Summerbridge celebrates 20 years of helping kids get an advance on the new school year

Summerbridge San Diego is celebrating its 20th year of providing academic, leadership, and social-emotional support to students from throughout the San Diego Unified School District in a partnership with UC San Diego, San Diego State University and the University of San Diego.

“Thanks to the experience of Summerbridge San Diego, I was able to obtain a full paid scholarship (Circle of Excellence) to the University of San Diego, said Marcos Arguelles, Chollas Mead Elementary Class of 2006 and University of San Diego Sophomore. "Summerbridge San Diego prepared me for my studies at the University of San Diego by developing my leadership skills, encouraging community involvement, and assisting me in completing the A-G Requirements. I feel privileged to give back to the program, which gave me so much, by coming back as a teacher this year."

Summerbridge San Diego is an independent, privately funded 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is celebrating its 20th year. The six-week summer program serves 157 elementary and middle school students with academic classes and leadership development. Students are instructed and assessed in transition according to both the California State Content Standards and the Common Core State Standards for grades five through eight in English-Language Arts, mathematics, and science.

The program is holding its annual Visitors Day starting at 9 a.m. Wednesday, July 31, at La Jolla High, 750 Nautilus St. (92037). 

For more information, contact Castro at conradocastrojr@gmail.com. Please visit us at www.SummerbridgeSD.com.

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Summer Fun Café kicks off summer lunch service with barbeque

More than 2,000 people recently gathered at Skyline Hills Community Park to enjoy a barbeque and festival to kick off the Summer Fun Café Program.

This is the 10th year that San Diego Unified has partnered with the City of San Diego Department of Park and Recreation to provide meals and snacks during the summer at recreation centers in low-income neighborhoods.

In addition to the 28 recreation centers, there are 13 other community and military sites and 24 schools where any child can enjoy a summer meal. This is the first year that a library, Logan Heights, will host a Summer Fun Café. The location will be open through August 30, and has already attracted more than 65 children per day since it opened.

For a complete listing of Summer Fun Café sites go to www.sandi.net/food or call the 211 San Diego Info Line.

In addition to the barbeque, the event offered a variety of games and crafts for kids, resources for parents and a special visit from the program's mascot, the Power Panther, who shared his motto, "Eat Smart. Play Hard" with all the kids.

Network for a Healthy California organized the nutrition decathlon, which included games like watermelon weightlifting, string bean jump rope and cucumber javelin. Children who completed all 10 stations received a prize.

Another big draw for kids was the staff and vehicles from The San Diego Police Department, the San Diego Unified School District Police Department and the San Diego Fire Department.

The resource fair with over 40 community partners offered a wide variety of community resources to parents and children. The San Ysidro Health Clinic brought their new mobile clinic and offered health screenings. The San Diego Food Bank, Feeding America San Diego and Mother’s Nutritional Center all provided free fruits and vegetables to take home.

The Summer Fun Café is funded through the USDA’s Seamless Summer Feeding Option. No paperwork or income qualifications are required for children who participate. Last year, more than 307,000 meals and snacks were served to children through this program.

For more information about the Summer Fun Café contact Norma Johnson at njohnson4@sandi.net or 858-627-7308.

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Free lunch for kids returns to schools, parks for summer

San Diego kids can once again invite their parents to a big, free barbecue kickoff event that opens San Diego Unified School District’s Summer Fun Café program.

The barbecue is from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, June 18, 2013m at Skyline Hills Community Park, 8285 Skyline Dr. SD 92114. Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

 For many low-income children in California and across the nation, summer break is often far from ideal. It can mean limited access to summer learning/enrichment opportunities as well as discontinued access to the daily nutrition provided through schools.

Summer Fun Café bridges that gap and requires no paperwork or income qualifications to participate.
San Diego Unified School District Food Services Department partners with the City of San Diego Park and Recreation Department, Military Child and Youth Programs, San Diego Public Library and several non-profit organizations to help fill this gap by providing free, healthy meals and physical activities in low- income neighborhoods when school is out. The Summer Fun Café is funded through the US Department of Agriculture’s “Seamless Summer Feeding Option” and will be at 65 locations: 28 city Park and Recreation Centers, 13 community and military sites, and 24 schools. For complete schedule and locations, go to www.sandi.net/food and select Summer Fun Café or go to http://www.211sandiego.org/summerlunch.

This summer’s theme is Eat Smart/Play Hard, which is the motto of our mascot from the USDA, Power Panther™. The Power Panther stands for eating healthy food and being physically active every day.

“Let’s make this summer count,” said Gary Petill, San Diego Unified’s Food Services Director. “All children are invited to have lunch with us and join the fun and activities all summer long. Then, when they head back to school in the fall, they will be strong and ready to learn.”

The kickoff event on Tuesday, June 18, features a free BBQ lunch for all children and accompanying adults. This exceptional event for children and their families will also feature visits from the Power Panther, and the San Diego Padres Friar and Pad Squad, fun fruit and veggie games with lots of prizes, an inflatable jumper, crafts, music, bike drawings, health clinics, community information booths, cooking demonstrations and much more. And every family goes home with a bag of fruits and vegetables from the San Diego Food Bank or Feeding America San Diego.

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