April 2, 2025 • 23 mins
In this uplifting episode of the oneSMFC podcast, Director of Communications Diego Perez is joined by Lead Elementary Principal Natalie Delahant, Fiesta Gardens International School Principal Daniel Robles, Boys & Girls Club Site Director Lorena Alcayaga, and Hector Lopez, a proud parent from Sunnybrae Elementary.
Together, they explore the real impact of the San Mateo-Foster City School District’s Community Schools Initiative—one year into receiving a $5 million grant from the California Department of Education. From after-school enrichment like ukulele and coding to empowering parents through PIQE workshops, this episode highlights how wraparound services are transforming school culture, family engagement, and student pride.
Hear powerful stories of parent empowerment, growing student confidence, and authentic partnerships with the Boys & Girls Club that extend far beyond the school day.
If you’ve ever wondered what’s really possible when a school becomes the heart of a community, this is the episode to tune into.
Learn more about the Community Schools Initiative on our website.
Interested in learning more? Check out our recent On the Road to Year 3 Annual Report!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I feel the results in my daughter and the support I
received from both the schooland the Boys and Girls Club.
The program is great, theteachers my daughter has
encountered in her path it'sbeen great.
And Boys and Girls Club thesupport that they give me to
bring the possibility for me tostay focused in work and also
(00:20):
not to worry about homework andother issues.
It's fantastic.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Thank you very much also not to worry about homework
and other issues.
It's fantastic.
Thank you very much.
So for Pique, I know goingthere was one session that
focused on educating parentsabout the school system, about
how elementary schools work,high schools work and how to get
students prepared for collegeand career.
So knowing that our parentshave been empowered to have that
information and then having thesecond round of Pique that is
really focused on what ourcommunity wanted, that's been
(00:44):
really great to see our parentsempowered in that regard.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Offering all of those different opportunities.
I think it kind of creates moreequity amongst our schools,
because we have schools in thisdistrict where children are
coming from different means andthey get all those things
provided, luckily, by theirparents and you know they don't
think twice about having fivedifferent things.
Activities after school.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
Hello everyone and welcome to the One SMFC podcast.
My name is Diego Perez and I amthe host in today's episode.
Now we're so excited to bediving into how our community
schools initiative is making adifference in our district One
year into our five milliondollar California Department of
Education grant millionCalifornia Department of
Education grant.
So, to provide our audiencewith a recap, the district
(01:30):
initiated the community schoolsinitiative during the 2022 to
2023 school year with a planninggrant from the California
Department of Education todesign what a community school
will look like through inputfrom parents, students and staff
.
Now the model of the communityschools provides a wraparound
services approach, which isextending learning opportunities
and active community engagement, aiming to address systemic
(01:53):
barriers that prompt positiveschool cultures.
Now, after two years ofengaging, with 55 community
school sessions totaling up to110 hours and about 1,800 in
attendance, we have submittedthe application and became the
recipients of this $5 milliongrant.
Now, I know that was very brief,but it was so much work that
(02:14):
went through this entire processand we want to say thank you to
all of the folks the parents,the staff who participated, our
students that were all in at theearly steps of this entire
initiative.
But now let's check on to seewhat's going on.
So how are our families doing?
How are they feeling?
What's in store as we continuethe rest of the 2024-2025 school
(02:35):
year?
And we are joined with fouramazing guests, and I will let
them introduce themselves.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Hello, I'm Daniel Robles, the principal of Fiesta
Gardens Elementary InternationalSchool.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
My name is Natalie Delahunt and I'm the principal
of LEED Elementary School.
Speaker 5 (02:49):
Hello, my name is Lorena Alcayaga and I'm the site
director at San Mateo Park forBoys and Girls Club.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
And my name is Hector Lopez, the proud parent of
Mareny Lopez Bautista from fifthgrade.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Sonny Bray School.
Perfect, thank you all so muchfor introducing yourself.
Of course, we do have a widerange of audiences here
listening to us being able totap in from you guys'
conversations, of course.
So we do have a $5 milliongrant and I'm looking at my
principals here.
Since the $5 million grant hasbeen initiated, what can you
tell us?
Either of you can go first thatyou've been excited to see
(03:21):
flourish in your school sincewe've implemented these
different programs.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
I'm going to start with a small moment.
That kind of says it all.
We had a soccer game last weekin a tournament over at a local
middle school and we had a TKKgame happening against Sunnybrae
and it was the best thing I sawall week these kids playing.
Parents came out, teachers cameout, our PE coach came out.
It was wonderful to seeeverybody was cheering for each
(03:48):
other.
We did our own goal but itdidn't matter.
Boy were we so excited andeverybody clapped and cheered
the other team and it was justgreat to be in community with
the whole school outside ofschool in a way that just felt
really genuine and exciting tosee the kids in the field with
their little uniforms, on theirowl uniforms, having a real
sense of school pride.
(04:09):
So that to me, that smallmoment says a lot about who we
are now as a community school.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Soccer has definitely been amazing for our community,
but knowing just all of thecomponents of our afterschool
programs has been wonderful tosee.
We have our parent program,pique, we have programs like
science, theater, all kinds ofdifferent sports, and just
seeing our students andcommunity families being able to
take advantage of that has beenwonderful.
Speaker 4 (04:33):
And I'm so happy that you touched base on that,
natalie about the soccer andsports, especially like how both
schools have it Seeing youngerkiddos being able to at least
enjoy a sport, whether or notthey know what they're doing.
They're just kicking the balland they have a big smile on
their face and I think that'sthe best part of it.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
I think it's not the game, it's the substance, it's
the community being engaged in agame in a fast-paced, growing
sport in America right.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
Yeah, no, definitely.
