Posted on June 27, 2009 8:10 AM
Good day!
How are you? I hope you're doing well because in Peninsula Bridge everything is great!
Having been part of the Peninsula Bridge program since I was in third grade (I am a junior now at UC Berkeley), I know there will always be amazing days filled with surprises. Last semester, I studied abroad in the cittá eterna, Roma. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Each summer, I try to incorporate my elective courses with new knowledge I have acquired over the school year. In Italy, I took two intensive Italian language courses and quickly fell in love with the language. I therefore decided to teach my Peninsula Bridge students the language. In my elective course titled Coltura Italiana e Lingua Elementare (Italian Culture and Elementary Language), students learn Italian grammar, vocabulary and basic dialogue. Students have already learned Le Introduzione (Introductions), and Come Ordinare en un Ristorante (how to order in a restaurant). Every day, the course focuses on different Italian cities--cities which I visited in my stay-- and we discuss monuments, foods, culture and fashion; Rome, Venice, Pisa and Florence are among the cities the course focuses on.
Posted on June 27, 2009 8:05 AM
The Peninsula Bridge Summer Program opened it doors to twenty-eight energetic and eager to learn fifth and sixth graders at St. Matthew's Episcopal Day School in San Mateo. The twenty-eight students not knowing what to expect from the program confessed that it has exceeded their expectation. As one of the math TAs I have noticed that the students are engaged in the material that is taught during class. They are mostly fascinated by the teaching style of Mr. Gummerson, who highly promotes the importance of mathematics, but is also aware of the enthusiasm and curiosity that the students have at this age. The students demonstrate strong friendships among each other, as well as respect for each other.
Posted on June 27, 2009 8:01 AM
Greetings from the
Menlo School Bridge Program! We've only just begun but it is already clear that a fun-filled five weeks are ahead of us this summer. The kids are energetic, enthusiastic, and ready to learn. In the past week, the kids in Reading have already been introduced to the structure of a proper paragraph. In Math the kids are learning about fractions and how to
multiply, reduce, and simply them. Just
this Friday, the kids competed in a math competition during lunch (simplify as fast as possible!) and the Spanish class was dancing and eating quesadillas. Not to mention all the fun activities going on in the Art and Health classes. If this week is any indication, Menlo Bridge will be great!
Posted on June 10, 2009 5:53 PM
Want to get an idea of what
happened at the Peninsula Bridge Program this summer? Check out the TA
Blog on the Peninsula Bridge website. Together, the TAs worked to provide
us with an inside look at each site. The TA's captured the spirit of everyone
involved and gave us the opportunity to see the impact of our programs through
their perspective. Check out this
blog post by Mariel, a Castilleja
TA.
Posted on June 9, 2009 8:10 PM
by Grainger Marburg, Executive Director
We
opened our seventh program site this summer (see article on St.
Matthew's), enabling us to host 270 motivated middle school students
from East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Redwood City, and San Mateo. While we
are now supporting 30% more students than we were in 2007, our
commitment to quality programming and individualized attention hasn't
changed. We maintained a 5:1 or better student to teacher ratio
(including TAs) at all of our sites, and had one of the most talented
and competent cadre of site directors, teachers, and TAs the
organization has had in its history.
Posted on June 8, 2009 8:38 PM
The economic climate doesn't change what kids need to grow and
thrive. Boom or bust, kids need a safe and challenging environment
during the summer to make sure they don't lose vital academic ground.
Peninsula Bridge understands our program is more critical now than
ever, and we were thrilled to open a new program site (our second in as
many years) at St. Matthew's Episcopal in San Mateo this past summer.
Our expansion enabled us to support 30 additional students (rising 5th
and 6th graders) from the San Mateo-Foster City School District.
Posted on June 7, 2009 8:49 PM
Briana is a 5th grader who attended this summer's Bridge program at St.
Matthew's. Below, find excerpts of the card she made to thank Bridge
supporters!
Dear Friend of Peninsula Bridge,
I just want to
say how much I appreciate all that you have done for us this summer. I
have really enjoyed being here, and I can't wait to come back next
summer. I enjoyed playing sports with the TAs and learning language
arts and math. One day I hope to be a singer, and I think this program
will really help me in the future. Thanks for helping us out and
cheering us on in this wonderful program.