The rush of the summer is almost over, and the wonderful halos of final Celebrations are still with us. Students and families alike were abuzz with excitement and pride in the hard work and investment in their future which these 4-6 week rigorous summer programs represent. Almost all of our students will be the first generation in their families to go to college, and they are preparing from as early as 6th grade.
ALearn has just finished its 6th summer of programs, serving 1222 students -500 in our entering 9th grade Catalyst programs, and 722 in our 6th and 7th grade middle school Math Acceleration Programs (MAP). The programs all offer intensive math, college readiness and the growth mindset of opening students to their own resilience, self-confidence and goal-setting. This year we had a number of firsts:
* We added 6th grade MAP to many districts, starting earlier
* We added Geometry as well as Algebra to the Catalyst Program in the East Side District high schools of Yerba Buena, Mt. Pleasant and Oak Grove
* We added the Common Core focus to our curricula, our professional development for teachers, and our Teacher Learning Communities
* We had our first students from the first ALearn Catalyst class return as Teaching Assistants
We had many returning teachers, teaching assistants, summer coordinators and district staff-which greatly added to the strength of our program. As usual, we had two opportunities for parents to join in -to learn about how to help their students get to college at the College Inspiration Night; and to celebrate with pride in their student's work at the end of the program. Each school hosted its own celebration, with slide shows and music.
Our growth would not be possible without generous donations from individuals and companies. In the past few months, we are proud to have received returning donations from Diane & Bob Frankle, Duston and Jennifer Williams, the Cassin Foundation, the Westly Foundation, the Tate Family Trust, and the Markkula Family Foundation, as well as from Agilent Technologies, SanDisk, and Seagate. We are also extremely pleased to have first-time grants from Bank of America, Flextronics, the San Jose Water Company, US Bancorp Foundation and Western Digital Foundation.
Thanks to all of our donors, and to the teachers, teaching assistants and coordinators that our programs depend upon.
Warm Regards,
