From Tk through Graduation, Your donations matter

At its core, WCEF's work is to ensure our districts have the funds needed to educate students. Every Annual Giving Campaign donation, every Read-a-thon participant, every FORE! Education registration goes to supporting a meaningful, well-rounded education.

We have outlined below how donations impact students across all grades, starting with Las Lomas High School. Why start with HS? Because without additional funding, top-ranked Las Lomas would be without what makes it great—the ability to build a master schedule based on student interest. The loss of programs at the high school level trickles down to middle and elementary school. It's a situation WCEF volunteers work tirelessly to ensure never happens.

​Support for TK-12 means a great educational experience from the first day to graduation day. And it starts with your gifts to WCEF. 

​For an overview of what you help make possible our Annual Giving Brochure can be found here.

HoW YOUR Donation to WCEF ​helpS bridge the funding gap:

• Enrichment programs in the Arts, Music, Sciences, Math from TK-12
• Help reduce teacher to student ratio
• Add STEAM elective classes in middle and high school 
• Keep library doors open
• Increases high school Advanced Placement and elective offerings
• ​Provides an on-campus Wellness Center at Las Lomas to support social-emotional needs of students​

Per student funding
​Breakdown:

Here are a few ways this funding gap negatively impacts your child:

• Fewer teachers, larger class sizes, and/or lower teacher pay
• No STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) programs offered in schools
• Limited electives at middle school
• Fewer college readiness electives at the high school level
• No hands-on career classes in high school
• Reduced library hours and programs
• Elimination of school nurses and counselors from TK-12

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WCEF + YOU @ Las Lomas High SCHOOL (9th - 12th)

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Your donation to WCEF ensures our Knights have the mental health support and the robust course selection
​ needed to remain competitive and graduate with confidence. 

Here's a sample schedule for each of the four years at Las Lomas to help illustrate what education at the high school level looks like with (and without) private donations from the community. 

​​college & career readiness

• 13 additional class sections across all subjects: history, math, science, world languages, the arts, electives...
• Advanced Placement courses for college readiness
• Additional electives meeting student interest
• Small class sizes
  

​WELLNESS CENTER

• The Wellness Center provides much needed health education, support groups, individual counseling for stress, grief, anxiety, healthcare & more ​

​​COLLEGE & CAREER READINESS

• Las Lomas would be forced to eliminate class offerings
• Fewer classes also mean less choice and larger class size​​

​WELLNESS CENTER

• Lack of mental health support could mean the difference between receiving a High School diploma or not
• Studies show stress is the No. 1 factor in academic disruption

​HOW TO READ THE SAMPLE SCHEDULE:

9th & 10th grade: Students have an additional elective class period with multiple choices across all subjects, four world language options instead of one, and multiple career tech opportunities.
​11th & 12th grade: By the time your child gets to their final two years at LLHS, they will have two additional elective periods BEYOND what the state requires and more elective choice across all subjects. Students can choose to take four years of world language, some even take two languages, Honors courses in social sciences, math and science. These additional classes are not funded by the state. ​

• Electives = Classes students select to take. While the state requires a certain number of elective units to graduate (65), Las Lomas offers more than 20 classes in the visual and performing arts, the chance to take two world languages simultaneously, four years of math and science, etc. More electives mean more choice for students to explore areas of interest, smaller class sizes, and pathways that reach all students and their interests. 
• Career Pathways = A sequence of courses to prepare a student for a profession, technical college, military career, and/or certification. Culinary/foods, Medical Careers, Auto Engineering, and Construction are offered at Las Lomas.
• AP and Honors Classes = College-level classes developed by the college board also knows as Advanced Placement as well as Honors. Students take college-level courses and may receive college credit before graduating high school. Some graduates have even entered their first year of college with enough units to qualify as a sophomore. 

 
MORE HELPFUL INFORMATION:

​👉 Classes at Las Lomas are driven by student interest. Additional funding through WCEF means your student is more likely to receive their first choice of classes resulting in a wide range of options, including four years of visual and performing arts, world languages, journalism, sports medicine, international cuisine/foods, forensic science, and more. To view the course catalog, visit www.acalanes.k12.ca.us/coursecatalog. 

👉 13 additional classes across all subject areas. From art to music, science to math, English to social studies, electives like journalism and psychology, as well as four world language options (French, Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish—unheard of at public schools!).

👉 Every student must complete specific graduation requirements, but donations to WCEF give Las Lomas students opportunities to go beyond basic requirements in many choices across all subjects.

👉 For those looking at UC/CSU and selective private universities and colleges, your student can take Advanced Placement and Honors classes in all subjects: including world languages, advanced and rigorous math, sciences, English, and the arts rivaling, if not exceeding private schools. 

👉 Las Lomas also offers career readiness through the Medical Careers pathway, a new course track for those interested in the healthcare industry. The pathway offers an introduction to various medical careers possible, like nursing, administration, forensics, and more.

