Happy Hall @ Sunset Ridge Newsletter | August
- Annie Quintana
- Aug 29
- 3 min read
Director's Message
Welcome to our Happy Hall! This year is especially exciting as we come together as one community from both Sunset Ridge School and welcoming in children from Ocean Shore School and new families! !
Our goal is to provide a safe, supportive, and fun environment where every child feels at home and families feel connected. We look forward to building new friendships, creating lasting memories, and supporting each student as they grow. Thank you for trusting us with your children, We’re so glad you’re here!
Program Highlights
Engagement Activities:
This month, our theme is Community as we welcome students from both schools into one aftercare family. We are focusing on getting to know one another, building friendships, and creating shared rules and routines. To deepen this theme, our curriculum will include activities such as learning about local heroes, exploring community art, and discovering architecture that shapes our neighborhoods. These experiences will help children feel connected, valued, and excited to be part of our growing aftercare community.
Professional Development
As part of our commitment to providing quality care, our staff recently took part in professional development sessions. We reviewed our Standard Operating Procedures to ensure consistency and safety across the program, and several team members also completed additional training, such as Mandated Reporter certification and Pest Management.
Additional sessions focused on classroom management, child development, and building positive relationships with students and families. It was a valuable time for our team to reflect, collaborate, and grow, helping us better support your children both academically and emotionally throughout the year.
Student Achievements
In September, we will be revisiting important life skills and exploring them through child-friendly definitions. Together, we’ll create classroom décor that highlights the skills we value as a community - such as caring and empathy, cooperation, patience, flexibility, responsibility, and effort.
Each week, teachers will recognize STAR STUDENTS, celebrating a wide variety of strengths. This could include showing life skills, being creative, showing team spirit, being a supportive friend, or even helping get others involved in a group game. Our goal is to acknowledge and encourage all the different ways children contribute to making our aftercare community positive and fun.
Reminders
For your child’s safety, please notify Happy Hall if they will be absent from aftercare on a scheduled day. If a child does not arrive within 5–7 minutes of dismissal, staff will begin a safety protocol: checking with the school, contacting parents/guardians, and if necessary, notifying the authorities. To avoid disruptions during arrival, we ask that you inform us in advance whenever possible. You may email Sunset Ridge @ Happy Hall, call or text (650) 355-7377, use the 1core app to mark your child absent, or notify us a few days ahead of time.
Please remind students that toys, collectibles, and other personal items from home should not be brought to Happy Hall, as we cannot be held responsible for any lost, broken, or stolen items.
Happy Hall is open from 7:00 AM until the start of the school day for morning care. Once school begins, the program is closed during regular school hours. We reopen for aftercare at school dismissal and remain open until 6:00 PM. Please note that late fees apply for pick-ups after 6:05 PM.
Looking Ahead
Next month, we’ll wrap up our “Community” theme and dive into an exciting new focus: “The Natural World.” This theme will take us on an exploration of the diverse ecosystems and natural environments that shape our planet. Through hands-on activities and engaging discussions, students will develop a deeper appreciation for nature, gain insight into the richness of biodiversity, and learn the importance of caring for our environment.
Stay Connected
Check out our photo galleries:
Thank You!
We want to thank all of our new and Ocean Shore families for trusting us in this new school year and as we begin this exciting chapter together at Sunset Ridge. Your support means so much, and we look forward to creating a safe, fun, and welcoming aftercare community for your children.
Warmly,
Annie Quintana & Laura Barraza
Program Director
Sunset Ridge
