Category: Newsletter

This Spring marks the largest enrollment for an Ace class in TFTSV history – 14 participants! Despite the COVID-19 crisis, these participants are taking the Ace-Career Exploration class online via Zoom. Chris Moreno-Hunt, Program Director, and George Maxe, President & CEO, are teaching about self-awareness, types of industries and business functions, informational interviews, planning and resume building. The self-awareness section guides participants to a better understanding of interests, values, and skills both in general and theirs, in particular. The objective is to help them see the overlap between a “work” personality and careers. For example, individuals with more developed communication and social skills tend to select and perform well in people-oriented careers such as teaching, sales, and human resources. Two of the hallmarks of the four Ace projects – career, education, volunteerism, and golf – are exploration and goal ladders, a First Tee tool first introduced to participants at the Birdie level. Participants leverage their new self- and work-awareness to learn more by conducting three informational interviews and preparing career action plans using a goal ladder. For example, a current participant who is interested in a career in sports management recently interviewed with John Poch, Executive Director of the San Jose Sports Authority, which is Silicon Valley’s sports commission and founding organization of TFTSV. Of course, Coaches Chris and George are ready to help including making business introductions of participants to potential informational interviewees. As Ace-Career participants make progress on their career goals, they will surely encounter various roadblocks. Thus, the class also addresses the challenges they may face building upon the “Dealing with Challenges” lesson they had in the Birdie level. COVID-19 has certainly posed its challenges to each of us. We’re proud of our Ace-Career participants for staying in the game with TFTSV by taking this season’s class via Zoom.

On May 2^nd, 19 TFTSV participants along with 9 parents/guardians took part in our laundry toss responsibility contest. All contestants joined the competition on Zoom and took turns tossing their rolled-up socks into their laundry bins from 3 yards away. We played two rounds, and divided the competition between participants and parent/guardians. The goal was to toss as many socks into their laundry bins out of 10 as possible. Music played during each round and everyone practiced their responsibility by getting a head start on their Saturday laundry. Congratulations, and thank you to everyone who participated. The winners of the Spring 2020 Laundry Toss Contest are: Participant Division 1^st place – Edwin Sanchez 2^nd place – Shreyash Avasarala 3^rd place – Mariano Garcia and Genesis Torres Parent/Guardian Division 1^st place – Shreyash’s mother 2^nd place – Genesis and Camila’s mother Please follow us and stay engaged Facebook, Twitter, Instagram Edwin can be seen in the middle, left screen in the photo.

Beginning, Tuesday, April 14^th TFTSV participants were encouraged to submit their artwork that best represented one of our nine core values. Thank you to those who submitted their art/drawing, great work! The winner of the TFTSV Core Value Drawing/Art Contest is Nancy Rivera! Congratulations Nancy! Nancy’s drawing will be the cover photo and placed on the front flipper of our website at www.firsteesiliconvalley.org. The top 5 submissions can be seen below and the winning artwork will be posted next week on our social media accounts. Please follow us and stay engaged Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

  Calling all participants! TFTSV is looking for new Core Value artwork to be placed on our website, and what better art than yours? Beginning, Thursday, April 16^th TFTSV participants are encouraged to submit their art. We will feature all submissions, and the winning participant will be the cover photo for the website post. Guidelines:

• Art project can be a drawing, painting, or an arts and craft project
• The project must represent one of our Core Values (Respect, Courtesy, Responsibility, Honesty, Sportsmanship, Confidence, Perseverance, Judgment, Integrity)
• Art submissions must be submitted to [email protected] by Monday, April 20th at 11:59pm
• Please send the picture as a JPEG

Please follow us and stay engaged Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Beginning April 7th, participants were challenged to build their own indoor putt bowling game and participate in the indoor putt bowling challenge. Congratulations to everyone who submitted a video. Hopefully you can use the game set up to practice your putting while at home.

The winner of the Spring 2020 Indoor Putt Bowling challenge is……. Salma Rivera! Congratulations Salma!

We will also post her winning video on our social media accounts next week. Please follow us and stay engaged Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Click here for a video on how to build the putting game.

