Long Run #4 and Volunteer Lead/Support Model

Long Run #4 was a beautiful 6 mile run along the San Francisco Bay Trail in Alameda. 

after school practice at Tech this week
on the SF Bay Trail in Alameda

Friends of SRO, PBS will be showing Runner's High, a feature-length documentary about SRO filmed during the 2003-2004 season, on Sunday, November 9th, at 6pm. 

Students, this week we start tutoring. Student Liaison Michelle Deiro has received your progress reports and attendance information. Remember that the Student Contract requires a 2.5 GPA; students with a GPA of less than 3.0 should have received information from your school captain about when and where the free tutoring is being held. If your GPA is less than 3.0 you are required to attend! If you have questions about tutoring, please contact Michelle.

Remind your families about next week's meeting! Thursday, November 6, from 6:15-7:15pm there will be a meeting for students and families at 1000 Broadway, Suite 500. Check the Calendar page for details, there should be a flyer shortly.

Volunteers, during the past week we introduced our new Volunteer Lead/Support Model at our volunteer meeting and subsequent weekend run. Each volunteer should now be assigned to a Lead Volunteer for support and questions, and you should be receiving your student pairings in time for our November 1st run. We're looking forward to increasing the cohesiveness of volunteers and students. We are hoping that deeper adult to student relationships will increase the overall retention of students, the attendance rates at training sessions, and satisfaction and fun for everyone. If you have questions, contact your Lead Volunteer.

Emeryville Marina

This past weekend we had another great run, 5.5 miles along the San Francisco Bay Trail starting from the Emeryville Marina. The weather was beautiful, but cold! Fierce winds greeted us in the early morning, but towards the end of our run it had warmed up ... a little.

it was cold!




but we went running anyway




after all, we're

Asthma Clinic Notes and Upcoming Events

Asthma Clinic Notes - Before Saturday's run, a clinician from the Alameda County Health Department presented information about what asthma is and how to recognize an asthma attack in yourself or a friend, and how to help prevent asthma attacks. Use your inhaler about 20 minutes before you start running to help prevent an asthma attack, and be especially mindful on cold, windy days. Run at a conversational pace to help keep your breathing comfortable. Remember that if you have asthma, you need to bring your inhaler with you to each workout and show it to your captain when you check in. 

Students - This week, we'll again have BMI testing at Castlemont on Monday. Remember that participation at practice is mandatory unless you have already talked to your captain about an excused absence! 

Also on Monday, the Student Surveys are due. You should have received an email with a link and instructions for completing the survey. If you did not receive an email, make sure you have (a) sent your email address to Student Liaison Michelle Diero and (b) checked your email account this week. You can send Michelle an email with your information, or fill out the form on the website to give her your contact information.

Volunteers - The next Volunteer Meeting is this Thursday, Oct 23rd, from 6:30-8pm at the Alameda County Health Department offices in downtown Oakland: 1000 Broadway, Suite 500 (next to 12th street BART). You can find more information on the Calendar page. You can also use the Calendar page to sign up for upcoming weekend runs -- please sign up several weeks in advance if possible to help us plan.

Save the Date - Students & Families Meeting Nov 6

SRO Student Liaison Michelle Diero is leading a meeting for students and their parents/guardians on Thursday, November 6, from 6:15-7:15 pm.

Agenda to follow.

Location:
1000 Broadway, Suite 500
Oakland, CA 94607

This is the Trans-Pacific Centre. It is next to the 12th St/Downtown Oakland BART station. Sign in with security guard in the lobby to gain access to the 5th Floor. Say you're with Students Run Oakland.

(Note: the College Workshop for Seniors originally scheduled that day has been moved to Thursday, November 13, at 3:45pm at the EOSA computer lab. Check the Calendar page for details and updated information.)

San Leandro Marina and Reminders of Upcoming Events

Our first four mile run! We couldn't have asked for a nicer day. Great job to all students and volunteers. Remember this week's training tip: Run at a "conversational pace" -- that is, easy enough that you can have a conversation with your running partners (but not so easy that you can sing!).

warming up...

off we go...

remembering to stretch after we run...

Students, this week we'll be having BMI testing at Castlemont on Monday and at Oakland Tech on Wednesday. BMI stands for Body Mass Index and is one indicator of whether you are at a healthy weight for your body. You can learn more about it here or here. We'll have several opportunities for BMI testing throughout the season, so you can use it as one more way to gage your progress during your training. Of course, what's even more important is how you feel during your runs, how your times and mileages are, and most of all, how you feel throughout the day!

You recently received an email with a link to a survey about your general health and wellness. Please fill out this online survey by Monday, Oct 20th. If you did not receive an email, please make sure your captain has your email address. You can send us your email address using this form.

Check the Calendar page for other upcoming events. Later this month, there will be an Asthma Clinic, a Nutrition Clinic, and a College Workshop. Keep checking back for more!


Volunteers, please mark your calendars for the upcoming Volunteer Meeting on Thursday, Oct. 23rd, from 6:30-8pm. Please RSVP by the 18th. You can email Volunteer Coordinator Christine Chapon or sign up online on the Calendar page.

Training Begins

Our first weekend run took place on Saturday. Students and volunteers played a few icebreaker games, then got in an easy two mile run at Lake Merritt before the rain. We're already looking forward to next weekend's four mile run, when the SRO seniors, most of whom were taking SATs last weekend, will be able to join us.

Students, starting this week we'll be going to the YMCA on Tuesdays and Thursdays, in addition to track workouts at your schools on Mondays and Wednesdays. Look for the SRO bus immediately after school on Tuesday and Thursday.

If you need to review the Student Contract and Asthma Policy, please do so before the next workout. In particular, note that if you have asthma, you must bring your inhaler to workouts in order to participate.

Volunteers, our next weekend run is Saturday, October 11, at San Leandro Marina. Sign up on the Calendar page for this weekend and any other weekends you can commit to. Signing up several weeks in advance helps us plan our staffing for running, water stops, and support.

If you have not filled out the volunteer survey yet, please take a few minutes to let us know about your background and areas of the organization you're interested in helping with. If you still have questions about finger printing, the Volunteer Contract, or other paperwork concerns, check the Volunteers page or email your questions to Volunteer Coordinator Christine Chapon.