Author: BEF Editor

Thanks to our generous donors Beaverton Education Foundation has awarded $85,447, funding 55 classroom projects for the 2021-22 academic year.

Step up to the Plate – BASE Needs PE!

Beaverton Academy of Science and Engineering 
Students Served: 300+
Recipients: Christine Muggli and Aprill Mcallister
Award: $3,300

Beaverton Academy of Science and Engineering (BASE) PE students have the resources to create strong connections and learn from each other thanks to their recently funded Beaverton’s Choice campaign. These critical skills are especially important in a larger school community and for those still recovering from pandemic isolation.

Simple items such as soft toss footballs, badminton nets, frisbees, goals and soccer balls build a more robust, fulfilling experience for students and will go a long way to create the foundation for collaborative team building activities that are necessary to facilitate large PE classes with 40+ students.

Creativity in 3D!

Arts & Communication Magnet Academy 
Students Served: 700
Recipient: Dawn Morgan
Award: $915

Funding provided by BEF’s Building STEAM 4 All Initiative

Arts & Communication Magnet Academy (ACMA) students’ 3D printer dreams will become reality thanks to our generous community. With the funding of their recent Beaverton’s Choice campaign, all ACMA students will be able to design, prototype and refine their creative visions in their new 3D Design Space. 

Resources for the Resource Room

Beaver Acres Elementary School
Students Served: 700
Recipient: Molly Kershaw
Award: $288

Resource Room students at Beaver Acres now have endless possibilities to unlock their full potential with easily adaptable tools to support varying abilities. Thanks to support from Beaverton’s Choice, educators can fully engage with students in small groups to foster independent social skills, fine motor skills and problem-solving abilities while adapting concepts to each student’s personalized ways of learning. 

Quest for 3D printers

Beaverton Academy of Science and Engineering 
Students Served: 300+
Recipients: Dawn Morgan and Melissa Shell
Award: $1,550

Funding provided by BEF’s Building STEAM 4 All Initiative

Beaverton Academy of Science and Engineering (BASE) students can now bring their ideas to life with 3D printers thanks to the recent funding of their Beaverton’s Choice project. All BASE students, classes and clubs will have access to printers that will allow students to print everything from cube puzzles for 6th-grade Design & Modeling classes to custom avatars for CREW classes and STEM kits for our 6-12th graders’ Service-Learning project. The possibilities are endless! 

Help Kinnaman Create Calming Spaces in every classroom!

Kinnaman Elementary School
Students Served: 522
Recipient: Katy Rubenstein
Award: $1,920

Thanks to our generous community, every class at Kinnaman Elementary School now has a consistent space where students can learn to deal with big emotions. Funds raised through their Beaverton’s Choice project will ensure flexible seats, calming strategy posters, fidgets and more are available to support students’ emotional well-being while students build Social Emotional Learning skills they will use for a lifetime.

Help Hazeldale Hawks Build Fact Fluency!

Hazeldale Elementary School
Students Served: 400
Recipient: Heidi Gilbertson
Award: $2,310

Funding provided by First Tech Federal Credit Union as part of BEF’s Building STEAM 4 All Initiative

Educators at Hazeldale Elementary can help students overcome increased math gaps with the help of new Building Fact Fluency math kits. Made possible through Beaverton’s Choice crowdfunding, kits build excitement for math by showing how numbers work during interactive daily classroom and small group lessons.

Teaching Tools to Engage and Support

Conestoga Middle School
Students Served: 895
Recipients: Creighton Brown, Maggie Dally, Dean Fassnidge, Lisa Lewis, Deborah Nystrom, Emily Price, Melissa Schuck and Kara Walker
Award: $3,515

Funding provided by BEF’s Building STEAM 4 All Initiative

All Conestoga Middle School teachers can seamlessly interact with students around the classroom while teaching engaging and innovative lessons with new iPad technology purchased with funds from Deborah Nystrom’s successful Beaverton’s Choice campaign – Teaching Tools to Engage and Support.

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

Mr. Coli’s kindergarten class gleefully belts out the ‘Days of the Week’ song, then seamlessly transitions into discussing the patterns they see in the March calendar. Student volunteers take turns writing numbers on the board, and the class solves addition and subtraction problems by using number sentences. Using various prompts and playful objects, together they discuss math concepts.

The highlight of most days, daily calendar activities extend beyond the traditional days of the week to integrate math through playful exercises. Using sticks, shapes, coins and data to create excitement about math is especially significant, since pandemic conditions have resulted in many of today’s kindergarteners entering grade school with limited math knowledge, due to lack of preschool opportunities.

This calendar-based approach to math is guided by lessons, activities and materials secured thanks to Mr. Coli’s successful Beaverton’s Choice project, giving Hazeldale Elementary School’s youngest learners access to 170 days’ worth of meaningful activities and games that make learning fun while also meeting critical kindergarten math standards. 

“I see math come alive for my students,” says Dan Coli, Hazeldale kindergarten teacher. “Giving my students a solid foundation in math and a passion for learning means they will be able to conquer most challenges life has to offer.”

