Bill’s Word: Engagement!
Dear Friend,
Last week a woman came into the AEF office to donate two musical instruments that had been her husband’s, who had sadly passed away recently. She explained how he had grown up disadvantaged in southern California and how the public school music program had engaged him in school and helped him achieve success as an adult. After consulting with her children, who had grown up in Alameda and also been positively impacted by school music programs, she decided to donate the instruments so that other students might become engaged and positively impacted, by music in our schools. She felt confident this is what her husband would have wanted.
Students have different pathways that engage them in learning, from music to athletics to technology and so much more. That’s why I am always proud that the Alameda Education Foundation is able to support so many different programs that engage Alameda students and make the sort of impact that can be life changing.
On the music front, I’m excited that AEF is partnering with Conductor Michael Morgan and the Oakland East Bay Symphony to offer two Young People’s Concerts to elementary students and middle school music students on October 24th. These concerts, entitled “Make Music with Things Around You,” are free and are being offered to Alameda public school elementary students and middle school music students. More information is here. These concerts are known for being very powerful in their impact on students and in engaging children in music for the first time, that often lasts a lifetime. This concert is made possible by An Anonymous Donor of the East Bay Community Foundation.
Engagement for some students may come through a completely different area, like technology. Building robots, for example, is an exciting and fun way for students to learn math skills, cause and effect, problem solving, innovation and creativity, and teamwork. That’s why I am very happy this year to announce that AEF will be supporting an after school Robotics program at Encinal High School. This support is made possible because of our collaboration with Alameda Municipal Power (AMP) and our joint Power Up For Learning program. This Robotics program is a proven success, but was at risk of being cut due to a loss of funding. However, thanks to Power Up For Learning, AEF was in a position to step up and sponsor this program.
Power Up For Learning is one of the easiest ways our community can support student engagement through technology education. By designating a modest amount – as little as $1/month – to be added to your power bill, you can support programs like Robotics and other technology education programs across our island. Simply click here to sign up. Our goal this year is to triple the number of Power Up For Learning donors. It’s likely that you won’t notice an extra $1, or even $5, on your power bill, but cumulatively this could add up to engage and impact hundreds of students. Please take a moment to sign up and help us reach our goal!
With the start of school, it is our busiest time for Adopt A Classroom. If you would like to adopt your student’s teacher, or help out a teacher in need, please click here.
Our friends at Alameda Rotary Club are selling Raiders tickets to the October 19th game against the Arizona Cardinals to help support teachers through Adopt A Classroom. Just click on this link and enter the special offer code: rotary. You’ll be able to purchase discounted tickets and $20 from each ticket will go towards the Adopt A Classroom program! The deadline for purchasing these tickets is Friday, Sept. 5th!
Athletics are another way students often become engaged. AEF’s Middle School Sports program offers year-round after school athletics to Alameda public school 6th – 8th graders. Volleyball tryouts are underway and matches begin next week.
Registration began last Friday for our After School Enrichment classes. We are once again offering a myriad of classes for elementary and middle school students in areas such as violin, Mandarin, cross country, dance, rock band, symphony and much more to engage as many students as possible, no matter what their interests may be.
Finally, thank you to all of you who supported the Equipped 4 Success community wide school supply drive. We distributed new backpacks filled with school supplies to 1,016 low-income students this year! What better way to help students become engaged than by making sure they have the school supplies they need on the first day of school? You can read a personal account – and see pictures – about the success and impact of Equipped 4 Success here.
As you can see, the Alameda Education Foundation supports student engagement through just about every avenue you can imagine, but that is what it takes to be sure we reach as many students as possible throughout Alameda with vital learning opportunities. As always, we could not do this without your generous support. Every donation helps us engage another student in a lifetime of learning. Thank you for helping us “support student success” for our Alameda students!
Sincerely,
Bill Sonneman, President