Willard sports - berkeley learns

Sports Guideline – Willard LEARNS
 
Below is a general guideline for our teams.  Finding solid coaches has historically been the biggest challenge to running teams, so all info below relies on our ability to get good help.
 
Cross Country:  2nd week of school year until 2nd week of Nov.
Girls Volleyball, 7th & 8th grade:  2nd week of school year until end of Oct.
Flag Football:  2nd week of school year until Nov 1 
Co-ed Soccer: Early Oct until mid-Dec
Girls Basketball: 1st week of Nov until late Jan (hope to have this worked out by this afternoon, and run tryouts next week.)
Boys Basketball: 1st week of Dec until mid-March
Girls Softball:  mid-Feb until late April
Co-ed Ultimate:  late Feb until late May
Baseball:  early March until late May
Girls Volleyball, 6th grade: Mid-March - mid-May
Track & Field:  1st day after Spring Break until early June

Tryouts: We run "tryouts" (i.e. auditions) for our after school sports teams, for many reasons.  In some cases all comers are taken, in others some are not, and this has mostly to do with the limited numbers we can fit into a space, or with our limited personnel on hand.  With Track & Field, and with Cross Country, we run a lot, so we strongly emphasize the retention of students that want to work hard and get faster.  I mention this because both sports see kids at tryouts who are clearly there against their own interest (i.e. parents lean on them too hard to try out), and trying to keep unwilling participants on a running team means severely diminished results and headaches for our coaches.  Both teams run on average 3-5 miles of running per practice off campus, and keeping the team from getting separated is a matter of safety.  For this reason, it's paramount that we only bring kids on that have the desire to improve.


Practices:  Our teams generally practice 3x per week during ASP hours, and we expect our student athletes to be present for all practices.  We at times make exceptions for Cross Country and Track & Field, if students are missing practice to run elsewhere (i.e. club soccer practices, AAU basketball, etc).
PTA E-tree: The first place to get information about our sports offerings, tryouts dates, etc, is via the PTA E-tree, and I recommend all parents join the list.
 
For more Sportsinfo, contact:
 
Josh Church
Athletic Director – Willard LEARNS
JoshChurch@Berkeley.net
510-644-6557 ex:2

 
​

ENRICHMENT CLASSES

Enrichment classes take place during the first hour (1st block) of the program. Classes are taught by staff members, UC Berkeley students, and vendors. We will announce the class schedules and class descriptions in mid September. In the meantime, students will participate in other activities during the first hour, such as foosball, board games, art, field games, and more. By the first week of October all students will be assigned to an enrichment class. 

ACADEMIC SUPPORT HOUR

1 to 2 staff members along with UC Berkeley Volunteers offer homework assistance and other academic activities for an hour to Willard LEARNS students everyday except for Friday's. During this time, 6th Graders are located in the Library, while 7th & 8th graders are located in the Student Center.

Options hour

Once students are released from Academic Support Hour, they will have to option of participating in indoor activities in the Student Center or outdoor field games and social time. After the Options Hour, students will need to be signed out of the program no later than 6:00pm.

Monday thru Friday: 2:51pm to 6:00pm (Wednesday – 2:00pm to 6:00pm)
 
For more info, contact Program Coordinator, Kemal T. Stewart KemalStewart@Berkeley.net

Enrichment classes

Dates and start dates will be posted in Mid-September. Classes may change between now and September. 

Willard LEARNS Projected Enrichment Classes
 
Tennis - Players of all levels will learn or re-learn the basic fundamentals of tennis. Instruction will take place at both the school and Willard Park. Students will participate in drills, games, and other tennis related activities. (Racquets and balls provided) *Bring
Athletic Shoes.
 
Sports Day  -  Students that want to play sports and outdoor games for fun can participate in different physical activities ranging from soccer and volleyball, to basketball, kickball, dodge ball and more!
 
Community Builders - Students will get a sense of what it is like to be a community organizer! Students will participate in community outreach, group discussions, fundraisers, beautification projects, helping those in need, and other community building practices!
 