And, of course, hector, youmentioned, as a parent, what has
been the biggest impact for yousince the $5 million grant in
your school.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
I feel the results in my daughter and the support I
received from both the schooland the Boys and Girls Club.
The program is great, theteachers my daughter has
encountered in her path it'sbeen great.
And Boys and Girls Club thesupport that they give me to
bring the possibility for me tostay focused in work and also
(05:23):
not to worry about homework andother issues.
It's fantastic.
Thank you very much.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
And, of course, you did mention after school, lorena
.
So what are some of the thingsthat we're incorporating with
our after school program as itrelates to the community schools
and what we do in the classroom?
Speaker 5 (05:36):
Yeah, so I think that we were able to expand services
, including more spots in ourprogram for the students within
the schools, and also ourathletic department has been
able to also be part of theenrichments we have been
providing the volleyball andsoon the basketball leagues so
we are very excited about thattoo.
(05:57):
To start with the kids, thekids are very excited.
I think that they like thatpositive competition.
They want to show their pridewithin the schools and, yeah, so
we're very fortunate to be partof the community schools.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
By the way, my daughter has been training for
volleyball.
She's excited to start theleague, whatever the competition
it is, and whether she wins orshe loses, she's going to be
very happy to be part of thesetournaments.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
And that's honestly.
I think that's wonderful to knowthat she has that option to say
, oh, I want to try volleyballthis time and then, if it
doesn't work out, well, there'sstill soccer, and having
partners like Boys and GirlsClub, also AYSO, who's leading
the soccer right now.
It's truly crucial for ourfamilies to have that access.
I know at this age maybe otherfamilies are looking at club
sports and what more can I putmy student in so that they have
(06:46):
these different networkingabilities to make friendships
across?
But now we're bringing that tothem, we're bringing that to
these five schools and that'ssomething that, at least how
I've seen in the past two years,has been transforming, of
course.
But as we talk about, you know,the school culture and the
shift of the community as awhole, we kind of like bring
into the topic of what thecommunity schools does.
We kind of like bring into thetopic of the what the community
schools does, and one of thosepieces is like parent
(07:07):
empowerment, and so, of course,this is for the group.
I mean, what has been yourbiggest shift in how parents are
being more involved now than inthe past two years and what has
sparked more ideas for you tosee, okay, this is something
that we should keep going, ormaybe we can refine this, but
what's within parent empowerment?
What can you speak on that?
Speaker 2 (07:22):
at fields to gardens.
We've been really fortunatethat a lot of our school did
implement some of the modelsthat were incorporated through
the community schools model.
So, for instance, we alreadyhad a community room.
We had a specialist that helpedsupport our community.
So seeing that reallyrecognized by the state as the
standard for what we want forour community schools and
knowing that we were able tocontinue with that.
And then seeing the element ofparent education, that we were
(07:45):
able to continue with that, andthen seeing the element of
parent education so for Pique, Iknow going there was one
session that focused oneducating parents about the
school system, about howelementary schools work, high
schools work and how to getstudents prepared for college
and career.
So knowing that our parentshave been empowered to have that
information and then having thesecond round of Pique that is
really focused on what ourcommunity wanted, that's been
really great to see our parentsempowered in that regard.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
So at our school we're doing PK as well, but what
I love is that we actuallywanted something different than
the other community schools andour voices were heard.
Parents at our school wantedsupport with literacy and how to
support their kids in literacyat home, and that's something
different than other schools.
But we were able to make thathappen and right now the parents
are energized and they'relearning simple ways to support
(08:26):
their students at home and itfeels like a real partnership
between the teachers now and PKabout the things that you can do
, and it felt very reasonableand doable and they were very
(08:46):
excited and energized about it,so I love that we were able to
provide that.
In addition, we have thiswonderful new space called our
Community Wellness Center that'sattached to our NPR that our
two community specialists useand it's a really welcoming
space, got a couch and tablesand coffee and feels very
welcoming, with toys andsupplies, too, that our families
might need, and we're excitedto be able to continue to fund
(09:09):
that room to make sure it hasall the things and it needs to
support all of our families.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Thank you for those words and let me tell you
something that happens in thelittle community I have with my
daughter.
Mom lives in Mexico.
She soon will join us here inAmerica.
Thanks to the school Pique andBoys and Girls Club, I got more
involved in her education, withmore established processes like
(09:34):
how to read, how to understandher behavior, how to get her
enrolled in the community.
She just came back from sciencecamp, so the way I saw her with
her happy face coming down thebus it has.
It's priceless.
So the impact of our taxes isbeing shown in in the progress
(09:54):
they do every day.
And one thing that has changedour lives every night, half an
hour to an hour, we read Everynight.
It's a commitment we have.
And she says I don't understandit Right now, you don't, but
you will.
So eventually all the dots willconnect and you will be
proficient speaking Spanish,speaking English and probably in
(10:15):
other languages, and it's goingto be a great thing to be
multilingual.
So you guys are really helpingand causing impact in our path.
Thank you very much.
Speaker 5 (10:25):
And with Boys and Girls Club, I've seen the
parents feel more comfortable.
I think that they areunderstanding with the topics
that they have been bringingthrough Pique.
You know how to even advocatefor their own students and I
feel that they, like I say, theyfeel more comfortable.
They already start using theirresources.
They know where to get help.
We do also at San Mateo Park.
(10:45):
They do have the FamilyResource Center, so they're
starting to make connections.
But I think that they feel moreempowered now that they have
the tools and the techniques andhow to do it.
