Santee Offers Summer Day Camp Discount

Day Camp Field Trip

Summer camp is a place where kids have a blast while making priceless memories as well as friends for life.

And for the next two weeks only, getting your sons and daughters into summer camp can be more affordable than ever.

Beginning Wednesday, May 15, the city of Santee is offering a special discount of $15 off the regular price for a week of day camp. That includes regular day camp for youth entering grades 1 through 5 and X-factor camp for grades 6 to 9.

The deal is good for those enrolling for a full week, not single days or “Daily Deals.” With the discounted price, a week of day camp for Santee households is just $112, which includes a field trip and lunch daily.  Weeks that include a deluxe field trip to a local water park or bowling and Boardwalk amusement park are only $127.  Fees are slightly higher for non-Santee residents.

The offer expires May 31.  Camp starts on June 20. The camp day runs from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

To view the Summer Recreation Guide (click here) and to receive the discount during online registration enter the coupon code: MAY13.   No cash value. One discount per person. The offer is not valid with other discounts, including VIP, multi-family member registration or payment plans.

Give your child the gift of summer camp offered by the Santee Recreation Services Division.  More information is available by calling Community Services at (619) 258-4100 ext. 222 during regular business hours.

Santee’s Recreation Manager Takes On Leadership Role

Santee’s Recreation Services Manager Sue Richardson was installed this week as president of the San Diego/Imperial County’s district of the California Park and Recreation Society.

Sue Richardson, Recreation Services Manager

The statewide professional development organization allows park and recreation officials to exchange ideas and gain knowledge on how to better serve the needs of their communities.

Richardson has worked for the city of Santee’s Community Services Department since 2004. She oversees the city’s recreation division that provides classes, summer camps and programs for all ages. The division is also responsible for management of Woodglen Vista Skate and BMX park, Santee Teen Center at the Lakes, facility rentals, and special events.

She also serves as a staff liaison to the Santee Park and Recreation Committee and has worked on projects including the development of Town Center Community Park, the Park and Recreation Master Plan, Mast Park Master Plan, school joint use agreement committees, and the development of dog parks in Santee. 

Sue began her career at the El Cajon Recreation Department while earning her degree in Recreation Administration from San Diego State University. Following college, she worked at (then) N.A.S. Miramar Navy Morale, Welfare and Recreation, where she coordinated alcohol-free recreation programs and events for enlisted service members. She was promoted to Director of Leisure Services and assisted with the department transition into Marine Corps Community Services as part of the base realignment. She is a Certified Park and Recreation Professional through the National Recreation and Park Association and holds a graduate degree from California State University East Bay in Recreation and Tourism.

According to Richardson, her greatest joys in working in the recreation field is being able to offer programs that teach new skills and contribute to healthy lifestyles, being able to contribute to projects that get people outdoors, such as Santee’s River Park trails along the San Diego River, and working with professionals at other agencies and within the Santee community.

Stuff Your Stockings With Recreation!

Looking for last minute stocking stuffers? Why not give the gift of recreation to yourself or your family? Registration is open for the city of Santee winter recreation programs and now through December 25, the normal online transaction fee will be waived, just in time for your last minute gift giving.

 

In addition to no online transaction fees, special online discounts are available for select winter classes including: Adult Belly Dancing, Adult Golf, Teen Chefs Cooking, Creepy Crawlers Art, Early Education (including Tiny Tykes, Playtime Pals and Kindergartners in Training), Youth Tennis, Youth Self-Defense and Fitness, along with specific Dance N Cheer and Pop Stars Music Theater classes. Check out the online guide to view all of the programs offered. Most classes begin the week of January 14.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sale valid for online purchases made from 12:01 a.m. December 21 through 11:59 p.m. December 25, 2012 only.

Get Connected with Summer Programs at Rec Connect

With summer right around the corner, this is the time of year parents start looking at options for summer programs to keep the kids active and engaged. 

Santee Day Camp offers a summer of
fun, friends and adventure



The City of Santee Summer Recreation Activity and Camp Guide is coming soon. In addition to traditional Santee Summer Day Camp (grades 1-5) and X-Factor Camp (grades 6-9), new camps offered will include Soccer Shots, Jump Rope, Woodshop Wizards and Play-Well Sports Bots along with other sport, enrichment and performing art camps. New extended hours will also be offered for many of the specialty camps.

