Page 4 - January 2016 ~ Lafayette Today

Lafayette Garden Club Meeting

The Lafayette Garden Club will hold their next monthly meeting on January 14 at the Lafayette Veterans Memorial Hall, located at 3780 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Coffee will be served at 9:30AM with the meeting following from 10AM - noon. Shari Bashin-Sullivan will be the speaker in January. Shari holds a masters degree in landscape design from the Conway school in Massachusetts. She and her husband founded Enchanting Planting in 1989. Located in Orinda, they design and build beautiful gardens throughout the East Bay. Shari will be doing a container planting demo/presentation for the meeting, so be sure to bring your container gardening questions. If you’d like to see some of Shari’s projects, you can view her website at www.enchantingplanting.com. Guests are welcome! E-mail any questions to cpoetzsch@gmail.com.

Sons In Retirement Las Trampas Branch

As the new year begins you may be thinking of activities you would like to pursue. Sons In Retirement (SIR) Las Trampas Branch 116 welcomes guest to socialize with us at 11AM on Monday, January 18th at our monthly luncheon at the Walnut Creek Elks Lodge at 1475 Creekside Dr, and learn of our membership activities which include book discussions, bridge, computers, dine-outs, dominoes, fishing, golf, hiking/walking, investments, poker, travel, wine tastings, and more fun things. In addition we have special golf events and bridge tournaments during the year where wives, partners, and guests are invited. If these are activities you like to do, then you may find even greater enjoyment in doing them with the friendly group of retirees in the SIRs organization. For more information about our activities for retired men, please visit www.Branch116.org. Please call (925) 322-1160 for lunch reservations. The cost for lunch is $15.

Water: Our Precious Resource

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The League of Women Voters of Diablo Valley will be hosting a film showing and discussion about water shortage issues on January Gopher/Mole Removal 9, 3 – 4:30pm. No Poison The film is titled Last Call at the Oasis. Water is Earth’s most valuable resource. It’s needed by 925-765-4209 all living things, but it is possible that in the future there won’t be enough to sustain life on Earth. This film examines current water availability and distribution systems, and introduces viewers to individuals who are trying to improve access. The event will take place in the Cedar Room of the Lafayette Community Center, 500 St. Mary’s Road, Lafayette. All are invited. The event is free and light refreshments will be served. To learn more, visit www.lwvdv.org.

Hollywood Director Judges Local Video Contest

The Lafayette Youth Arts Society (LYAS), a local student-run arts organization, recently opened the 3rd Annual Writing and Photography Contest for Lafayette middle school students. This year, the LYAS expanded the photography segment of their contest to include a video contest, where students can submit one minute-long videos that respond to the given contest

Lafayette Hiking Group

Bring lunch or snacks, water, layered clothing, good walking shoes, sun protection and money to contribute toward gas, and parking.

Saturday, January 16, Inspiration Point, Tilden Park

Meet in the parking lot out from Lafayette BART’s main entrance at 8:30am. Walk the ridgeline Nimitz Way Trail in Tilden Park enjoying views of San Francisco, the Bay, and Contra Costa County - weather permitting. The trail is mostly paved, with some gravel. The length of the hike may vary. The hike is an easy, 6 - 8 miles with leader Alison Hill.

Wednesday, January 27, Lafayette back roads

Meet at the EBRPD parking lot on Olympic Blvd at Pleasant Hill Rd. at 9am. Enjoy a loop hike including parts of the Lafayette-Moraga Trail, back streets and little used roads, and the Reliez Station Walkway. There is one steep uphill and another downhill, all paved. The hike is a moderate 4 – 5 miles with leader Alison Hill. For questions email LafayetteHiking@comcast.net.

Lost Dog!

$50 REWARD

If you find him and your name is drawn! He is very small, so you will have to look hard if you want to find him.

Lafayette Luther is Missing He has become lost in this paper.

Send a letter telling us where you found him, along with your name and address to:

Lost Dog! Lafayette Today, 3000F Danville Blvd #117, Alamo, CA 94507

Lillian Polkinhorn is our winner! Luther was hiding on page 11 last month!

Meeting Featuring The Empathy Gap

Do men lack empathy? On January 19, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Orinda-Moraga-Lafayette (OML) Branch, will show the new, thought-provoking 70 minute film, The Empathy Gap by Diane Bell-Rettger. It examines the “masculine script” that boys and men are taught by popular culture, and suggests ways to help men think of women as equals. Hopefully, this will lead men who need it to break with regressive gender norms to live happier and healthier lives. Social time begins at 9:15AM, and the film will start at 9:45AM. The meeting will be held at Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church, 1700 School Street in Moraga. Bring a friend to join the discussion!