Learn more about all the great projects seeking funding on Beaverton’s Choice.

This month Beaverton Education Foundation (BEF) awarded $100,000 in Kids Count Grants for extended day and summer programs, which will be offered free of charge to Beaverton public school students. Funding will enable 4,500 students and their families to participate in engaging and unique learning opportunities now and during the upcoming 2022-23 academic year.

Generous support has made it possible for Kids Count Grants to invest over $2 million for innovative extended day and school year programs for our students since 2000. In addition to our thousands of individual donors, our foundation and business partner support is being leveraged for specific projects. Thank you to Genentech, Intel, Juan Young Trust, Meyer Memorial Trust and the Portland Business Alliance.  

Support for Vital Programing in the Current 2021-22 Academic Year

After School Tutoring Program – $2,850 
Chehalem Elementary School

The Chehalem Elementary School Tutoring Program provides valuable opportunities for academic growth, while giving students additional access to positive peers and mentors. The program’s approach is proven to shrink the achievement gap between the most vulnerable students and their higher achieving classmates. Other benefits include improved attendance, increased classroom engagement and decreased disciplinary action.  

Bigger Than Hip Hop — Workshops and Performance – $4,017
Beaverton High School    

The Bigger Than Hip Hop program is a 12-week series of workshops and mentorships, culminating in a multi-disciplinary show celebrating student creativity in the realm of hip hop (music, dance, fashion and art). Six local artists will host workshops at Beaverton High School in a variety of art disciplines, including street fashion, song lyric development, beat production, DJing, murals/street-art and hip-hop dance ensemble. 

Wellness at the Center – $3,500
Mountain View Middle School and Aloha High School 

The Health and Wellness Centers at Mountain View Middle School and Aloha High School provide all students a safe and calming space with access to a wide variety of age- and development-appropriate tools, activities and strategies. Staff members work closely with students to provide individualized support as students practice self-regulation and work to identify ways to improve their overall classroom outcomes.

Support for Vital Programing in the 2022-23 Academic Year

Academic Success Program — Extended School Year Program – $5,000
Kindergarten through 12^th grade students, District-wide                                                                                                   

The Academic Success Program is an enrichment program focused on meeting the needs of students with disabilities. In small groups and one-on-one, students receive high-quality reading and math instruction over summer break. The Extended School Year program is focused on supporting students that may not typically be able to access intensive enrichment due to health, transportation and qualified staffing needs.

Kindergarten Academy and Summer in a Bag – $10,000
Ridgewood Elementary School                                                                                               

The transition to kindergarten can be overwhelming for both students and families, and even more so for incoming students who have spent their preschool years under COVID restrictions. Kindergarten Academy at Ridgewood Elementary School is a three-day camp-like experience with a family event at the conclusion. Through Summer in a Bag, families of incoming 1^st-5^th grade students most academically impacted by the pandemic will receive devices, books, math games, incentives and support for summer learning at home.

Middle School Summer Band Camp – $23,000
Incoming 7^th-9^th grade students, District-wide

BSD Middle School Summer Band Camp is an opportunity for students to play music, make new friends and become better musicians. Every day during the two week camp, students will receive one-hour, instrument-specific group lessons led by professional musicians, as well as two hours of full band rehearsal.

Outdoor Learning Space – $3,500
Vose Elementary School

Garden beds at Vose Elementary School will come alive with plants and much-needed tools, encouraging students to explore in and engage with the outdoors and STEAM learning. Critter catchers, magnifying glasses, nature identification pamphlets, water gauges, along with bird baths, feeders and houses will create a more supportive habitat for local wildlife and extending hands-on classroom learning  

Soul of Science – $10,000
Aloha High School

Soul of Science wants to remove factors that limit underrepresented minorities from careers in STEAM fields, and will build on a pilot program from last summer with Aloha High School students. This summer the program will employ 12 high school students for a focus group to support curriculum development. This will be a tremendous opportunity for participating students to help create culturally inclusive lessons. 

Summer Boost – $10,000
Terra Linda Elementary School                                                                                                                

Summer Boost will support all students attending Terra Linda Elementary School in the fall. Incoming 1^st-5^th graders will focus on closing academic gaps caused by the pandemic. Families of academically impacted students will receive Chromebooks, math games, books and incentives for summer learning at home. Terra Linda’s youngest learners will be offered Kindergarten Academy, a three-day camp-like experience with a family event at the end. 

UpGrade+ – $20,000
All middle schools 

UpGrade+ is a preparatory program that connects middle school students to the trades, and bridges the opportunity gap for students who may want to explore other high wage, high demand careers. In collaboration with industry partners, students will explore various careers related to the trades and work with professionals on hands-on, industry-authentic projects.

Watch Me Fly – $8,000
Westview High School 

Strong peer and mentor relationships help students connect to school and engage in their education. Watch Me Fly at Westview High School continues to create a safe and positive environment for students to receive goal-based, after school homework support while building strong relationships with tutors, teachers and other students. 

