Support our island’s public schools, please GiveBig 2020

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We’ll get through this together.

Now, more than ever, it’s clear our schools are much more than institutions of learning. Vashon schools provide essential services to all families. They feed our students, they provide emotional support, they link those in need to critical safety nets, they are safe places, they provide a sense of community and belonging, they make sure our kids know they matter.

For many of us, nothing is certain right now. It’s the same for our schools. Education funding is even more uncertain and unstable. The programs our students rely on, and we value, may be in jeopardy.

If your family is able, please step up and help.  Your gift to the Vashon Schools Foundation will help us meet our fundraising goals and preserve these vital school programs and services.

  • Expansion of science education opportunities, K-12.
  • Funding for counseling, social and emotional support in partnership with Vashon Youth and Family, Journeyman and Sisterhood.
  • Resources for updating and expanding classroom libraries.
  • Resources for Chautauqua Spanish Speaking Intern program.
  • Support for racial equity initiatives: educator training and student resources.

Our GiveBig goal is to raise $30,000 – which will be matched, thereby DOUBLED, by the generosity of a Vashon business owner! With your donation you are providing a more certain future for our students and investing in thriving public schools that teach and empower our students. Thank you for your support.

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On Wednesday, May 8 our community comes together…

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…. in a day of generosity known as GiveBig. When we all give together, we GiveBig!

As you plan your donations, we ask you to consider including Vashon Schools Foundation (VSF). Since 2010, the Foundation has raised funds to support programs, curriculum and supplies that bridge the gap between state funding and the outstanding education that families and students have come to expect. This year, VSF plans to invest in:

  • Expansion of science education opportunities, K-12
  • Resources for updating and expanding classroom libraries
  • New instructional materials for reading, writing, and social studies at VHS and McMurray
  • Program funding support for racial equity, social, emotional learning for increased academic success

To schedule your GiveBig gift, go to www.givebig2019.org or give directly at our website.
Thank you in advance for creating community-powered public education!

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Today is Giving Tuesday please donate

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The holiday season has officially begun! We wish you one full of celebration, wonder, and special time with those who are dear to you.

You can join the global #GivingTuesday movement, a day dedicated to supporting charities. In this season of giving, we hope Vashon Schools Foundation has made your list.

Our non-profit works close to home, closing the gap between modest state funding for education and the exceptional opportunities and experiences that Vashon public schools are known for. Your gift will have a lasting impact on our schools and make a difference for a generation of students.

Our goal is to raise $36,000 by the end of the year to fund curriculum, programs, and initiatives that enrich student learning and experiences. With your help, we can fund:

  • Chautauqua Language Arts Curriculum Adoptions
  • STEM and Citizen Science Partnerships
  • McMurray Reading Curriculum Adoptions
  • Grade 4 and 5 Social Studies Adoption
  • VHS Science Grade Curriculum Adoptions
  • Science Lab Equipment
  • K-12 English language learner Program support
  • K-12 Racial Equity in Schools Initiative
  • Support for Guided student link
Making a donation on #GivingTuesday – or any day this holiday season – is easy. Use our website to make a secure contribution or send a check to P.O. Box 481, Vashon, WA 98070. Thank you!
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School Funding: A Conversation with WA Legislators about McCleary and the Current State of Education Funding

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Vashon Schools Foundation, PTSA, school administrators and staff have invited our state legislators to the island to discuss the education funding model after the McCleary decision, its impacts on Vashon schools, and changes needed to make it sustainable and fair.

Representatives Eileen Cody, Joe Fitzgibbon, and our newly elected state senator will be in attendance.

Thursday, November 8, 2:30 to 4:00pm Vashon Library

For questions or more information, contact vashonpublicschoolsfoundation@gmail.com or check out our Facebook event page here.

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R2-D2 and BB-8 will run to make our schools the best in the galaxy!

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“These are the droids Vashon is looking for. They will use the force for good to make Vashon schools out of this world,” said Beth Lindsay, president of the Vashon Schools Foundation.

The characters R2-D2 and BB-8 have fans of all ages from their roles in the movies. These particular robots were built on island using 3D printers, and the Foundation hopes they will appeal to kids in particular because they were built using the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) technology that is emphasized in Vashon schools.

“This is a great example of the technology that Vashon students are learning in class. The Foundation has funded STEAM programs, including faculty, equipment, calculators and other classroom supplies,” said Amy Broomhall, vice president of Vashon Schools Foundation.

Though fluent in 6 million forms of communication, R2-D2 and BB-8 do not plan to make many campaign stump speeches. They will appear at Strawberry Festival and other public events throughout the summer. Like all good politicians, they will host fundraising events with a goal of raising $10,000 for Vashon Schools Foundation.

 

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Thank you for your support! We raised over $96,000 during GiveBIG

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135 donors helped to make our public school fundraiser a success. We are grateful for each and every contribution. We live in a time when our students need to know more and have the capacity to do and process more than ever before. We raise funds provided by YOU to improve student learning through district-wide academic initiatives, curriculum and book purchases, emotional well-being programming, support and training for our teachers, and a full array of programs and resources that meet our schools’ and our students’ needs.

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Our biggest fundraiser of the year – please GiveBIG

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The Seattle Foundation’s annual community wide day of giving is midnight to midnight May 9! The Vashon Schools Foundation, established in 2010, funds programs to help students thrive – programs that wouldn’t be possible without your support! Please give today and help invest in thriving public schools that teach and empower our kids.

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Every act of generosity counts and each means more when we give together

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This year, we hope you will consider a year end gift that will help us meet our schools financial needs to provide an education that is beyond basic. Vashon’s public schools strives to meet the needs of every student and ensure they are equipped to engage, thrive and contribute in an ever-changing world. With community wide support, we hope to raise $200 per a student.

What is Giving Tuesday? Giving Tuesday is a global awareness campaign to celebrate and encourage giving following the Thanksgiving holiday founded on gratitude and community.

Your gift will help support:

  • Social-emotional, restorative justice and anti-bullying programs helping students increase resilience, build sources of strength among peers, and provided resources for staff helping students in crisis.
  • Our district racial equity initiative to ensure all students, regardless of race, ethnicity, or class, graduate from the district prepared to succeed in a racially and culturally diverse local, national, and global community
  • The STEM/STEAM integration in elementary education that enhances education experiences by teaming with classroom teachers and bringing science into everyday curriculum.
  • The purchase of new curriculum for Comparative Government, Calculus, Algebra, and K thru 5 reading.
  • New book acquisitions for Chautauqua, McMurray, and Vashon High School libraries.

Together we can make this happen for our students. Please GIVE TODAY – thank you!

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Congrats to our raffle winners!

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We would like to give a big shout out to our raffle donors who made this fundraiser for new curriculum possible and to offer thanks for all those who bought tickets.

Winner Sarah Busic  2 night at Wishing Rock Farm Airbnb, massage, facial, custom dessert, $50 gift card to Maven Mercantile

Winner Charles Hecht 2 nights at The Lodges, Gravy dinner, Vashon Adventures full day electric bike and kayak rental to explore island on land and by sea.

Winner Julie Gibson 4 tickets to see David Sedaris, 1 night at Palladian Hotel, dinner, $50 Uber gift card

Winner Scott Rice 5 tickets to see the Bodyguard at the Seattle Paramount Theater

 

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$7800 raised, more to go – WE can do this TOGETHER

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Help us reach our goal of $200 per a student and also met our matching grant of $2000. Consider making a sustaining monthly donation of $20. Please give today.

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