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    ALearn News


November 2014    



                                
Why are these girls having fun?  Read on...

In This Issue

Dear ALearn Friends:

 

We are busy making dreams come true at ALearn! After a very successful Dream Makers Dinner, we turned our attention to our latest program, Girls Exploring Math, or GEM, an after-school program for underserved 7th grade girls. The girls are perfecting their math skills, learning about college, and developing a "Growth Mindset," hallmarks of all of our programs. We thank Leading Women in Technology for the generous grant that made this program possible for girls

 

We are very proud of our Program Coordinator, Roberto Bugarin, who was honored by the Santa Clara County After School Collaborative, for helping make our students' dreams come true. 

 

Our Achievement Award Winners are making dreams come true, too, for others and for themselves. You'll enjoy reading about them here.

 

What's in a dream? Power, transformative power. We dream together that all ALearn students have the opportunity, encouragement, and support to love learning, to open up their own transformative power, to get on the college path, and to succeed on that path.  

 

Warmest regards and best wishes for a wonderful holiday season,

 

Kathryn Hanson

CEO 


ALearn is at 72% of its 2014 fundraising goal.


ALearn would like to thank its most recent donors:

Agilent
Asset Management
  Ventures
Blach Construction
Cisco
Deloitte
DLA Piper
Genentech
First Republic
Matrix Precise
On-Site
Shortino Foundation
Sobrato Philanthropies
GEM Girls Sparkle and Shine in Math!

ALearn's newest program, Girls Exploring Math (GEM) has 7th grade girls smiling in San Jose and Mountain View, thanks to a generous grant from Leading Women in Technology. The program launched Oct. 21, and is specifically designed to engage girls in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). 

 

GEM brings together lessons in Pre-Algebra, leadership, empowerment and college-readiness. Hands-on math and science activities are featured in the program, as well as online-math lessons using Khan Academy. Successful Silicon Valley women share stories about math and their careers with the girls, through GEM's guest speaker series. 

 

Girls jump right into the class, with an assignment to turn over a tarp they are standing on -- in teams of 12 -- without stepping off the tarp (see top left photo). Creativity, communication, and teamwork are key, as they are in math and science careers. Girls also learn to trade stocks, make "Integer Bracelets," (see top right photo) and create personal budgets.

2014 Achievement Award Winners: Outstanding!

Each year, ALearn honors our best and brightest. Pictured below are this year's outstanding teaching assistant, students, and teacher. Click here to read their profiles.Achievement Award Winners (L to R):Alex Favela, Teaching Assistant; Ashley Juarez-Renteria, High School Student; Joana Jimenez, Middle School Student; Patrice Milillo, Teacher
Roberto Bugarin, Program Coordinator, Honored

Roberto was honored at the "Breakfast of Champions" on Oct. 22, by the Santa Clara County After School Collaborative. A first-generation San Jose State University Engineering student, Roberto has worked at ALearn for the last three years, as a Teaching Assistant, Office Assistant, and Program Coordinator. In addition to his regular duties, Roberto has helped create systems to collect data on student progress, and is helping to develop programming this year. Congratulations, Roberto!
Dream Makers Dinner Raises $300,000+          

We are thrilled to announce that the fundraising total from our October 15 Dream Makers Dinner
is now at $302,000, up 39% from last year. 
Lisa Sobrato Sonsini (right) was our Honoree, along with Sobrato Philanthropies. We thank them, and all of our donors, for their wonderful generosity.

Click here to watch ALearn students from Mountain View High School performing "Let's Graph a Line," which was a huge hit at the dinner. With coaching from ALearn/MVHS Teacher, Jared Darby, the students wrote the lyrics. They are amazing!

DMD 2014 Cup Song
"Let's Graph a Line" performers (L to R): Anyssa Agosto, Luis Sanchez, Christina Vasquez, Ysela Baluyot, and Nicole Gutierrez
Here's an easy way to help the kids in ALearn's programs: use and bookmark this link whenever you shop, and Amazon will donate 0.5% to ALearn. Thank you for thinking of ALearn during the holidays!