And with us, with Boys andGirls Club, given that we have
become that bridge between theschool and the parents, they
feel more comfortable, they feelmore supported and you know
(11:05):
they can see that on the kidstoo comfortable, they feel more
supported and you know they cansee that.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
on the kids too, yes, I agree with you Something that
we have to be aware of theneeds of every kid.
Every kid is different.
Every kid needs differentstimulus on her lives, right?
Some kids are very proficientmemorizing.
Some kids are very proficientinventing things.
So I see that my daughterespecially they fit to what she
(11:32):
needs.
You know, and that's veryimportant, you guys are able to
locate the proper skill totransmit to the kids.
And one thing that I want tosay for what I've been
experiencing in these months,two things are important
Self-esteem and confidence makeeverything easier, because if
(11:53):
you have good children growingup healthy, you will have
healthy adults.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
Speaking on that self-esteem.
It just made me think ofsomething.
So some of our students youknow school can be a challenge.
It's not always easy and it canbe a challenge and they don't
always have a chance to feelconfident in school or doing
something on our campus.
But the great thing aboutcommunity schools now is we are
offering so many things afterschool computer coding, theater,
dancing, soccer, volleyball,basketball, coding, ukulele
(12:23):
there's all these different waysfor them to shine a little bit,
and so I love going into thosespaces after school and seeing
kids who sometimes in theclassroom might be a little bit
quieter.
All of a sudden you see themcoding or just sharing what they
know with another student and Ithink just having that small
moment of feeling empowered atschool can translate into the
classroom Like okay, well, I'mreally good at this and I worked
(12:46):
through it and I was able to doit.
Let me try that again now withfractions or whatever it happens
to be.
But offering all of thosedifferent opportunities, I think
it kind of creates more equityamongst our schools, because we
have schools in this districtwhere children are coming from
different means and they get allthose things provided, luckily,
by their parents, and theydon't think twice about having
(13:06):
five different things activitiesafter school and it just it
broadens their horizons, itenriches them, it lets them
figure out what they have aninterest in life, and so to be
able to provide that for ourcommunity, I just think is so
important that we are creatingthese enrichment opportunities
to support our kids and justmake them feel like, yeah, oh
yeah, I did coding in fifthgrade.
(13:27):
Or oh, look at me playing theukulele, or you know, it's just,
it seems small, but it really,really isn't.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
I agree with you.
I think that as we keep growingbetter adults, the impact in
our community it's better.
We have less crime, we havemore prosperity, we have more
well-behaved people.
There is a balance in thesociety, in the communities.
So that's why we need education, right?
Sometimes people say, oh, youdon't need education to be a
(13:53):
Bill Gates or this and that, yes, but that will give you values,
whether you are not a goodprofessional or you are a good
inventor or whatever.
Right?
There is people who are born tobe inventors and they don't
need to study, yeah, but theyneed to behave, they need to
learn values, they need tointegrate to society, right?
Otherwise, somebody who is agenius and they don't have the
(14:18):
proper values, they're going todo bad things to the society.
Speaker 5 (14:20):
Correct, am I right or wrong?
You're correct, you're correct.
Yes, I wanted to add something,as I'm hearing them talking is
like I've been thinking aboutthat sense of belonging to is
like seeing that all this ishappening in their community
schools, in their neighborhood.
It's just they feel part of,and I'm just thinking about that
cycle that we are creating,that they're here, they're
(14:42):
taking advantage of everythingthat we're offering.
You know they will go, you knowto study, but hopefully they
will come back and they will doit again with the next
generation.
So it's that pride, sense ofbelonging that we're creating
within the community schools andBoys and Girls Club.
You know, helping with thatlittle thing.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
And even when you consider the PICA program itself
, how we have it available inall of our schools in Spanish,
but we also have it available inEnglish for the families that
need that, so that inclusion isso important as well.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
I was a speaker in the graduation of the first
phase.
At the end of the conversationmany parents came and they felt
inspired.
So the facilitator did a greatwork guiding me and I was able
to provide a good inspirationalconversation with the rest of
the parents and the kids.
(15:33):
And now I was called to thedistrict and they also I didn't
know I was talking to teachersand directors and supervisors
and I'm ready to speak inSpanish, not in English, so I
had to convert everything inthere.
But then like 10 teachers cameup to me.
I was like I'm glad that youfeel that way and we are glad
(15:55):
that we see your daughter theway she is, because she's
already student of the month,not speaking English, and she's
doing great in math and otherthings, but she has sense of
education, she has sense ofbeing curious about things and
and I see that translated in awell behavior and that she's
looking forward to be somebodywho is going to be successful,
(16:18):
good for herself, and then laidit out to the community.
Speaker 4 (16:23):
I actually really love what you said there, hector
.
You said curiosity, andsomething that I'm hearing from
the group is that we areconstantly trying to find
different ways to continue tofuel this curiosity from
students that come from, whetherthey've never touched a ukulele
or have never seen a piano infront of them or don't know what
coding means.
But the minute they get that,that curiosity just goes and it
(16:44):
sparks interest from them towant to come back, to want to
see, okay, what's the next levelthat I can get to, whether it's
a project or how can I applythis elsewhere?
And it's that bridge from inthe classroom experience.
That's connected to what theBoys and Girls Club are doing,
that's connected to what theparents are learning in PICA and
how to overall empower ourcommunity to know that we're
here for them mainly, but alsowe have the resources needed for
(17:07):
the students to thrive and howcan we work together to make
sure that that continues?
And that's where I kind of gointo the next question with the
group, of course, and I'll lookat to my principals.
I'm like what's next?
Right, we have all these sportshappening, we have parent
empowerments, we have wraparoundservices, so we have medical
support, of course.
