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MAKING AN IMPACT – The Plaza

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Two evenings a week, families enter the gym at Roosevelt Elementary looking for education and personal connections. Upon arrival they’re often greeted by Hilda Lail, Family Advocate with Vancouver Public Schools’ Family-Community Resource Centers (FCRCs). Lail oversees The Plaza, a high-impact program designed for families from different cultural backgrounds to help improve skills such as English, while also increasing awareness of available resources and opportunities. During the events children of all ages participate in age-appropriate academic activities led by teachers and paraeducators. The program started in 2009 as “La Plaza” as a way to help the District’s large population of...
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ENGAGING STUDENTS…Gaiser and Jason Lee Middle Schools Combined Orchestras

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On December 1st, the Allegro and Presto Orchestras of Jason Lee and Gaiser Middle Schools performed in a combined concert for a crowd of approximately 500. The concert also included Oregon Hall of Fame group 3 Leg Torso thanks to a Foundation for VPS Engagement Grant awarded to the schools’ orchestra teacher, Ann Medellin. “I’m excited for these opportunities for students who might not otherwise be exposed to professional music like that,” said Medellin, who is also a professional violinist. Medellin describes 3 Leg Torso’s music as “an eclectic synthesis of chamber music, tango, klezmer, Latin, and Roma music.” Luci,...
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DONORS MAKING A DIFFERENCE…Read Across America

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Each year students in VPS join in the nation’s largest celebration of reading, Read Across America. Thanks to our community partners, there is a special tradition for first-grade students at all 23 VPS elementary schools. Throughout the weeklong celebration nearly 1,800 first-graders and their families celebrated with a delicious breakfast provided and served by Beaches Restaurant. In addition, Amerigroup Washington along with Riverview Bank and Riverview Trust Company provided funds to the Foundation for VPS to purchase a book for each student. The books were available in multiple languages, supporting literacy in school and at home. Thank you to Beaches,...
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Sign up for the 2023 Couve Clover Run

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9TH ANNUAL COUVE CLOVER RUN/WALK – 1, 3, 7 or 10 mile routes & virtual options Sunday, March 19, 2023 Grab your St. Patrick’s themed running gear and accessories, bring your family and friends, and run or walk a 1, 3, 7, or 10 mile scenic course and raise money for the Foundation for Vancouver Public Schools to benefit VPS students. 1 mile and 5K FREE for ages 12 & under! Ages 13-17, 50% off. Strollers permitted. REGISTER AND FIND DETAILS AT: https://whyracingevents.com/couve-clover-run Sign up today with Charity Code: FVPS10 Save 10% off your registration fee. Want to make an...
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MAKING AN IMPACT – Wrap-around services support a family during a tragedy

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Providing wrap-around services for students and helping to bridge gaps due to poverty are an ongoing focus for the Foundation for VPS. In some cases, support helps families facing hardships due to unexpected circumstances. Sadly, this school year a VPS student died following a tragic accident. There was an immediate need to respond to support students and families across multiple schools and to rally resources to help the family navigate a very difficult time. The family had already overcome multiple challenges stemming from illness with Covid and subsequent loss of employment. They were finally beginning to enjoy stable housing after...
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INVESTING IN STUDENTS…VPS levy will be on the February 2023 ballot

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Invest in kids by voting yes on Feb. 14 Vancouver kids and community need your support for the renewal education & operations levy on the February 2023 ballot. The levy is not a new tax, it would replace the existing education and operations levies that expire at the end of 2023. If approved, the renewal levy would be for four years from 2024 to 2027. All schools in the district benefit from this levy which makes up 12.5% of VPS’ budget and helps to pay for staffing, basic programs and operations that are unfunded, or underfunded, by the state including:...
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DONORS MAKING A DIFFERENCE…iQ Credit Union

