Thanks so much to everyone who attended, sponsored, donated, presented, and volunteered their time to help make our second annual breakfast fundraiser a great success! I am happy to report that as of this date we have raised $15,000. This money helps support our current programs: Tutoring, Work Experience, Debate Club, and Collaborative Workshops. Additionally, donations from new donors will help satisfy our match obligation for the Alvord Family Incentive grant.

Keynote speaker Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson, Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools, gave an informative keynote talk about the districts' vision and the strategic plan due to be completed in June. Scott Cooper, owner of Blue Highway Games, and Riley Hollobaugh, McClure 8th grade student, talked about the community building and personal growth that has resulted from their involvement in the SSIA Work Experience program. And attendees were treated to a presentation by elementary debate students Sydney Kaplan, Oliver Lang, and Cecilia Moure who demonstrated their prowess at debate.

In addition to building wonderful community connections, the breakfast provided an opportunity to highlight the work of Successful Schools in Action over the last year. What a great way to show support for our public schools!

 

In response to consistent requests from principals and teachers, over the last six months we have been developing a new Math Tutor component as part of our Community Tutor program. Now, thanks to a generous grant from the Mannix Canby Foundation, we are kicking off this much needed program.

This initial grant has provided us with enough funding to hire, train, and pay six math tutors through the end of the year. The tutors include parents, community members, and a graduate student in education, all of whom bring a strong interest in math and a passion for working with students. The funding provides for 300 total hours of tutoring, which will be allocated across four schools in this first phase; Coe, Lawton, Blaine, and McClure.  The tutors recently completed a comprehensive training session led by Remy Poon, district elementary math coach, and Anne Marie Consentino, middle school math coach, and are now working with students.

We are thrilled to be able to provide this much needed service to students and schools, and will continue to seek additional funding to ensure the continuation of the program.