What's next?
What do you guys see comingforward for the community
(17:27):
schools?
I'll look into the principlesand then we'll pass it along.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
So I think we offered at LEAD anyway.
We offered so many things a lotof things, but I did that
because I wanted to see what thekids wanted to do.
So right now we're justcollecting the data about what
are the most popular programs sothat we know which ones to
really focus on.
Next year, maybe we will offerall of them again.
We haven't yet decided, butwe're tracking the data and then
(17:50):
we'll put out a survey to thekids.
Did you enjoy this?
Is this something you'd want tocontinue doing?
Would we want to try somethingelse?
So we need to pay attention tohow people feel about what they
love.
I already know soccer is goingto be, which I really actually
do appreciate, because soccerour kids get very competitive at
recess and lunch and so havingso many of our kids doing it
(18:11):
through AYS so they're learningthe rules and learning that
sportsmanship and things likethat so I'm I'm really grateful
for that.
Next steps I think there was onemore component maybe we'd like
to think about for next year,and that is providing some
academic supports as well.
You know, I think initially wewant to just provide them with
that enrichment, but maybe nextyear we could look into possibly
(18:34):
some tutoring opportunitiesafter school for some of our
students who may need it Not alarge group, but just something,
because if we do have parentswho say, what else can I do?
I can't help them with theirfifth grade homework, but if
someone else could, that wouldbe great, and Boys and Girls
Club is fabulous with what theydo, but maybe some educators
(18:56):
being able to work with kidsafter school is something that
we're looking into.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
Definitely also echoing that.
Soon we'll be meeting with ourcommunity school steering
committee and looking at ourprograms now and seeing what are
we going to keep for next year.
What are we going to focus moreon?
Hearing Natalie PrincipalNatalie, that was really great
about providing that literacyfor parents, so thinking about
how can we continue to empowerour parents.
We're also looking forward tonext year having more
availability for after schoolcare in general, where students
(19:21):
can also get that tutoringsupport and all of that help.
So we're really excited aboutthese next steps.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
First of all, I've never been so close to a
director or principal in school.
It's a privilege for me.
And what you're saying aboutthe involvement of the community
and getting everybody assembledlike soccer.
I am a soccer player since I'mlittle right and I remember my
(19:48):
closest friends from schoolplaying soccer with me and that
creates a bond for life.
And it's not the matter ofsport, as I told you before,
it's the substance andintegrating those kind of sports
basketball, whether it'svolleyball, soccer it's great,
it's really good.
And also not only that, in Boysand Girls Club, as I told you,
(20:12):
I never have to check thehomework of Mareny.
It's great.
You guys are doing a great job,amazing.
Speaker 5 (20:18):
And for Boys and Girls Club.
I think that we are here tosupport the schools, the
principals.
Right now we are Sunny Braceand Mateo Park in lead and next
year we're coming into FiestaGardens and hopefully we can,
you know, be also in that.
We have one more communityschool that we hopefully be
there, hopefully be there, butit's just supporting, as I'm
(20:44):
hearing you guys with theacademics.
What else can we do to give youand support with that, our
athletics department, morespaces for the kids?
So I think that for us is justbe there, be present, be aware
of the needs of each school, solike that we can continue to
support the work that ishappening at the community
school, so like that you know wecan be there for many, many
(21:05):
years more.
I want to say two more things.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
First of all, as things get better.
I'm sad that she's going toanother, different grade and
different school because she'sgoing to miss what is going to
be better next year.
And the other thing is that youare right If we keep kids busy
with family resources and withoccupational things for kids not
occupational as a labor, but Imean keep them busy.
(21:30):
That is amazing because afterschool programs sometimes can be
boring, but the amount ofknowledge and skills that she's
getting is priceless.
So I encourage whoever islistening to this, whether it's
in Spanish or English, takeadvantage of these programs.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
Yeah, I can't speak highly enough about Boys and
Girls Club at our site and thepartnership we have.
It's not just that they'rethere and they're like running
daycare or an after program orsomething.
It is not that at all.
It is a complete partnership.
I meet regularly with theleadership from Boys and Girls.
Daycare or an after program orsomething.
It is not that at all.
It is a complete partnership.
I meet regularly with theleadership from Boys and Girls
Club.
Every week we meet and discussstudents.
We discuss what's going on.
How can we partner?
(22:10):
My language and literacy toseshave been working with some of
the Boys and Girls Club teachersas well, sharing how we are
doing literacy through PATH.
We even have our counselorsmeeting regularly with Boys and
Girls Club staff and ourregistered behavior technician.
He is there to support as well.
So it is a true partnership.
It's an extended school dayreally is what it is.
It's like our teachers clockout and their teachers clock in,
(22:32):
but it does definitely stilljust feel like it's part of the
lead school day and we could notI'm going to be honest running
all these after school programs,this park and rec, really
without the help of Boys andGirls Club.
It would have been?
I don't want to think about it,to be honest.
Well, we wanted to do it, butit just felt we needed help.
And, with Boys and Girls Clubstepped in, and they are helping
(22:56):
in so many ways, not just withtheir own sports, but they're
helping with student signups andgetting kids where they need to
go and just being that supporton campus because they're there
so late I mean, they're theretill six or seven at night, and
this program runs from three tosix sometimes, and so their
partnership in this has justbeen amazing and invaluable, and
I'm so grateful that we havesuch great leadership with Becca
(23:18):
and Lorena and Andrew over atLEAD.
Shout out to those guys.
They are oh, and Yadira, oh,yadira.
Thank you, yadira, amazing.
Speaker 4 (23:27):
All I hear is it's community, and this is what it's
all about.