It’s “Sister-to-Sister” Super Sunday Time!

Parents, it’s time to register your middle school daughter for Sister-to-Sister’s three Super Sunday sessions on February 7, February 28, and March 13. Sister-to-Sister is a community outreach program Ad Ideamiddle for and high school girls in a supportive environment to address of the AAUW-OML that connects Alamoaspects and of adolescence. The program equips girls with the both the empowering and Danville, the challenging Lafayette Today confidence and the skills they need to make positive choices in their lives. High school girls have been preparing for the sessions this fall in trainings conducted by AAUW. X 5”while deconstructing cultural messages and stereotypes They acquire leadership and facilitation 3” skills Danville Today as well as the pressures of being a girl in today’s190.00 culture. They eagerly anticipate meeting their “little w learned discount sisters” and sharing what they have at 142.50 the Super Sunday Sessions that begin in February. As the younger girls share what’s bugging them, they discover they are not alone and have a lot in common Today 155.00 with all girls. They become friendsAlamo as they share their stories and strategize solutions. They are often surprised w discount 116.25 to hear how much better life is in high school as the older girls address their questions and concerns. To learn more about Sister-to-Sister, visit AAUW’s website at oml-ca.aauw.net/s2s/. Registration is now Lafayette 180.00 open and is available online. Deadline is 2/1/2016. Questions can be directed to w discount 135.00at (925) 997-0118. Laura Wittenberg at (925) 788-0901 or Valarie Burgess

Left to right LYAS members Samantha Swan, Charlie Keohane, Uma Unni, Zoe Portnoff, Isabel Rurka, and Sophia Benveniste.

prompts. Brian Horiuchi, a Hollywood director and writer, will be judging the video contest. Horiuchi has been writing and directing feature films, television, music videos, and web projects for over ten years. Most recently, he wrote and directed the feature film Parts Per Billion, starring Josh Hartnett, Rosario Dawson, Gena Rowlands, Frank Langella, and Alexis Bledel. Inspiration for the video contest came from increasing interest in video-based social media, such as Vine, a short-form video sharing social medium where users share six-second videos, says LYAS team member Isaac Douglas. “We noticed how popular Vine had become with middle schoolers in recent years, and we wanted to encourage kids to create content instead of just consuming it.” Isaac Douglas, who is in charge of the video segment of the contest, is a sophomore at Acalanes High School and a member of the LYAS leadership. “Most kids have smartphones which can take videos, and that’s all you really need to enter our contest. Of course, if you have a film camera, that’s great, but we aren’t going to expect that from all of our contest participants,” says LYAS Vice President Zoe Portnoff, a junior at Campolindo High School. The deadline for all entries is January 31, 2016. For more information about the LYAS and the 3rd Annual Writing and Photography Contest, visit www.lyas.org.

Lafayette Community Garden

The Lafayette Community Garden and Outdoor Learning Center is accepting applications for individual or family memberships for the 2016 season. The season opening is March 12. For more information, visit www.lafayettecommunitygarden.org. To apply for membership, download and fill out a membership form, and send it to the address on the form. If membership is full, you will be put on a waiting list. For questions, call 925-946-0563.

Classes Start Feb. 8

The Writing Studio is a unique program that provides classroom instruction and one on one sessions for students in grades 4-12. Young writers step into a world of creative storytelling and essay based expository writing projects and develop strong writing skills in the process.

The Writing Studio

3455 Golden Gate Way, Suite A, Lafayette (925)385-0211 www.lafayettewritingstudio.com

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AAUW-OML is offering merit-based scholarships to graduating senior women at Acalanes, Campolindo, and Miramonte High Schools. One $5,000 and two $1,000 scholarships are available to seniors who maintain at least a 3.0 GPA and are committed to community service. Two steps are required to complete the application. First fill out the online application form at oml-ca.aauw.net/scholarships/highschool-application/. Submit it online. Second, mail in a packet, including two letters of recommendation and official transcript from the school, and the essay. Both the online application and mail-in packet must be received by March 2.