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THANK YOU TO IQ AND ALL VPS STAFF WHO SUPPORT THE FOUNDATION THROUGH THE ANNUAL STAFF CAMPAIGN! iQ Credit Union started much like the Foundation for VPS, with a teacher’s shoebox and a handwritten ledger. Since 1940 they have grown to over 90,000 members at 16 branches. From the Foundation’s beginning, iQ has been a dedicated partner promoting student advancement by investing in our mission of getting kids to school happy, healthy and ready to learn. In addition to donations to the Foundation, iQ raises money for other nonprofits that improve children’s lives and works directly in schools to promote...
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MAKING AN IMPACT – Supporting Student Welfare and Engagement

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In schools across the nation, the need for student behavioral and mental health support is unlike anything seen before. Many students are facing challenges adjusting to changes in their learning environments, recovering from lack of social interaction, and in some cases, coping with instability in their home life that has been amplified by COVID and economic hardships. Suspension, truancy, and graduation rates reveal the results of these challenges. Last spring the Foundation for VPS provided supplemental funding for two new VPS programs focused on improving attendance, engagement, and truancy rates. The Student Welfare & Truancy and IMPACT programs provide structure...
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ENGAGING STUDENTS…PALs bring summer enrichment to Fruit Valley students

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The Foundation for VPS provides funding throughout the year to offer students mentoring and enrichment opportunities for little or no cost. The ultimate goal is to increase engagement in learning, build confidence, and help connect them to their passions. Last summer around 100 children participated in the Mad Science, STEAM, and forensics camps offered through the Police Activities League (PAL) of Southwest Washington. For the fifth year, the camps were hosted at Fruit Valley Elementary School and were open to all youth in the community, with first priority given to Fruit Valley students and siblings. This year was extra special...
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Supporting students in the 2022-23 school year…

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It’s back-to-school season! The Foundation for Vancouver Public Schools is gearing up to help students begin a new school year happy, healthy, and ready to learn. Donations to the Write from the Start School Supply Drive matched through 8/31! Your donation to the Write from the Start School Supply Drive helps Vancouver Public School students start the school year with the supplies they need to be successful. Give now and your donation will be matched by Dick Hannah Dealerships, up to $10,000! Around 11,000 students in Vancouver Public Schools qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a Federal indicator of poverty....
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$60,000 in Engagement Grants Awarded in 2020-21 School Year

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School Engagement Grants Faced with a changed landscape due to the pandemic, schools were creative finding ways to engage and support stu-dents during remote and hybrid learning via a range of exciting projects. Earth day kits, creating a new school song, and a parking lot BINGO and dance party were a few of the experiences granted to students through the annual Foundation for Vancouver Public Schools Engagement Grants. “The Foundation for VPS allocated $60,000 in Engagement Grants to fund projects and programs to benefit students at every Vancouver school,” explains Nada Wheelock, Executive Director, Foundation for VPS. “Thank you to...
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$100,000 in Engagement Grants Awarded in 2019-20 School Year

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School Engagement Grants The Foundation for VPS provides opportunities so all students have opportunities that spark their interests, connect them to their passion, and help them envision and plan for their future success in college, career and life. Each year, the Foundation provides funding to bring unique enrichment activities and experiences to students at all VPS schools. Since 1998, the Foundation for VPS has awarded more than one million dollars to fund innovative and exciting projects that enrich student learning. The 2019-20 grant recipients include: All VPS Elementary Schools Safety Patrol year-end celebration; after-school dance program; computer science for special...
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MAKING AN IMPACT – Help for Students in Need

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One by one, cars enter the parking lot of Harney Elementary. Drivers are greeted by Hilda Lail, the school’s Family-Community Resource Center (FCRC) coordinator. Wearing a face mask and gloves, Hilda and other staff members hand out food bags for families impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Many families, even those who used to be able to afford groceries, now struggle to put enough food on the table. Despite school building closures in early March, the district’s 20 FCRC coordinators are doing everything they can to safely make sure children and families have access to basic needs and the latest information....
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$250,000 Raised in Virtual Event

