“Thank you for donating money for the field trip to the Exploratorium. I really enjoyed it. And I also learned so many things like how if you pedal really fast you could make a light come on or how magnet sand can move metal. Plus on top of that I got to spend quality time with my dad. He was a chaperone. And I wouldn’t have been able to without your donation so I wanted to say thank you.” –Ryder, Student, Sunset Ridge Elementary School

PVF’s Excursion Grant program, funded by the Geballe Family, offers grants of up to $1,000 to fund one-day classroom excursions for Kindergarten to fifth grade classes in Alameda, San Mateo, and San Francisco counties.

Below are some excerpts from the happy reports that public school teachers have sent in.

“Your donation to our field trip fund has made a big difference. Our school is mostly made up of students who are ELLs (English Language Learners) and low income kids who don’t have the same opportunities. They were so excited to go on the fancy bus and to the Tech Museum. Many of these students don’t go on long trips or to museums so these experiences will make a lasting impact on their lives.” –Rachel Lerman-Shea and Recep Iscan, Fourth Grade Teachers, Hesperian Elementary School

“With your support, we were able to take 64 1^st grade students from East Palo Alto to visit the San Francisco Academy of Sciences. After a unit of study on astronomy, our students had the opportunity to visit the planetarium at the Cal Academy. This field trip fueled students’ curiosity and drove them to read more and engage in deeper inquiry into space upon our return to school. This field trip was a cornerstone of our unit of study and could not have been possible without your support.” –Chana Karlin-Neumann, Bianka Mariscal, and Devyn Brown, First Grade Teachers, East Palo Alto Charter School

At the Tech Museum, “our students… put their hands on everything they could, moved their bodies, experienced and explored all kinds of science and tech activities, read, questioned, were challenged, proposed hypotheses, discussed, and confirmed ideas. What an opportunity, with the essential help from you. We are all so grateful.” –Chris Ashley, Fifth Grade Teacher, Bridges Academy at Melrose Elementary

“It is so important to take our students out into the world, beyond East Oakland, so they can experience new things and make connections to things we learn about in school.” –Carrie Anderson, First Grade Teacher, New Highland Academy

“I have seen firsthand how this grant has impacted so many of my previous students. I have seen students’ excited faces as they walk into the zoo, see the Golden Gate Bridge or San Francisco skyline, and see animals they have never seen for the first time. I know moments like these create memories they can look back to as they grow up. And this foundation and the Geballe Family play a significant role in making all this possible.” –Christine McSpadden, Claudia Zervoulakos, and Pamela Radkey, First Grade Teachers, Margaret Pauline Brown School

Thanks to the Geballe Family, we were able to give out 214 Excursion grants during the 2016-2017 school year. We are proud to support students’ learning and have a hand in providing them with these important experiences.