Amidst the many challenges facing our community right now, we are excited to share good news about a virtual celebration we held on May 7 during Teacher Appreciation Week. We had the joy of honoring seven BVSD early career teachers and recognizing one first-year teacher as our inaugural Imogene Maxon Early Career Teacher award (IMA) winner! We originally intended to recognize and award these educators in person during our annual Impact Awards event in March, but we rescheduled the event for September, when we will honor them all in person with our Impact Award winners.
Earlier this year,we received a bequest from the family of Imogene Maxon, a lifelong educator who taught in BVSD, in the form of 5% of her estate. Imogene believed strongly in the impact of teachers who spend a lifetime honing instruction and learning practices and positively impacting countless students within the classroom.
Our seven nominees were chosen for their commitment to the teaching profession, and for embodying a passion and stamina that reflects one of a veteran educator. The nominees represent Boulder High, Emerald Elementary, University Hill Elementary, Eldorado K-8, Transitions Center, Manhattan Middle, and Nederland Middle/Senior.
Congratulations to Emily Trujillo
Our first-ever IMA winner, Emily Trujillo, is a kindergarten teacher at Emerald Elementary and a BVSD graduate. Announced by BVSD Board of Education President Tina Marquis, Emily stood out with her wise-beyond-her-years demeanor, natural leadership, and dedication to individual students. She is dedicated to showing students how they can be represented in their teachers.
The virtual celebration included all of the award nominees, their principals, BVSD Board of Education members, and BVSD administrative leaders, and was broadcast on BV22 simultaneously. We encourage the community to watch the video and celebrate our BVSD educators!
Thanks to the Maxon bequest, each nominee and the winner was given a monetary award.
Home-based learning will continue – your support is needed now more than ever
Boulder Valley School District announced on Monday that schools will remain closed for all in-school learning for the rest of this academic year and that Summer School will also be taught remotely. Education and teaching will still occur, but both teachers and students will be logging on from home. With this announcement that building doors will be closed for at least the next few months, we know that the needs in our community will continue to grow.
Our strong partnership with BVSD allowed us to mobilize immediately and ensure that all students have the necessary tools to continue their education from home. So far, we have:
Here’s a quick break down of the impact:
113,632 meals have been distributed to BVSD families since March 17th
2,000+ backpacks full of supplies and work packets distributed to students
$30,000 worth of grocery gift cards distributed to the most critically impacted BVSD families
1,000+ families did not have access to internet prior to Stay-at-Home orders, now EVERY student household in BVSD is connected to wifi
Several hundred masks have been collected from the community and distributed to BVSD essential workers
This work is only possible thanks to the hundreds of individual donors who contributed to our Critical Needs Fund.
In case you missed it, our Executive Director Allison Billings went live on Facebook to share an update on the swift and encompassing efforts by BVSD staff, supported by Impact on Education.
Please help us get the word out, please share on social – click here for easy facebook share.
While we are extremely proud that we’ve been able to provide so much support so quickly, we also know how much more work we have to do. The costs to continue providing food to support families in need this summer are significant, and the enrichment programs we know will be needed to help students catch up will be significant. We are so grateful for all who are joining us to make sure that these temporary school closures do not lead to permanent learning deficits.
Across our community and across the world, families and individuals are starting to settle into their new “routines.” Our new normal is staying at home and wearing masks and gloves during the essential times we need to leave the house. For some, we are working from make-shift offices in our homes, while others are trying to figure out how to pay rent as their employer has been forced to close, ending their job and source of income.
Students’ new normal is school at home. Assignments come from teacher emails, video chats or phone calls or arrive in a backpack either picked up by a family member or dropped off on a doorstep by a school community liaison. Some families are able to make this transition happen fairly well, while others struggle to juggle their own work-from-home schedule while now being a tutor/educator. And for some children, they do not even have the support of an adult in their home to ensure that their work is being completed and that they are connecting with their teachers.
