Though currently only open to staff, Sko Joe’s Coffee Cafe, operated by students in the Extensive Support Needs program, brings the warmth of freshly brewed coffee and cinnamon rolls from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. every Friday inside room 409 at Palo Alto High School.
Paly Special Education teachers Dan Galluccio and Lisa Jauregui led a full rebrand of last year’s Future’s Cafe, transforming it into Sko Joe’s.
The cafe serves coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and cinnamon rolls for $3 and fruit for $1. Staff receive a 50-cent discount if they bring their own cup.
According to the Palo Alto Unified School District’s website, the Special Education program is dedicated to providing services and support to all students, with specific classes for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).
Galluccio explains that the Extensive Support Needs group is a different segment of the Special Education program, specifically for students with the most severe disabilities and needs, and how the cafe can help them.
“Our extended support needs class focuses primarily on daily living skills and vocational training as opposed to traditional academics and whatnot,” Galluccio said.
In keeping with the Paly theme, Galluccio said how the duo landed on their iconic title.
“Our school motto is ‘Sko Vikes’ and we thought that Cup of Joe was a cute name,” Galluccio said.
According to Galluccio, the Sko Joe’s logo — a Viking with sunglasses made of coffee cups — was designed by students in the program and appears on the menu, signs, and the signature dark green aprons worn by the students.
A delivery option is also available if staff cannot visit the cafe.
According to Galluccio, every Thursday afternoon an email with a Google form is sent out to staff, offering the option to pre-order from the cafe and choose a delivery time. The following morning, the form is reviewed and students deliver the items at the requested time.
English teacher Erin Angell is among one of the staff members who recently ordered from Sko Joe’s.
“Delicious, professional, great,” Angell said. “I ordered a coffee and a hot chocolate and it was amazing.”
The program also extends its services to the district office, where each morning a different group of students walks over to offer the same tasty treats to district personnel.
According to Galluccio, all the proceeds go towards the program and its students.
“All profits that we make from Sko Joe’s help us to plan cool and unique field trips or to purchase necessary supplies for our class,” Galluccio said. “Every dollar we make goes back to the students.”
While the cafe is currently only open to staff, Galluccio said he is working toward getting the approval to expand service to students as well.
According to Galluccio, Sko Joe’s gives students practical work experience while offering breakfast to the staff.
“This is a great work opportunity for the kids and it also provides great service for the staff,” Galluccio said.