San Mateo-Foster City Ed. Foundation

Introduction

As a direct result of contributions from our community over the past few years, the San Mateo-Foster City Education Foundation has been fortunate to donate to our district the funds to continue the fifth grade instrumental music program.

In 2011, we were thrilled to see students from the entire district perform the national anthem before a Giants game at AT&T Park, and this year, students came together for the First Annual Bowlathon to compete for their school and raise money for the district.

While support for fifth grade instrumental music program is important, we’ve always felt the need to support all grades across all of our district’s elementary and middle schools.

A Musical Passing of the Torch

In response to the support for the return of a K-4 music program, it’s with great excitement that I announce the return of our music program to all grades!

For the 2012-2013 school year, the school district will provide financial support for a music program in grades K through 4, and our foundation will continue to support fifth grade music.

We applaud the district’s investment in our children’s future, and their confidence in the Education Foundation as we grow and take on funding responsibility for the district-wide music program. The torch has been passed – we’re off and running.

The Importance of Music

Research published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) indicates that music can help a child’s brain develop. In particular, the study notes that “people with musical training have improved language-learning ability” and that exposure to even casual musical training can lead to more acute hearing.

Music to My Ears

As the President of the San Mateo-Foster City Education Foundation, I thank the district for their support. I’m proud to play a small role as one of a group of like-minded enthusiastic parents and district staff on our Board in bringing music back to our schools.

As a parent of two boys at Highlands Elementary, I’m thrilled that music will be a part of their curriculum in the upcoming school year. In fact, I’m making music a part of this moment. Let’s sing it all together, “Celebrate good times, come on!”

Janet Koe
President
San Mateo-Foster City Education Foundation

The easiest way to donate to the Education Foundation is to do so by clicking through to our online donation form.
(Note: You can always access this form by clicking the “Donate!” link in the upper left hand corner of this page)

Meanwhile, if you would like to print out a hard copy of the donation form or flyer that were distributed to the schools, you can use the links below to download and print the docs:
- Donation Form
- Support the Education Foundation flyer

Thank you to everyone for your support during the recent Phone-A-Thon. The parents and staff making the calls really enjoyed talking to all of our district families in support of our common mission to support the children in our school district.

Our goal during the 2011-12 school year is to raise enough money to bring back a centralized music program for all elementary students, K-5th grade (lost due to budget cuts in 2008), and to support music at the middle school grades. To do this, we need to raise $400,000 by July 1st, 2012, and we need your help.

We would love to hear your thoughts, ideas, and would especially like to hear from you if you are interested in volunteer opportunities. We have big plans for 2012! Thank you for your support, and we look forward to hearing from you.

- Janet Koe
SMFC Education Foundation President
president@smfcedfund.org

Thanks to the PGA Tour and the Charles Schwab Foundation, there is an amazing opportunity to raise money for the Education Foundation, while getting to see PGA legends play golf. Here is a quick summary:

- Buy tickets to the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, which is being held at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco in early November.

- The tournament will feature legendary, Champions Tour golfers Tom Watson, Fred Couples, Tom Lehman, and many more.

- Tickets cost $25. But 75% ($18.75) of every ticket you buy will go to the San Mateo-Foster City Education Foundation!

(for the full scoop, click “continue reading” below)

Continue reading →

Whole Foods’ 5% Community Day for San Mateo Foster City Education Foundation raised over $5500 for the Foundation! Thank you to all!

Download (PDF, 1.46MB)

On June 10, 2011, Highlands Elementary held an end-of-year picnic for students and family on the school grounds. Second and third grade students performed “The Highlands Stomp,” a true original.

The music and lyrics were composed by Mr. Robert, who’s show in the video leading the song. Enjoy!

“Over the past two months, schools in the San Mateo-Foster City School District have been working hard to raise money for victims of the earthquake / tsunami that occurred in Japan in March 2011.  We are proud to announce that district-wide, our students have raised over $14,500.00.”

For more details, see:

San Mateo-Foster City school district web site:

San Mateo-Foster City Schools Raise over $14,500 for Japan

Full Press Release: PDF document

Did your child perform the national anthem at AT&T Park back on May 25th? If so, you can order a Scoreboard DVD from the San Francisco Giants.

The Order Form

You can download a copy of the order form (PDF) here:

Download: Scoreboard DVD Order Form

Fill out the form and then follow the instructions on how to send in your order. The price of the DVD is $39.95.

On the evening of May 23, 2011, San Mateo-Foster City elementary and middle school students had their final rehearsal for the national anthem performance. On May 25, 2011, we’ll perform (on the field) at AT&T Park, before the Giants host the Marlins!

Video

Here’s a video of our final rehearsal.