It's about community involvingparents, students, our partners,
to follow one mission, and ourgoal is to make sure that our
students are thrivingacademically, we're doing it in
an equitable manner, and thatthey are being social and
emotionally attended to.
And I just truly really want tothank you all for joining me on
this episode of the One SMFCPodcast, and I'm excited to be
(23:49):
calling you all again next yearto see how we're checking in on
but yeah, no.
So thank you so much forjoining me in the One SMFC
Podcast and we'll see you on thenext one.
I feel the results in my daughter and the support I
received from both the schooland the Boys and Girls Club.
The program is great, theteachers my daughter has
encountered in her path it'sbeen great.
And Boys and Girls Club thesupport that they give me to
bring the possibility for me tostay focused in work and also
(00:20):
not to worry about homework andother issues.
It's fantastic.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Thank you very much also not to worry about homework
and other issues.
It's fantastic.
Thank you very much.
So for Pique, I know goingthere was one session that
focused on educating parentsabout the school system, about
how elementary schools work,high schools work and how to get
students prepared for collegeand career.
So knowing that our parentshave been empowered to have that
information and then having thesecond round of Pique that is
really focused on what ourcommunity wanted, that's been
(00:44):
really great to see our parentsempowered in that regard.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Offering all of those different opportunities.
I think it kind of creates moreequity amongst our schools,
because we have schools in thisdistrict where children are
coming from different means andthey get all those things
provided, luckily, by theirparents and you know they don't
think twice about having fivedifferent things.
Activities after school.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
Hello everyone and welcome to the One SMFC podcast.
My name is Diego Perez and I amthe host in today's episode.
Now we're so excited to bediving into how our community
schools initiative is making adifference in our district One
year into our five milliondollar California Department of
Education grant millionCalifornia Department of
Education grant.
So, to provide our audiencewith a recap, the district
(01:30):
initiated the community schoolsinitiative during the 2022 to
2023 school year with a planninggrant from the California
Department of Education todesign what a community school
will look like through inputfrom parents, students and staff
.
Now the model of the communityschools provides a wraparound
services approach, which isextending learning opportunities
and active community engagement, aiming to address systemic
(01:53):
barriers that prompt positiveschool cultures.
Now, after two years ofengaging, with 55 community
school sessions totaling up to110 hours and about 1,800 in
attendance, we have submittedthe application and became the
recipients of this $5 milliongrant.
Now, I know that was very brief,but it was so much work that
(02:14):
went through this entire processand we want to say thank you to
all of the folks the parents,the staff who participated, our
students that were all in at theearly steps of this entire
initiative.
But now let's check on to seewhat's going on.
So how are our families doing?
How are they feeling?
What's in store as we continuethe rest of the 2024-2025 school
(02:35):
year?
And we are joined with fouramazing guests, and I will let
them introduce themselves.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Hello, I'm Daniel Robles, the principal of Fiesta
Gardens Elementary InternationalSchool.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
My name is Natalie Delahunt and I'm the principal
of LEED Elementary School.
Speaker 5 (02:49):
Hello, my name is Lorena Alcayaga and I'm the site
director at San Mateo Park forBoys and Girls Club.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
And my name is Hector Lopez, the proud parent of
Mareny Lopez Bautista from fifthgrade.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Sonny Bray School.
Perfect, thank you all so muchfor introducing yourself.
Of course, we do have a widerange of audiences here
listening to us being able totap in from you guys'
conversations, of course.
So we do have a $5 milliongrant and I'm looking at my
principals here.
Since the $5 million grant hasbeen initiated, what can you
tell us?
Either of you can go first thatyou've been excited to see
(03:21):
flourish in your school sincewe've implemented these
different programs.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
I'm going to start with a small moment.
That kind of says it all.
We had a soccer game last weekin a tournament over at a local
middle school and we had a TKKgame happening against Sunnybrae
and it was the best thing I sawall week these kids playing.
Parents came out, teachers cameout, our PE coach came out.
It was wonderful to seeeverybody was cheering for each
(03:48):
other.
We did our own goal but itdidn't matter.
Boy were we so excited andeverybody clapped and cheered
the other team and it was justgreat to be in community with
the whole school outside ofschool in a way that just felt
really genuine and exciting tosee the kids in the field with
their little uniforms, on theirowl uniforms, having a real
sense of school pride.
(04:09):
So that to me, that smallmoment says a lot about who we
are now as a community school.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Soccer has definitely been amazing for our community,
but knowing just all of thecomponents of our afterschool
programs has been wonderful tosee.
We have our parent program,pique, we have programs like
science, theater, all kinds ofdifferent sports, and just
seeing our students andcommunity families being able to
take advantage of that has beenwonderful.
Speaker 4 (04:33):
And I'm so happy that you touched base on that,
natalie about the soccer andsports, especially like how both
schools have it Seeing youngerkiddos being able to at least
enjoy a sport, whether or notthey know what they're doing.
They're just kicking the balland they have a big smile on
their face and I think that'sthe best part of it.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
I think it's not the game, it's the substance, it's
the community being engaged in agame in a fast-paced, growing
sport in America right.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
Yeah, no, definitely.
And, of course, hector, youmentioned, as a parent, what has
been the biggest impact for yousince the $5 million grant in
your school.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
I feel the results in my daughter and the support I
received from both the schooland the Boys and Girls Club.
The program is great, theteachers my daughter has
encountered in her path it'sbeen great.
And Boys and Girls Club thesupport that they give me to
bring the possibility for me tostay focused in work and also
(05:23):
not to worry about homework andother issues.
It's fantastic.
