Think Together

California Governor Gavin Newsom has proposed $4.6 billion for expanded learning and afterschool programs. With many students experiencing months of learning loss, disconnection from peers and teachers, and more summer school and additional tutoring is going to be that much more critical this summer. This funding is a vital and important investment in California’s future generations. https://edsource.org//gov-newsom-proposes-4-6-bill/646503

Both kids and adults want the world to get back to normal, but not as much as the Casteñda twins! Bryan and Ryan love soccer, and with LA County regulations not allowing sports- they miss it. Our friends at the U.S. Soccer Foundation have created safe and socially distant soccer skills lessons to help keep our Think Together students sharp until they can get back on the soccer field again. Read more on our blog. https://thinktogether.org/kids-cant-wait-to-get-back-on-th/

Quality Assurance Coach Andrew Perez in Santa Fe Springs says "Through distance learning, we have seen an increase in the engagement and participation from our students. Parents have praised our program for stability, communication, and the impact on our student's growth and development." Think Together is proud to provide adaptive programming that benefits students, families and stakeholders.

We appreciate our partners and their efforts to make the holidays special for our Shalimar Learning Center families. Over Thanksgiving, National Charity League- Newport Chapter helped distribute Thanksgiving meals to our 100 Shalimar families for the 8th year. At Christmas, NCL decorated the exterior of the center to make our annual gift distribution more festive. Our partner MVE + Partners, Inc. partnered for the 5th year in purchasing gifts from Christmas wish lists for our Shalimar teens in addition to numerous individuals who made generous donations to support families out of work from the latest round of business closures.

Our hearts are heavy today at Think Together as we mourn the loss of baseball legend Tommy Lasorda alongside our close community partners, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation. A fervent community figure, Lasorda tirelessly supported the club’s endeavors to fundraise and advocate for education, youth development, homelessness and healthcare programs initiatives that directly impact organizations like Think Together. For that we are forever grateful. Lasorda’s passing marks the second tragic loss for the team and its fans. Sandra Scully, wife of Los Angeles Dodgers Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully, died on January 3. She was 76. Our thoughts are with every single fan, friend and family member as we grieve these long-loved sports and community leaders.

Think Together would like to thank Union Pacific Railroad and Inland SoCal United Way for their continued support for our programs in the Inland Empire. Our staff and students have both had to pivot to the new normal, and it is with funding like yours that we are able to deliver our top-notch programming no matter the medium.

¡Feliz Día de los Muertos! We are celebrating today with some throwback photos from last year's festivities at our sites. Want to learn more about today? Visit our blog to learn five facts about Día de los Muertos. https://thinktogether.org/celebrating-dia-de-los-muertos/

Happy Halloween everyone! Remember to be safe, be respectful, be responsible and have FUN!

It's not Halloween without a Jack-O-Lantern! Visit our blog for some step-by-step instructions your child can follow along with and also find out how to turn those pumpkin seeds into a snack.

Today is Read for the Record! Visit Think Together’s blog and watch Think Together’s Mary Barth read "Evelyn Del Rey is Moving Away" by Meg Medina. There’s also a family activity worksheet that you can complete as well. #readfortherecord

Congratulations to the Los Angeles Dodgers for not only winning the 2020 World Series Championship title, but for rising to the moment with every challenge this year has brought. We're incredibly proud to work with the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF) to truly change the odds for kids in our communities. Learn more about the work LADF supports on our blog: https://thinktogether.org/cheers-to-the-los-angeles-dodgers. ... #ThinkProud #ChangingTheOdds #GoDodgers #GoBlue

Our South East Los Angeles staff held a "spook-a-thon" reading their favorite spooky books to students and got all dressed up as mummies! What are some of your favorite spooky books to get you and your family in the Halloween spirit?

Join Think Together in cheering on the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight! Go Blue! Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation

Join us this Thursday, October 29 for Read for the Record as Think Together participates with a special reading by Mary Barth. This year's book for Read for the Record is "Evelyn Del Rey is Moving Away" by Meg Medina. This day is meant to show the importance of engaging with your kids and promoting early literacy. We hope to see you then!

