Who is AEF? The Alameda Education Foundation is made up of people like you who give generously to support vital programs in art, music, drama, sports, science, technology and much more!
AEF Enrichment – Click to Register or View Account
Alameda Education Foundation
501(c)(3) non-profit
Tax ID #94-2867769
P.O. Box 1363, Alameda 94501
Tel. 510.337.7189
Fax. 510.748.4706
info@AlamedaEducation.org
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Dear Friends,
School may not have been in session this summer, but the Alameda Education Foundation and the Alameda community have been very busy with events and activities supporting student success!
School Supply Drive
Our school supply drive for needy students continues through August 27th. You can help ensure that all students start the year off right by making sure they have the supplies they need for the start of school. Our goal is to have 880 backpacks filled with essential school supplies by the first day of school, August 29th. Complete details of items needed and drop-off locations may be found here.
We are also accepting musical instruments as part of our School Supply Drive. And on that note, on August 27th South Shore Center will be hosting a Songwriters Workshop & Jam Session. AEF will be collecting instruments during the concert that evening from 5:30 – 7:30 pm. Click here for more details about the workshop.
Shop for School, Shop 4 Education
Back to school often means shopping and AEF has many wonderful shopping opportunities for you, all of which benefit Alameda public schools. Need a stylish handbag? Want to learn how to ensure your child eats a healthy lunch? Looking to refinance your mortgage or perhaps even purchase a home? Then check our Shop 4 Education Marketplace to learn about all sorts of different shopping opportunities, all of which benefit AEF support of Alameda public schools.
A couple upcoming highlights include a Hobo handbag trunk sale at Lilac Boutique on August 25th and the launch of Lunch Wars, a book about healthy school lunches,at Books Inc. on September 22nd. Both events will donate a percentage of proceeds to AEF. Who knew shopping could be so philanthropic?
Summer Heroes
AEF Boardmember Diana Kenney has been a real school hero this summer, leading an extreme makeover for Encinal High School. Diana and well over a hundred volunteers – mostly students – spent the summer transforming the campus into a beautiful outside environment that will enhance Jet pride and student learning. You can read the full article here. Thank you, Diana! You make us all proud.
Summer Thank Yous
Many of our local businesses are also heroes for their work on behalf of Alameda schools. Thank you to the Alameda Theatre and Cineplex for hosting the Summer Movie Series for children, the proceeds of which were donated to AEF. Thank you to Daisy’s and Bank of Alameda for helping with this fundraiser by serving as ticket outlets.
Thank you Kirk Cowan and the Harbor Bay Club for hosting the kick-off event for All Together Now on July 3rd. This event raised vital funds for music, art and drama in our schools.
Thank you Alameda Municipal Power (AMP) for partnering with us on Power Up 4 Learning, which enables AMP customers to support Alameda schools via their utility bill. Thanks to this program, AEF recently received over $8,000, which will be used directly for teacher support through AEF’s Teacher Mini-Grant program.
Thank you to Alameda Girl Scout Troop 31532 for partnering with AEF on the School Supply Drive and to South Shore Center for hosting a booth for the Drive during their concert series this summer and to Peter’s Kettle Corn for donating proceeds from popcorn sells to this important cause. Many, many businesses have participated in the School Supply Drive by hosting donation bins. Please click here (link) for a complete list of these generous businesses and organizations!
Save the Dates
As fall approaches, please mark your calendars for these fun fundraising events:
Sincerely,
Bill Sonneman, AEF President
Graduation ceremonies for Alameda and Encinal High School were last week and by the look of the graduating classes, the future looks very bright.
