Some notes about things going on in December…

Ninja Afternoon
Our last Ninja Night of 2015 will be a Ninja Afternoon on Saturday, Dec. 19 from 1 – 4pm. This is a great opportunity to drop the kids off while you finish your last minute shopping. Since it’s the middle of the afternoon, we won’t be having pizza, but we’ll be doing cookie decorating and crafts, karate games, and a movie. All school age kids are welcome, and the price is the same as previous events — $20 for the first child and $15 for buddies. We still have plenty of room, but it will start to fill up quickly this week.

Our Ninja Events from October, November, and December will benefit the Blessings in a Backpack program, and we’ll be making that donation the week after the Dec 19 event. Thanks to all of you who have participated!

Test Week
Our next colored belt test event will be the week of December 14-18 with graduation for both A+ After School and Evening students on Friday night, Dec 18 at 6pm. Students eligible to test (have all classes and curriculum stripes) will get their permission slips this week, and those need to be returned on or before the first day of testing. Test fee information is at the top of the permission slip. We’ll send a separate email shortly with the schedule for testing and classes for that week.

Clothing Orders
Our orders were placed for the MPK logo gear, and we’ll have them in plenty of time for gift giving. We don’t know who placed orders that will be gifts, so our plan is to hand out the orders to parents only. If you placed an order for another adult and don’t want them to know, please let us know so we don’t give it to that person.

Super Sunday
We’ll have one last Super Sunday for 2015 for Black Belt candidates on Sunday, Dec. 20 from 9:30 – 11am. This is a great opportunity to get some extra training in if you’re on track or make up some Super classes if you’re behind. First Degree Candidates testing in January are encouraged to attend as many Super Saturdays and Super Sundays as possible before testing. Super Saturdays for December are on the 5th and 12th.

Here’s what our schedule looks like for Thanksgiving Week.

• Classes are normal today (Tuesday) for both the A+ After School and evening programs.
• On Wednesday, there is no After School program, and no regular evening classes. Instead, all students have the opportunity to attend open gym from 5-7 pm. This is a great opportunity for each student to spend time focusing on the individual pieces of the curriculum they need to work on. It’s a lot of fun and can be a great work out, but students will need to come with a plan — there are no structured activities, although there will be instructors available for questions and help. If you have a Little Kicker in the program, this is a great chance for you to jump on the mat and work out with your child. Feel free to kick off your shoes and hold pads and papers or read their card and work on curriculum with them.
• We are closed on Thursday and Friday.
• There is another open gym on Saturday morning from 9:00 to 10:30 with the same format as Wednesday.

Have a fantastic Thanksgiving!

As we roll through November, here are a few quick reminders for upcoming events and information:

MPK Logo Gear – The webstore for MPK logo gear is up and accepting orders. Here is the link: https://mpk2015.itemorder.com/ You can order right there online, but if you need help, just see us at the front desk. The store will be closing on November 29, so get your orders in soon. (The webstore says it will be open into December, but that is a misprint.)

Thanksgiving Schedule

• We will be open the Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving (November 25). There will not be regular classes, but we will have an open gym from 5 – 7pm for those of you wanting to come and work on your cards. There will be Black Belts available for assistance, but it won’t be a structured class, so come with a plan.
• We will also have an open gym on Saturday, November 28, from 9-10:30am. There will be no Hyper or regular classes that day, but anyone wanting to work with their Nunchucks or card information can come to open gym. Total Fitness Training will be at the normal 8:00 time.

Ninja Night this Friday night is pretty full. We might be able to add a couple more kids, but we’re very close to the maximum. The money we make from Ninja Night will go to benefit Blessing in a Backpack, a great charity operating through the local schools that helps people in need of a meal. Please see us at the desk to check on any available space if you still want to register for Ninja Night.

Food Pantry Collection – Our front window is filling up with food donations — thank you to all who contributed! We’ll be collecting items until this Friday, November 20, so there’s still time if you want to bring something in. If you have a friend who would like to try karate, we’re also running a great special through the end of the week — new students can get a month of karate at no cost if they bring in a bag of groceries.

