<i>Send announcements to The Connection, 7913 Westpark Drive, McLean, VA 22102, send an e-mail to herndon@connectionnewspapers.com or fax to 703-917-0991. Deadline is two weeks before the event. Photos/artwork encouraged. Call Jean Card at 703-917-6437, with questions.
This free listing is reserved for activities and events that are open to the public at no or minimal cost.</i>
Candlelight beginner yoga classes at Brown's Chapel include gentle stretching, breathing and deep relaxation/guided meditation. Mondays 7:30-9 p.m., Thursdays 7-8:30 p.m. Call 703-476-2827.
Crossroads School of the Arts, located in Herndon, offers classes in dance, drama and art for preschoolers through teens, as well as workshops for adults. Call 703-404-2977 or visit www.crossroadsarts.info.
Pilates is a new exercise class that will help a person achieve a higher level of physical fitness with reduced soreness and fewer injuries. Pilates improves posture, strength and flexibility. RCC's new Pilates class will be held Tuesday nights, from 7:30-8:40 p.m., at the Lake Anne RCC. The class will run from June 21-Aug. 9. The course fee is $55 for people who live or work in Reston and $70 for all others. Course listings and registration forms can also be found on RCC's Web site, http://www.restoncommunitycenter.com.
The YMCA Fairfax County Reston announces the start of a new session of swim lessons for ages 6 months to adult. Lessons are divided by age group. Lesson time and days vary depending on level. Contact the YMCA for a complete schedule. YMCA Fairfax County Reston, 12196 Sunset Hills Road, Reston. Cost:
* Parent/Child & Preschool Swim Lessons
YMCA Member: $50; YMCA Program Member: $90.*
* School Age Swim Lessons
YMCA Member: $55; YMCA Program Member: $100*
* Youth Stroke Development & Adult Swim Lessons
YMCA Member: $60; YMCA Program Member: $110*
* A program membership is required to participate in YMCA activities for nonmembers. Annual Program Membership: $35/Child or $70/Family. Visit the YMCA or call 703-742-8800.
Tiny Dancers is now available at the Reston YMCA preschool. This dance education program emphasizes technical excellence and self-expression through the use of well-known stories and hundreds of costumes and props. Young dancers gain confidence and self-esteem through positive reinforcement in a creative and nurturing environment.
Voted 'Best Dance Studio' by readers of Families Magazine, Tiny Dancers offers ballet, tap and hip-hop classes specifically tailored to young dancers. In addition to the varied programs offered at the main studio in Fairfax, Tiny Dancers is the area's premier provider of satellite dance programs. Visit www.tinydancers.com or call the studio at 703-385-5580.
Angela’s Happy Stamper offers free Learn at Lunch programs every Tuesday, from 12–2 p.m., free make and take opportunities and many new classes. Currently, Happy Stamper customers are creating and donating all kinds of stationery for the charity, Support Our Troops. In Iraq, stationery is in short supply for those wishing to send mail home. Call 703-435-0051 or visit www.ahappystamper.com.
Practice Your English, for beginning- and intermediate-level conversation groups for adults learning English. Reston Regional Library, 11925 Bowman Towne Drive. Call 703-689-2700.
Individual Internet training for adults at Reston Regional Library, 11925 Bowman Towne Drive. One-hour sessions with a technology volunteers. Call 703-689-2700.
Vajrayogini Buddhist Center offers classes in Buddhist meditation, which is open to the public. The classes are Tuesdays of each month, 7-8: 30 p.m., in the "cry" room next to the chapel at St. Anne's Episcopal Church, 1700 Wainright Drive, Reston. Visit the Web site www.meditation-dc.org or call 202-331-2122.
Gentle Hatha Yoga. Group sessions for beginners and those who would prefer to remain at a gentle level are offered Saturdays, 12-1:30 p.m., at Brown's Chapel, 11300 Baron Cameron Ave, Reston. Suggested donation is $50 for five classes; $12 for drop in. Weekday, daytime and evening classes are available in private studio in Reston. Call 703-787-0268.
Art classes will be offered for children, teens and adults in home-school and after-school time slots. All the information and registration forms are on the Web sites. Space is limited.
Beginners: 5-8 years, Wednesdays, 12:30-2 p.m. or 3:30-5 p.m.
Intermediates: 9-12 years, Tuesdays, 1-2:30 p.m. or 4-5:30 p.m.
Advanced: 12 years and older, Thursdays, 6-7:30 p.m.
Adults: There is a monthly workshop at instructor's home studio, classes at Michaels and a new class at Shenandoah University. Visit www.lisarts.com or http://crossroadsarts.info for registration information. Call Lisa Z. Rodriguez 703-404-2977.