👉 Every student has their own interests, and Las Lomas offers career tech pathways in auto engineering, entertainment, construction, medical, sports medicine, and foods/hospitality.

LOW STATE FUNDING THREATENS
​STUDENT CHOICE, CLASS SIZE, AND POST-GRADUATION OPPORTUNITIES

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 WCEF + YOU @ Walnut Creek Intermediate Middle school (WCI 6th - 8th)

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Donations to WCEF support every grade level to align with WCEF's mission to preserve and enhance all students. Here's how donations to WCEF preserve and enhance our WCI and Tice Creek middle school students. 

By the time your child gets to middle school, they will have:

• A well-rounded education experience will access to art, music, and hands-on science lab promoting creativity, grit, and confidence
• Support for STEAM electives (Robotics, Computer Sciences, Digital Arts, Music, World Languages & more) to further develop interest in the sciences, technology, engineering, the arts, and math or STEAM
• ​Full-time Credentialed Librarian and research databases to promote digital literacy, online safety
• Math Coach to deepen instruction and student learning
• Two world language options (French, Spanish)
• 1:1 Technology provided to all students

👉 BUT THESE PROGRAMS DISAPPEAR WITHOUT YEARLY COMMUNITY DONATIONS TO WCEF

GRADES TK-5

• Full year of Enrichment classes in Art, Music, and Science Lab
• Math Coach to deepen instruction and learning

GRADES 6-8

• Support for STEAM electives (Robotics, Computer Sciences, Digital Arts, Music, World Languages & more) 
• ​Full-time Credentialed Librarian based at WCI
• Math Coach to deepen instruction and learning

GRADES 9-12

• 13 additional core academic classes - ensuring the 7-period day, smaller class sizes, more student choice
• More classes geared toward college readiness like Advanced Placement
• Wide range of class offerings from Medical Careers pathway to four world languages
• ​Support of the Wellness Center, serving the social-emotional needs of all students
• ​Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity programs

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WCEF + You @ elementary Schools (tk-5th)

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Your public elementary school would look very different without your contributions to WCEF. We’ve broken it down so you can easily understand the important impact your donation has for our youngest learners.

When YOUR CHILD starts school, THEY WILL HAVE:

• A well-rounded meaningful education will access to art, music, and hands-on science lab promoting creativity, grit, and confidence
• ​Math Coach to deepen instruction and student learning
• District Credentialed Librarian to work collaboratively with elementary six librarians
• 1:1 technology provided to all students

👉 BUT THESE PROGRAMS DISAPPEAR WITHOUT YEARLY COMMUNITY DONATIONS TO WCEF

DONATE TODAY!

THE DISTRICTS & Schools WE SERVE:

WCEF and the ​WALNUT CREEK SCHOOL DISTRICT 

"Our schools would not be able to deliver the type of excellent STEAM learning opportunities our students experience every day without WCEF support. We simply do not receive enough funding from the state to operate these high quality programs. WCEF fills that gap. WCEF support is invaluable to ensuring great schools in Walnut Creek."
– Marie Morgan, WCSD Superintendent

• Buena Vista Elementary (K-5)
• Indian Valley Elementary (K-5)
• Murwood Elementary (K-5)
• Parkmead Elementary (K-5)
• Walnut Heights Elementary (K-5)​​

• Tice Creek School (K-8)
• Walnut Creek Intermediate (6-8)
• Walnut Creek School District Website

WCEF AND THE ​ACALANES UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 

"Because of the support of education foundations (like WCEF), we can offer educational opportunities that exceed most private schools."
– ​John Nickerson, Ed. D.  AUHSD Superintendent

• Las Lomas High School
• Acalanes Union High School District

Funding Guidelines

WCEF is a non-profit that operates independently of, but in partnership with, WCSD and AUHSD to raise additional funds to offer services, programs, and electives beyond that of a basic, state funded education from TK-12. WCEF's executive director and president/s meet with WCSD and AUHSD superintendents annually to identify and prioritize funding for the following academic year and ensure funds are directed towards programs that advance WCEF's mission. The WCEF Budget Committee meets annually to propose yearly fundraising goals (based on districts' needs) to the WCEF Board and determines the best way to equitably distribute funds to our partner districts. The WCEF Executive Committee may decline to fund those programs which do not meet these funding guidelines: 

• Funds are prioritized to support programs that support and/or advance WCEF's mission and are underfunded and/or at-risk of being canceled within the core curriculum and/or student health/welfare
  
• Programs and services funded will support and/or advance the strategic plans and/or needs of WCSD and AUHSD
  
• Programs and services funded by WCEF should impact every student served​

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Looking for more information? 

Each year WCEF publishes its Impact Report.  Please click on the image below for our most recent Impact Reports, and see how your donations support essential instruction, tools, programs and services at eight schools.