Thank you very much.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
And, of course, you did mention after school, lorena
.
So what are some of the thingsthat we're incorporating with
our after school program as itrelates to the community schools
and what we do in the classroom?
Speaker 5 (05:36):
Yeah, so I think that we were able to expand services
, including more spots in ourprogram for the students within
the schools, and also ourathletic department has been
able to also be part of theenrichments we have been
providing the volleyball andsoon the basketball leagues so
we are very excited about thattoo.
(05:57):
To start with the kids, thekids are very excited.
I think that they like thatpositive competition.
They want to show their pridewithin the schools and, yeah, so
we're very fortunate to be partof the community schools.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
By the way, my daughter has been training for
volleyball.
She's excited to start theleague, whatever the competition
it is, and whether she wins orshe loses, she's going to be
very happy to be part of thesetournaments.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
And that's honestly.
I think that's wonderful to knowthat she has that option to say
, oh, I want to try volleyballthis time and then, if it
doesn't work out, well, there'sstill soccer, and having
partners like Boys and GirlsClub, also AYSO, who's leading
the soccer right now.
It's truly crucial for ourfamilies to have that access.
I know at this age maybe otherfamilies are looking at club
sports and what more can I putmy student in so that they have
(06:46):
these different networkingabilities to make friendships
across?
But now we're bringing that tothem, we're bringing that to
these five schools and that'ssomething that, at least how
I've seen in the past two years,has been transforming, of
course.
But as we talk about, you know,the school culture and the
shift of the community as awhole, we kind of like bring
into the topic of what thecommunity schools does.
We kind of like bring into thetopic of the what the community
schools does, and one of thosepieces is like parent
(07:07):
empowerment, and so, of course,this is for the group.
I mean, what has been yourbiggest shift in how parents are
being more involved now than inthe past two years and what has
sparked more ideas for you tosee, okay, this is something
that we should keep going, ormaybe we can refine this, but
what's within parent empowerment?
What can you speak on that?
Speaker 2 (07:22):
at fields to gardens.
We've been really fortunatethat a lot of our school did
implement some of the modelsthat were incorporated through
the community schools model.
So, for instance, we alreadyhad a community room.
We had a specialist that helpedsupport our community.
So seeing that reallyrecognized by the state as the
standard for what we want forour community schools and
knowing that we were able tocontinue with that.
And then seeing the element ofparent education, that we were
(07:45):
able to continue with that, andthen seeing the element of
parent education so for Pique, Iknow going there was one
session that focused oneducating parents about the
school system, about howelementary schools work, high
schools work and how to getstudents prepared for college
and career.
So knowing that our parentshave been empowered to have that
information and then having thesecond round of Pique that is
really focused on what ourcommunity wanted, that's been
really great to see our parentsempowered in that regard.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
So at our school we're doing PK as well, but what
I love is that we actuallywanted something different than
the other community schools andour voices were heard.
Parents at our school wantedsupport with literacy and how to
support their kids in literacyat home, and that's something
different than other schools.
But we were able to make thathappen and right now the parents
are energized and they'relearning simple ways to support
(08:26):
their students at home and itfeels like a real partnership
between the teachers now and PKabout the things that you can do
, and it felt very reasonableand doable and they were very
(08:46):
excited and energized about it,so I love that we were able to
provide that.
In addition, we have thiswonderful new space called our
Community Wellness Center that'sattached to our NPR that our
two community specialists useand it's a really welcoming
space, got a couch and tablesand coffee and feels very
welcoming, with toys andsupplies, too, that our families
might need, and we're excitedto be able to continue to fund
(09:09):
that room to make sure it hasall the things and it needs to
support all of our families.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Thank you for those words and let me tell you
something that happens in thelittle community I have with my
daughter.
Mom lives in Mexico.
She soon will join us here inAmerica.
Thanks to the school Pique andBoys and Girls Club, I got more
involved in her education, withmore established processes like
(09:34):
how to read, how to understandher behavior, how to get her
enrolled in the community.
She just came back from sciencecamp, so the way I saw her with
her happy face coming down thebus it has.
It's priceless.
So the impact of our taxes isbeing shown in in the progress
(09:54):
they do every day.
And one thing that has changedour lives every night, half an
hour to an hour, we read Everynight.
It's a commitment we have.
And she says I don't understandit Right now, you don't, but
you will.
So eventually all the dots willconnect and you will be
proficient speaking Spanish,speaking English and probably in
(10:15):
other languages, and it's goingto be a great thing to be
multilingual.
So you guys are really helpingand causing impact in our path.
Thank you very much.
Speaker 5 (10:25):
And with Boys and Girls Club, I've seen the
parents feel more comfortable.
I think that they areunderstanding with the topics
that they have been bringingthrough Pique.
You know how to even advocatefor their own students and I
feel that they, like I say, theyfeel more comfortable.
They already start using theirresources.
They know where to get help.
We do also at San Mateo Park.
(10:45):
They do have the FamilyResource Center, so they're
starting to make connections.
But I think that they feel moreempowered now that they have
the tools and the techniques andhow to do it.
And with us, with Boys andGirls Club, given that we have
become that bridge between theschool and the parents, they
feel more comfortable, they feelmore supported and you know
(11:05):
they can see that on the kidstoo comfortable, they feel more
supported and you know they cansee that.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
on the kids too, yes, I agree with you Something that
we have to be aware of theneeds of every kid.
Every kid is different.
Every kid needs differentstimulus on her lives, right?
Some kids are very proficientmemorizing.
Some kids are very proficientinventing things.
So I see that my daughterespecially they fit to what she
(11:32):
needs.
