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A Summer They Won't Forget
Here at Horizons, we're getting ready for our favorite time of year - summer! 99% of our 1st through 4th grade students will return from last summer and we will have a new class of seventeen kindergarteners from Buena Vista, Marshall, and Mission Prep elementary schools. Five are the siblings of current Horizons students; we've watched them grow up and are excited to officially welcome them to the Horizons family. With the addition of this new class, 85 students in five grades will challenge themselves, learn, and explore at Horizons this summer.
Of course, these amazing kids will need some amazing activities to do.
Old favorites like Nagata Dance and our Exploratorium field trip are coming back, and exciting new activities are in the works - beloved former teacher Anhvu Buchanan is returning to teach a poetry elective and our oldest grades will go kayaking for the first time, to name just two examples!
We're also making plans to celebrate National Summer Learning Day, visit the Academy of Sciences, and of course swim multiple times a week- the K-2nd graders at Mission Pool and the 3rd and 4th graders at the Boys & Girls Club's Don Fisher Clubhouse. Be sure you've liked us on Facebook so you can follow our adventures this summer!
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Announcing Our Stellar Summer Team
Hiring is complete for our 2018 summer, and our seven new and nine returning staff are preparing to embark upon another fun-filled summer with Horizons. One is already writing a play for her class!
We're adding staff to teach our incoming class of kindergarteners and have created a new position for Amalia Medina-Glover, who will be our first ever Curriculum and Instructional Lead. Amalia will serve as a coach to our teachers and ensure the highest quality for Horizons' academic programming.
AmeriCorps VISTA Veronica Oberholzer will be taking over as our summer program coordinator, and Horizons will welcome new VISTA Blackberrie Eddins, who will serve at Horizons throughout the 2018-2019 year.
Learn more about our staff on our website.
Sixteen generous high schoolers have also volunteered to spend their summer as classroom assistants at Horizons. Over half are returning volunteers and a
ll but one are SFFS graduates. We also have three pairs of siblings and four recent high school graduates who will be heading to college at the summer's end. For the first time ever we will welcome a part-time youth intern, the sibling of a current Horizons student, through a new partnership with Enterprise for Youth.
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A Busy Year
Horizons doesn't just provide six weeks of free academic and enrichment programming to low-income Mission youth during the summer. We stay connected with the families our program serves throughout the year as well. SFFS staff provide year-round tutoring to four Horizons students, and all Horizons families are invited to six events during the year. A favorite was a March workshop on helping children through difficult experiences that Dr. Chandra Ghosh Ippen led for our parents while their children did fun art activities with Marisa Graham.
Most recently Horizons families enjoyed attending the Friends School's Community Day and Book Swap. Horizons families will be returning to SFFS for pre-summer orientation before our summer program officially begins on June 25.
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Kristen teaching a Horizons cooking elective
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Welcome, New Board Members!
This spring, we are lucky that three amazing women are joining the 16 hardworking members of the Horizons at SFFS board.
Kristen Daniel joined SFFS in 2007 and currently serves as the school's Middle and High School Transition Director. Kristen is also the liaison between SFFS and its community partners, Breakthrough Collaborative and The SMART Program. Kristen has been an enthusiastic supporter of Horizons at SFFS from the very beginning, volunteering with the program and providing input throughout its launch.
Christine Hoang is an award-winning immigration attorney who provides pro bono representation to domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking survivors. She is an SFFS parent and emeritus trustee, and is currently on the Board of Lick-Wilmerding High school. We are delighted to have Christine, an immigration expert and passionate advocate for educational equity, on our team!
Michele Dilworth has over 20 years of experience raising brand profiles, building teams and contributing to the success of both private and nonprofit organizations. She currently serves as the Director of the Foundation Center's West Coast regional office and is both a current SFFS parent and member of the school's Board of Trustees. We feel very lucky to be gaining a board member with so much nonprofit leadership experience.
We're deeply grateful for the years of service and incredible contributions of founding Horizons at SFFS board members
Andrew McNaught and
Katherine Nielsen and we bid them a fond farewell as they roll off the board this summer.
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A Special Giving Opportunity for Horizons Programs
Thank you to everyone who has given to support Horizons this year,
making it possible for our students to enjoy swim lessons, field trips, friendships, and more.
If you haven't yet donated for 2017/18, please consider
making a gift on Horizons Giving Day
, a national online fundraising campaign for Horizons programs across the country. Donations made from May 1st through the 16th will be counted towards Horizons at SFFS' Giving Day total and qualify our program for special prizes from Horizons National. And if you're in the area, please join us for a Horizons Giving Day Happy Hour on May 16 from 6:00 - 9:00 pm at Standard Deviant Brewing.
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Horizons at SFFS is a public/private partnership offering a transformational educational enrichment program that builds on the strengths of our students and families while addressing the achievement and opportunity gaps that exist for low-income children in the Mission
neighborhood. Learn more about Horizons at SFFS by
visiting our website.
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