Strata After School | Millbrae | August 2026
Updated: Aug 21
Building Community Through Layered Learning
At Strata Learning After School, curriculum gives our afternoons purpose while leaving room for the choice, creativity, movement, and connection students need after a full school day.
Our Layered Learning approach brings together six areas throughout the program: Wellness, Connection, Movement, Discovery, Academic Success, and Community. Together, these layers support skills ranging from physical well-being and social-emotional development to STEAM exploration, academic support, leadership, and community involvement.
Why We Begin with Community
The beginning of a school year is about more than learning a new schedule. Students are forming friendships, finding their place within a group, reconnecting with their school community, and learning how they can contribute to it.
That's why our first major curriculum theme of the year is Community.
Elementary students explore what it means to be a citizen, learn about local heroes, create community-inspired art, and imagine how they can help build the future. Middle school students take that thinking further through friendship, connection, the communities around them, and unity across differences.
The activities look different by age, but the larger goal is shared: helping students develop relationships, understand their role within a community, and recognize that they can contribute to the spaces and groups they are part of.
COLLEEN ROCKS Director of Programming & Education
Strata Learning Animal Adventure Zone
We're bringing a little Strata fun to the 55th Annual Millbrae Art & Wine Festival!
Come visit the Strata Learning Animal Adventure Zone, a family-friendly area featuring the petting zoo, activities, prizes, and more.
September 5 & 6 | 10:00 AM–5:00 PM Broadway Avenue | Downtown Millbrae
Free Petting Zoo Admission
Visit us in the Animal Adventure Zone for free admission to the petting zoo and a spin on the Strata Learning prize wheel, with giveaway prizes available while supplies last.
Wear Your Strata Tee!
Wear your Strata Learning tee and receive an extra spin on our prize wheel.
(Shirts will be distributed the week before.)
The Millbrae Art & Wine Festival is free to attend and features live music, food, art, family activities, and more throughout downtown Millbrae.
We hope to see you at the Strata Learning Animal Adventure Zone!
Millbrae Education Foundation
Strata Learning is proud to support the Millbrae Education Foundation (MEF) and its work on behalf of students across the Millbrae Elementary School District.
Our connection to Millbrae extends beyond the after-school day, and supporting MEF is one way we can invest in the broader school community our students and families share.
MEF Welcome Back Pizza Party
Wednesday, September 2 | 5:30–7:30 PM
Shea Center at Taylor Middle School
Rotary Club of Millbrae
One of the things I value about being part of the Millbrae community is finding ways for the organizations I'm involved with to support one another.
At this year's Millbrae Art & Wine Festival, Strata Learning is partnering with the Rotary Club of Millbrae Interact Club to offer free face painting in the Strata Learning Animal Adventure Zone. Interact gives young people opportunities to participate in community service, develop leadership skills, and become more involved in their communities. Students can begin participating as early as 6th grade.
I'm especially excited to bring these two parts of my Millbrae community together and to give our families an opportunity to learn more about Interact.
RACHEL HECK CEO, Strata Learning President, Rotary Club of Millbrae
Creativity, Collaboration, and a Little Experimentation
The first weeks of the school year are already bringing plenty of opportunities for students to create, experiment, work together, and enjoy time with friends. Across our Millbrae programs, students are settling into their new routines while making each program their own.
Taylor Middle | STEAM in Action
Taylor students have been putting science and engineering to the test through hands-on STEAM challenges.
In one project, students made ice cream in a bag, measuring ingredients and exploring how matter changes as they shook ice and ingredients together to create their own frozen treat.
Another group took on an engineering challenge, using popsicle sticks and chopsticks to design and build a Ferris wheel. Projects like these give students a chance to experiment, problem-solve, collaborate, and turn an idea into something they can actually see and test.
Meadows | Building Together
At Meadows, students put their teamwork and patience to the test with a deceptively simple challenge: How high can you build with foam bricks and paper plates?
Working in teams, students experimented with different ways to stack and balance the materials. The challenge turned an everyday set of materials into an opportunity to plan, communicate, adjust strategies, and keep trying when a design didn't quite work.
Green Hills | Creating Community
Green Hills students have been exploring community through both collaborative art and time outdoors.
During a community drawing project, students worked together to share ideas and create artwork connected to their school community. Students also headed outside for a chalk day, filling the blacktop with their creations before getting moving with games like chaos tag.
It's a good example of the balance we want students to experience after school: opportunities to create and collaborate alongside plenty of time to move, connect, and have fun.
Spring Valley | Building, Moving & Working Together
Spring Valley students have been jumping into the new school year with plenty of opportunities to collaborate, create, and get moving. Our TK students worked together to design an elaborate wooden train track, combining their ideas as their creation grew across the room.
Outside, students took advantage of the sunshine with pool noodle relay races, bringing plenty of movement, teamwork, and energy to the field.
Lomita Park | Building Skills Together
At Lomita Park, students are starting the year with activities designed to strengthen connection, cooperation, and confidence. Indoors, students took on a hands-on team challenge that encouraged them to communicate, problem-solve, and work alongside one another.
Outside, students put movement and coordination into action through a colorful group activity combining running, targets, and plenty of energy. These shared experiences are helping students build relationships and settle into their after-school community.
One of my favorite parts of visiting our Millbrae programs is seeing how differently students engage with the opportunities around them. No two afternoons look exactly alike, but across our programs, we're creating spaces where students can explore their interests, connect with others, and enjoy their time after school.
MARINA HAMACK
Senior After School Director
Dates to Know
Friday, August 28 - Minimum Day
September 5 & 6 | 10:00 AM–5:00 PM - Strata Learning Animal Adventure Zone (📍Millbrae Wine & Art Festival)
Tuesday, September 1 | 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM - MESD Regular Board Meeting (📍Millbrae City Hall)
Wednesday, September 2 | 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM - MEF Welcome Back Pizza Party (📍Shea Center at Taylor Middle School)
Monday, September 7 - Closed for Labor Day
Tuesday, September 15 | 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM - MESD Regular Board Meeting (📍School District, Room H7)
Leadership Across Our Schools
Each Millbrae campus has dedicated on-site leadership, with our directors working together to create a consistent, high-quality Strata experience across all five programs.
