenter.com)
- Tabling on May 14 from 9 a.m. to noon
- Friends of Noe Valley Recreation Center is organizing an elementary school fair that will feature public, private and parochial schools from Noe Valley, Glen Park, Bernal, Outer Mission and Potrero Hill. We need people contact the elementary schools and local preschools and to help on the day of the event, Sunday, September 25, in the morning. Parents for Public Schools will also be participating. Sponsored by the FoNVRC. Contact Kate.
Community Events
April 9
Live Music in the Auditorium (tot room)
The She’s
Saturday, April 9
9 to 11 a.m.
The Friends of Noe Valley Rec Center is glad to sponsor Saturday morning live music in the Auditorium/Tiny Tot room at the Rec Center. Tot room open, too! Come by with your child, enjoy the music, and perhaps also put in a little time with the Ladybug Gardeners. (See below.)
April 9
Volunteers needed for Ladybug Gardeners
Saturday, April 9
9 a.m. to noon
Weeds quake when she comes near: Once again Joan Lionberger will lead the Ladybug Gardeners to weed, plant and prune the grounds of the Recreation Center. This month’s focus will be on the 30th and Sanchez Street side of the park. Please bring water, hand tools, gloves and brooms. There will be projects for children working with their parents.
April 14
D8 Town Hall meeting
Thursday, April 14
6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Mission High School
3750 18th Street
District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener and Mayor Ed Lee co-host a Town Hall to discuss the budget and how it affects services. District Attorney George Gascon, Chief of Police Jeff Godown, General Manager of the Recreation and Parks Department Phil Ginsburg, Director of Public Works Ed Reiskin, and representatives from MUNI, the Public Utilities Commission and the SF Unified School District scheduled to appear.
April 21
Upper Noe Neighbors meeting
Thursday, April 21
7:30 p.m.
Noe Valley Recreation Center
AT&T is proposing to install Internet Protocol (IP) fiber optics boxes in public rights-of-way, 726 throughout the city. Come hear what they have to say about this and the locations they propose for Noe Valley.
Note from Vicki Rosen, UNN President:
Beginning with our June meeting, UNN will meet the second Wednesday of the month instead of the third Thursday.
April 23
2011 Spring Eggstravaganza
Saturday, April 23
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Sharon Meadow, Golden Gate Park
The San Francisco Parks Trust and the Department of Recreation and Parks present a day of egg hunting, carnival rides, giant inflatables, arts and craft, entertainment and food. Cost is $5.
May 11
Friends of Noe Valley Rec Center meeting
Wednesday, May 11
NVRC art room off the auditorium
7 p.m.
Thanks for your interest and support of your park! Please contact us with any questions or suggestions. Let us know about any community events you are planning at the park so we can promote them. Please forward this newsletter to your friends and neighbors who use the Noe Valley Recreation Center. We want this newsletter to help build the park community — please help us connect with members of the community.
Enjoy your Park!
Molly Sterkel (molly@noevalleyreccenter.com)
Friends of the Noe Valley Recreation Center
www.NoeValleyRecCenter.com