Building a Cool Geodesic Dome!
Learners in Science + Maker teacher, Michael Kim’s, class build...
Category: Programs
New Texts for Early Readers
Assia Day, 2nd & 3rd Grade Teacher at Maya Lin School, applied for a Teacher Mini Grants for decodable texts for her classroom. Decodable texts are books or reading materials specifically designed to help early readers practice their phonics skills. They are designed JUST for early readers, and follow a very explicit sequence. Students are taught the phonics skill explicitly, then expected to practice applying the skill in texts. These texts are made to be easy for beginners,
Students Love Their New Classroom Library
I am writing to express my sincere gratitude for your generous support of our classroom library at Ruby Bridges Elementary School. Thanks to your grant, my third-grade students are now enjoying a welcoming, well-stocked, and engaging library space that has quickly become the heart of our classroom.
The new library rug and comfortable seating have transformed our reading area into a cozy, inviting environment where students are excited to gather, read independently, and share books with one another.
» Read more about: Students Love Their New Classroom Library »
QTAC is a Safe Nurturing Place for Alameda Teens
Interview with Jeramie Andehueson from Alameda Pride
Because Jeramie Andehueson, who founded Alameda Pride (and the Alameda Pride Foundation non-profit organization), didn’t get the support he needed growing up in the Midwest, he wanted to create a safe, inclusive environment for LGTBQ+ teens in Alameda. Thus the QTAC (Queer Teen Alameda Center) was born in October 2024.
Jeramie began his dive into community activism when he started the Alameda Pride in the Park festival in 2022.
» Read more about: QTAC is a Safe Nurturing Place for Alameda Teens »
Junior Engineer Enrichment Class Jump Starts STEM Learning
One of AEF’s favorite STEM after school enrichment classes in the fall of 2025 was Junior Engineer – described as a hands-on adventure in engineering and space exploration. Kids dove into projects – like aviation, space science, and engineering. From building models of the solar system to experimenting with compass headings, students learned by doing—building, asking questions, and testing real-world engineering concepts. The program was designed to inspire the next generation of innovators, showing kids that they have what it takes to become future engineers,
» Read more about: Junior Engineer Enrichment Class Jump Starts STEM Learning »
Native American Heritage Month
November is Native American Heritage Month! Also known as American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, this is a time to recognize the history, culture, and contributions of Indigenous people. National Native American Heritage Month was recognized federally for the first time in the United States in 1990. Joaquin Newman, one of our Art Changes local artists, is a member of the Yaqui tribe. You can read more about Joaquin and learn about his art here.
Filipino American History Month
Filipino Americans are the second-largest Asian American group in the nation and the third-largest ethnic group in California, after Latinas/os and African Americans. The celebration of Filipino American History Month in October commemorates the first recorded presence of Filipinos in the continental United States, which occurred on October 18, 1587, when “Luzones Indios” came ashore from the Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Esperanza and landed at what is now Morro Bay, California. In 2009, U.S.
Hispanic Heritage Month
National Hispanic Heritage Month, which begins in the United States each year on Sep. 15 and ends on Oct. 15, celebrates U.S. Latinos, their culture and their history. AEF’s Art Changes program features five artists who represent Hispanic Culture: Brazilian landscape painter Alex D. da Silva, Joaquin Newman who builds on the tradition of Mayan art, Bolivian-American painter and weaver Miguel Arzabe, water-colorist and muralist Irene Juarez-O’Connell,