Want to make a tasty treat? Visit our blog and find out how you can make a no-bake pumpkin cheesecake with your kids! Not only is this a fun bonding activity, but also a great way for your kid to work on fine motor skills and other developmental skills.

Why do afterschool and expanded learning programs matter? These stats can give you a hint. Want to learn more? Don't forget to join us for Lights On Afterschool this Thursday October 22 at 3 p.m.!

Thank you everyone who joined us yesterday for our Lights On Afterschool Virtual Event. We especially want to thank our special VIPs for taking the time to share why afterschool and expanded learning programs matter to them. Thank you to Moreno Valley Mayor Dr. Yxstian Gutierrez and State Senator Holly J Mitchell!

Our Chief People Officer, Josh Felix is making headlines! He and his team have been essential to our health and safety guidelines in addition to adapting our recruiting and on-boarding processes to fit the times. We’re always looking to add talented individuals who are passionate about the opportunity to change the odds for kids, said Josh. We’re doing some incredible things to really make a difference and we couldn’t be more proud to work with our school and district partners to provide invaluable service in a safe and meaningful way for our students.

To celebrate #LightsOnAfterschool event, our Palm Springs staff had a drive-through resources handout this week to make sure that students are able to participate in enrichment activities from home! #ChangingTheOdds #CaAfterschoolWorks #ThinkProud

Today is the last day to register online in California! Make your voice heard this election by double checking that you are registered at https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/registration-status.

The Think Together Hub at Foster Elementary in Baldwin Park provides a safe and supportive space for the community's students to do their schoolwork from. This hub provides students from all across BPUSD a place to do their distance learning and get help when needed from our staff. This is one of several strategies Think Together is developing to combat learning loss exacerbated by the pandemic. "During this time I feel fortunate to be able to continue offering quality se...rvice programming, It really hasn't been a change its just using the resources we have in place, with a slight modification and making a meaningful impact. I am committed to working with our stakeholders to create and sustain a positive and productive learning environment while maintain safety for our kids. The most rewarding part of the day is seeing the students' smiling eyes, happy and having fun."- Veronica Pena, Site Coordinator See more

Lights On Afterschool is next week! Do you have it marked in your calendars? We hope to see you next Thursday. We have been working hard to bring you a fantastic virtual event and are excited to share with you why afterschool and expanded learning programs like Think Together matter. #lightsonafterschool

Think Together students are enjoying their #LightsOnAfterschool arts and enrichment activities! This week, they got to paint their own miniature pumpkins and at our in-person sites created chalk art. In Palm Springs, staff held a drive-thru supply distribution so that our distance learning students can also participate in the fun.

How do you make a movement last beyond a lifetime? Sal Castro was a Mexican-American educator and activist. He was most well-known for his role in the 1968 East Los Angeles high school walkouts, a series of protests against unequal conditions in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) schools. After he retired from teaching, he continued to lecture about his experiences and the importance of education, especially for Mexican Americans. Dr. Robin Avelar La Salle, Founder and CEO of Orenda Education, was one of his students. He told us, you don’t have to fight from the fringe, you can fight from the inside, said Avelar La Salle, a 1978 Lincoln High graduate who received her doctorate in education from Stanford. https://qoo.ly/38pinh

We do our jobs to give students access to do more, be more and achieve more. Think Together has worked hard for over 20 years to provide services that help students break down barriers in front of them. Tomorrow, you'll be able to hear from our school and district partners, staff members and special VIPs on why afterschool and expanded learning programs like ours matter. Be sure to tune in at 3 p.m for Lights On Afterschool!

Californians! Make your voice heard and vote for the change you want to see in your community. October 19 is the last day to register online. Visit https://qoo.ly/38p59f and make sure you are ready to go for election day.

Join Think Together in cheering on the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight! Go Blue! Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation

Thelma Meléndez began as a bilingual first grade teacher. Her hard work and determination led her to a position in the Department of Education under the Obama administration. In March 2014, Dr. Meléndez joined the Los Angeles Unified School District as a senior administrator for "Beyond the Bell," a division that oversees after-school programs, among other functions. Until 2017, She served as the Chief Executive Officer in the Office of Educational Services at LAUSD, and was responsible for the administrative oversight of multiple educational and business services for the over 1,000 schools of LAUSD.