The Keeper of Pencils

I learn more about Erick every week that we meet together.
I also learn more about Mario each week, too.

For the last two weeks, Erick has presented me with a tiny stowaway from his pocket. The first week, it was Mario himself, and this week it was a mushroom. I'm not completely sure, but I think it's one of the mushrooms that helps Mario grow. We decided that these characters could help us rather than distract us, so Erick decided that they would be the Keepers of Pencils.
Last week, we politely asked, "Mario, may I have a pencil, please?" Then, after a pause, "Thank you, Mario."
This week it was: "May I have a pencil, Mushroom?" Then, "Thank you, Mushroom."
I'm not sure who will be the Keeper of Pencils next week, but I am glad that Erick is able to put his toy on the table and incorporate it into his learning.

This week, we finished a box of sight words and read three books. We also learned about the short 'o' sound which involved many locks and foxes. As we get into the more advanced books, Erick becomes quite involved in the storyline and flips the pages forward to see what is going to happen next. Even though I had read Ten Apples Up on Top before, I found that I laughed and was still surprised by the ending.

Next week is the last day of that we will see each other before the New Year.
Perhaps Luigi will hold the pencils.

Thumbs up from me, and a Mario thumbs up from Erick!

Championing Oakland Public School Libraries

One of the libraries Kim has worked with

Earlier this year, Kim Flom started working as Faith Network's Library Coordinator. She had volunteered for years at Maxwell Park, building relationships with OUSD as well as increasing her knowledge of library services.
Recently, the Friends of the Oakland Public School Libraries (FOPSL) interviewed Kim about her experience in OUSD libraries and her work with Faith Network. The interview, entitled "FOPSL Salutes Kim Flom" is below.
If you are interested in finding out more about Library Services, visit this website. If you are interested in volunteering, contact kim@faith-network.com.

What inspired your work in OUSD libraries?
I was tutoring at Maxwell Park Elementary in 2010 when I passed by the empty library being used as a storage facility. My interest in libraries for the elementary grades preceded my encounter with this underutilized library, but the potential captured my vision. The combination of a school with literacy challenges, combined with our students' lack of access of books in homes and at the public library, touched me. With the principal's support along with training from Faith Network volunteers who had been running the Emerson Library, I served as the school librarian for two days a week until the school closed last June. Since that time, I've served in about ten different Oakland school libraries in a variety of capacities.

What did you do before you began your work opening school libraries with Faith Network and FOPSL?
I come to this position with 30+ years of corporate Human Resources experience. Even when I worked for Safeway Inc., in their Pleasanton corporate offices, I was interested in the Oakland schools and the resource poor libraries serving our students. I approached Safeway departments, affinity groups and individuals to coordinate different areas we could leverage our strengths in a partnership.
I actually found it challenging, however, to find efficient ways to partner. This is where Faith Network and now FOPSL can serve the schools. The school and district administrations have challenges in organizing volunteers in some schools. The principal and teachers are focused on the immediate needs and goals for the students. Leadership is needed in coordinating and training volunteers.
One area Safeway employees supported the Oakland schools was through a book drive. One group in particular has hosted two drives at this point for the library and the Faith Network intervention tutoring program.

Do you have a favorite story about working in school libraries?
My father passed away during the fall semester. I had spent the night with him at the hospital before going to Maxwell Park to host my classes. I read the book Tear Soup by Pat Schwiebert to several of the classes. It was one of those moments we could talk about grief and how we can support people as they go through the process. Few books are available for children on the topic of grief. This was a natural way to introduce a topic that was close to my heart.
Another great memory was working with my son who writes screen plays. He was a guest to the library and talked with the students about the connection between books and some of our favorite movies.

What are the personal benefits?
I initially was drawn to the closed elementary school libraries because of my desire to support literacy. Books open up worlds to students. My own sons benefited from access to books and their school libraries.
I also discovered two other unanticipated benefits. I enjoy developing relationships with the principal, teachers and students. I am interested in their areas of teaching and learning. I enjoy collaborating with them through challenges. The other joy was introducing topics on character development and values through books.

