LAEF’s Spring Sessions Enrich Over 500 Kids!

A LAEF student reacts to an elephant toothpaste experiment at Rossmoor Elementary School

The Los Alamitos Education Foundation’s Spring 2021 Session One after-school on-campus camps have come and gone, leaving their mark on more than 530 students, as classes for LAEF’s second Spring Session begin to fill up.

This Spring, LAEF is also providing 15 virtual World Language classes to 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders across Los Alamitos Unified School District.  Nearly 350 students enrolled in these free virtual classes, ranging from Mandarin and Japanese to Spanish, French and American Sign Language. LAEF’s goal is to expose children to languages they can pursue further in their secondary education. Parents and students alike are delighted with the program and excited to see it continue.

Popular after-school classes included Truly Weird Science, Cheer, Basketball, Golf, Chess, Game Building, Coding, Art Exploration, Music Theater and STEAM Central.

LAEF was able to enrich the learning experience of 50 additional students this Spring by continuing to offer tuition scholarships, thanks to the support of grant donors like the Roosters of Orange County and the Miller Foundation. For more information on scholarships, visit LAEF4Kids.org/scholarships.

Registration is open for LAEF’s Spring Session 2 after-school program, offering many of the popular classes enjoyed in the first session, as well as some fun additions including Marine Biology, Theater-Young Directors, Pickleball, Leadership Academy and a Speed and Agility fitness class. To sign up for LAEF’s Spring Session 2 enrichment camps, visit LAEF4Kids.org/afterschool.

LAEF Offering On-Campus Camps and Virtual Classes

Los Alamitos Education Foundation (LAEF) is very excited to bring its fall programming to Los Al schools and online starting at the end of September!  Although LAEF’s After School Programs will look a little different this year, students will recognize many of the same LAEF teachers and classes they have grown to know and love over the years!  Both On-Campus Camps and Virtual Classes will be available to families this Fall.

On-campus Camps will run in two 5-week sessions.  Session 1 is September 28 through October 29 and Session 2 is November 9 through December 17.  Camps will meet twice weekly, Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday, for two hours and begin 10 minutes after school concludes.  Camp cohorts will consist of 10-14 kids and will take place primarily outdoors.  Camps include Skateboarding, Lego Engineering, Acting, Chess, Breakdance, Science, Food Exploration, a variety of sports and more!  Camp offerings vary by school and all school flyers can be found at LAEF4Kids.org/AfterSchool.   All in-person camps are aligned to the California Department of Public Health COVID-19 Day Camps guidelines.

Virtual enrichment class options will also be available.  Virtual classes will run for 11 weeks from September 28 through December 18.  Virtual classes will meet one time per week for 50 minutes at either 3pm or 4pm, with class sizes of 10-30 students.  LAEF is proud to offer all of its FREE World Language classes for 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade virtually this fall.  In addition, students will have the opportunity to choose from our fee-based virtual 3D Design & Modeling, Musical Theater, Art Exploration and Game Builders classes.

“We welcome all Los Al kids to enroll in any of our classes and camps.  You do not need to be on the “traditional” track to attend the on-campus camps.  You do not need to be enrolled in “LosAl@Home” to attend our virtual classes.  Families are invited to participate in any program that interests their child and suits the needs of their family,” says LAEF Executive Director Carrie Logue.

Registration is now open for Session 1 Camps and Virtual Classes at LAEF4Kids.org/AfterSchool.   You can find school flyers, class descriptions, teacher bios, and COVID guidelines on the website.   Early bird registration and pricing ends on September 21.     Multi-class discounts are available for individual students or families.  Fee waiver scholarships are available for families in need on a limited basis and LAEF will accept scholarship applications through September 21.

LAEF looks forward to welcoming students back on-campus and online this fall for enrichment opportunities.

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.