There's still time to register for Reston Community Center's preschool and youth swim classes at Vantage Hill Community Pool. Beginner and advanced classes are available to children ages 4-12, from July 25-Aug. 18.
Students can sign up for two or four day per week sessions. The Vantage Hill Community Swimming Pool is located at 11618 Vantage Hill Road in Reston.
Call 703-476-4500 and select option 2 for more information on the aquatics program. Visit the Web site at
http://www.restoncommunitycenter.com.
Experienced teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) can sign up now to take advanced TESOL courses in the fall, free of charge, through a program organized by the Herndon Dulles Chamber of Commerce’s Workforce Committee, Fairfax County Public Schools, Town of Herndon and Northern Virginia Community College. The organizations have collaborated to make ESOL training available to the area’s high population of foreign-born residents.
Advanced ESOL Train the Trainer classes will be offered Tuesdays and Thursdays, Sept. 13-Nov. 10, 6:30-9:30 p.m., at Fairfax Institute located in Herndon. Instructors are drawn from Fairfax County Public Schools/Adult and Community Education Instructional Services program.
Register via the chamber. Call or e-mail Amy Prevatte to obtain a course description and registration form to complete 571-323-5305 or amy@herndondulleschamber.org. The course description can be found on the Business Resources pages of www.HerndonDullesChamber.org.
As a result of introductory TESOL classes that commenced in March, 32 trained volunteers will be ready as of mid-June to ply their skills in the community to help others learn to speak English. Those graduates may elect to continue with the Advanced TESOL Certification and may be able to participate in internships.
A limited number of full scholarships are available to eligible volunteers on a first-come, first-serve basis. These courses have been subsidized thanks to a grant from the Community Foundation’s Washington Area Partnership for Immigrants: Investing in our Region’s Workforce fund, and to individual and corporate donors who enabled the Chamber of Commerce to meet the grant’s $25,000 requirement for matching funds.
Planned to begin later in the fall 2005 are two courses directly engaging students needing English skills. One course will provide an emphasis on construction vocabulary, the other on landscaping vocabulary.
This summer, The Reston Community Center's Senior Academy will take the mystery out of computers with five classes that will teach computer basics and more.
* Intermediate Word Processing. Learn to insert graphics and digital pictures into text, use word art and the drawing toolbar, prepare tables and attach documents. The Beginning Word Processing class is a prerequisite. The class fee is $30 for people who live or work in Reston and $60 for all others. The class will be held Tuesday and Thursday July 26 and 28, from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
For information, directions, or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact the Reston Community Center at 703-476-4500, 703-476-1514 (TTY) or visit the Web site at
http://www.restoncommunitycenter.com. The Reston Community Center, Hunters Woods, is located in the lower level of the Hunters Woods Shopping Center, 2310 Colts Neck Road, Reston. The Reston Community Center is completely accessible to persons with disabilities and will provide reasonable accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The Fairfax County offices of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (CBRB) offer free weekly career seminars for those interested in learning more about a career in real estate. Information about the residential real estate profession and the opportunities available are among the topics to be discussed. The seminar is appropriate for those interested in starting a new career as well as for experienced sales associates looking to work with the "Company of Choice in the Mid-Atlantic region." To register, call Mark Pergerson at 703-476-8440.
Sahaja Yoga free meditation class, each Tuesday, to reduce stress and improve health. 7:15-8:15 p.m., at the Reston Library, 11925 Bowman Towne Drive, Reston. Contact Navneet Agarwal, 703-793-6556.
Reston Community Center offers English as a Second Language (ESL) courses for adults with beginning to intermediate levels of proficiency in English. The courses will cover basic grammar, conversation, pronunciation and writing. Classes are targeted to people age 16 and older. Students are required to take a free assessment test before they can attend a class. The fee is $20 for Reston residents and $60 for all others. Call 703-476-4500.
Reston resident Carol Berman will help students learn pastel drawing and improve drawing skills on Thursday mornings, from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., at her Reston studio. Cost is $15 per session. Call 703-437-9068.
SOAR, or "Scouts Obtain Achievements and Recognition," teams Scouts with Reston Community Center Youth Department staff members, who assist the youth in
earning merit badges and completing projects in the areas where they have resources and special expertise such as photo developing, cooking and crafts. Scouts can register for one-day, hands-on workshops on Mondays
and Tuesdays from 4-6 p.m. or 6-8 p.m. Call Julie Windsor, youth director, at 703-390-6163 to schedule a workshop. The cost of the workshops is $6 for Reston residents and $9 for all others.