For example, Alameda High School 2011 graduate Valerie Fong was just selected as one of two CIF/Farmers Scholar-Athletes of the Year. This is a scholarship award that identifies student-athletes who excel in the classroom, athletics, and make strong contributions to their schools and communities. Only one female and one male are selected each year from the 1,500-plus CIF schools statewide, both public and private. (California Interscholastic Federation is the governing body for high school sports in California)
Valerie was a four-year volleyball player at Alameda who took her passion for sports and leveraged it to help her community, such as by organizing a sanctioned charity volleyball tournament to generate funds for the George Mark Children’s Hospice and Respite Care. (GMCH). She also volunteers at GMCH and Kaiser Hospital in Oakland. Valerie boasts a 4.6 GPA, is a National Merit Scholarship recipient and a College Board Advance Placement Scholar. She’ll attend UCLA in the fall to study Microbiology and Immunology.
Not to be outdone, Encinal High School graduate Eunice Lam is the recipient of two full college scholarships: the Gates Millennium Scholarship and the Cal Incentive Awards Program. The Gates Millennium Scholarship is given to only 1,000 students nationwide, from a pool of 23,000 applicants. Lam, a native of Hong Kong, credits the diversity at Encinal High School for encouraging her to “define myself and to get out there and do more, get involved in more activities.” Inspired by an Encinal teacher, Lam, who will be attending Cal Berkeley, is considering a career in teaching in order to “give back to the next generation and develop students and their future.”
These are two outstanding examples of the quality of education in Alameda’s public schools. In fact, both Alameda and Encinal rank in the top 4% in the Washington Post’s national High School challenge, which measures the number of AP exams administered divided by the number of high school seniors. Of 23,000 schools nationwide, Alameda came in at #578 (top 2%) and Encinal at #994 (top 4%).
In addition to UCLA and Cal, AUSD graduates are attending UC Davis, UC San Diego, the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Brown, Dartmouth, Duke, Fisk, Georgetown, and Wellesley among many, many others. Many are receiving scholarships as well. While many scholarships are still in the process of being awarded, to date figures for Encinal and Alameda seniors have received over $1.5 million in scholarships for college.
And it’s not just our high schools that are achieving. In April, Lincoln Middle School was named a 2011 California Distinguished School based on its high academic performance, sustained growth, and significant progress closing the achievement gap.
Congratulations to our Seniors! And congratulations to all our schools for supporting student success!
Dear Friend,
Salute to Education
Our 28th annual Salute to Education (SED) was another big success! Close to 300 people networked, celebrated innovative programs, and honored our teachers, staff and volunteers who work so tirelessly to support quality education in Alameda. It really is a wonderful opportunity for school staff and community members alike to come together and network. One principal mentioned that she had 16 issues on her plate when she arrived, but by networking at SED, she was able to resolve all of them!
Thank you to AEF Vice President and SED Chair, Diana Kenney, who exemplifies so well the type of dedicated teacher – and volunteer! – who works so hard to support our students. A special thanks to the amazing catering crew: Barbara Mooney, Sylvia Kahn, Barbara Kahn, Jeff Cambra, and Ron Mooney. Patrick Kenney of Cairdea Marketing donated his talents to produce all the many posters highlighting innovative programs. And last, but far from least, thank you to the Alameda High School jazz band under the direction of Jesse Randell who provided amazing music for all of us throughout the evening.
You can catch a wonderful video of the evening, produced by Alameda Patch, here: http://alameda.patch.com/articles/alameda-public-schools-celebrate-excellence#video-5885544
Track Championships
Our Middle School Track & Field Championships are this Wednesday (May 18) and next Tuesday (May 24 – postponement due to rain). Wednesday are the running events at College of Alameda and Tuesday are the Long Jump and Shot Put championships at Encinal High School. All events begin at 4:00 pm. We have about 200 students participating in track this year and there is a lot of talent on display!
Shop-4-Education
Don’t forget to check out our Shop-4-Education page at http://alamedaeducationfoundation.org/shop-4-education/. There are a wide variety of products and services from local businesses who donate a portion of their proceeds to support public education via the AEF. Check it out and support businesses that support our schools!
Grant Action
One of the many ways AEF supports Alameda schools, that often goes under the radar, is by facilitating grant applications and awards between corporations and our schools. Recently, we managed the awarding of $5000 from Cognex Corporation (manufacture of machine vision systems and sensors), which will enable several schools to purchase educational equipment, go on an educational field trip, and host fun and safe community-building events for students.
