GOOD NEWS: Tuition Lowered for RDASC ExCEL Programs!

We are ECSTATIC to announce that thanks to some recent restorative funding we've gotten, we are lowering the tuition for our Argonne, George Peabody, and Lafayette programs by HALF! Monthly tuition, set to begin in October, has now gone from $100 to only $50 per child, saving families a total of $400 per year. News about this and our scholarship allotments is to come out this week. Be sure to contact RDASC at 751.6600 if you have any questions.

We thank our tremendously supportive families for their patience and understanding in this difficult budgetary time. We also thank our San Francisco District Supervisor, Eric Mar, for his advocacy and help, without which this much-needed funding would not have been secured.

Summer Solstice Camp 2010

On June 14th Site Managers David Alexander and Shamia Sandles kicked off our Summer Solstice program, a 6-week program which offered a balanced composition of arts, nutrition and service-based enrichment courses tailored to meet the developmental needs of participants. The program was held at George Peabody elementary and featured multifaceted learning themes, such as the Self, the Environment, Literacy, and Food (the staff called it "SELF" for short). Not only were students taken on Friday field trips every week to destinations such as Pier 39 and the Bay Area Discovery Museum, they enjoyed fun and engaging activities with staff and ongoing music courses with Susan Appe, RDASC resident artist-teacher. (4th grader Jasmine Olshin shows off her drumming skills in the above picture.) The Solstice Camp went out with a bang on July 23rd following a parent night which featured a student play on important first aide principles and a rock-and-roll performance of 'Eye of the Tiger'.

Please contact RDASC directors and staff to get a head start on information for next summer's camp!

Lights, Curtains, Camera! RDASC Spring Arts Showcases and other 2009-2010 End-of-the-Year Events

What a month May was!

RDASC families, staff, and friends said goodbye to the 2009-2010 school year with a series entertaining and educational events. Festivities began with a Family Fitness Night hosted by our Alamo program, in which students and parents battled for kickball bragging rights while receiving healthy living tips and treats. On May 11th, our George Peabody program hosted a workshop on "Parenting Strategies for Success" and on May 8th, the Richmond District Neighborhood Center held its annual Family Fun Fest for all Richmond District residents. The Family Fun Fest was a humongous hit and featured fun family activities ranging from bouncy houses to rock climbing and cotton candy.

May was also the month of our long-awaited and much-prepared RDASC Spring Arts Showcase. The 16th of its kind, the showcase was an end-of-the year celebration of all of the hard work RDASC artists and students did throughout the year. Students gave performances in dance, music, poetry and puppetry led by our wonderful professional artist-teachers. Each performance was derived from inspiration from our partnership with the San Francisco Botanical Gardens and was created in the theme of "The World According to Us". After the show, families, staff and students gathered in the cafeteria to enjoy a meal generously donated by Panda Express. It was a great time, and we look forward to the festivities in 2011!