LAEF’s Summer Enrichment Institute a Huge Success

Each year, LAEF’s Summer Enrichment Institute (SEI) is an essential part of summer for Los Al parents and students alike, offering fun and educational learning opportunities for students in grades TK-12, and a much-needed break for their parents. Following an unprecedented school year and Virtual SEI last year due to COVID-19, kids and teachers were thrilled to come together at Rossmoor Elementary School and McAuliffe Middle School for in-person enrichment.

LAEF’s first session of SEI was launched on June 28 and Session 2 began on July 12, offering 120 fun and academic enrichment classes to more than 600 students from TK – 8th grade. Session 2 wraps up on July 23.

Elementary students enjoyed Jumpstart classes for TK-5th grade, It’s STEAM-tastic, Wonderful World of Science, Computer Literacy and Coding, Musical Theater, Summer Food Exploration, Spanish, French, Cheerleading, Sports Wheel, Percussion Playground, martial arts and so much more! Middle School offerings included Adulting 101, Coding and Game Creation, Engineering and Robotics, The Wonderful World of Science and Get Organized.

“We are so excited to give families the opportunity to help their kids transition back into the classroom following a difficult school year,” stated Carrie Logue, LAEF Executive Director. “We are thrilled to experience a record number of participants this summer and are always committed to providing enrichment opportunities for every Los Al student, whether or not their family can afford the class fees. LAEF was proud to enrich the learning experience of 67 additional students this summer through tuition scholarships made possible by generous donors like the Roosters Foundation of Orange County and the Miller Foundation,” she concluded.  For more information on scholarships, visit LAEF4Kids.org/scholarships.

LAEF’s Summer Enrichment Institute is Back On-Campus!

Los Alamitos, CA – LAEF is bringing its 12th annual Summer Enrichment Institute (SEI) back on-campus after offering virtual classes last year.  Fun and academic enrichment classes will be offered to students in grades TK-12 in two summer sessions (June 28-July 29 and July 12-23).

Classes are one hour and fifty minutes in length and run from 8:00am to 4:40pm each day of the session. Small class sizes of 15 maximum students, taught by credentialed teachers, provide an ideal learning environment and help students avoid summer learning loss.  Elementary classes (at Rossmoor Elementary) include Jumpstart for TK-5th grade, Spanish, French, volleyball, computer literacy and coding, STEM, musical theater, soccer, summer food exploration, art, wonders of the world, leadership academy and more.  For middle school students (at McAuliffe Middle School), courses cover art, coding and game creation, adulting 101, engineering and robotics, organization, science and more!  LAEF is also offering two classes for high school students at Los Al High School: driver’s education and college bootcamp.

LAEF is offering multi-class discounts. Purchase your first class, then receive 25% off the second class and 50% off any class thereafter. The discount can be applied to the family or individual students and is for the Summer Enrichment Institute only (the discounts do not apply to Summer Sports Camps and Music Camps).

Registration is now open at www.LAEF4Kids.org/summer, where you will also find flyers with all of the details.  Scholarships are available on a limited basis.  Early bird reduced-fee registration is available through Wednesday, June 9.

 

LAEF Announces August Summer Enrichment Camps

The Los Alamitos Education Foundation (LAEF) is excited to offer Enrichment Camps from August 3-14 for kids entering grades TK-5.  Enrichment camps will be held in-person on elementary school campuses.  Each grade-level camp will include academic, enrichment, outdoor activities, and community building activities.  Camp cohorts of 8-17 students will be kept intact throughout the entire week.  In addition to the grade-level camps, STEM Camps are also being offered.  STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math.

LAEF has worked diligently to create COVID-19 guidelines that are aligned with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Day Camps guidance, CDPH School-Based Program guidance, and the Orange County Department of Education’s Orange County Together: Guide to Reopening Schools in the COVID-19 Era.

“Once we knew that school would not begin until August 31, we knew that families would be looking for additional opportunities for their children.  As a parent, I am seeing firsthand how my eight-year-old daughter is craving interaction with her peers and is sliding in her academics and emotional health,” said Carrie Logue, LAEF’s Executive Director.  “We have designed the camps to have an academic component, but a large focus is to bring children back together in a safe environment.”

The LAEF Enrichment Camps mission is to reconnect students with a teacher, their peers, and the classroom environment through a fun, enriching, academically engaging, and emotionally safe summer camp.

Camp 1 will run August 3-7 at Rossmoor Elementary.  Camp 2 will run August 10-14 at Weaver Elementary.  All camps will be held from 9:00am to 12:00pm daily with additional camps from 12:45-3:45pm.  Camp guidelines only allow students to be enrolled in one camp per week.

The camp fee is $175 until July 27 and $190 thereafter.  Multi-class discounts are available – 10% off of the 2ndcamp and 15% off additional camps.  To find camp descriptions, teacher bios, COVID-19 guidelines and registration details, please visit LAEF4Kids.org/EnrichmentCamps.  Fee scholarships are also available to those who quality at www.LAEF4kids.org/scholarships.

