courtesy of shutterstock

Don't Miss the Next
California Kids Consignment Sale!
The California Kids Consignment Sale in Valencia is a four-day sale, running from August 22 to August 25, that's sure to fill your kid's closet on the cheap! We adore this sale - the merchandise, organization, staff and prices are all out of this world. We're especially excited to learn that this is an all-seasons sale, meaning that you'll be able to snag shorts and sweaters!

If you're interested in unloading your kids' excess toys, clothes, strollers, high chairs, books, furniture and more, this is the place to do it! Up to 250 consignors will be allowed and you can sell up to 500 items each. Register on the website www.calkidsconsignment.com for only $5 when you sign up before June 25.

Also notable: Cal Kids will host a children's charity fashion show and fundraiser for the Bailey Baio Angel Foundation on August 21 from 6 pm to 9 pm. Tickets are $15 each; only 100 are available. Details on the show, consigning, location, hours and more can be found on the website.

Santa Clarita School of Performing Arts 222-7910

"My son Roy loves Santa Clarita School of Performing Arts (SCSOPA)! I knew when he was little that he loved to perform. Roy loved to pretend he was every super hero there was. He wore his Halloween costumes for months until there was nothing left to wear. After going through a divorce, I heard about SCSOPA, I thought this might help him get through a hard time. From the moment we walked through the door, I knew this was a great place for my son. Everyone is so friendly; they greet us like family. The teachers have an amazing gift. They teach my son skills not only for the performing arts but also life skills that have given Roy back the self-esteem and confidence he needs to be successful in life. In a few short months he has gotten an agent and has already booked a national print ad with Fantastic Sam's. Roy is the young, darker-haired boy on the top of the advertisement! Roy is a happier boy because of SCSOPA and the professional staff!," ~ Lisa Garrett
Santa Clarita School of Performing Arts 222-7910 www.scsopa.com

Legacy Christian Academy Boosts Brainpower with Foreign Language Instruction
If you think that being able to order food at an ethnic restaurant in the mother-tongue of the establishment's owner is where the benefits of language education end, read on. Studies have shown that students who learn foreign languages in elementary school experience major benefits, including:

Higher test scores when divergent thinking is measured

Increased ability to look for and find solutions to problems

Heightened improvements in attention span,
even when in the presence of distracting variables

Improved memory and cognitive health

In addition, multilingualism also provides an avenue of connection in an increasingly "flat" global marketplace of commerce and ideas. That's why, in addition to Spanish, which is taught to all Legacy Christian Academy students by dedicated language teachers beginning in Kindergarten, the private school also offers Mandarin Chinese education. In the twice-weekly hour-long class, students are given a first-hand introduction to the "language of business" while also learning about Chinese cultural practices.
Legacy Christian Academy, a K through eighth school, offers free tours year-round. 257-7377

courtesy of shutterstock

Supplements for Better Health
For Pregnant Women...
There are three supplements that are highly recommended for pregnant women - Prenatal Essentials, Liquid D3 and Diovasc, all made by Xymogen.

Here's the down low on each:

Prenatal Essentials
Folic acid is a pregnancy superhero! Taking a prenatal vitamin with the recommended 400 micrograms of folic acid before and during pregnancy can help prevent birth defects of your baby's brain and spinal cord. Folic acid plays an important role in the production of red blood cells and helps your baby's neural tube develop into her brain and spinal cord. When taking the Zymogen Prenatal Essentials you can be assured of getting the benefits of folic acid, regardless of your ability to absorb or convert it to the active form. If you are an individual with impaired ability to utilize regular folic acid, L-5-MTHF supplementation can make a truly dramatic difference in your health.

Liquid D3
Your body needs vitamin D to maintain proper levels of calcium and phosphorus, which help build your baby's bones and teeth. A vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy can cause growth retardation and skeletal deformities. It may also have an impact on birth weight.

If you're lacking vitamin D during pregnancy, your baby may be short on the vitamin at birth. Researchers believe that a vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy can affect bone development and immune function from birth through adulthood. A deficiency of vitamin D has also been linked to a greater risk of pregnancy complications, including preeclampsia, and a higher likelihood of an expectant mom needing a c-section.

Diovasc
For women who suffer from varicose veins or hemorrhoids, this product contains well-researched, citrus-based flavonoids that support healthy veins, capillaries and blood flow circulation. Additionally, they enhance the body's normal response to inflammation, having a positive influence on hemorrhoids and edema as a result.
Renee Sicignano is a licensed midwife and owner of the SCV Birth Center, where these supplements are sold. 254-3000

And Everyone Else!
Although over 99 percent of the calcium in the body is in the bones and teeth, the 1 percent of calcium that is dissolved in the blood and other tissues is critical to over 200 metabolic reactions in the body.