To learn more about recreation programs and camps offered through the City of Santee this summer visit one of two upcoming Rec Connect open houses. See table top displays from contracted specialty camps, watch fun program demonstrations, ask questions, meet the staff and register for recreation programs and camps. Receive $5 off each week of Santee Day Camp or X-Factor Day Camp that you register for at a Rec Connect (not valid with multi-family discount).

The free Rec Connect open houses will be held on Friday, May 18 and June 22 from 5:00 to 6:30 pm at Santee City Hall, 10601 Magnolia Avenue, Building 7.

Can’t make either date? Staff will be happy to answer any questions you have about camps or programs, or give you a tour of our camp operations. Feel free to give us a call at (619) 258-4100 ext. 222 or visit www.ci.santee.ca.us.

Santee Named “Playful City USA” Community

4-year-old Joey Andrew of Santee tries out the slide

Today’s children spend less time playing outside than any previous generation, but Santee earned recognition today from national non-profit KaBOOM! as a 2012 Playful City USA community because of efforts made to prioritize play opportunities for children.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, play is critical to healthy brain development because it allows children to use their creativity while simultaneously developing imagination, dexterity and physical, cognitive and emotional strength. Yet today’s children spend less time playing outside than any previous generation in part because only 1-in-5 live within walking distance of a park or playground. The resulting play deficit is having consequences for kids physically, socially and academically.

Santee is among 213 communities in 41 states that received the Playful City USA designation since the program began six years ago in partnership with the Humana Foundation.  The designation is given to communities that demonstrate a commitment to physical activity by developing local action plans to increase the quantity and quality of opportunities for children to play through community partnerships, as well as recreational facilities that promote exercise and fitness. Santee was acknowledged for partnering with local school districts to provide joint use playing fields for youth sports activities and leagues.

The recognition also means Santee is qualified to apply for grants to help pay for park improvements, playground equipment and recreation programs. The grants are offered through Let’s Play, a partnership led by the Dr Pepper Snapple Group.

A primary goal of the Playful City USA program is to encourage cities and towns to share ideas, concepts and programs to increase play opportunities for children. Other local cities sharing the 2012 designation are Chula Vista, La Mesa, and Encinitas. For a complete list of winners or additional information visit http://www.playfulcityusa.org/.   

Santee Host Workshop for Teen Center Staffers

The city of Santee’s Teen Center recently hosted a regional training workshop attended by 30 part-time youth workers from Santee, Lakeside and Spring Valley programs.  These teen and recreation clubs serve youth who range from 6^th grade to seniors in high school.

The multi-agency training focused on dealing with behavioral challenges, communicating with teens, team building and suicide prevention.

“This approach created a cost-effective way to ensure that the front line staff who make a daily impact on the lives of the youth in our communities are well trained and prepared to handle the variety of situations that arise,” said workshop organizer and Santee recreation program supervisor Aliah Brozowski.

The Santee Teen Center, located at Padre Dam’s Santee Lakes, offers a daily after school program in addition to summer day camp and leadership training for teens. For more information on the programs and schedules offered visit Teen Services.

Santee to Host Olympic Trial Race Walk

America’s top race walkers will gather in Santee on Sunday, January 21 to compete for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.

Photo by Jeff Salvage

Race organizers are expecting 13 athletes –12 men and one woman – to compete in the 50-kilometer (31-mile) race, which begins at 7:30 a.m.

The competitors will walk a 1.25 kilometer loop course on Mast Boulevard between Magnolia Avenue and Jeremy Street, which is south of Santana High School. The event, which will feature a disc jockey playing music and performances by local cheerleaders, is intended to be festive and crowd-friendly.

The winner, who is expected to cross the finish line in just over four hours, will receive a $6,000 cash prize. It’s possible that up to three competitors could represent the U.S. at the 2012 Olympic Games this summer in London if they finish equal or faster than the minimum qualifying time of 4:09.

Two local racers, John Nunn of San Diego and Tim Seaman of Imperial Beach, both former Olympians in the 20-kilometer event, are among the favorites to win this weekend.

USA Track & Field chose Santee over other cities to host the race because of the likelihood for good weather, the fast course and support from city leaders, said Philip Dunn, the race director.

“We invite track and field fans and the rest of the community to come to Santee and cheer on these amazing athletes as they try to qualify for the Olympic Games,” Dunn said. “Spectators are guaranteed to see the best race walkers in the nation.”

Dunn, the lone 50-kilometer U.S. race walker at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, said he expects the course record, which he set in 2009, to be broken by Sunday’s winner.

Santee previously hosted the U.S. national championship race walk in 2009. The city of Miami hosted the previous Olympic qualifying race in 2008.