You know, and that's veryimportant, you guys are able to
locate the proper skill totransmit to the kids.
And one thing that I want tosay for what I've been
experiencing in these months,two things are important
Self-esteem and confidence makeeverything easier, because if
(11:53):
you have good children growingup healthy, you will have
healthy adults.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
Speaking on that self-esteem.
It just made me think ofsomething.
So some of our students youknow school can be a challenge.
It's not always easy and it canbe a challenge and they don't
always have a chance to feelconfident in school or doing
something on our campus.
But the great thing aboutcommunity schools now is we are
offering so many things afterschool computer coding, theater,
dancing, soccer, volleyball,basketball, coding, ukulele
(12:23):
there's all these different waysfor them to shine a little bit,
and so I love going into thosespaces after school and seeing
kids who sometimes in theclassroom might be a little bit
quieter.
All of a sudden you see themcoding or just sharing what they
know with another student and Ithink just having that small
moment of feeling empowered atschool can translate into the
classroom Like okay, well, I'mreally good at this and I worked
(12:46):
through it and I was able to doit.
Let me try that again now withfractions or whatever it happens
to be.
But offering all of thosedifferent opportunities, I think
it kind of creates more equityamongst our schools, because we
have schools in this districtwhere children are coming from
different means and they get allthose things provided, luckily,
by their parents, and theydon't think twice about having
(13:06):
five different things activitiesafter school and it just it
broadens their horizons, itenriches them, it lets them
figure out what they have aninterest in life, and so to be
able to provide that for ourcommunity, I just think is so
important that we are creatingthese enrichment opportunities
to support our kids and justmake them feel like, yeah, oh
yeah, I did coding in fifthgrade.
(13:27):
Or oh, look at me playing theukulele, or you know, it's just,
it seems small, but it really,really isn't.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
I agree with you.
I think that as we keep growingbetter adults, the impact in
our community it's better.
We have less crime, we havemore prosperity, we have more
well-behaved people.
There is a balance in thesociety, in the communities.
So that's why we need education, right?
Sometimes people say, oh, youdon't need education to be a
(13:53):
Bill Gates or this and that, yes, but that will give you values,
whether you are not a goodprofessional or you are a good
inventor or whatever.
Right?
There is people who are born tobe inventors and they don't
need to study, yeah, but theyneed to behave, they need to
learn values, they need tointegrate to society, right?
Otherwise, somebody who is agenius and they don't have the
(14:18):
proper values, they're going todo bad things to the society.
Speaker 5 (14:20):
Correct, am I right or wrong?
You're correct, you're correct.
Yes, I wanted to add something,as I'm hearing them talking is
like I've been thinking aboutthat sense of belonging to is
like seeing that all this ishappening in their community
schools, in their neighborhood.
It's just they feel part of,and I'm just thinking about that
cycle that we are creating,that they're here, they're
(14:42):
taking advantage of everythingthat we're offering.
You know they will go, you knowto study, but hopefully they
will come back and they will doit again with the next
generation.
So it's that pride, sense ofbelonging that we're creating
within the community schools andBoys and Girls Club.
You know, helping with thatlittle thing.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
And even when you consider the PICA program itself
, how we have it available inall of our schools in Spanish,
but we also have it available inEnglish for the families that
need that, so that inclusion isso important as well.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
I was a speaker in the graduation of the first
phase.
At the end of the conversationmany parents came and they felt
inspired.
So the facilitator did a greatwork guiding me and I was able
to provide a good inspirationalconversation with the rest of
the parents and the kids.
(15:33):
And now I was called to thedistrict and they also I didn't
know I was talking to teachersand directors and supervisors
and I'm ready to speak inSpanish, not in English, so I
had to convert everything inthere.
But then like 10 teachers cameup to me.
I was like I'm glad that youfeel that way and we are glad
(15:55):
that we see your daughter theway she is, because she's
already student of the month,not speaking English, and she's
doing great in math and otherthings, but she has sense of
education, she has sense ofbeing curious about things and
and I see that translated in awell behavior and that she's
looking forward to be somebodywho is going to be successful,
(16:18):
good for herself, and then laidit out to the community.
Speaker 4 (16:23):
I actually really love what you said there, hector
.
You said curiosity, andsomething that I'm hearing from
the group is that we areconstantly trying to find
different ways to continue tofuel this curiosity from
students that come from, whetherthey've never touched a ukulele
or have never seen a piano infront of them or don't know what
coding means.
But the minute they get that,that curiosity just goes and it
(16:44):
sparks interest from them towant to come back, to want to
see, okay, what's the next levelthat I can get to, whether it's
a project or how can I applythis elsewhere?
And it's that bridge from inthe classroom experience.
That's connected to what theBoys and Girls Club are doing,
that's connected to what theparents are learning in PICA and
how to overall empower ourcommunity to know that we're
here for them mainly, but alsowe have the resources needed for
(17:07):
the students to thrive and howcan we work together to make
sure that that continues?
And that's where I kind of gointo the next question with the
group, of course, and I'll lookat to my principals.
I'm like what's next?
Right, we have all these sportshappening, we have parent
empowerments, we have wraparoundservices, so we have medical
support, of course.
What's next?
What do you guys see comingforward for the community
(17:27):
schools?
I'll look into the principlesand then we'll pass it along.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
So I think we offered at LEAD anyway.
We offered so many things a lotof things, but I did that
because I wanted to see what thekids wanted to do.
So right now we're justcollecting the data about what
are the most popular programs sothat we know which ones to
really focus on.
Next year, maybe we will offerall of them again.
We haven't yet decided, butwe're tracking the data and then
(17:50):
we'll put out a survey to thekids.
