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Newsletter Archives

A Gathering Celebrating 20 Years of Bridge

Posted on July 14, 2010 8:46 AM
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Squeals of excitement and laughter could be heard as our alumni, staff and TA's from years past gathered at the Sacred Heart campus for Peninsula Bridge's second alumni reunion.  Not only was this our second reunion, but it was a celebration of our 20 year anniversary.  The Peninsula Bridge program held it's first summer program 20 years ago at Sacred Heart so it seemed appropriate to have the reunion where everything began.  Before our reunion we had a board-sponsored reception and honorary guests included:

  • Dolly Sacks - Former program officer at Packard Foundation.  Packard gave us one of our first grants.
  • Dr. Charlie Mae Knight - Former Superintendent of the Ravenswood School District who saw the importance of the program for her students.
  • Les DeWitt - Founding member of Peninsula Bridge and current board member
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Continue reading A Gathering Celebrating 20 Years of Bridge...

Christmas in April?

Posted on July 13, 2010 10:14 AM
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Peninsula Bridge was given the opportunity to receive much needed supplies through an innovative giving program conceived by Silicon Valley company, Conceptus.  Peninsula Bridge created 'giving cards' with supplies that were needed for our summer programs, such as binders, gardening tools, pens, paper, t-shirts and composition books. Employees from Conceptus then chose from $15, $20, and $25 cards that listed these supplies and donated them to Peninsula Bridge.  In total, the generous employees of Conceptus donated over $1,200 worth of supplies for our students.  The supplies were distributed to our school program sites, and are already being put to good use.  Thank you, Conceptus!

Rebuilding - Life After the Plane Crash

Posted on July 12, 2010 9:30 AM
By Alum Demetra Jones-Schoby
Demetra_Aaron.jpgFirst, please accept my sincere apology for the belated update. As you can imagine, our lives have been in turmoil since our home was destroyed during the plane crash in East Palo Alto last February.
After a month-long stay in a hotel, we moved into a rental property located in East Palo Alto very close to our original home. My mom has been orchestrating the  project to rebuild our home, and all seems to be going well....so far (gulp!). However, we still do not know just when construction will begin, and how long it will last.  We can only hope that we will be back in our home by year end.
Continue reading Rebuilding - Life After the Plane Crash...

Twentieth Birthday

Posted on July 11, 2010 9:03 AM

by Grainger Marburg, Executive Director

Article ImageAnniversaries and reunions can be powerful events.  They have the potential to engender strong emotions and catapult us to the past.  They are also opportunities to reflect on where we are now and where we hope to be in the future.  Though I have only been with Peninsula Bridge for five years, I have become part of a rich mosaic of individuals that has spanned twenty years.  A lot can change in that time.  Twenty years ago at Peninsula Bridge's inception, Germany became a united country, Nelson Mandela was freed after 27 years in prison, and the internet became a global phenomenon.  Peninsula Bridge itself has evolved, expanding to 7 sites and currently serving 300 students this summer. Some things can also stay the same, such as the enduring commitment to our mission that so many folks have demonstrated over the years.  

Continue reading Twentieth Birthday...

Peninsula Bridge Breakfast

Posted on March 4, 2010 4:00 PM

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Our 6th Annual Bridge Builder's Society Breakfast, 'Passport to Success' was a huge triumph! Thank you to all who attended to support Peninsula Bridge. Demetra Jones Schoby, an alumnus of the Peninsula Bridge program, was our keynote speaker. Since graduating from Peninsula Bridge in 1993, Demetra graduated from Spelman College, worked as an equity trader in San Francisco, and was one of the early supporters of For Youth By Youth, a community based organization in East Palo Alto. Demetra's enthusiasm and passion for "giving back" were contagious.

Continue reading Peninsula Bridge Breakfast...

Coming of Age

Posted on March 4, 2010 3:00 PM
Photo: Grainger Headshot

In the summer of 1990, a group of 26 middle school students from East Palo Alto cautiously stepped upon the Sacred Heart Prep campus and participated in the inaugural year of the Peninsula Bridge Program.  Spearheaded by the indefatigably optimistic Les DeWitt and an enthusiastic Sister Brown at Sacred Heart, the Program quickly gained traction and expanded to Woodside Priory the following year.  By 1994, Menlo, Castilleja and Crystal Springs Uplands had also joined the Peninsula Bridge family, and we recently welcomed St. Joseph's and St. Matthew's Episcopal as program sites as well, enabling us to reach almost 270 underserved students from East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Redwood City, and San Mateo.

Continue reading Coming of Age...

Invaluable Volunteers and Interns

Posted on March 4, 2010 2:00 PM

students.jpgOne of the ways Peninsula Bridge has succeeded in expanding and delivering high quality programs is by soliciting the help of talented volunteers and interns. One such volunteer is Angie McPhaul, who is currently a student at Stanford University, majoring in Urban Studies. Angie began her journey with Peninsula Bridge in June of 2009 as a teacher's assistant at the Menlo site and worked after the program was over at our main office helping measure student achievement over the summer.
Continue reading Invaluable Volunteers and Interns...

