Mid-Year Grant Report 2016: O'Keefe Family Center

Grant Results: January-July, 2016

We were able to buy end of the year prizes for all of our students and host a party to celebrate the end of the school year. Over the summer, we are hosting various enrichment activities for students, including baking, playing at the park, and visiting the zoo.

End of the School Year Party

We hosted our annual end-of-the-school-year party in June for students and volunteers. The party included outdoor games, water balloons, photo frame signing, and prizes for students. As usual, it was a lot of fun. We are proud of our students and volunteers for finishing another successful school year!

Career Aspirations

During the school year, we asked students about their career aspirations. Danny, who is graduating from our program and entering middle school next year, aspires to be a paleontologist. He loves to read the dinosaurs encyclopedia whenever he is finished with his homework, and he has already amassed an impressive amount of dinosaur knowledge. He got to Skype with Lucy, who studies dinosaurs and works at a natural history museum.

​Beida wants to be a teacher when she grows up. She got to meet Alicia, a local high school teacher. Alex hopes to be a chemist when he grows up. He got to speak with A'Lester, who is currently getting his PhD in Chemistry. Alex and Beida got some hands-on experience to see what chemists do. They created silly putty out of borax and glue. The main takeaway from all of our career mentors was to work hard in school! Our students were very inspired by these conversations and were excited to meet their "future selves."

Museum and Zoo Field Trip

Earlier this summer, we went on a field trip to the Palo Alto Museum and Zoo. Our students got to see some local animals, such as snakes, raccoons, turtles, peacocks, bats, bobcats, and many more at the zoo. Inside the museum, we learned about insects and bees and animals' natural habitats. The field trip was a fun way to get some sunshine and learn some science!

Baking Session

One of our new volunteers, Deborah, hosted a baking session with the kids. We baked breaded chicken and chocolate chip cookies. It was a true team effort. We took turns dipping the chicken in breadcrumbs and mixing the cookie dough. While we waited for the food to bake, we spent some time reading books. At the end of the evening, we got to enjoy our own food. The students got to take some cookies home to share their masterpieces with their families.

Appreciation

 We really appreciate the support of TFish Fund! We also enjoyed meeting the board members and getting to share our experiences during the board meeting. This school year, we were able to replenish our supplies and support some enrichment activities. The TFish Fund has been wonderful to work with!  We feel blessed to get to partner with TFish Fund and are very grateful for our continued partnership.