Blog

Five Oaks Middle School’s Library and Instructional Technology Teacher, Suzanne Peerenboom, is always researching new ideas to engage students.  One of those ways was working with Rubik’s Cubes.  She’s had her students design and build their own mosaic designs, learning how to solve at least part of the Rubik’s cube. They’ve even worked together to build big mosaic pictures of Nelson Mandela and the Mona Lisa. Unfortunately, they were limited on sets and how many classes could use them at a time.   

“Our goal with Beaverton’s Choice was to purchase 100 Rubiks Cubes to be used by all grade levels for collaboration, design and engineering projects. We exceeded our goal, raising enough to purchase 144 cubes!”

— Suzanne Peerenboom, Teacher

Students have been able to work together in classrooms to design and build mosaics with the cubes. They have also been coming into the library on a daily basis to practice solving the cubes, sometimes competing with their friends for speed. 

Look out for them to keep expanding and build bigger and better mosaics! 

You can support projects like this throughout the year by donating now to the Beaverton Education Foundation and becoming a sustaining donor!  

Tools and supplies are critical regardless of where learning takes place.

With 16,000 Beaverton students qualifying for federal free and reduced-price meals, the second phase of our Back to School campaign aims to create Student Success Kits by August 23 for each of the 16,000 students. The kit consists of basic supplies needed for distance learning.

There are two was for you to be a part of the solution:

1. Make a financial gift of $50 to provide 10 students with necessary supplies. A contribution of $5 makes a difference for one student.
2. Donate supplies on August 20th at our district-wide drop-off at Beaverton High School. We welcome the following items in new and unopened condition:

• College-ruled spiral notebooks
• Sharpened pencils
• Ballpoint pens
• Highlighters
• Colored markers (10 pack)
• Glue sticks
• Black Sharpies

Beaverton High School
(entrance at the corner of SW 2nd Street and SW Stott Avenue)
August 20th, 2020
Times: 9am – 1pm and 4pm – 7pm

NOTE: This will be a contactless drop-off event. Please keep our community safe by following appropriate hygiene protocols.

Download the Back to School: Equip flyer to share with your famliy and friends.

Our goal is to solve the solvable problems so our students are ready to learn. Internet connectivity is a solvable problem.

BEF is the Beaverton School District’s partner to help raise funds and connect the community and classrooms. Right now funds are needed for a small number of families that cannot participate in the Comcast offer for internet access. For a variety of reasons, such as homelessness, foster care or moving among multiple locations – for example, spending one day with a grandparent, the next with a neighbor, the following one at a child care center – the student will need a mobile hotspot in order to access consistent, reliable service this school year.

Let’s work together to give our students, our educators and our school community the resources they need to make this year the most successful it can be.

Our goal is to solve the solvable problems so our students are ready to learn.

Internet connectivity is a solvable problem.

While our telecom partners have provided much-needed connectivity, there are still gaps for some BSD families. Of the 27,000 households in our Beaverton schools, 475 do not have a reliable way to connect to the internet this school year. With your support, students will check out a WiFi hotspot they can use to attend online classes and complete their school work. These devices are for students for whom traditional internet service providers are not a solution.

Your gift of $250 will provide a student with a mobile hotspot and internet service for the entire school year. A contribution of $25 supports connectivity for one month.

Q: I thought the Beaverton School District has an arrangement for free internet connectivity through Comcast?

A: Yes, Comcast is offering a limited number of families who qualify for free and reduced school lunch with six months of free internet. Families need to submit applications for this program by July 31. More information about this program is available here.

Q: Why is BEF raising funds for internet connectivity?

A: BEF is the District’s partner to help raise funds and connect the community and classrooms. Right now funds are needed for a small number of families that cannot participate in the Comcast offer. For a variety of reasons, such as homelessness, foster care or moving among multiple locations – for example, spending one day with a grandparent, the next with a neighbor, the following one at a child care center – the student will need a mobile hotspot in order to access consistent, reliable service. 

Q: Do families apply to BEF for the hotspots?

A: No, the District has identified families who need the hotspots. The District will be responsible for checking hotspots out to the students and for helping get them set up before school starts.

“We’re all in this together.”

We have all heard this refrain over these last few months. Together, we have shown that we can make a difference in our community and for our kids. Now we need to partner to address the challenges of returning to school.

Beaverton students start school soon, with inevitably much more emphasis on online components than ever. No matter how school looks, every student in our community deserves to start the year with the tools they need to be successful, from basic supplies to online connectivity.

For our teachers and staff back to school means preparing differently than in the past. Pulling together, we can give our educators the resources they need – whether that’s supporting a broad spectrum of students’ learning needs online or meeting specialized classroom supply needs. There are plenty of projects and programs that cannot be paid for by normal school funding but are critical to meeting the needs of our students.

Be part of the solution!

With your help today, we can ensure that the path to school is as smooth as possible. 

Our collective goal: solve the solvable problems so we can get kids ready for back to school.

Our first phase of this campaign focuses on connectivity needs. We will announce the second phase of our campaign shortly that will focus on the tools and supplies our students and educators will need for fall.

Your gift to the Back to School: Connections and Tools Fund will support our Beaverton students and educators to be ready. Let’s work together to give our students, our educators and our school community the resources they need to make this year the most successful it can be.

Since 1988, BEF has helped our Beaverton educators access community resources for innovative classroom projects and supported afterschool and summer academic enrichment. Our support covers those projects and programs that cannot be paid for out of normal school funding but are critical to meeting the needs of our students. We remain here to help our community and classroom connect.