Impact on Education is there for the students and teachers of Boulder Valley School District. We are driven to ensure that all students have the opportunities to receive a great education. We look for the barriers and work to break them down. Though we have been tackling obstacles and battling the achievement gap since our existence, we are in a crisis that exposes the barriers, but also sheds light on how amazing our partnership comes together to support ALL STUDENTS.
We continue to work with Boulder Valley School District as they adapt to educating children in these unprecedented times. We remain nimble to meet emerging needs and poised to take immediate action to ensure that the essential needs of students are met and that their education can proceed. We continue to listen to parents, families and our partners at BVSD.
In week two of home learning, we can already see the successes of our actions and the Critical Needs Fund:
We are proud to see that 96% of BVSD students connected with their teachers last week. The teachers and community liaisons have worked hard to make sure that students are not only accessing educational materials, but they are making connections again with their school and peers, they are being reminded that there are other adults in their lives that care about them.
To make this possible, we helped acquire and distribute:
Over 2,000 backpacks to students across the district filled with the basic tools – paper, pencils, crayons, calculators, work packets and notes from their school principals that they are loved. Watch the video of a distribution day here
Over $10,000 age appropriate books to families who do not have shelves of reading books to turn to during this time of confinement
Over 7,000 chromebooks with the help of district IT staff are working with families to properly set them up and get access to the internet.
And, so many of our children are still receiving nutritious meals from school – BVSD continues to be the one place that they can count on to have a full belly so that they could concentrate on their studies.
To make this possible, we have been able to utilize the Critical Needs Funds and leverage partnerships.
Just this week 20,224 meals have been distributed – bringing the total to 71,056 meals since March 17th
And, due to a partnership with BVSD Food Services and the nonprofit Conscious Alliance and their sponsor, Hormel, these families will all have a ham to prepare for Sunday’s Easter dinner.
And lastly, to make all the behind the scenes support happen, BVSD has hundreds of essential workers who we need to make sure are safe.
To make this possible we have:
Collected hundreds of hand-sewn and industrial masks from the community
These BVSD team members leave their homes every day to help make the emergency plans happen. They care for essential employees’ children, prepare and distribute food bags, they go to the homes of our most directly affected families to deliver food, gift cards for essentials and school supplies, they sit on the curbs of our school buildings to distribute laptops and backpacks, they clean all the school building to ensure they are ready for students to return, they receive donations and deliveries in the warehouse – they keep and promote the community of what is school!
We are grateful to be able to help the district tackle many of the challenges! A supportive community means the world to so many of our families:
We truly are #AllTogetherBVSD
UPDATE (4/20/2020): THANK YOU to a fantastic community – our mask needs have been fulfilled!) CURRENT NEED– FACE MASKS: BVSD is providing care to children of “Essential Employees.” We must help these teachers and children stay safe, so we’re asking for volunteers to donate face masks that we’ll distribute to students, teachers and other building personnel.
If you are a group or individual with a donation of 5 masks or more, please email us to schedule a pick up time.Bulk collections will continue through April 17th.
Addition Resources:
Please click here to learn more about BVSD’s Home Learning Kickoff Plan
Please click here to learn more about BVSD’s Materials and Food Distribution Plan
Please click here to learn more about Emergency Food Distribution
Please click here to learn about the Boulder Valley School District’s response
Please click here to learn more about resources in Boulder County
Please click here to learn about the State of Colorado public health and action plan
Read reporting on BVSD and IoE efforts to support students
The last few weeks have been unprecedented in many ways, and as a colleague recently shared, “This is not a sprint or even a 10k. We are preparing for a marathon.” While Impact on Education sprung into action as if this was a sprint, we are now realizing that this crisis will continue on not just for weeks, but likely for months. We know that students depend on their schools for much more than simply their education, and that’s why we immediately set up our Critical Needs Fund.
As of April 1st, we’ve raised over $250,000 for our Critical Needs Fund. This was made possible by our generous matching donors Dave and Suzanne Hoover, joined by Brad Feld and Amy Batchelor, and by the 500 individual and corporate donors who contributed.
