Supporting Student Success – November 2016

by jill · Published November 14, 2016 · Updated January 5, 2017

Dear Friend,

Message from the AEF President

Happy November! November is my favorite month of the year because of Thanksgiving. I personally have so much to be thankful. My wife Lois and I have been married 47 years and have lived in our wonderful city the entire time. Our three daughters graduated from Encinal High School and went on to get college degrees. Now we have 6 grandchildren and the 4 that are school age attend public schools. I am thankful for my family as well as the 37 year career in public education. During my tenure, I worked with so many fantastic caring staff. I thank them for their commitment to students. After retiring, I joined the AEF Board and became President. I am so thankful for the dedicated AEF staff (Vicki, Nora, Sarah and Yenju). They are committed to our public schools and truly make a difference in the lives of so many of our students. Thank you AEF Board, you are volunteers and I appreciate your time and generosity. Finally, thank you to all the people who make our programs flourish and our generous donors.

I will leave you with one short positive story. Last Thursday, we delivered twenty-four $500 classroom adoptions. After the teacher is awarded the adoption, I often ask students how the teacher should spend the money. Typical responses include a class pet, field trip, classroom supplies, etc. A girl in a 4th grade class at Haight School raised her hand and said her class should take this $500 then add to it and the class could donate the money to a hospital or a cause that needed the money. I left that classroom inspired, and thankful to be the President of the AEF.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bill Sonneman

AEF Spotlight

AEF Middle School Sports Program and How to Change a Life

Eighth grader Jason wanted to try out for his middle school’s volleyball team this fall, but the coach was reticent. The prior year, Jason had a poor attitude and received grades far below the team’s minimum grade point average of a C+. But Jason was insistent, telling the coach he wanted to turn his life around and make his mother proud of him. The coach gave him a chance and worked with school administrators to get him academic support. Jason went to every practice, respected the coach, and tried his best. His grades went from D’s and F’s to A’s and B’s. Jason’s mother attended one of the first matches even though she had just been released from the hospital. The coach put Jason in, and he played his heart out while tears of joy streamed down his mother’s face. Through participation in AEF’s Middle School Sports program, with its academic and behavioral guidelines, Jason has learned he has what it takes to be successful. And he has definitely made his mother proud!

AEF Announcements

Measure B1 passes!

The parcel tax renewal received a record 73.9% of the votes to pass last week. This passage ensures that critical funding remains for core academic programs in Alameda public schools. Thank you for your support!

Help power up our students!

AEF and Alameda Municipal Power make it easy to support technology education for students. Just sign up to have a buck or two added to your monthly power bill through our Power UP For Learning Program. AEF receives these funds to support technology education across the Island. During the month of November, sign up and AMP will donate $25 for each new donor! Sign up today!

Local Businesses Support AEF!

Alameda businesses understand the value of strong educational programs and make it fun at the same time! Thank you to SPIN! Pizza “Dine & Donate” nights on the first Tuesdays of each month (next one – Dec. 6th) and to Angela’s Kitchen for benefitting us on November 4th during their “Friday Night Flights” event. Thank you also to Suzanne Vincent’s Halloween Benefit for AEF on October 22nd.

Running for Education

AEF was honored to be a joint beneficiary of the inaugural Bank of Marin’s Alameda Running Festival on Oct. 29 – 30. We look forward to seeing this festival grow over the years and to getting more children and young people involved in running, both for fun and competitively.

We’re Halfway There!

We have adopted close to 100 teachers through our Adopt A Classroom program. Help us reach our goal of 200! Please be sure to check out photos of the happy recipients here. Thanks to our generous sponsors, each teacher receives 100% of the $500 donation. Learn more about our sponsors and make a donation on the AAC page.

Volleyball Championships

Congratulations to volleyball DI and DII champions the Lincoln Lions! It was a very competitive and exciting season. Thank you to Al Wright of Raintree Studios for the photos! Thank you to the Olympic Club Foundation for their generous grant supporting our Middle School Sports program. You can view photos of the season here. AEF’s basketball season begins in January and Track & Field starts in April.

Congratulations to the Alameda Asteroids!

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