May 2024 Edition

• Tuesday, May 7, 2024: Measures E and F ballots are due. Must be postmarked May 7 at the latest
• Sunday, October 13, 2024: 41st Run for Education, Registration OPEN NOW

Ballots are due May 7

Parents are Key for Passing Measures E & F!

This week’s report from the elections office showed that less than 12% of parents have returned ballots. This is a surprising statistic, given that it is our children who have the most at stake in this election.  

Measures E & F are the only issues on this ballot. Together they will provide a stable, locally-controlled funding source of $11.4 M per year for nine years to protect the high-quality education our community expects and our students deserve. Please join the PTAs and Ed Funds throughout our district in supporting these measures!

We know you are busy, but PLEASE make it a priority TODAY to

1. Find your ballot - it would have arrived in your mailbox the week of April 8th
2. Complete it - be sure to vote both sides since E is on one side and F on the other
3. Sign and date the envelope 
4. Drop it in a mailbox or in one of the secure official ballot drop boxes 

Ballots must be postmarked by May 7th or in an official ballot dropbox by 8:00 pm on May 7 to count.

Measure E renews expiring funding that keeps excellent teachers and award-winning academic programs in our local schools. It currently funds 56 teaching positions across the district. Our schools have relied on this supplementary funding for the last 20 years. If not renewed by Measure E, it will expire in June 2025, and those positions will have to be eliminated or other significant cuts made.

Measure F is an additional assessment that would fill the gap created by the loss of one-time state funding that was provided to address student learning loss and social-emotional well-being and expires in 2024. The system of support to address students’ academic and social-emotional needs that was implemented with these funds at each of the schools has proven to be invaluable. The district is asking for the local community’s help to sustain it by passing Measure F. If Measure F does not pass, these critically important support services for our most vulnerable students are at risk of drastic cuts.

Thank you for your attention to this timely and important issue for our schools! 

As we head into the end of the 2023-2024 school year, the San Ramon Valley Education Foundation Board and Staff are busy wrapping up the current year, while preparing for next year.

We recently celebrated our annual Night with the Stars on April 24 at the Blackhawk Country Club. This special event is SRVEF's opportunity to honor each of our School Ed Fund affiliates for their outstanding contributions. Over 270 attendees enjoyed a wonderful evening where our Shining Stars were recognized for their dedicated work.

Earlier in the month, we held our annual Science Fair on Saturday, April 13 at Dougherty Valley High School. Science Alliance is an after-school enrichment program created to pair curious and motivated 5th grade students (buddies) with high school students (mentors). They meet from October through March to work on a science project presented at the culminating event, the Science Fair.

This year, there were 176 buddies and 176 high school mentors. Each High School has a team of Club Officers that oversee the program, under the guidance of an adult advisor. There were 48 Club Officers taking care of the numerous details.  

Our Science Alliance program advisors did a terrific job leading the program and the Science Fair was a huge success. We appreciate our advisors:

• Minu Basu
• Oliver Tuggle
• Shirley Darroch
• Andy Su
• Matthew Robison
• Lakshmi Warrier

Thank you to our sponsor, Pacific Gas and Electric Company for making the day a special experience for everyone.

Lastly, we want to express our appreciation for our school principals. May 1st is School Principals' Appreciation Day. Great schools rely on great principals, and at SRVUSD we are fortunate to have some of the very best. Our principals wear many hats each and every day, as they all work tirelessly to ensure our students receive an exceptional educational experience. Thank you to all our school principals for your outstanding leadership and dedication!

If you have any ideas or suggestions, our board is always eager to learn from our community. Feel free to share them by contacting us at info@srvef.org.

Gary Alpert

President

San Ramon Valley Education Foundation

Zoology, taught by Erin Lopez

The San Ramon Valley Education Foundation is proud to offer Imagineering, a beyond-school enrichment program primarily for SRVUSD students. The goal of Imagineering is to spark student interest in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math).

With weeklong classes running June 17 through July 19, 2024*, for incoming students from 2nd grade through high school, you are certain to find something for your student:

2nd/3rd - 5th

Creative Coding with O-mazing Ozobots! 

Creative Writing and Design

Discover Your Inner Artist

Ocean Odyssey: Exploring CA's Marine Wonders in a Marine Biology Adventure

NASA-inspired 3D Printing,Sculpting & Rocket Engineering

Stop Motion Animation: Lights Camera Action

Zoology: Create Your Own Habitat

6th - 9th/12th

Crime Scene Chronicles: Unraveling Mysteries in the CSI Lab

Biotech Explorers: Unraveling Mysteries and Crafting DNA

Public Speaking Practice: Become a Confident Speaker

Coding Creations with Raspberry Pi & Python

Ocean Odyssey: Exploring California's Marine Wonders

Advanced Biology Lab

Robo Racers: Unleash Your Inner Engineer with Python and Pi

Plus we will be continuing our Summer Theatre Program with a production of The Addams Family Young@Part®. This program will be five weeks long starting June 17 and ending on July 26 with an evening performance.*

THE ADDAMS FAMILY A NEW MUSICAL

Book by MARSHALL BRICKMAN and RICK ELICE Music and Lyrics by ANDREW LIPPA

 Based on Characters Created by Charles Addams

Young@Part® Edition Adapted by Marc Tumminelli

Young@Part® Edition originally produced at Broadway Workshop in New York City.

* There will be no classes the week of July 1

Don’t miss out on a popular community event and tradition spanning 41 years and the largest run that supports education in Northern California: The Run for Education 5K/10K/Mini Run/Friendship Run/Expo on Sunday, October 13 at 2700 Camino Ramon in San Ramon, adjacent to City Center. Walk, run, stroll, or roll. Come for The Run and stay for the fun with a kids’ zone, live entertainment and more! 

Too far ahead to plan? No worries - Register anyway! Every registration helps support this special community event and our schools.

Don't delay, register at srvef.org/the-run before registration prices go up after July 1st.

Turn imagination into real life. Join the Dougherty Valley/San Ramon Rotary at an interactive outdoor family festival that encourages children (and their adults) to explore the trucks and vehicles they see around them all the time, and maybe, some they might never have seen before.

Proceeds from this event benefit the Dougherty Valley/San Ramon (DVSR) Rotary Foundation, the San Ramon Valley Education Foundation, and the San Ramon Historic Foundation. 

On behalf of the San Ramon Valley Education Foundation board and staff, Thank You for joining us at the Night with the Stars on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. We hope you enjoyed celebrating the special people who make our school district shine.

Congratulations again to our 2023-2024 Shining Stars

Pine Valley Middle School

We are so proud of our graduating students and look forward to the places they will go and the amazing opportunities that await them.

Would you consider making a donation to support public education in the San Ramon Valley? We welcome you to become a Friend of the Foundation. SRVEF accepts donations via check, through PayPal, or our website. Thank you for your support!

To donate via check, please mail a check to:

SRVEF

3280 Crow Canyon Road

San Ramon, CA 94583

To donate through PayPal (no extra fees for SRVEF), please click the picture above

To donate through our website, please click the picture above

Join our mailing list to get updates about happenings at SRVEF! Events, classes, news and more!