Please take a moment to watch this video from our Superintendent, School Board, Executive Director and Board members, as we share our gratitude to those who have helped us:
Over the past three weeks, we have:
Provided over 2,000 backpacks filled with school supplies to elementary school families in need
Distributed thousands of bags of food to families filled with groceries that should allow them to prepare over 40,000 family meals
Purchased and distributed $15,000 in gift cards to ensure our most highly impacted families have the essential supplies they need
Acquired over$10,000 worth of age-appropriate books to be distributed to our low-income families
Helped ensure that students have access to the internet and to Chromebooks they can use for remote learning.
We are working in very close partnership with BVSD and have been so impressed by the hard work of their entire team. You can read Impact on Education’s public statement of admiration in our Executive Director’s letter to the editor published in Thursday’s Daily Camera.
We are committed to supporting all students in the BVSD community. Will you continue to support our work?
We invite you to learn more about our Critical Needs Fund. We welcome your help spreading the word to family, friends and neighbors about the important needs we are meeting during these challenging times.
We are grateful for the support of this amazing community! We truly are #AllTogetherBVSD
CURRENT NEED– FACE MASKS: BVSD is providing care to children of “Essential Employees.” We must help these teachers and children stay safe, so we’re asking for volunteers to donate face masks that we’ll distribute to students, teachers and other building personnel.
Donations may be dropped off at:
BVSD Ed Center: 6500 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder -Look for blue barrel at front door
LAST DAY OF DROP OFF COLLECTION: Friday, April 10, 2020at 2 p.m.
If you are a group or individual with a donation of 20 masks or more, please email us to schedule a pick up time.Bulk collections will continue through April 17th.
Addition Resources:
Please click here to learn more about BVSD’s Home Learning Kickoff Plan
Please click here to learn more about BVSD’s Materials and Food Distribution Plan
Please click here to learn more about Emergency Food Distribution
Please click here to learn about the Boulder Valley School District’s response
Please click here to learn more about resources in Boulder County
Please click here to learn about the State of Colorado public health and action plan
Read reporting on BVSD and IoE efforts to support students
Thousands Receive School Supplies from Impact on Education
As soon as the spread of COVID-19 required schools to close, Impact on Education jumped into action. As the Foundation for Boulder Valley’s public schools, we created our Critical Needs Fund to support students and schools in a variety of ways during the unprecedented school closures. And in just under two weeks we have received over $70,000 from 400 generous supporters. This support has been overwhelming, and we are deeply moved by our community’s commitment to education and our students.
Because of these financial contributions we have:
Coordinated the acquisition and distribution of nutritious food for nearly 3,000 students and their families and have plans to serve up to 6,000 families next week
Worked with BVSD Community Liaisons during BVSD Spring Break to distribute gift cards and bags of food to over 500 of our most critically impacted families
Mobilized $130,000 in school supplies and books to support students’ at home learning
Partnered with BVSD make sure all students have access to the internet and can participate in remote learning
Our Critical Needs Fund remains flexible to meet the emerging needs of this crisis and we are prepared to fund tutoring and enrichment programs so students don’t fall behind.
Will you help us build the Critical Needs Fund so we can continue to help our students and families during this time of need? All gifts made now through the end of March will be matched dollar for dollar up to $100,000 thanks to generous gifts from Suzanne and Dave Hoover, joined by Brad Feld and Amy Batchelor.
Ensuring Boulder Valley Students are supported in this time of need
While we are collectively facing a time of unprecedented stress and uncertainty, we could not be more proud to be part of such a caring and committed community.
These challenging times have put our mission as the foundation for Boulder Valley’s Public Schools to the test. And, we are happy to say, our pillars of support do not waiver, even in times of crisis.
Now that schools must remain closed until at least April 17, we know that the needs will continue piling up.
Our safeguards and action plans are solid, and our relationship with the Boulder Valley School District is strong. With your help, we can handle this crisis and provide the essential tools our students need right now while also planning ahead to create mechanisms of support so that students do not fall behind.
