Dear REF Community,

When public dollars fall short at school, parents step in. And when parents don't have the extra resources to help, it falls to the community around them to close the gap.

Across every district neighboring Ravenswood — Woodside Elementary, Menlo Park City, Palo Alto Unified, Portola Valley, San Carlos — parents supplement what tax dollars alone can't cover. Private donations fund academic supports like literacy and math coaches and intervention teachers, mental health services, and enrichments like the arts, robotics, athletics and field trips - all programs that many of us consider essential to a well-rounded education. And that's on top of the individual investments so many families already make: tutoring, therapy, club sports, even independent school.

In Ravenswood, 90% of families identify as low income. They want the same for their children as any parent does - they just don't have the extra resources to supplement their schools the way families in neighboring districts can.

That's where the REF community comes in. Your gift to the annual campaign helps fund essential services like in school tutoring with reading intervention teachers, school-provided 1:1 and small group therapy, instructional coaches and professional development to improve the quality of classroom time, classes in the arts and STEM.

Your gift also says something simple but important: equitable education matters for all of us. A rising tide lifts all ships.

Please make a gift to the REF annual campaign today. Match what you give to your own child's school, or dig a little deeper for Ravenswood students who rely on school to meet their needs.

It's an honor to be part of this community with you.

With gratitude,

Jenna Wachtel Pronovost

Executive Director