The East Palo Alto and Belle Haven communities work collaboratively with a wide-range of non-profit, governmental, and business organizations to create a quality instructional program which empowers students to make positive choices, achieve their personal best, be college bound, and productive responsible participants in a 21st century global society. The community is committed to preparing all students to succeed and contribute in a changing world.
East Palo Alto-Belle Haven
Ravenswood City School District
Belle Haven Elementary
June 28 – July 30, 2021
Lara Burenin
lburenin@ravenswoodschools.org
Ann Waterman Roy
aroy@ravenswoodschools.org
Entering K
Ravenswood English
Ravenswood Spanish
East Palo Alto-Belle Haven
Ravenswood City School District
Costaño Elementary
June 28 – July 30, 2021
Lara Burenin
lburenin@ravenswoodschools.org
Ann Waterman Roy
aroy@ravenswoodschools.org
Entering K
Ravenswood English
Ravenswood Spanish
The Big Lift enables kindergarteners to feel welcomed on campuses, meet fellow students, and engage in an enriching summer curriculum.
Gina Sudaria, Superintendent, Ravenswood City School District

Success Story
Innovative teachers make clean-up time fun and educational!
Recognizing play is an intrinsic motivator, The Big Lift teachers created a clean-up time routine that was playful, while adding learning components. The teachers planned the clean-up process based on student insights utilizing intentional design, Social-Emotional learning (cooperation), Mathematics (sorting and categorizing), Science (observation and hypothesis), and Language Development (repetition and definition of a novel word).
Community Demographics
Students Served
318
Locations / Classrooms Served
7 sites, 17 classrooms
Grades Served
Preschool – 2nd
The Big Lift Partners








Community Partners



Community Impact Report
This 2019 East Palo Alto-Belle Haven Inspiring Summers report presents the inspiring outcomes of this holistic learning experience blending academics with enrichment, social-emotional skill development, and community engagement.