AEF would also like to thank the Jameson Foundation. They awarded AEF a grant, which will help support our Middle School Sports and Enrichment programs.
Summertime
As you begin your summer planning, be sure to check out these special opportunities and events. First of all, The Alameda Theatre & Cineplex offers a Summer Movie Series featuring family movies at a greatly discounted price. You may purchase your tickets on our website at alamedaeducation.org or at Daisy’s at 1347 Park Street or Bank of Alameda at 1416 Park Street.
Mark your calendar for July 3rd. The Harbor Bay Club will be hosting a Summer Benefit Series and the FABulous Beatles tribute band, The Sun Kings, kick it off. Proceeds from this event will be used by AEF to support music, art and drama in Alameda public schools. Enjoy great music, delicious food and beverages, and enter to win super prizes. Stay tuned for more details!
Sincerely,
Bill Sonneman
I hope you will join me next Friday, April 29th, from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. at our 28th annual Salute to Education event. Salute to Education is about celebrating the wonderful work our schools do to support students. It’s a chance for the entire community to come together and get to know each other a little better, learn about innovative programs in our schools, and honor the people who work so hard for our students. We’ll be celebrating at Rock Wall Wine Company on Alameda Point and the evening will include gourmet hors d’oeuvres, local wines, and the beautiful backdrop of the San Francisco skyline. If you purchase your tickets by April 22nd, they are just $30 online and $35 by cash or check.
It is my pleasure to introduce to you our new Enrichment Coordinator, Sarah Olaes. Sarah will be dedicated to both the day-to-day operations of Enrichment as well as its expansion. Our goal is to expand Enrichment to all schools, including middle and high schools, and to offer it at more times throughout the year, such as in the summer and during school breaks. I believe Sarah will help us achieve these goals and we are excited to have her as part of our team. You may reach Sarah at Enrichment@AlamedaEducation.org.
If Sarah’s name sounds familiar, that’s because she has been very involved in Alameda schools. She is a parent and has served as the Otis Coordinator for Enrichment for six years. Sarah was also an integral part of the parcel tax campaigns, serving as Volunteer Coordinator. Recently, I have had so many parents tell me of their plans to move out of Alameda if the parcel tax had not passed. So, another thank you to Sarah and all the others who worked so tirelessly to help the parcel tax pass.
In other news, AEF’s Track & Field program is underway. The first meet was last week and the next one is May 3rd (field events at Encinal High School) and 4th (running events at College of Alameda). We have 187 students registered for track this spring from four middle schools: Academy, Lincoln, Wood and, new this spring, a combined Nea/ACLC team. There are so many athletes participating that at our first meet, there were 88 entries just in the 50 meter dash! It takes dozens of volunteers to run a track meet, so I want to thank all the parents, students and coaches who make it possible!
AEF continues to support the arts as well. We recently awarded a $500 mini-grant to Encinal High School’s drama department production of “Seussical: the Musical” from the Tricia Collins-Levi Memorial Fund. We continue to hear back from schools on how donations from our All Together Now 2010 event are being used to support music, art and drama in the schools. Funds have helped purchase instruments, art supplies, wireless microphones and much more that help support a well-rounded, high quality education in Alameda.
Hope to see you on the 29th!
Sincerely,
Bill Sonneman
Tickets are $30 if purchased online before April 22nd
$35 if purchased by cash or check by April 22nd
$40 cash or check after April 22 or at the door
The Alameda Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. Our tax ID number is 94-2867769. Your donation is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Donate Now!
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Kids Movie Series Support AEF by buying your Kids Movie Series through AEF. Purchase them at the following businesses (accepting cash or checks payable to AEF): Bank of Alameda-1416 Park Street; Café Q-2302 Encinal Avenue and Daisy’s-1347 Park Street.
To purchase them via credit card, click the arrow button above to indicate the number of sets then click the "Buy Now" button to purchase them online. Movie tickets will be mailed for online purchases.
Click for more details.
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