Bill’s Word: Fall Happenings
Dear Friend,
As we head into the busy Fall season of the school year, I find myself so proud of the Alameda Education Foundation programs we are supporting – with your help – that help fulfill our motto of “Supporting Student Success.”
In September we presented 38 teachers with Adopt A Classroom $500 grants and in October that number looks to be 56 more. In two months, we are almost two-thirds of the way towards our goal of 150 adoptions – equaling $75,000 – for the 2013-2014 school year! These adoptions enable teachers to use the funds immediately and with no strings attached to support their unique classroom situation. Teachers have told us they “love how easy the whole program is for teachers,” and how they “like being able to choose what the money is used for based on student needs.”
We especially appreciate “open” or undirected donations that we can give to teachers most in need who may not have the same access to resources as teachers at more affluent schools. You can help us support these teachers by…shopping! Several Park Street businesses are having a shopping night on October 22nd and donating a portion of sales to Adopt A Classroom. Please see this flyer for more information. Of course, you may also Adopt A Classroom yourself here.
It may be a little late for you and me, but if you have a student with the dream of being a rock star, we’ve got your ticket. The Alameda RockShop is a unique and exciting after-school rock band program now available to middle school and high school students across Alameda through our Enrichment program. Musicians and singers will learn songs, rehearse in bands, develop their performance skills and play big session-ending concerts! RockShop is on Thursdays, 4:30 – 7 PM at 400 Grand Street (ACLC campus) beginning Nov. 7th and going through Feb. 20th. Check out this page for more info!
I’m particularly excited about one of our new City-wide Enrichment programs this fall – the Alameda Asteroids Cross Country Club for middle schoolers. This group had their first cross country meet with 17 other middle schools a couple weeks ago. The kids had so much fun and “were just beaming” at the end, according to the coaches. And our 8th grade girls came in 2nd place!
Our “Swing Kids” dance group performed at Everything Alameda on Sept. 28th and put on a fantastic show. Check out the video here.
The “Swing Kids” Tap (10 – 11am) and Swing (11am – 12pm) classes are still enrolling. Classes are every Saturday morning at the Alameda High Dance Studio. To enroll click here. The classes are listed under the Alameda Wide programs. Classes are for grades 1-8, $50/session.
No, we’re not getting violent, just talking about our Fall Volleyball season underway now at our middle schools. Our Volleyball program has grown to include 6 B teams and 5 A teams with about 150 student-athletes participating. Check out the full schedule here. We’d like to offer a special thank you to the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame for a grant that enabled us to purchase essential volleyball equipment for our program!
Help Make Wood School More Beautiful
Supervisor Wilma Chan is a great supporter of Alameda schools. In fact, her generous donation to Equipped 4 Success was essential to enabling us to reach our goal of supplying 1,000 backpacks filled with school supplies to low-income students. Supervisor Chan will be hosting a work day to help with landscaping at Wood School, 420 Grand St., on Saturday, Oct. 19th from 10 AM – 4 PM. Food, refreshments and children’s activities will be provided! As a former principal of Wood, I look forward to lending a hand and hope you will join me. RSVP to Karina.Rivera@acgov.org or just come on down!
Mark your calendar for April 25, 2014, Salute to Education, Alameda’s premier event celebrating public education. Look for details at the beginning of the year.
Again, thank you for your supporting the Alameda Education Foundation and Alameda’s 10,000+ public school students!
Sincerely,
Bill Sonneman