Bridge Connects with the Walton Family

Posted on March 4, 2010 1:00 PM

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One of the many facets of Bridge is our families with multiple children who are a part of the program. The Waltons, one of these families, have two alumni and one current Bridge student.  Mrs. Emy Walton explained, "the parents' job is to make it possible for the child to get a better education by sacrificing the simplest thing; time".  Time, however, is not the only thing needed to help children succeed in their education.  According to John Walton Sr.,  "Bridge is a way to level the playing field by providing equal academic opportunity.  I say that in our family that mission has been accomplished.  Our kids are definitely well prepared."

Continue reading Bridge Connects with the Walton Family...

Fall 2009 Newsletter - TA Bloggers - An inside look at our summer program

Posted on June 10, 2009 5:53 PM
Asian_Art_Trip.jpgWant 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.

Fall 2009 Newsletter - Growth and Quality

Posted on June 9, 2009 8:10 PM
Photo: Grainger Headshotby 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. 
Continue reading Fall 2009 Newsletter - Growth and Quality...

Fall 2009 Newsletter - Expanding to St. Matthew's

Posted on June 8, 2009 8:38 PM
PB_Grads.jpgThe 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.

Continue reading Fall 2009 Newsletter - Expanding to St. Matthew's...

Fall 2009 Newsletter - Thank you for your support from a Peninsula Bridge Student!

Posted on June 7, 2009 8:49 PM
TY_PB_Card.jpgBriana 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.

Spring 2009 Newsletter - ALUMNI UPDATES

Posted on April 23, 2009 10:55 AM

1996— Jeanette Maldonado - will be graduating from Chicago Medical School in May and looks forward to realizing her dream of becoming an MD.

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1996—Ricky Whitfield - was on a national tour for the show “Thomas the Train”, which included stops in the Bay Area this year!  This follows an International “Thomas the Train” Tour last year.  Ricky is the Associate Choreographer.

1997—Claudia Lopez - is currently studying abroad at La Universidad de Granada in Spain and will be graduating from UCSF.  She plans to apply for her Master’s or PhD.  She is majoring in Sociology and Latin American History.

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1999—Jose Gonzalez - is studying abroad in Rome this semester.  He is currently a Junior Political  Science major at UC Berkeley.





**Dates reflect the year alumni began Bridge**

Spring 2009 Newsletter - What's New At Bridge?

Posted on April 23, 2009 10:49 AM

We have a new logo, a new website and a new tagline.  Why?  Because we want to more fully embrace the spirit and the purpose of Peninsula Bridge.  As our mission states, “we promote academic and personal success for motivated middle school students from under-resourced communities.”  We do that by inspiring our students to first DREAM, then BELIEVE in their dreams and finally show them they can ACHIEVE their dreams through hard work and education.
 
Many thanks to our former Board Member Chris Alden who connected us to the  talent and provided us with the resources to create our new logo and to give us a more professional presence on the web.

eNewsletter - along with our new look, we are now migrating all of our communications to email.  Not only does this save paper, but it also gives us the opportunity to create an easy way for our supporters to communicate with us more directly. 

Spring 2009 Newsletter - An Investment You Can Count On

Posted on April 21, 2009 4:59 PM

By Grainger Marburg, Executive Director

Photo: Grainger Headshot

Stories of financial mismanagement and bad investments have dominated the headlines for the past six months. It’s been a troubling time of loss for many, not a time of growth. Yet that is what we are doing at Peninsula Bridge. We’re as committed as ever to making sure more middle school students from under-resourced homes and schools get the support they need to be successful in school and life. 

For the second consecutive year, we’ve added a new program site, which has enabled us to support 30% more students than we did in 2007. Education is the core of opportunity and success - it’s the cornerstone of our mission - and an      investment we can definitely count on. The returns are always positive.

Spring 2009 Newsletter - Giving Parents Tools to Help Kids Achieve

Posted on April 21, 2009 3:55 PM

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When parents and kids communicate effectively, it helps children realize their potential, both as students and as individuals. Last year, based on parent input, Peninsula Bridge launched a series of classes to give moms and dads the tools to create a healthier, more positive dialog with their child. Wide-ranging topics included everything from the challenges of kids and cell phones to encouraging parents to share their own life stories and values about education.

“The classes helped me connect better with my daughter, something I really needed as the parent of three children, including a toddler,” says Judy Woo, mother of seventh grader Francesca. “They reinforced what I already knew and taught me other strategies to try. Now, I understand a little better what’s going on in my daughter’s head.”

 Led by experienced bilingual parent educator Veronica Goei, the interactive classes have received praise from parents and kids alike. Goei used innovative methods to reinforce the curriculum, encouraging parents to role play and act out specific scenarios. Afterwards, many students commented on how their relationship with their parents had improved. More sessions are planned for 2009, with an added focus on how to communicate with your child’s school.

Bridge also helps parents through family intake meetings. Bridge staff meet with the families of incoming fifth graders to learn about their child’s needs beyond the summer, such as homework support and involvement in outside activities. Through research and ongoing relationships with many excellent, affordable community resources, Bridge provides the family with a menu of options tailored to meet their child’s needs.  Through robust partnerships with quality community-based organizations, Bridge students can continue making positive strides throughout the year.

Peninsula Bridge Video 2008

Posted on December 29, 2008 12:50 PM