March 2023 Edition

Dear Friends of the San Ramon Valley Education Foundation:

2023 is off to a great start!

We held our annual Celebrate Innovation in Education event on February 8th at Roundhill Country Club. This is an opportunity for the Major Gifts and Endowment Committee to thank and recognize our donors while receiving an update on how their donations are being used. In 2022 the Endowment Committee funded Elementary School Arts, Culturally Relevant Music, Generation Citizen, and Online Professional Development Incentives. Also this year the Major Gifts and Endowment Committee was able to fund 24 individual teacher grants. The afternoon was kicked off by the talented Alamo Elementary Choir, and the highlight of the event was receiving an inspiring update on the accomplishments and goals of the San Ramon Valley Unified School District by Superintendent, Dr. John Malloy. The event wrapped up by raising additional funds to further the committee's vision to provide a stable, local funding source that will enable SRVUSD to undertake long-term and innovative educational programs to enhance the curriculum.

Our next major event will be Night with the Stars on Monday, April 17 at Blackhawk Country Club. This popular event will celebrate our Shining Stars – individuals, nominated by each school. This award recognizes those that go above and beyond in supporting their school community. Look for more details shortly.

We are kicking off planning for our 40th Annual Run for Education. Mark your calendars for Sunday, October 8th, 2023. It will be a day filled with fun for the entire family. You can register here.  

Have any ideas or suggestions? Our Board is always interested in learning from our Community. Please share them by contacting us at info@SRVEF.org.

Gary Alpert

President

San Ramon Valley Education Foundation

The San Ramon Valley Education Foundation (SRVEF) is proud to offer Imagineering, a beyond school enrichment program for 2nd - 12th grade students. The goal of Imagineering is to spark student interest in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math).

This Summer we will be offering a variety of classes that will appeal to young scientists, engineers, coders, zoologists, programmers, chemists, techies, artists, and mathematicians starting June 12 and running through July 21, 2023. With weeklong classes for incoming students from 2nd through high school, you are certain to find something for your student.

And for your student performer, we will be offering a five-week Theatre Production Class where students will perform in and design a full-length musical, developing and enhancing their skills in performing arts, visual arts, and sound engineering.

40th Annual Run for Education!

Starting today, and continuing through Sunday, April 9, we will be accepting submissions of a logo for the 40th Annual Run for Education. The winning design will be highlighted on t-shirts and the winning student will receive $100 in gift cards.

Criteria:

• Artist must be a student of SRVUSD
• Logo must include the SRVEF tree in the design (see image to the right)
• Must include the words "40th Annual Run for Education" and "Chevron Presents"
• Please submit it as a PDF file and include the student's name, grade, and school with the entry
• Logo must be colorful and easy to see from a distance

Submission:

Please email entries to info@srvef.org with the subject line "Run for Education Logo Contest" by Sunday, April 9. 

Save the Date!

Mark your calendars for the 40th Anniversary of the Run for Education. Join us on Sunday, October 9, 2023! We had lots of fun last year and the 40th Annual Run for Education promises to be even better!

Save the date for Night with the Stars

The San Ramon Valley Education Foundation (SRVEF) cordially invites you to join us on Monday, April 17, 2023, at 5 pm at Blackhawk Country Club to celebrate the essence of what makes our community so special - a group of dedicated individuals. 

Together with our school Affiliates, we will celebrate a Shining Start from each school in the San Ramon Valley Unified School district (SRVUSD). We will also announce the SRVEF Affiliates of the Year, and recognize the 2022-2023 SRVUSD Teachers of the Year.

It will be an evening to network with parents, teachers, administrators, community members, and our steadfast supporters, all while learning more about our organization and how we are Investing in a World Class Educational Experience.

This is an evening of fellowship, come as you are after work, or get ready for a special night out, no requirements, just a desire to have a good time with our peers. We look forward to seeing you at Blackhawk Country Club starting at 5 pm. Registration will open soon.

Would you like to become a sponsor for this event? Email us at sponsors@srvef.org

If you have any questions, contact us at nwts@srvef.org

SRVEF Funds Benefiting the Arts in SRVUSD

We are excited to share a great teacher collaboration that took place on Tuesday, February 21st. This article was recently published in the SRVUSD Friday Brights newsletter.

School Highlight: Deep Learning and Innovation in Action

Chavonta Edington, Contra Costa County’s Teacher of the Year, is the Diablo Vista Instrumental Music teacher and SRVUSD’s Performing Arts Lead Teacher. She shared with us recently that in this lead role, she feels it is her responsibility to identify professional development opportunities for our teachers to lead their students through experiences where they see themselves in their learning. She explained that “we have so many students on our campus who are musicians but don't participate in our traditional band, choir, and orchestra classes,” and so she jumped at the opportunity to bring professional development sessions in both Mariachi and Taiko drumming to instrumental music teachers recently. Bringing these experiences into the classroom provides students with a rich cultural experience not found in traditional ensembles. Chavonta uses our Strategic Directions as a guide for all music lesson planning, and these Taiko and Mariachi sessions highlight all six pillars - but especially provide a unique opportunity for deep and innovative learning to students! 

Both professional development sessions included the district’s entire K-12 music staff and were financially supported through the San Ramon Valley Education Foundation (SRVEF).

The Mariachi session was made possible by the Kaplan Family donation. The Kaplan Family gave a very generous donation to SRVEF to be invested in music education throughout the district.



The Taiko session was funded by the SRVEF Endowment Fund. The presenter was Donna Yokomizo, former SRVUSD administrator and former SRVEF board member!

Past professional development experiences have helped our music teachers discover music from The Philippines, Northern and Southern India, and Steel Drum music, and Mrs. Edington can’t wait for the next opportunity to help deep learning in music come to a reality for students!

Taiko Drumming Session

Mariachi Session

Would you consider making a donation to support public education in the San Ramon Valley? We welcome you to become a Friend of the Foundation. SRVEF accepts donations via check, through PayPal, or our website. Thank you for your support!

To donate via check, please mail a check to:

SRVEF

3280 Crow Canyon Road

San Ramon, CA 94583

To donate through PayPal (no extra fees for SRVEF), please click the picture above

To donate through our website, please click the picture above

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