Super Sunday for Black Belt Candidates will be this Sunday, November 22 from 9:30-11am.

Lost and Found …
<We had a pair of girls’ shoes taken from the shoe rack last week that we’re trying to track down. They are size 2 Sketchers S Sport shoes (pictured), but in pink, purple, and blue. We think someone picked them up mistakenly, so if you find them, please let us know.

We have a large house key on a black lanyard at the front desk if you’re missing one. It was left on the shoe rack last Wednesday or Thursday.

We still have a collection of sweatshirts and jackets that haven’t found their owners. If you think you or your child might have left one, please check the hooks near the front desk and the lost and found bin by the door.

We have a Jawbone and Pedometer that have been here for quite a while.

Still have a pair of wire rim glasses, likely a child’s, that has been here for several weeks.

Hi MPK Families… I hope this finds you well and settling into the new school year. Here is some information to keep in mind about what’s going on here at MPK.

█ NINJA NIGHT — We’ll be holding our first Ninja Night/Parent’s Date Night of the new school year on Friday, October 16, from 6-9 pm. This is an opportunity for kids to come for fun and food while you take some time for yourselves. We’ll be playing games, watching a movie, and having pizza.

Kids in kindergarten and higher are welcome, and we encourage everyone to bring a buddy. The cost is $20 for the first child and $15 for buddies. The sign up sheet is at the front desk, or you can reply to this email with the names and ages of children attending, and I’ll sign you up. Space will be limited, so sign up soon. We’ll continue taking reservations until Thursday, October 15 or we fill the roster, whichever comes first.

█ UPCOMING TESTING — Our next test week for eligible colored belts is October 19-22. As a reminder, to be eligible students must have a minimum of 40 classes (80 for red belts) and have earned all five curriculum stripes. There’s still some time to get your last stripes — you can sign up for a Saturday morning checkoff on the board near the front door.

A+ students who are eligible to test will test in class during that week and are encouraged to attend the Friday night graduation for the entire group. The schedule for evening tests and classes is:

• Monday 10/19 — no regular classes except for Master’s Class at 7:00. Testing for all belt ranks will take place during regular class times.
• Tuesday 10/20 — normal sparring classes for all levels. There will be no Hyper class that night. Reminder to Blue Belts and up who are testing – sparring is required that night.
• Wednesday, 10/21 — No regular classes except for Master’s class at 7:00. All testing students should be here, warmed up and ready to begin testing at 5:30, and this will run until each group is through their curriculum.
• Thursday, 10/22 — normal classes for all plus any make up testing during regular class times.
• Friday, 10/23 — Graduation and belt presentation for all evening and A+ students who tested begins at 6:00 and should take about an hour.

█ HYPER CLASSES — Our current Hyper rotation is wrapping up, and we’ll be starting our next rotation on Saturday, October 24. This will be another Nunchuck session, and it’s open to experienced students and beginners. Experienced students will have the opportunity to work with double chucks if they choose to.

Hyper is open to students with a Gold Belt or above who are at least 8 years old. If you need to order Nunchucks, the order form will be at the front desk along with the Hyper class sign up. Cost for the Hyper classes is $65 for a 4-month rotation. Prices for Nunchucks will vary based on whether you choose foam or graphite — please see the front desk for more information.

█ UNIFORMS — As a reminder to all students, the tradition for uniforms at MPK is that all students under Black Belt wear uniform tops and bottoms that match. Colors can be mixed beginning at First Degree Black Belt.

Additionally, the new team uniforms have been ordered! We expect to be able to hand them out late this month.

█ MPK GEAR — We’ll be ordering some new MPK logo gear (shirt, jacket, hat…) again this year in time for Christmas. We’ll be getting some samples and order forms very soon, so watch the front desk for more information!

Let me know if you’d like more information on anything…

Jeni Risgaard
Front Desk Coordinator
Midwest Professional Karate