Is there anything you would like to share about your personal experience with reading and/or libraries in your past or childhood?
Just that libraries and reading were a big part of my childhood and I have wonderful memories of reading with my sons.

Thank you for sharing your story, Kim.

Interviewed by Kari Hatch, November 2012.

Aiming High!

"If any of you have finished your bookworm sheet, please come see me; I have a special prize for you!" was the announcement that Merle made during our last tutoring session. Merle is the Reading Clinic Coordinator for La Escuelita, and upon hearing her announcement, Erick pulled out his bookworm. There are twenty spaces on it for the titles of twenty books, and we had five of those twenty slots filled.

Erick frowned at his paper, so I suggested, "Let's start by reading two books right away, then we can do other things!" So he immediately brightened and picked a book with a chameleon on its cover and a Jack-and-the-Beanstalk story called The Magic Beans. Between the books he paused and asked, "What do you think the prize is?"
"I'm not sure," I replied. "But it sounds like something special."

Soon enough, we will both know what the prize is...After all, we were able to get one more book in after we worked on some phonics. How fitting that it was a book about two kids that shoot for the moon and go there in a spaceship!

The Middle-of-the-Beginning

My student is so enthusiastic, that meeting him was more like a plunge into his life than the casual greetings that I usually have with my peers.
In quick succession, I learned that Erick likes the Mario Brothers, tigers, spiders, animals in general, video games, blue, playing video games with his friends, Super Smash Bothers, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS...there were so many things that he liked, many of them related to Mario. Erick also has siblings, including a younger sister that he reads to sometimes.

In the few weeks that we have met to learn together, Erick has mastered over 150 sight words--these are words that do not follow phonics rules, yet make up about 70% of what you are reading right now! (Some examples: the, has, these, about, right, you, what, many, little, I etc.)
We take game breaks because Erick has so much energy. Once I wrote a sentence for him to read and asked him show me with our play figures as we worked on short 'o' sounds: "The frog jumped over the block." Instead of taking the little frog and hopping it over the block, he put a box of crayons on the ground and leaped over it as well as any frog could hope.

We've flown through five short books already, and I'm looking forward to introducing more complex books. I hope that as our material gets more challenging, Erick will continue to leap forward with as much enthusiasm as he put into being the frog...or perhaps he was imagining himself as Super Mario?

Becoming a reading tutor

If you have been following our blog, you might know that I (Madalyn) have started tutoring at La Escuelita on Wednesdays.

It's hard to immediately tell about all the joyful, funny, fulfilling, learning moments that happen during tutoring, so for this first post, I will elaborate on two aspects of the process of becoming a tutor: getting my Livescan and tutoring training.

Livescan: I didn't think this would be interesting, but Elaine at Prints on the Run (where we recommend you get your Livescan done if you live in Oakland) is such a fun and caring person that I must write about her. She is a fingerprint expert who not only did my fingerprinting, but also gave me tips on how I could improve my fingerprints (mainly, moisturize more to get rid of the minute cracks on my fingertips).
Two thumbprints up to Elaine for making it so pleasant for Faith Network volunteers to get their Livescans done!

Literacy Training: This was invaluable. Rebecca (our Succeeding by Reading program director) fed our stomachs and minds with tasty snacks and a wealth of information about early childhood literacy. I got a binder that detailed various aspects of a learning reader's process. My class of ten tutors practiced our phonics skills, previewed some of the materials we would be using, and shared about our own young reading experiences. It was great to meet other tutors, some of whom were retired, had part-time jobs, or were taking time from work to volunteer. Some had worked with children before or in education, and others had no experience but wanted to meet a need in the community.
I was fortunate that I was in the same class as two other tutors that also volunteer at La Escuelita. When I saw them the next week, we all had the same things to say about the training: Fun! Informative! Helpful! Motivating!

Stay tuned for my first interactions with my student, Erick!

Champions for Children!

Our second annual Champions for Children 5K is in three weeks!
Have you registered?

Registration is $25 (same as last year) and you will get a CfC T-shirt and a goodie bag.
Registering ahead of time will ensure that you get the correct-sized shirt and also guarantee you that bag of treats!