Sign Up for Winter/Spring Classes

Families got a chance to see their children perform dance and music routines at the city of Santee’s first Dancing in the Park event on Saturday, Dec. 10 at Town Center Community Park. Mother Nature cooperated with perfect weather for those performing at the outdoor stage, including this acrobatic hip-hop dancer.

Registration is now open for the winter/spring class schedule, which features an enhanced variety of class offerings in dance and music, plus enrichment courses in everything from art to cooking. 

The new Recreation Activity Guide is available online here.

Halloween Treats at City Hall

Children enrolled in Santee’s Tiny Tyke and Playtime Pals early education classes stopped by City Hall Monday to gather treats and perform a song for about two dozen seniors during the annual Santee Senior Club luncheon.  A senior dressed as Superman managed to rescue a damsel in distress before sitting down to a hearty lunch.

For information on early education classes for tots, the Santee Senior Club or other recreation programs offered by the city visit the Recreation Services page on the city website. 

Sign Up for Fall Recreation Classes

The change of seasons means its time to sign up for classes offered through the Santee Community Services Department.

Our fall lineup features new dance and cheer classes for youngsters, cool activities at the Teen Center and exciting excursions for seniors.

Parents of toddlers can enroll their kids in early education courses such as Kinder Dance and Kindergarteners in Training. For more developed youngsters, there are new performing arts classes, including Dance and Cheer.  Those enrolled in dance or classes will be eligible to perform at the Dancin' in the Park recital at the outdoor stage at Town Center Community Park on Dec. 10.

Now that the kids are back in school, it’s a perfect time to enroll the family dog in training classes that will improve their manners and help them become better pets.

And if your dream is to improve your golf game, learn digital photography or take karate, we’ve got classes for those, too.

Seniors are being offered outings to such venues as the Lawrence Welk Theater to see “Man of La Mancha” and the Old Town Theater for “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

To sign up, you can go online to the city’s website, fax the registration form to (619) 258-4189, or drop off the form in person at the Community Services Dept. at City Hall, 10601 Magnolia Avenue, Building 6, Santee, CA 92071. Feel free to give us a call at (619) 258-4100 ext. 222 if you have any questions.

Sign Up for Adult Education Classes

Have a yen for tai chi? Or perhaps you’d like to brush up on your watercolor skills.

These are among a variety of affordable classes being offered by Grossmont Adult School that are held at Santee City Hall.  Classes meet once per week for 12 weeks. Many range in cost from $10 to $20.

The time to register is now. Classes begin the week of September 6 and continue through the first week of December.

Classes held at Santee City Hall’s meeting rooms include:

• Tai chi on Mondays from  4 p.m. to 5: 15 p.m.
• Quilting on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
• Drawing and watercolors on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
• Drawing on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

In addition to these classes at Santee City Hall , Grossmont Adult School offers more than 170 free and low cost classes at 45 locations in East County. To register online or to view the entire catalog of classes visit http://www.adultschool.guhsd.net/ .

Grossmont Adult School is headquartered at the Foothills Adult Center, 1550 Melody Lane, El Cajon (619) 588-3500.

Santee to Hold Family Fest at Town Center Community Park

The city of Santee is holding a special event to show off the city’s newest park and to dedicate some of the park’s special amenities, a walking path, stage, soccer fields and a human sun dial.

Family Fest, celebrating the long awaited completion of Town Center Community Park, is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, August 27.

The event will include food, music and activities the whole family can enjoy, plus a special appearance by WNBA legend Kristen Mann.  Mann, who played for four WNBA teams as well as professionally overseas, will lead a clinic for boys and girls from ages 7 to 13 that will encourage them to get outside and play this summer. Clinic participants will receive a free T-shirt.

Encompassing 55 acres along the north side of the San Diego River, Town Center Community Park also includes the Cameron Family YMCA, the City of Santee Aquatics Center, and a 15-acre recreational sports complex with batting cages, and lighted baseball, softball, and arena soccer fields operated by Sportsplex USA.

During Family Fest, the park’s circular walking path, which is nearly two-thirds of a mile long, will be dedicated in honor of the U.S Marines 2^nd Battalion, 1^st Marine Division and Heavy Helicopter Squadron 462.

Free hot dogs, chips and beverages will be available while supplies last. There will be inflatable jumps, laser tag, crafts and interactive booths, along with fitness contests and games. The City of Santee Aquatics Center will be open for free swimming all day.