LAEF is the non-profit partner of Los Alamitos Unified School District. LAEF enhances educational excellence by providing after-school and summer enrichment programs to children in grades Pre-K to 12. LAEF impacts all students by providing significant funding for STEAM teachers and instruction, as well as igniting new programs and providing valuable resources.

LAEF’s First Virtual Summer Enrichment Institute is a Success

(Los Alamitos, CA) Each year, LAEF’s Summer Enrichment Institute (SEI) is an essential part of summer for Los Al parents and students alike, offering fun and educational learning opportunities for students in grades TK-8, and a much-needed break for their parents. This year, due to COVID-19 restrictions, LAEF launched this indispensable program virtually and with great success!

LAEF’s first session of Virtual SEI was launched on June 8 and Session 2 began on June 22, offering over 46 fun and academic enrichment classes to nearly 600 students. Session 2 wraps up on July 2.

“I’m so impressed with our teachers, parents, students and staff,” stated LAEF Programs Manager, Mike Kahn.  “Teaching, sharing and learning virtually posed some challenges in the beginning, but everyone embraced the new format and, as a result, the kids had a great time learning and parents were still able to enjoy a nice break.”

Typically, on the last day of each session, family and friends are invited to join their child’s class so the students can share their final projects and presentations with them. On June 19th, the final day of Session one, parents and friends joined the virtual classrooms to enjoy watching their children’s presentations. Parents and teachers alike shared fun photos and videos of their kid’s projects throughout the session with LAEF staff, who created a highlight video that can be viewed on the LAEF website at: www.laef4kids.org/summer-enrichment.

LAEF’s Queen Helps with Summer Enrichment Institute!

LAEF Queen, Dr. Sherry Kropp handing out materials to Connor Gonzalez during LAEF’s drive-thru class kit pick-up service on June 4.

(Los Alamitos, CA) It is a tradition that LAEF’s Royals visit the Summer Enrichment Institute (SEI) each year.  Instead of a Royal Visit to one of our classrooms this year, LAEF’s reigning Queen, retired superintendent Dr. Sherry Kropp, made a visit to the LAEF offices last week to help distribute packets of materials to families who are taking one of LAEF’s virtual classes.   LAEF provided a drive-thru service last week and our Queen happily stepped in to help.  The families were very excited to have a Royal hand delivering materials them!

“It was so much fun to see so many families,” said Kropp about her time supporting Virtual SEI class kit distribution.

LAEF’s first session of virtual SEI began on Monday, June 8 with over 20 classes running.  Session 2 will begin on June 22 and run through July 2.   Fun and academic enrichment class offerings are available to students in grades TK-8.  Registration for Session 2 closes on June 14.  To register for classes and view flyers please visit www.LAEF4kids.org/summer.

Dr. Sherry Kropp was crowned in February at LAEF’s Royal Gala and will reign until the next Royals are crowned in February 2021.  Dr. Sherry Kropp was appointed by the LAEF Board due to her strong ties to LAEF and the community, and her endless support of Los Al kids.  The Royal Gala benefits the LAEF STEAM initiative and the grand total raised was nearly $135,000! The funds were raised through business sponsorships, silent auction, live auction, online auction, donations and more.

LAEF’s Summer Classes – Early Bird Pricing Ends Soon!

Pictured is a student showing off his artwork from a LAEF Summer Art Class.

(Los Alamitos, CA) – The Los Alamitos Education Foundation (LAEF) is excited to offer the 11th annual Summer Enrichment Institute (SEI) virtually!  Fun and academic enrichment classes offerings are available to students in grades TK-8 in two summer sessions (June 8-19 and June 22-July 2), all classes will be taught online.

The Early Bird special of $95 per class will be available through May 22.  After that, classes fees will increase to $110.  The final day to register for Session 1 is May 30 and the final day to register for Session 2 is June 12.  As always, LAEF is offering multi-class discounts. Purchase your first class, then receive 10% off the second class and 15% off any class thereafter. The discount can be applied to the family or individual student and is applied to LAEF’s Summer Enrichment Institute only.  To register for classes and view flyers with additional please visit www.LAEF4kids.org/summer.

Classes run for 75 minutes and begin at 9:00am, 10:45am and 1:00pm.  Small class sizes of 8 to 30 students, taught by credentialed teachers via Google Meet, provide a great learning environment, help students make up for lost learning time this semester and help them avoid summer learning loss.  Elementary classes include Jumpstart for TK-5th grade, Spanish, rocketry, life science, writing, STEAM, voice & movement, kickboxing, gymnastics, art, and more.  Teachers are developing class kits with curriculum and supplies, which will be available for pick-up before the session begins.

For middle school students, 10:00 and 1:00 classes are offered virtually and include drawing & painting, law & criminal investigations, preparing for high school science, music enrichment and public speaking/debate.  LAEF is also offering two online opportunities for high school students: preparing for the college essay and health.