During this unprecedented school closure, Impact on Education is:
Coordinating the acquisition and distribution of nutritious food for students and their families
Providing school supplies and technology solutions so all students can participate in remote learning
Funding tutoring and enrichment programs so students don’t fall behind
How you can help now:
Make a contribution to our Critical Need Fund.- this allows us to immediately tackle the district’s need in the three areas above.
COMMUNITY CHALLENGE! We are proud to announce an incredible boost to our Critical Needs Fund! We now have $100,000 in matching funds provided by Dave and Suzanne Hoover, joined by Brad Feld and Amy Batchelor. This means your donation to Impact on Education is doubled between now and the end of March!
Stay up to date on what we’re doing and how you can help by reading our newsletters, following us on social media and coming back to our website often.
Share these needs and our website with friends, colleagues, family and neighbors.
We are grateful to be part of a community that is so committed to education and to helping support our neighbors.
Other Resources:
Please click here to learn more about Emergency Food Distribution
Please click here to learn about the Boulder Valley School District’s response
Please click here to learn more about resources in Boulder County
Please click here to learn about the State of Colorado public health and action plan
Read Daily Camera reporting on BVSD and IoE efforts to support students
Read: A note from the publisher to Daily Camera readers
Read: BVSD hands out about 1,450 bags of food amid coronavirus pandemic
View: Photos of BVSD Sees Increased Demand for Food While School is Out
Read: BVSD, SVVSD provide updates on at-home learning plans
Impact on Education is in direct and constant communication with Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) to ensure that our students and families are supported during these uncharted times.
Currently, all schools in Boulder Valley School District are closed until April 17th.
We are working closely with District leaders to ensure we are able to provide food to the families who rely on school for meals. At the same time, we are raising critical funds to prepare for the possibility of remote learning for students without access to technology.
As the Foundation for Boulder Valley School District, we at Impact on Education are stepping up to help support students and schools in unprecedented ways.
We are focusing our efforts in these three places:
We are working closely with BVSD Food Services to line up volunteers to assemble bags that will be distributed to families in need next week across our community. Many students rely on school for breakfast, lunch, and weekend nutrition. With our partners at BVSD, we are committed to ensuring that students and their families receive nutritious food while students are unexpectedly out of school. If you’d like to volunteer, please sign up here.Please understand opportunities are fluid, based on pending needs and potential group gathering restrictions.
In case school closures extend beyond spring break, we are getting tens of thousands of school supplies and backpacks ready to be used to support ongoing learning among students without access to technology.
Once this is all behind us and kids are back in school, Impact on Education is looking for creative ways to fund after school/weekend enrichment to help our kids catch up and make sure that the gap in learning doesn’t become a permanent deficit.
From now through March 31st, all donations up to $40,000 will be match by Suzanne and Dave Hoover.
Stay up to date on what we’re doing and how you can help by reading our newsletters, following us on social media and coming back to our website often.
We are grateful to be part of a community that is so committed to education and to helping support our neighbors.
Please click here to learn more about Emergency Food Distribution
Please click here to learn about the Boulder Valley School District’s response
Please click here to learn about the State of Colorado public health and action plan
From the Department of Public Health & Environment:
Social distancing is an effective public health tool for preventing the spread of disease, but it’s still important to connect with friends & loved ones. Try video chats or just give them a call. Remember to keep 6 feet between you & others if you do need to go out in public.
Impact on Education is proud to announce Sue Taddeucci as the recipient of the 2020 Blake Peterson Lifetime Achievement Award. Sue is a Special Education Multi-Intensive Learning Center Teacher at Southern Hills Middle School.
Sue exemplifies what Blake Peterson valued most in educators, an extraordinary heart for the students she works with. This commitment is best exemplified by how she individualizes her approach to working with each student’s needs and strengths to optimize their potential. Her endless enthusiasm in working with families, pioneering new teaching approaches, facilitating the groundbreaking peer tutoring program, and mentoring an incredible number of educators in special education, has changed the lives of countless individuals in our district and throughout the state.