Did you enjoy this?
Is this something you'd want tocontinue doing?
Would we want to try somethingelse?
So we need to pay attention tohow people feel about what they
love.
I already know soccer is goingto be, which I really actually
do appreciate, because soccerour kids get very competitive at
recess and lunch and so havingso many of our kids doing it
(18:11):
through AYS so they're learningthe rules and learning that
sportsmanship and things likethat so I'm I'm really grateful
for that.
Next steps I think there was onemore component maybe we'd like
to think about for next year,and that is providing some
academic supports as well.
You know, I think initially wewant to just provide them with
that enrichment, but maybe nextyear we could look into possibly
(18:34):
some tutoring opportunitiesafter school for some of our
students who may need it Not alarge group, but just something,
because if we do have parentswho say, what else can I do?
I can't help them with theirfifth grade homework, but if
someone else could, that wouldbe great, and Boys and Girls
Club is fabulous with what theydo, but maybe some educators
(18:56):
being able to work with kidsafter school is something that
we're looking into.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
Definitely also echoing that.
Soon we'll be meeting with ourcommunity school steering
committee and looking at ourprograms now and seeing what are
we going to keep for next year.
What are we going to focus moreon?
Hearing Natalie PrincipalNatalie, that was really great
about providing that literacyfor parents, so thinking about
how can we continue to empowerour parents.
We're also looking forward tonext year having more
availability for after schoolcare in general, where students
(19:21):
can also get that tutoringsupport and all of that help.
So we're really excited aboutthese next steps.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
First of all, I've never been so close to a
director or principal in school.
It's a privilege for me.
And what you're saying aboutthe involvement of the community
and getting everybody assembledlike soccer.
I am a soccer player since I'mlittle right and I remember my
(19:48):
closest friends from schoolplaying soccer with me and that
creates a bond for life.
And it's not the matter ofsport, as I told you before,
it's the substance andintegrating those kind of sports
basketball, whether it'svolleyball, soccer it's great,
it's really good.
And also not only that, in Boysand Girls Club, as I told you,
(20:12):
I never have to check thehomework of Mareny.
It's great.
You guys are doing a great job,amazing.
Speaker 5 (20:18):
And for Boys and Girls Club.
I think that we are here tosupport the schools, the
principals.
Right now we are Sunny Braceand Mateo Park in lead and next
year we're coming into FiestaGardens and hopefully we can,
you know, be also in that.
We have one more communityschool that we hopefully be
there, hopefully be there, butit's just supporting, as I'm
(20:44):
hearing you guys with theacademics.
What else can we do to give youand support with that, our
athletics department, morespaces for the kids?
So I think that for us is justbe there, be present, be aware
of the needs of each school, solike that we can continue to
support the work that ishappening at the community
school, so like that you know wecan be there for many, many
(21:05):
years more.
I want to say two more things.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
First of all, as things get better.
I'm sad that she's going toanother, different grade and
different school because she'sgoing to miss what is going to
be better next year.
And the other thing is that youare right If we keep kids busy
with family resources and withoccupational things for kids not
occupational as a labor, but Imean keep them busy.
(21:30):
That is amazing because afterschool programs sometimes can be
boring, but the amount ofknowledge and skills that she's
getting is priceless.
So I encourage whoever islistening to this, whether it's
in Spanish or English, takeadvantage of these programs.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
Yeah, I can't speak highly enough about Boys and
Girls Club at our site and thepartnership we have.
It's not just that they'rethere and they're like running
daycare or an after program orsomething.
It is not that at all.
It is a complete partnership.
I meet regularly with theleadership from Boys and Girls.
Daycare or an after program orsomething.
It is not that at all.
It is a complete partnership.
I meet regularly with theleadership from Boys and Girls
Club.
Every week we meet and discussstudents.
We discuss what's going on.
How can we partner?
(22:10):
My language and literacy toseshave been working with some of
the Boys and Girls Club teachersas well, sharing how we are
doing literacy through PATH.
We even have our counselorsmeeting regularly with Boys and
Girls Club staff and ourregistered behavior technician.
He is there to support as well.
So it is a true partnership.
It's an extended school dayreally is what it is.
It's like our teachers clockout and their teachers clock in,
(22:32):
but it does definitely stilljust feel like it's part of the
lead school day and we could notI'm going to be honest running
all these after school programs,this park and rec, really
without the help of Boys andGirls Club.
It would have been?
I don't want to think about it,to be honest.
Well, we wanted to do it, butit just felt we needed help.
And, with Boys and Girls Clubstepped in, and they are helping
(22:56):
in so many ways, not just withtheir own sports, but they're
helping with student signups andgetting kids where they need to
go and just being that supporton campus because they're there
so late I mean, they're theretill six or seven at night, and
this program runs from three tosix sometimes, and so their
partnership in this has justbeen amazing and invaluable, and
I'm so grateful that we havesuch great leadership with Becca
(23:18):
and Lorena and Andrew over atLEAD.
Shout out to those guys.
They are oh, and Yadira, oh,yadira.
Thank you, yadira, amazing.
Speaker 4 (23:27):
All I hear is it's community, and this is what it's
all about.
It's about community involvingparents, students, our partners,
to follow one mission, and ourgoal is to make sure that our
students are thrivingacademically, we're doing it in
an equitable manner, and thatthey are being social and
emotionally attended to.
And I just truly really want tothank you all for joining me on
this episode of the One SMFCPodcast, and I'm excited to be
(23:49):
calling you all again next yearto see how we're checking in on
but yeah, no.
So thank you so much forjoining me in the One SMFC
Podcast and we'll see you on thenext one.
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