 

 

Por favor oprima aquí para Español We all need people or animals we can depend on, to reassure us, to support us, and to guide us. At the First Tee of Silicon Valley we believe in building teamwork and relationships so much so that one of our Core Lessons is centered around how to, and why we create a “Go-To Team.”  Having a go-to team means you have someone to turn to when life gets hard, you have someone to challenge your beliefs, and offer advice when asked. A go-to team can come from anywhere and anyone. All we have to do is ask, ask for help, ask for guidance. And when we are asked to be on someone’s go-to team, we need to listen. Golf is an individual sport, where we can be isolated in our thoughts for better or worse. Yet it doesn’t have to be that way. By asking questions, expressing interest, and respecting others we can build lasting friendships, gain new perspectives and create a positive support network with the people we play with and our coaches. We are committed to being a friendly resource for all, and during this time we ask that you explore how you have been impacted by your go-to team and how you can be the best go-to person for others. Please share a picture of you with your go-to team on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter using #TFTSV and #gototeam and #respectothers. Make sure to follow us too. We are never alone nor should we be. Let’s build a team and spread the word. TFTSV Core Staff is a Go-To Team: Judy, George, Lina, Manny, Julie, Carlos, Chris, Joe & Gabby (left to right by row starting with the top left)

TFTSV hosted several school field trips at Rancho Del Pueblo Golf Course during February. Our goal was to reward our current DRIVE (Develops Rewarding, Inspiring Values for Everyone) partners and students by offering them a field trip at the conclusion of their DRIVE classes. Students were able to experience a typical TFTSV class and transition from hitting tennis balls at school to real golf balls at a golf course. DRIVE utilizes our golf platform to extend the life skills and The First Tee Nine Core Values to young people who may not previously have been exposed to the game of golf.  The program’s Activity Plans are designed in a way that allows for indoor and outdoor set up to fit a variety of locations such as gymnasiums and soccer fields.  Training and staff support are provided so anyone can deliver DRIVE regardless of their golf knowledge. In the month of February, we welcomed over 100 total participants from Cesar Chavez, Arbuckle, San Antonio, Anne Darling, Empire Gardens, Generations United, and Bracher Elementary. We are proud to be partnering with youth organizations and schools, many of which are Title I schools with a high percentage of students on free or reduced lunch. For many of the students, their trip to the Rancho Del Pueblo was their first experience at a real golf course. Several of the participants signed up for our 8-week season at Gavilan Golf Course, Rancho Del Pueblo Golf Course, and Baylands Golf Links under our financial assistance program. For more information on our DRIVE program please visit https://www.firstteesiliconvalley.org/programs/outreach/

Meet Dylan Chang, an 7^th grader at Ralston Middle School. He began our program in the summer of 2015 and is currently an Eagle participant (Eagle is our 2^nd highest level). He regularly enrolls in 3-4 class seasons a year, receives our A/B honor roll distinction every semester, and is a consistent participant in our seasonal tournaments. Dylan also voluntarily assists our coaches in setting up and taking down our games and equipment every Saturday. He arrives early and stays late to help his coaches and is an engaged participant in our classes.  He is an ambitious and respectful young man who is a joy to have in our program. Congratulations, Dylan, and good luck playing for middle school golf team!

The First Tee of Silicon Valley hosted our 2020 Tag Team Tournament at Gavilan College Golf Course on February 29th. The event commenced with a group discussion led by Coach Manny on identifying diseased or dead trees and when to avoid them. During their round, the participants were encouraged repair divots, identify staked trees, and to pick up any debris roaming the golf course. On hole one, the participants were able to use a soil test kit to determine the moisture and pH level on the teeing ground. Twenty-six participants competed in a nine-hole alternate shot format. Congratulations to all our participants for competing with honesty, integrity, and perseverance. A special thanks to our volunteers who helped keep the pace of play and assisted the participants in determining the golf rules. Our seasonal tournaments are valuable events to help participants bond and create friendships in a pressure-free environment. We hope these tournaments help them feel more confident engaging in conversation with others! They are also a great stepping stone for participants to learn how to deal with adversity, set expectations, and experience teamwork. Our next event is the Chapter Championship on May 30^th. Contact Manny at [email protected] for more information.

The First Tee of Silicon Valley hosted the Girls Golf Winter Play Day on February 29^th. With 14 Girls Golf members, our event commenced with the telephone game. A message is passed down from person to person with the potential of the original message becoming distorted.  With the theme being centered around “Empower,” the participants were encouraged to use the information given to them and determine themselves if the message was credible. On the practice area, the girls were introduced to the games of Impact Tape and Putting Sharks and Minnows. Each game encouraged the participants to identify the information at hand to make a decision to create the best-case scenario. These types of games promote the exploration of the game, learning new golf rules, and overcoming challenges together. The day concluded with brunch provided by Ranch Del Pueblo Golf Course. Girls Golf Play Days are beneficial events where our female participants enjoy an all-female day with friends and a supportive group of coaches and volunteers. The next event is schedule for May 11^th. Contact Manny at [email protected] for more information.