Thanks to our generous donors, BEF is able to fund imaginative, engaging and scalable programs like these that go beyond traditional school funding and help every student prepare for their brightest future.

Support Beaverton students today.

During the winter 2021 holidays, Beaverton Education Foundation (BEF) donors showed an outpouring of appreciation to nearly 900 beloved educators and staff. By making both modest and larger donations, donors sent a gift of thanks to school staff, and the combined effort raised $9,000. Just a few months later, BEF has awarded those funds for projects big and small across the District. 

Reaching more than 8,400 students, BEF used these donations to match every Beaverton’s Choice project since January 2022. In total, the 21 Beaverton’s Choice projects run the gamut from STEAM to reading to social emotional learning, and more. 

These are a few examples of where your donations made a difference:

• All Beaverton Academy of Science and Engineering (BASE) and Arts & Communication Magnet Academy (ACMA) students now have access to 3D printers to design, prototype and refine their creative visions and bring them to life.
• Voice amplifiers are helping Scholls Heights Elementary School students overcome hearing obstacles and build important community connections, while Conestoga Middle School students have new ear devices to help them filter out ambient noise and focus on their learning activities.
• Elmonica Elementary 4th and 5th grade students now have new opportunities to hone their writing skills using the interactive writing tool Book Creator.
• Students with learning disabilities at Aloha High School now have a relaxed Wellness Center, equipped with sensory calming items to help them access and regulate their feelings. 
• FLEX Online students can now create crucial peer and educator connections through new virtual after school clubs, starting with baking, space, chess and poetry. 
• Whitford Middle School students integrate Math Olympiad-style games into the classroom, thanks to new buzzers.
• The Beaver Acres Elementary School resource room now has the tools it needs to fully engage with students in small groups to foster independent social skills, fine motor skills and problem-solving abilities.
• Tumwater Middle School Dungeons & Dragons club members are becoming heroes, solving problems, working together and calculating quick math, all without screens while creating their own dice game.

Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up May 2-6 — stay tuned for a new opportunity from BEF to show your love for your educators! Can’t wait? Make a donation today to help all Beaverton students reach their greatest potential.

Over the past eight years, Beaverton Education Foundation’s Beaverton Band Together initiative has expanded musical education for students in all Beaverton public schools, from providing musical instruments and performing opportunities to opening their minds to new genres, artists, and experiences. 

BEF’s awards repaired and purchased more than 1,500 instruments to date across all grade levels. They’ve facilitated bringing music mentors to ten schools, giving unprecedented access to leading local artists and helping students refine their musical knowledge and abilities. During remote learning, many elementary students received recorders, xylophones, and kazoos so they could practice reading and composing music, singing, rhythm, and pitch-matching skills from home. And other schools now have a class set of ukuleles, one of the few instruments that allow students to sing and accompany themselves at the same time. 

As we celebrate Music in Our Schools Month, we sat down with Blake Allen, Beaverton School District’s K-12 Visual and Performing Arts Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA). He told us how BEF is helping students find creative outlets that set them on a path to success, and described how BEF supports teachers as they bring music to life in schools. 

Why is music education important for our students?

Music is part of what makes us human and connects us to something bigger than ourselves. There’s something magical about making music with other people that can’t be put into words. There’s a lot of research that shows music helps build critical thinking, creativity, self-discipline, confidence, teamwork and empathy. Many students find their place socially through our music programs. I’ve seen music classes make a huge difference for a number of students who struggle in other areas of school. They might have trouble feeling connected in their other classes, but you put a trombone in their hands and surround them with a supportive team of other students working toward the same goals, and they find a place to excel in school. 

Why does each student need their own high quality musical instrument?  

We try to provide an instrument for each student, but there aren’t enough instruments to go around in our schools without BEF’s support. Some families rent or buy an instrument for their child to use at school, but many families can’t afford to do that and require use of a school instrument. We want to make sure the school-owned instruments work just as well as the ones rented from music stores. We want everyone to have a functional instrument they can be proud of, whether they’re provided by school or rented by their families. 

We should think about musical instruments the way we do the Chromebooks and iPads that we check out to the kids. We want each student to have a well-functioning device so they can do their schoolwork and be successful. That’s a Chromebook for their math or science class, and a musical instrument for band. 

Why do you turn to BEF as a funding partner for music education? 

We’re trained as teachers, not grantwriters. BEF makes it easy and efficient to raise money to bring our ideas to life. It gives us access to donors and funders, and makes connections for us with community members who want to help. BEF also matches donations and helps us meet our project fundraising goals. Other fundraising platforms take a cut of the donations or put a lot of restrictions on how the money can be spent. With BEF, we put all the funds to use for our projects and have a lot of flexibility when it comes to vendors for purchasing items. We couldn’t accomplish all that we do without BEF’s support. 

You can support music education opportunities in all Beaverton schools through BEF’s Beaverton Band Together.