Dear Students, Teachers, Parents and Friends,

Congratulations to those that tested for their new belts at the
north school this Saturday.

For those students testing for a level of black belt, the test is
scheduled for October 3rd. We are planning on having lunch and
entertainment on Saturday at noon.

In an effort to help everyone with the costs of buying the new
safety equipment, all hand pads are on sale this month at 20% off.
Please see your Sensei for more information.

Classes are now being held at the 2304 Bijou location on Tuesdays
and Thursdays at 6:00.

Don't forget our special VIP program runs through December and the
school is rewarding our students with a $50 cash reward for any VIP
referral they bring into the school that joins. We recognize that
friends share good things with their friends and this is our way of
saying thanks for handing out our VIP guest passes which is good for
one free month of karate lessons and a free uniform. This offer has
a real cash value of $100. If you need some VIP passes, please see
one of our staff members.

For those interested in going to Jamaica in January, the deadline
for registrations is the end of September and also the price of the
land package goes up $25 on the 15th of September. You can pick up
your application at the dojo or ask your Sensei to bring you one if
you train in one of the clubs. If you're interested in getting
involved in fund raising activities to help cover some of the costs,
please e-mail me and I will pass it on to Mrs. Matson who is heading
up these activities.



The Lesson of the Week

Sonchou – Respect, Esteem, Regard

According to Japanese culture the three virtues of a warrior is
called Sonchou which is comprised of self-respect, self-esteem and
self-regard. Let us discuss briefly how martial arts training helps
develop these qualities in a student.

Proper respect is taught in all our actions in the dojo from the way
we bow to the way we line up in class. We are taught to always
say "yes sir" and "no sir" or "yes ma'am" or "no ma'am" which
demonstrates respect in everything we say. Respect is one thing that
one needs to give in order to get. In other words, a person needs to
learn to respect others in order to develop self-respect.

Self-esteem is all about how good one feels about himself. Every
time you achieve a predetermined worthwhile goal, your self-esteem
goes up. This is included in our school through the stripes and
belts one achieves and by constantly learning new material for
advancement. We support one another in class, applaud for each other
when performing and show respect to our classmates, all adding to
the self-esteem of the students. Instructors praise in public and
correct in private as a policy, in order to facilitate proper self-
esteem building.

Self-regard is having the personal respect to always try and do the
right thing. We always strive to live up to our words and
commitments and this includes ourselves. Considering the needs of
others at all times, a true warrior knows that he can only help
others as long as he takes care of himself first. Like a bodyguard
on duty, he can only protect his client by staying safe himself.

These three virtues are the foundation to great leadership skills.
This month at the dojo we are working on self-esteem building
qualities. Please feel free to pick up a copy of the flyer "Ten Ways
To Build Self-Esteem In You Child" at the front desk. We hope that
together we can indeed change the world… one black belt at a
time.

Respectfully,

Terry Bryan