Author: BEF Author

We are proud to announce over $75,000 in grant awards for another year of Safe and Sound 4 Student Success (S4) programming. Affectionately called Soccer Club by many, S4 combines academic support and enrichment activities to supplement classroom curriculum and give participating students the means to thrive in school and beyond.

In its eighth year, S4 transitioned to a virtual model in response to COVID-19 and is now more vital than ever. Recognizing personal relationships help students attend and engage in school, the S4 program connects students with educators and peers while also helping students navigate distance learning platforms. S4 is open to everyone, but students who are at-risk of becoming disconnected from school and those needing additional academic support are encouraged to participate.

Previous S4 students attended more school, had less behavior issues, and did better than peers in language arts and math as compared to the peer control group. Looking at the data by race, the impact was even more evident: participating Latino S4 students earned a C or better in Language Arts at a rate 10% above their non-participating Latino peers.

Historically focused on middle school students, this year Westview High School launched the S4 High School project. Westview’s version of S4 complements the middle school program and is offered to grades 9-12, with additional support to 9^th graders as they begin their high school career.

Together, the middle and high School S4 programs create a powerful infrastructure to ensure our students don’t slip through the cracks during the difficult transitional years following grade school. Additionally S4 programming strengthens relationships that will help ease the path when we return to the classroom.

The Canvas Caravan Project is the perfect example of a simple idea sparking tremendous results. This innovative community outreach initiative was inspired by two classroom technology teachers recognizing the difficulty students and their families were having navigating distance-learning technology. To solve the problem, the teachers created a mobile demonstration unit to reach families in convenient and familiar spaces – local parks, apartment community spaces, and even parking lots.

Thanks to community and corporate matching funds, the Canvas Caravan Project was quickly funded using BEF’s crowd funding website, Beaverton’s Choice. The first Canvas Caravan presentation kicked off at the Westridge Meadows apartment complex just as school began in September. 

Shortly after Stoller’s first presentation, the momentum continued with Highland Park Middle School launching their own technology outreach and the Meadow Park Middle School Mobile Caravan Project was not far behind. Vose Elementary quickly followed suite with their Tech Tent outreach. While the Stoller, Highland Park, and Vose projects are fully funded, there is still time to support the Meadow Park Mobile Canvas Caravan project. You can also support all Beaverton elementary schools through the CDL Student Engagement Team project.

Both Stoller and Highland Park Middle Schools have already held a handful of Caravan presentations with more scheduled in the near future. Following strict COVID-19 protocols, the presentations are limited to small groups, but have had a tremendous impact. Feedback from one 6th grader says it all, “Wait, are you leaving already?” 

The presentations have also highlighted the vast need for additional technology support. In a tremendous undertaking, the CDL Student Engagement team project is expanding technology outreach efforts to families in all of Beaverton’s 34 elementary schools.

As a collaborative effort with the District’s Behavioral Health and Wellness Teams, the CDL Student Engagement project looks to connect with over 400 families through targeted follow-ups, trainings, and supply deliveries to provide remote learning student support.

The amazing work done through these outreach projects shows our community we see their struggles and we are available in real time to connect resources, raise funds and make a difference for all the staff, students and families in our District.

Learn more about the original Canvas Caravan Project in a recent article on Medium.com

Thanks to our generous donors including: Dave Gettling Technology Fund, Intel Corp., First Tech Federal Credit Union, The Spirit of New Seasons Market Awards, AHS Go Warriors! Opportunity Fund, and the BEF Building STEAM 4 All Program, we have awarded $28,352 funding 11 classroom projects so far this academic year.  

Developing Anti-Racism in the Classroom
Teacher: Kathleen Lukins 

Navigating Distance Learning: Community Outreach
Teacher: Sarah Warren 

“In Thinking” for Spanish IB
Teacher: Liza Rosas Bustos 

Mobile Canvas Caravan
Teacher: Rick Bush 

Be What You See: Developing Self Identity Through Text and Play
Teacher: Erica Barnett 

The Conscious Kid
Teacher: Erin Rosett, Marisa Knudsen, Courtney Hauser, Andy Blanc, Darleen Anderson, Monica Paas, Lisa Gerig, Ana Brown, and Barb VanKleek 

SRC Super Science!
Teacher: Leah Baird 

Ready for School Outreach: Camp Connect
Principals: Cary Meier, Ridgewood; Erin Miles, Fir Grove; Monique Singleton, Vose; & Christina Batsell, and Terra Linda

In addition, our Back To School campaign benefiting students at all Beaverton schools, raised $112,663 from direct donations and in-kind contributions from our local partners to Connect, Equip and Engage our students and frontline educators.

Thanks to your generous contributions, the dollars raised are enabling enrichment programs in Beaverton schools that otherwise would not be possible. For current programs, please visit Beaverton’s Choice, the hub that brings community and classrooms together. 

School attendance is up thanks to Camp Connect, a new program aimed at helping at-risk students to return to school. Created as an extension of the summer academic program Camp Achieve, the Camp Connect Pilot facilitated outreach to families of students with low attendance, many who had not attended school since mid-March. 

A cornerstone of our Back to School Connection and Tools initiative, Camp Connect reached out to 75 students from 40 families attending four elementary schools in the District using phone calls, emails, and text messages, followed by home visits. Families were overwhelmed and struggling economically. None had information about getting their children back in school. Through Camp Connect, families received access to much-needed resources including: hotspots, Chromebooks and/or iPads and coaching on distance learning platforms.  

Families also connected to the District’s Clothes Closet, to food box deliveries and school meals, and to early learning programs and intervention services for their younger children. All Camp Connect students received a “Student Success Kit” with basic school supplies, made possible by BEF, the School District, and community financial support and donations. Additionally, Camp Connect families received supplies including extension cords, lamps, or lap desks along with a gift card to set up for at-home learning. 

Principals at all four schools shared how important home visits were to the success of Camp Connect. “Having something of real value to offer seemed to help families see the schools as their partner,” said Monique Singleton, principal at Vose.  

Early results of the pilot were very promising: 90% of Vose families attended the first week of school, as did were 80% of Fir Grove’s families. This is a major achievement when you consider none of these students had been in school since the spring. 

Terra Linda Elementary School Principal Christy Batsell praised the program’s outcomes, adding, “The support from BEF made all the difference.”

Based on the incredible success of the Camp Connect Pilot, the program is expanding to better serve students from all of Beaverton’s 34 elementary schools with additional family outreach beginning immediately. Learn more about the expansion.  

Beaverton Education Foundation (BEF) supports programs and projects serving students at Beaverton’s 53 schools. We connect community and classrooms, and help establish a strong foundation for lifelong learning.

Since BEF receives no public funds, identifying and reporting the impact of donor gifts is critical to our success. BEF’s unparalleled accountability was recognized recently with the Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar, a powerful network that provides complete and up-to-date information about nonprofit organizations. GuideStar awards the Platinum Seal to those organizations that share the highest level of data on finances and program impact.  In addition to BEF, only a handful of Oregon nonprofits have received the Platinum Seal. 

Our full Nonprofit Profile contains qualitative and quantitative information about the results of our work, copies of tax returns, and a financial audit. This information shows donors that BEF manages contributed dollars responsibly to produce meaningful results with our school partners to benefit Beaverton students. 

Working with the District, teachers, and Parent-Teacher Organization’s BEF funds provide support for academic enrichment programs that go above and beyond traditional school funding. BEF has raised more than $4.17 million for over 2,334 projects since 1988.

For more than three decades BEF has created opportunities and leveraged local relationships to make things happen in our community – for the students in Beaverton’s schools and the leaders of tomorrow.