Activity Club - Puzzle Solving! Puzzle Building! Word Searches, Cross Words, board games, spoons, foosball, Connect 4, chess. Participate in a tournament to collect points and win or prize, or just play for fun
 
BEAM Science - Berkeley Engineers and Mentors (BEAM) is an after-school science program run by UC Berkeley undergraduates for local K-12 students. BEAM is reinventing Science! Hands on, Exciting, and FUN! BEAM instructors design their own lessons to be visually and kinesthetically engaging to stimulate their students' creativity, critical thinking, and curiosity. Cool Experiments and healthy tasty snacks provided!
 
 
Code Club - Students in Code Club will learn the basics of computer programming through games as well as drag and drop programming! This is a fun and interactive enrichment class that will introduce kids to various forms of coding, whether it be games or web page design!
 
Hip-Hop Dance – Exploring different styles of Hip-Hop dance and other forms of dance as well! You do not have to be a pro, everyone is welcome! “Movin ‘n groovin!”
 
 
Piano -  Piano lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays presented by the Music School of Bill
Lawley! Beginners, Intermediate, and Advanced students are welcome to join. Students will have the opportunity to play, write, and
sing.
 
​

enrichment classes

Dates and start dates will be posted in Mid-September. Classes may change between now and September.

Willard LEARNS Projected Enrichment Classes
 
Magic: The  Gathering: Each game represents a battle between wizards known as "planeswalkers", who employ spells, artifacts, and creatures depicted on individual Magic cards to defeat their opponents. Although the original concept of the game drew heavily from the motifs of traditional fantasy role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, the gameplay of Magic bears little similarity to pencil-and-paper adventure games, while having substantially more cards and more complex rules than many other card games.
 
 
Card Games: Disconnect from the computer games and try some Willard Card game favorites like Spoons, Crazy Eights, Go Fish, Snip Snap Snorem, Rummy, Speed, War, Old Maid, and More!
 
Digital Photography/Multimedia: Each week, students will work on different photo projects and explore the world of digital media. *Limited digital cameras are provided, therefore students are welcome to bring their own. Students will also work on other digital media related assignments as well!
 
Chess: Come work on your game, sharpen your strategy, or challenge a friend! We welcome veterans as well as new comers! This is one of our most popular classes and is lead by longtime Willard Chess teacher Mr. Larry Snyder.
 
 
Gardening: Experience the Willard garden every Wednesday! Get hands-on experience by helping out and learning from the Willard Garden Crew. Students will gain hands on gardening experience, understand the importance of a community garden, and will periodically partake in cooking as well!
 
Skateboarding: Learn parts of a skateboard, how to put together a skateboard, learn how to properly put on and secure your safety gear. How to properly push, roll, find balance and more! FME will supply helmets and skateboards. Parents must sign sports waiver for this class.
 
Art & Design: The class will include a basic foundation education of visual art: color, design, composition, history, incorporated with graffiti art techniques and fun new mediums. This is a basic art class super-charged with fun new techniques and styles. 
​

enrichment classes

Dates and start dates will be posted in Mid-September. Classes may change between now and September.

Willard LEARNS Projected Enrichment Classes
 
 
Basketball 5 on 5: Teams of 5 on 5, 3 on 3, or 2 on 2 and shoot around. This is a basketball class for students that enjoy playing the sport both for fun and competitively.
 
Web Development (Formerly Google CS) Students on all levels will get a chance to work on designing and updating their own websites.
 
Mural Arts/ Graffiti: Through demonstration and first hand examples of current “hip” styles, we aim to make art look cool and attractive to students. The class will include a basic foundation education of visual art: color, design, composition, history, incorporated with graffiti art techniques and fun new mediums.
Concepts taught will include: letterform, block letters, bubble letters, dimensions (3D), drop shadows, highlights, fill design, outline, force field, plus other basic art theory: shape, form, rendering, planes, drips, splatters, and many other elements. This is a basic art class super-charged with fun new techniques and styles.
 
 
We expect to add more classes. Some of the classes listed here may or may not be returning for the 2018-2019 school year. Please be sure to stay posted!

We plan on adding a new Business class and more creative arts as well. Stay tuned!