In order to meet this huge challenge and raise as close to $3 million as possible, each family in the district needs to look at its budget and donate what it can.  Donations to the Foundation, given the current and ongoing budget situation, should no longer be viewed as a discretionary expense but as a valuable investment, like mortgage payments, to be made annually.

 

If you have not yet donated this year, please look at your budget, stretch it a bit and give what you are able. Even a small donation helps our district and will demonstrate your support for the education of all our children. 

 

If you have donated less than the suggested level of $900 per child, please look at your budget and see if you can increase your donation to that level. Most families will need to donate at this "ask" for the Foundation to reach toward raising $3 million.

 

If you have already given $900 per child, and you are lucky enough to be in a good financial situation this year, please consider donating more.  Some families have already upped their donation to the $2500 Premier Scholar's Circle level, but more will need to do so to meet the Foundation's goals.

 

 

Historically, the School-Force Foundation primarily supported elementary school programs. However, in recent years the Foundation has been funding more at Ralston Middle School, partially supporting the Dean of Students and Counselor, After School Sports, and the library and technology staff.  Unfortunately, participation of families with 4th and 5th graders is lower than that of kindergarten through 3rd grade families. Families of these older elementary students, as well as those of Ralston students, must increase their donations to enable the district to maintain these vital positions. 

 

To help spur more donations from these families, the "Making it a Priority" volunteers have kicked off a competition among four of the elementary schools, with the winners being those that are closest to raising an average of $900 per child in the 4th and 5th grades.  The 4th and 5th grades of the winning school will receive a school movie night and the runners-up get a cupcake party!  Families of 4th and 5th graders will receive more information by email this week. 

 

 

The School-Board meets on May 6th and could rescind pink slips by the May 15th deadline if enough money is raised. However, all donations received by June 30, 2010 will be applied to the 2010-2011 school year. 

 

Consider making a large donation by check or credit card now.  Click here!   Then, in July, set up monthly donations at your budget level during the 2010-11 year (which will then be applied to the 2011-2012 year).

 

Contact Faith Velschow to volunteer with Making it a Priority.

 

 

 

Later this week, children of all School-Force donors (at any level of donation) will receive I'm in! buttons (two per family).  Please have your children wear these buttons every Friday during April (starting April 9) as a collective visual demonstration of your "Investment" in quality education and in support of the teachers on "Pink and Black Fridays".   We also encourage displays of these buttons around town to help "Inform" the community of our efforts.  Wear them particularly at events supporting the I'm in! campaign, such as the Farmer's Market, or at businesses with an I'm in! sign. 

 

If you are already a donor and you don't receive your buttons, or if you are a donor with more than two school-age children and need additional buttons, please email button@schoolforce.org. Adults are encouraged to wear buttons too!  However, please return any buttons you do not plan to use to the school office so they can be offered to another donor. 

 

The button team will be doing their best to update the donor list weekly and new donors will receive buttons the following week. An exception to this may be Reading Power donations by check, as data entry for those is still in progress.  If you made a Reading Power donation but did not receive a button please notify button@schoolforce.org. 

 

Ralston students and parents:  Please be on the look out for a special Ralston button campaign kicking off later this month.

Download and print an I'm in! sign and display it in your window  at home and/or car :  Click here for the download.

Download and print an I'm in! sign to use as a lawn sign: Instructions for making a lawn sign are included. Click here!

Talk to or send an email message to 5 of your friends and neighbors: You can use information from this community flier to create your own short email or use the flier itself.  Or sign and hand out this sample letter to neighbors.

Order I'm in! T-shirts!  A special on-line store has been set up for these T-shirts.  Two design options are available on any size or style of shirt in the store.   School-Force will receive about $2 per shirt ordered.  There are discount codes available. Use the "emailsurvey3" code to recieve $5 off a purchase of $20 or more. Click here to view and order.

 

Join the School-Force Facebook Page:  You'll get reminders of upcoming events and be the first to know the most recent fundraising numbers!  Use the link to the right of this article.

 

Contact Huan Phan to volunteer with Making it Viral.

 

 

 

Teachers and parent volunteers are demonstrating how the proposed budget cuts would impact schools.

 

Schools will continue to place a chair for each pink-slipped teacher in a visible area.  The chairs provide a visual impact and show families which members of their "school family" are at risk of job loss.

Volunteers are illustrating with photos, videos, and other means the crowded atmosphere of a classroom serving 30 children. At Central Elementary, parents set out an array of 30 chairs adjacent to a setup of 20.  Notice the 50% difference? 

 

Pink and Black Fridays. On Fridays, teachers receiving pink slips will wear pink and other teachers will wear

black. Wear your I'm in! button to support your teachers. 

 

Contact Chris Suydam or Ellen Steiger to volunteer with Making it Real at your school.