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The Foundation for Vancouver Public Schools’ (VPS) biggest community fundraiser of the year raised over $250,000 in donations from generous businesses and individuals through an online giving event. The total includes $80,000 in matching funds from the “Give a Fox” Fund, a partnership between LSW Architects and Slumberkins. Over 600 guests initially planned on attending the Annual Luncheon in person. “We are thankful to the Vancouver community, organizations, our Community Champions Circle, and event sponsors who stepped up and supported our mission through our online event despite these incredibly challenging times,” said Nada Wheelock, Executive Director. “Now, more than ever,...
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DONORS MAKING A DIFFERENCE – LSW Architects

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For over 30 years, the Vancouver community has come together to support families in need by donating to the Foundation for Vancouver Public Schools (VPS). LSW Architects is one of our “Community Champions” who has stepped up to support VPS students and families for many years in many ways, including providing Thanksgiving dinners for families, funding school events and programs, and sponsoring the annual Foundation Luncheon. Last November, LSW Architects teamed up with Slumberkins and raised over $200,000 at their first annual Foxgiving fundraiser to raise awareness and provide resources for homeless children and families in Clark County. When the...
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Annual Luncheon will be Virtual

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Out of an abundance of concern for the safety of students, guests, and community, the Foundation for Vancouver Public Schools (VPS) has canceled its annual Luncheon scheduled for March 19th. Instead, the non-profit will host a Virtual Luncheon with details to be announced next week. The Luncheon is the biggest community fundraiser for the Foundation for VPS, expecting to draw 600 people. The online event will highlight the talents of students, share impact stories of students and families who’ve benefited from Foundation for VPS support, recipes from VPS Culinary Arts students, and more. Financial donations to the Foundation for VPS...
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MAKING AN IMPACT…Keoni’s Keychains

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(Pictured: 8-year old Keoni presents check to Franklin Elementary School Principal, Woody Howard after selling keychains to pay off classmates’ cafeteria debt. Photo courtesy, April Ching.) An act of kindness by a Franklin Elementary School second-grader has received national attention and made a big impact for students with cafeteria debt. Keoni Ching, 8, wanted to do something special for “Kindness Week,” an annual event celebrated in many VPS schools. He heard his mother and father discussing NFL player Richard Sherman’s recent donation of $27,000 toward student lunch debt in Washington and California. Keoni had his own experience with an overdrawn...
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ENGAGING STUDENTS…McLoughlin students see nature from new angle

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Most of Celia Antonini’s students had never experienced the natural beauty of the Columbia River Gorge until a Foundation for VPS Engagement Grant funded an 8th grade trip to Multnomah Falls. The students were not there just for recreation, or to study natural science, they would be learning linear functions. As part of their math curriculum, the students had been working on the concepts of slope, initial value and how it relates to the world. Antonini applied for the grant hoping that the trip would help the students develop a “concrete understanding of how graphs, tables, equations and scenarios are...
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Donors Making a Difference: Beaches Community Fund

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For more than 20 years Mark Matthias has supported the mission of the Foundation for VPS through the Beaches Charity Fund, personal contributions, and events at his restaurants – Beaches and Warehouse ’23. A former Foundation for VPS board member, Matthias has been a leading champion of Foundation for VPS initiatives, pledging $100,000 over four years in 2017 to support expansion of basic needs support throughout the district. He has also encouraged donations to the Foundation by providing incentive parties to teachers and staff who give through the annual Staff Campaign. A hero for many non-profits and causes, Matthias and...
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Sign up for the 2020 Couve Clover Run

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6TH ANNUAL COUVE CLOVER RUN/WALK – 3, 7 or 10 mile routes Sunday, March 22, 2020 9:00 a.m. start time (arrive by 8:30 a.m.) GO FOR GREEN! Grab your St. Patrick’s themed running gear and accessories, bring your family and friends, and run or walk a 3, 7, or 10 mile scenic course to support local charities like the Foundation for Vancouver Public Schools. Stick around for the great post party hosted by Main Event. Kids 12 and under get to race the 5K for FREE! Ages 13-17, half-price. Strollers permitted. REGISTER AND FIND DETAILS AT: http://bit.ly/Race4FVPS THREE OPTIONS TO BENEFIT THE...
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