Here are just a few important actions of calcium:
• Regulates nerve conduction
• Activates the immune system's white blood cells
• Reduce muscle spasms like leg cramps and menstrual cramps
• Supports ligaments, tendons, connective tissue and skin

Calcium needs to be "bound" or naturally integrated with the synergists that enable the assimilation, absorption and proper use of calcium without taking nutrients from other sources in the body bank to assimilate the calcium. Only when the body has more than enough calcium to accomplish its many health-building tasks is calcium then deposited into the "bone bank" for later needs.

More calcium supplements are sold than any other mineral, but most of them are not absorbed from the GI tract. Calcium Lactate is a vegetarian source of a very absorbable form of calcium and magnesium in a five-to-one ratio.

For more information, schedule a nutritional consultation today with Lisa Reynaldo, ND, at the Unruh Spine Center. 288-0022

courtesy of shutterstock

SCVi Charter School to Open
New High School Campus in Fall
For years, the expansive Higher Vision Church campus has felt like home to SCVi students and staff. The kind congregation regularly lent space to SCVi for events and meetings. Now that the church has found a larger home, SCVi will utilize the entire beautiful building as the charter program's high-school campus. Ideal both because of the natural arts-focus of the space and the already-established well-appointed facilities and classrooms, the expansive building will be home to SCVi's growing high school population of self-directed learners.

"This location is a perfect fit for SCVi's project-based learning curriculum," says SCVi co-founder Amber Raskin. "Our students cultivate the qualities of flexibility, adaptability and leadership as they develop sought-after skills for the working world. We are helping the entrepreneurs and humanitarians of this generation grow, so we felt it essential to grow right along with them. Our students will use this new building as homebase as they establish internships, explore scientific principles in our new science lab, begin their Personal Projects and continue building friendships and memories in our drama, sports, band, theater and choir programs."
The school, which is also working to establish a lacrosse team, is a publically-funded charter that provides tuition-free and district-boundary-free education. Applications are currently available. 705-4820

Monticello Prep Sports Programs Rank Among Area's Best
The sports programs at Monticello Preparatory School are among the best in the Santa Clarita Valley with the school offering tennis, golf, soccer, horseback riding, ice skating, basketball and track.
Monticello Prep is a private, fully-accredited K-through-eighth Christian school that offers challenging academics, inspiring arts and exciting sports programs, according to Rebecca Cranert, Monticello Prep Chief of School. "We pride ourselves in having real professionals in different sports teaching and coaching our students, not parent volunteers," Cranert says.

Former professional soccer player Carolina Dozal is serving as the school athletic director and lead physical education instructor. Dozal also serves as sports director at the SCV Community Center. This year she took her AYSO team to nationals.
Another physical education program that has been flourishing at Monticello Prep has been introductory and high-performance junior tennis under the guidance of USPTA-certified professional Jocel Alcedo, a former NCAA Division I player at Loyola Marymount who has played in more than a thousand professional tournaments. "We utilize the USTA's Junior Tennis format to make sure the game is sized just right for the children to succeed," Alcedo says.

Monticello Prep students participate in golf lessons at Vista Valencia under the teaching of head professional Brad Gallagher. The school is the reigning SCV Independent School League champion.
Horseback riding at the Wildwood Canyon Equestrian Center is yet another sport that students at Monticello enjoy regularly. 993-0296

courtesy of shutterstock

SCVi Charter School to Open
New High School Campus in Fall
For years, the expansive Higher Vision Church campus has felt like home to SCVi students and staff. The kind congregation regularly lent space to SCVi for events and meetings. Now that the church has found a larger home, SCVi will utilize the entire beautiful building as the charter program's high-school campus. Ideal both because of the natural arts-focus of the space and the already-established well-appointed facilities and classrooms, the expansive building will be home to SCVi's growing high school population of self-directed learners.

"This location is a perfect fit for SCVi's project-based learning curriculum," says SCVi co-founder Amber Raskin. "Our students cultivate the qualities of flexibility, adaptability and leadership as they develop sought-after skills for the working world. We are helping the entrepreneurs and humanitarians of this generation grow, so we felt it essential to grow right along with them. Our students will use this new building as homebase as they establish internships, explore scientific principles in our new science lab, begin their Personal Projects and continue building friendships and memories in our drama, sports, band, theater and choir programs."

The school, which is also working to establish a lacrosse team, is a publically-funded charter that provides tuition-free and district-boundary-free education. Applications are currently available. 705-4820