LOUISE
Louise is a single parent of six that works during the day and at night as a caregiver for a couple in Palo Alto. “I go to work at 10pm and I usually get off around 6am. I come home at 7am and we leave house no later than 7:20. We go drop off my oldest one at Hillsdale high school and then we come back and drop off my two middle schoolers at Cesar Chavez and RMS and then my youngest one at Brentwood. My second oldest daughter started at M-A last year. They start late so she usually asks my nephew to take her or she’ll uber to school. I have to be at work again at 8:30am. I get off of my day time job at 4:30pm and am home at 5pm. I make dinner, we eat, and the kids finish their homework if it’s not done yet. We do our family night and they shower and go to bed. I leave home at 9:45pm and go back to work at 10pm.
Her son, Epeli, started at McNair and then moved to Cesar Chavez last year to follow his music teacher. Louise states, "He loves music so much. He just finished his second year of playing flute. We wake up in the morning because he’s already playing the flute. He practices a lot. Last year he was in the honor band and he also went to La Honda music camp. After the camp he said he wants to go every year that he can. Epeli has really benefitted from music. My number four, Louisa, really loved Makerspace last year. She showed me a lot of work she did and it was so cool. I can’t believe some of the things she’s made." My kids love school. They always love school. and all the REF programs. I love REF and I’m so grateful for all the work that you do to help us and our kids."
Her son, Epeli, started at McNair and then moved to Cesar Chavez last year to follow his music teacher. Louise states, "He loves music so much. He just finished his second year of playing flute. We wake up in the morning because he’s already playing the flute. He practices a lot. Last year he was in the honor band and he also went to La Honda music camp. After the camp he said he wants to go every year that he can. Epeli has really benefitted from music. My number four, Louisa, really loved Makerspace last year. She showed me a lot of work she did and it was so cool. I can’t believe some of the things she’s made." My kids love school. They always love school. and all the REF programs. I love REF and I’m so grateful for all the work that you do to help us and our kids."
MOM OF MATTEO & BAILEY
Matteo and Bailey are eight-year-old twins that attend Los Robles during the school year. Their Mom speaks of summer school at Belle Haven stating, “Of course kids want to stay at home, but when they get home from summer school they are talking about the day, talking about how much fun they’ve had or what science project they’re working on." The first couple of weeks she was getting calls from the teacher with updates on how summer school was going for Matteo and Bailey. She said, "that was something I really didn’t expect from a summer program but it was great to get that feedback." She raved about how well organized Belle Haven was and said she can't wait for her kids to come back.
ROSALINDA
Rosalinda is a mother of two students that attend Los Robles during the school year and the aunt of two students that attend Belle Haven during the year. They all live together and spend lots of time together. Rosalinda speaks of summer school at Belle Haven stating, “Esther in particular is very enthusiastic about what she’s learning. Right now she’s fascinated with outer space so we went out and bought a telescope. Every night before she goes to bed we go out and she says goodbye to the moon. We’ll sit there and we’ll look out. It gets her mind going on how she can better the Earth."
She says her kids come home excited during the school year and summer school. She said, "It's the small little things that help them develop their personalities. They have something to talk about because they’re learning, they’re hungry to learn more and they’re excited to express what they’re learning. I encourage them to communicate that with me or their mom"
She says her kids come home excited during the school year and summer school. She said, "It's the small little things that help them develop their personalities. They have something to talk about because they’re learning, they’re hungry to learn more and they’re excited to express what they’re learning. I encourage them to communicate that with me or their mom"
