Amerikick Pennington NewsletterTHE
NEWSLETTER.

🏆 Internationals: Two Demo Divisions, Both Won

Our Black Belt Demo Team took first in the NASKA demo division AND first in the Amerikick demo division. Win both and the Overall Grand Champion Title for Demo Team is automatic — no debate, no tiebreaker. That's two years in a row.

Our color belt team went out and won their division too, and earned a spot on the finals stage to perform in front of the whole room. Not for points. Just because they earned the floor.

Over 100 schools showed up to this tournament. Teams drove and flew in from all over the country. When they counted total medals at the end, we finished number 3 out of everybody — and our kids didn't take the short road to get there. A bunch signed up for the open NASKA divisions instead of Amerikick-only divisions, lining up across from kids from schools we've never heard of. They medaled anyway.

📚 Back2School: The First Three Weeks Are Easy

It's week four that gets people. The folder's a disaster, the reading log is blank, and homework turns into a nightly negotiation. That's not a kid problem — that's a system problem, and systems are trainable, same as a front kick.

• 1. Pack the bag at night, not in the morning. Bag packed, shoes by the door, before anybody brushes their teeth. You just deleted the worst ten minutes of your day.
• 2. Same time, same seat, every day. Homework doesn't need more hours, it needs a spot. Take the decision away and the fight goes with it.
• 3. One thing at a time. Phone in another room, TV off. Twenty focused minutes beats an hour of half paying attention.
• 4. Protect bedtime like it's a black belt test. A tired kid looks exactly like a defiant kid. Same face, totally different fix.
• 5. Ask about the hard part, not the good part. "How was school" gets you "fine." Try "what was the hardest thing you did today?"

🎤 We Want To Come To Your School

Last school year we ran assemblies, fundraisers and event nights all over the area. Thousands raised for PTOs. Hundreds of kids up and moving. All of it free.

• Assemblies — 30–45 minutes of confidence and bully prevention, kids moving the whole time.
• Fundraisers — the PTO keeps every dollar. Not a split. Every dollar.
• Back to School Nights, Trunk or Treats, field days — we run a station and keep the line moving.
• PTO partnerships and donations — raffle baskets, gift certificates, whatever helps the event land.
• Businesses too — company events, employee family days, wellness weeks.

One thing we tell every principal up front: we never teach anything a kid could turn around and try on a classmate. No strikes. Blocking, movement, and a lot of self control. Nothing gets sold to anybody.

All we need is the name of the school. Grab an instructor at the front desk or email Pennington@Amerikick.com.

🗓️ September Highlights

• Sep 5 — LTEF Annual Fun Run, 9 AM @ Village Park
• Sep 6 — September Student Success Challenge begins
• Sep 7 — Closed (Labor Day) · final day of Summer Camp 2027 presale
• Sep 12 — AK Pennington Belt Graduation, 11 AM & 12 PM
• Sep 18 — Parent Night Out @ Pennington, 6:30–9:00 PM
• Sep 25 — Women's Self Defense Seminar @ Pennington, 6:30–7:30 PM
• Sep 26 — Free Bring-A-Buddy Board Breaking & Annual Picnic
• Sep 30 — Parents As Coaches classes, both locations
• Oct 1 — Back to full uniform for all classes: gi top, pants & belt

⭐ September Student Success Challenge

Four weeks. Four habits. One stronger student. Every student gets a sheet for their level — print one at home if you need a spare. Turn in a completed sheet at the end of class and you get a raffle ticket for a free month of classes. Turn in all four weeks and you earn a stripe on your belt. We reward the streak, not the score — nobody gets disqualified for a bad Tuesday.