We are a social organization of retired and semi-retired men who enjoy our leisure time with friends and activities. Our activities are golf, bowling, bocce ball, table pool, travel, fishing, computers & technology, bridge, poker, pinochle, investing, wine tasting, walking, astronomy, stamp collecting, etc. We meet for lunch at 11AM the third Wednesday of this month at Holy Trinity Culture Center, 1700 School Street, Moraga. Our guest speaker on January 20th will be Susan Sperry discussing early Moraga ranch life. For attendance and membership info, call Tyler at (925) 284-5561. Please visit our website at www.branch174.sirinc2.org.

Lafayette Today ~ January 2016 - Page 5

American Association of University Women Events

Scholarship Applications

Lamorinda Branch

8:45:44 AM

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Kaplan Practice SAT/ACT Test

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10.00 Bonus Coupon

Present this coupon at point of purchase for 10.00 off your one-time combined purchase of 50.00 or more. 1 coupon per family. Not valid on previous purchases, other coupons and/oron promotions. No cash substitutes. May not be used on payment of account. Pandora, Brighton, Boy Scouts, Estee Lauder, Clinique, Lancome, Fragrance Dept., TOMS and UGG excluded. Expires Jan. 31, 2016

Lafayette  Moraga  Danville  Montclair  Orinda  Countrywood  Clayton Rd.

It’s January and back-to-the-books time. Before your 2016 calendar fills Sonoma  Auburn  Stockton (Now at Lincoln Center)   up, ask yourself: Is my student prepared for the new college entrance exams? There is a practice test that your student can take that will help you find the answer to that question, and it might be the best $35 you spend. The test is a product of Kaplan TEST PREP and is designed to highlight the test-taker’s strengths and weaknesses. The AAUW Scholarship Committee Please to:or email: ads@lamorindaweekly.com has scheduled two tests. But that’s not all. What makes this test so valuable is reply a week so later, parents and students return to receive their scores and participate in an interpretive discussion. Space is limited, so register today. Phone: 925 - 377 - 0977 • Fax: 800 - 690 - 8136 date Kaplan’s scheduled SAT/ACT practice tests dates are: • Miramonte High School, 750 Moraga Way, Orinda ~ January 30 test ~ February 10, 2016, Artwork designed by Lamorinda Weekly is subject to copyright follow up ~ Student check-in is 8:30AM at Miramonte High School library ~ Cost is $35. • Campolindo High School, 300 Moraga Road, Moraga ~ February 20 test ~ March 3 follow up ~ Student check-in is 8:30AM at the Campolindo High School library ~ Cost is $35. Bring #2 pencils, a calculator, a snack, and water. Be prompt, doors close at 8:45AM. For more information and to register for the test, visit the website at Miramonte: oml-ca.aauw.net/mhs/ or at Campolindo: oml-ca.aauw.net/chs/. The American Association of University Women has been empowering women as individuals and as a community since 1881. For 134 years, we have worked together as a national grassroots organization to improve the lives of millions of women and their families.

Public Forum on Downtown Creek Plan

The City of Lafayette will be holding a second community workshop on Lafayette’s Downtown Creek Plan on Tuesday, February 2nd at 7pm at the Lafayette Library’s Community Hall. The City is providing another formal opportunity for residents and businesses to comment on their Downtown Creeks Plan. This workshop will foster the sharing of ideas on options for creek enhancements and be a time to discuss priorities. In September, the City began work on the Plan. Producing this Plan fulfills one of the recommendations of Lafayette’s Downtown Specific Plan which was adopted by the City Council in September of 2012. A consultant team with expertise in landscape architecture, civil engineering, and environmental restoration is developing the Plan under the guidance of the City Creeks Committee. Will Elder, Chair of the City Creek Committee, said the primary purpose of the Downtown Creeks Plan is to provide a long term vision for creek restoration opportunities and public visual and physical access along creeks while protecting property from creek damage and supporting downtown economic development. Our consultants have found that much of the native creek vegetation is being overtaken by invasive plants that can lead to creek bank erosion, said Elder. Preliminary recommendations involve removing these invasive plants, reintroducing native riparian vegetation, and repairing creek bank erosion. “Some of our initial concepts for creek enhancements involve designing stormwater retention features adjacent to the creeks, establishing creek overlooks where roads bridge over a creek, and developing a series of public spaces connecting some of the majestic oaks that remain along our downtown creeks.” For more information, contact Steven Goetz at sgoetz@ci.lafayette.ca.us or visit www.lovelafayette.org/creeksplan.