Sue has served the BVSD community since 2007 when she joined the Creekside Elementary preschool program. She’s been catalyzing and innovating within the Special Education department at Southern Hills Middle since 2010, and building a norm of inclusivity in the process. Her tireless dedication to partnering with all of the positive influences and roles in a student’s life – parents, caregivers, families, student classmates, paraeducators, colleagues, district administrators – with only the goal of that student’s growth as the focus had led to progression and learning that is truly transformative.
Equally important, her sphere of positive impact extends beyond her classroom walls and BVSD. Sue drives a Peer Tutoring Program that caught the eyes of the Colorado Department of Education, and her energetic, inclusive teaching style is a positive model for special education teachers and programs across the state.
Thank you, Sue, for bringing out the best in your students and in all those around you!
Click here to read an article about the 2020 Blake Peterson Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, Sue Taddeucci, in the Daily Camera.
Things are starting off strong in 2020, and we are diving into some exciting new work to prepare all students for a promising future. In alignment with BVSD and consistent with the District’s Strategic Plan, Impact on Education is funding two new initiatives this spring that will help students in our community meet the challenges and opportunities that await them.
First, we are proudly piloting a new career exploration tool in five BVSD middle schools. We believe that providing students with many opportunities to explore careers from a young age will inspire and excite them. This program is unique because it features jobs that are projected to be in high demand in the future and allows students to explore these careers virtually through videos with actual Coloradans working in the field. Eighty-five percent of those featured on video are from underrepresented groups, and the program features information about clubs or electives that might help interested kids gain more opportunities to build their skills. We will gather information from students and teachers to determine if using this program achieves its goals and will use that data to inform future investments.
Second, we’re developing an action plan with BVSD designed to reimagine the ways we are preparing students for their futures . Options for students to build skills, gain college credit or technical certifications, and access work-based learning opportunities while in high school are not as abundant in BVSD as they are in peer districts. Building upon successful best practices and then harnessing the talent and knowledge of our local community, Impact on Education expects that we’ll be able to offer new and exciting choices to all students K-12 in the coming years.
According to the World Economic Forum, 65% of children entering school will work in jobs that don’t yet exist. And another recent ManpowerGroup survey cites 45% of Human Resource Managers who say they are unable to find qualified workers for available jobs (“Talent Shortage Survey”, 2018). Ensuring that our schools are preparing students for successful futures is a focus of BVSD, so we are proud to fund both of these new efforts and look forward to seeing all of our students graduate and succeed in the future.
With the incredible partnership among Impact on Education, Education Foundation of the St. Vrain Valley, and both Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley School Districts, the Crayons to Calculators program is a key component in tackling the achievement gap most schools in Colorado face.
Every once in a while, we have the privilege of meeting some of the families who are recipients of the C2C backpacks. (Each school is the primary distributor to their families). On a stifling hot day in early August – a week before the official Back to School Nights, a mother and daughter stopped by the Impact on Education office to pick up the needed five backpacks for Annika and her siblings. As Annika sifted through the massive selection of PreK through high school backpacks, searching for the perfect style to fit her brother’s and sisters’ personalities, her mother, Joy, expressed her gratitude for the Crayons to Calculators program.
“You always have the right supplies – it is exactly what each of my kids needs from the school lists. I am grateful that you pay attention to this, as it allows for my kids to be like all the other kids on the first day of school”
She explained that she loved coming to the Impact on Education office to pick up their bags because her children loved to have the supplies early.
“I love watching them spend time together, personalizing their backpacks and organizing all their supplies. It is such a stress relief to see my children walk confidently into the school building for the new year already prepared, and nobody knows that I cannot afford to get them this basic need.”
Then Joy’s face started to glow with the look of a proud mother. She said, “My oldest daughter is a senior this year and with the support of BVSD and programs like Crayons to Calculators, she is doing very well.”
Tears started to form in the crease of her eyes. “My Dana has a 4.0, and colleges are asking her to apply to their school – she will be the first in our family to go to college.”
After an exchange of hugs between Joy and the Crayons to Calculators Coordinator, Annika stood up with the five bags in her hands with a huge smile on her face and she proudly announced, “And I am going to be the second.”
113,632 meals have been distributed to BVSD families since March 17th