Live music will be performed by doo-wop a capella group The Alley Cats, a dance and percussion group named Jr. Crew, and singer Kelsie Martin, who starred in the MTV reality show Made.

The event is sponsored by Western Rim, ACE electric, Area West Fence, MIG, Musco Lighting, and Coca-Cola. Sponsor Coca-Cola will present the city of Santee with a $10,000 grant awarded as part of their America is Your Park campaign.  This is the second year that the Coca-Cola “Live Positively” initiative has launched the national America is Your Park contest that includes donating a series of recreation grants to help provide families with ways to get active outdoors. Town Center Community Park is currently vying for one of three grand prizes to be awarded through the program.

Town Center Community Park is located at 550 Park Center Drive, Santee, CA  92071. For more information, visit the city's website or call the Special Events hotline at 619-258-4100 ext. 201.

Padres Visit Santee for Special Baseball Camp

San Diego Padre pitcher Clayton Richard and third baseman Chase Headley visited Santee Wednesday (Aug. 16) to talk to kids about the importance of school and to consider police officers as their friends.

Headley, who was sporting a cast on his left arm from a recent on-the-field injury, also offered some sage advice on how to steal second base. “Don’t slide head first,” he said.

After delivering their inspirational talk, Headly and Richard signed autographs to a group of happy campers, who will be treated to a Padre game on Aug. 17.

The 60 kids attending the special baseball camp were paced through a series of skill drills coached by 19 volunteers from area law enforcement agencies, including the San Diego Sheriff’s Department, San Diego Police and the state Department of Corrections.

The special baseball camp was sponsored by the Police Athletic League’s Sports Training Academics and Recreation program (STAR/PAL), a nonprofit dedicated to teaching kids positive values and to build bridges between youth and law enforcement.

Help Us Win Funds for Santee Parks

Fans of Santee Parks can help the city win grant funds by going online and voting for Town Center Community Park as their favorite park. Town Center Community Park hosts a variety of recreation amenities for all ages that includes softball, baseball, soccer and football fields, play grounds, walking trails, picnic areas, an event stage, City of Santee Aquatics Center, the Cameron Family YMCA, and Sportsplex USA.

As part of its America Is Your Park campaign, Coca Cola will award grants of $100,000, $50,000 and $25,000 to three parks nationwide that garner the most votes. Coca Cola is calling all families to go out and play this summer. “We’re asking people to be ‘digital’ by voting online for their favorite park and then get ‘physical’ by getting out and having fun this summer” said L. Celeste Bottorff, Vice President, Living Well, Coca-Cola North America. The grants will help restore, rebuild or enhance recreation areas in parks where people can play and be active.

You can vote online as many times as you like at LivePositively.com through Sept. 6.

Bonus points are awarded if you upload photos or videos of Town Center Community Park or by “checking in” to Town Center Community Park West using Facebook Places from any part of the park, including Sportsplex USA, the Cameron Family YMCA or the City of Santee Aquatics Center. To use "check in," register at LivePositively.com.  No need to register to vote. 

The campaign also encourages people to attend active healthy living events at local parks in select cities this summer including Santee's Family Fest on August 27 at Town Center Community Park. 

July is Park and Recreation Month

There’s no more appropriate time to spotlight how parks improve our quality of life than during July, which is National Park & Recreation Month.

In Santee, the city operates five neighborhood parks, two mini parks, and a community park where folks can get outside to have a picnic, take a walk, swim, play ball or toss a Frisbee. But that’s just the tip of the ice cream cone.

The city also sponsors a variety of recreation programs, including a Seniors’ Club, a summer camp for kids and numerous instructional classes, such as jewelry making, karate or dancing.

Santee offers the best deal on live summer concerts (they’re free), held on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. at Town Center Community Park through August 18. 

If your kids are acting bored since the school year ended, there’s still time to sign them up for a week or longer of day camp. Kids who are into BMX, scooters or skateboards can have fun at the skate and BMX facility at Woodglen Vista Park. Summer hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The city also operates a Teen Center at Santee Lakes that during the summer is open from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. A monthly Friday Night Hot Spot event, for students entering grades 6 through 9, features games, music and dancing.

The Seniors’ Club meets each Wednesday with additional senior outings scheduled once to twice a month at various spots throughout the county. The next trip scheduled for July 12 is a sojourn to the city of Coronado via the passenger ferry across San Diego Bay.

Visit the the Santee Recreation Services Division to see the recreation programs being offered.  Check out the Santee city parks page for information on parks.

Celebrate July as National Park and Recreation month by visiting one of your local parks and see why parks make life better.