Summer Send-Off

JUNE 2011

Thank you! With your support we raised $734,190 towards our goal of $750,000 for the 2010-11 school year. Using budgeted reserves we were able to fund all of our commitments and provided our students with vital programs, personnel and materials.

Education funding for 2011-12 remains uncertain, but your early response to our “Every Student, Every Day” Spring Campaign – over 200 families have already contributed $148,000 – shows your unwavering support. It’s a great start which can be made better by all of us giving something to this urgent and important cause.

Mary Vanderpan
President, WCEF

Community members, Business Leaders, and WCEF Board members met on May 13th for WCEF’s annual strategic planning.

The morning session focused on developing a plan to engage a wide variety of businesses in support of WCEF. The plan is being finalized and after presentation to the Board for approval will be launched this summer.

The afternoon session focused on developing school-specific site plans to engage non-donors and help educate the community including teachers and students about the programs that WCEF funds. Each school site has site representatives who in addition to sitting on WCEF’s Board are responsible for implementing a plan at their site and providing school-specific information about WCEF.

The Strategic Planning day was very productive and you will be sure to see outcomes from that day throughout the upcoming school year.

WCEF is pleased to announce that we are the recipients of a $200,000 grant from a Supporting Foundation of the Jewish Community Endowment Fund. This grant must be used for technology and human resources at Las Lomas High School.

WCEF is working with the Las Lomas staff to develop a plan for the use of the money.  Staff is looking at ways to create a sustainable Tech Mentor Program that will integrate technology into daily student learning opportunities while also providing on-going opportunities to increase teacher integration of technology.

They are currently refining a model, which would create a series of tech mentors.  A similar model is in place at Claremont High in Southern California. The teaching staff and technology committee are looking at this model to determine the best way to make it fit at Las Lomas, especially ensuring that whatever technology is purchased is used to the maximum benefit.  The goal is to have the plan in place for the fall.

Read more about how this grant might be used at Las Lomas

The WCEF Board and Walnut Creek school community would like to take this opportunity to thank the countless volunteers who stepped up to help WCEF this past school year. ]We had over 135 volunteers help at events, school sites and on committees and over 75 community members who helped make the Turkey Trot a huge success for our organization. Thank you to all! Click here for a listing of the volunteers who helped make this year such a success.

The fifth annual Michael W. DeSa Memorial Scholarship administered by the Walnut Creek Education Foundation (WCEF), was awarded in the amount of $2,000.00 to Las Lomas High school senior, Kyle Ong. The scholarship was presented to Mr. Ong during Las Lomas High School Senior Awards Night held on Wednesday, May 25th.

Ong was chosen from among 13 Las Lomas seniors who applied for the scholarship. His achievements exemplify the scholarship criterion, which seeks a well-rounded graduate of the Walnut Creek schools (attending K-12) who has nurtured life’s passions both in school and outside the confines of academia, through service in the community and other pursuits. Ong has won the respect and admiration of his peers, teachers and administrators. When asked about his future aspirations he said he wants to be an environmental engineer, working towards sustainable, long-term solutions to society's problems.

Read more about the scholarship winner Kyle Ong.

Sports Basement Walnut Creek Back to School Shopping Day on Saturday and Sunday, August 13th and 14th. Shop at Sports Basement this weekend and get a 10% discount and 10% of your purchase goes back to WCEF for our schools.

Whole Foods Walnut Creek Shopping Day for Education on September 14. Shop at Whole Foods on Wednesday, September 14th and 5% of your purchase will go to WCEF for our schools.