So sign up to walk or run now, start fundraising to win that iPhone5 and meet us at the Lake on October 20th!
We'll be there bright and early at 8:15am.

La Escuelita Opens

Perhaps it's is a bit of old news, but it is exciting to me (Madalyn) because I will be tutoring at La Escuelita this year.

I visited La Escuelita last year a handful of time. The first time, I was dismayed--portables everywhere, loud construction happening next door, a cement playground. The Excel Reading Clinic was located in a portable that was crowded with mix of computers that seemed to range in age from a couple months to about a decade.

As the year continues, you can look forward to posts about my tutoring experience at La Escuelita. Take a look here at some pictures of new campus.
So that's what all the construction commotion was about!

More Sandia news

If you loved reading about the Family Science Night in the latest Faith Network newsletter, then here is a lengthier article from the team that brought FSN to Prescott: Sandia National Laboratories!

To see the article, scroll down to the second article titled, "Turning teacher in retirement offers a ‘purposeful and enjoyable way’ to help others."
Faith Network has a great partnership with Sandia National Laboratories and retired scientists Mark and Joanne Perra who are volunteering in our STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) program at Prescott Elementary in West Oakland.

The Irving C. Lambert Award

Here at Faith Network, we are beaming from ear to ear about the award that Randy received for his work. Not only does the award speak highly of our president, but it also honors Faith Network as an organization.

Below are some of the words that are written on the plaque that Randy received.
We share these words with you, our volunteers, donors, champions, partners in ministry--you make Faith Network possible.

"Your creative entrepreneurial spirit, prophetic and visionary understanding, and pastoral wisdom led you to launch Faith Network of the East Bay as an effort to improve the whole health of children and families in that area of the city."

"Through this outreach ministry, vulnerable children and their families are given hope, leading to transformed lives, homes, communities and ultimately impacting the city of Oakland."

"In collaborative partnership with churches, schools, community organizations, and individuals, you seek to bring equity to an unbalanced educational system in the urban environment. Faith Network provides space and place for restoration and redemption in broken communities, bringing academic and life skills, empowerment and hope to many"

"While deflecting praise and spotlight away from yourself, you have earned the respect of your city and its leaders, both religious and secular. Your ministry exemplifies the statement, 'For God's glory and neighbors' good.'"

News for your summer blues

SERVE FREE LUNCH, SUPPORT A TEACHER, OR BE PART OF OUR EVENT!

One. We are looking for great people to commit to1.5 hours during lunchtime, to serve lunch to children of Oakland Public Library. Dates: June 18 - August 17, 2012 Days: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday Two. Support a teacher and touch a child by preparing bulletin boards for Piedmont Avenue Elementary School. Lunch will be provided Date: August 18, 2012  Time: 9am-2pm  Place: 4314 Piedmont Ave, Oakland  Three. Help out with our Champions for Children 5k. Come set-up, serve snacks, record times, tear down, have fun!  Date: October 20, 2012 Time: Early morning Place: Lake Merritt If you are interested in any of the above opportunities, email: info (at) faith-network (dot) com.

Newsletter surprise

This picture will be back in September. We promise!

You might think that summer is a relaxed time in the Faith Network office. Considering the fury with which we work during the school year, "relaxed" can be a relative term.

So when you get your monthly newsletter for August, please blame a moment of unwinding when you see that we have encroached upon the President's Corner without our president's authorization. With Randy briefly out of the office, we couldn't help but toot his horn since he would never do it himself.

Also in the newsletter is a Family Science Night feature with pictures of West Oakland kids having a blast at Prescott Elementary.


Can't wait?
Follow us on FB to get linked to the newsletter before we send it next week!

Summer in Oakland

For schoolchildren around the nation, summer means no school, no homework, and in many cases, no learning. All this contributes to the "summer slide" where kids forget what they have learned during the previous school year. The summer slide is especially steep and slippery for vulnerable children--those with low-income families and those who do not have access to extracurricular activities.

Maybe this summer will be different in Oakland.

At Madison Middle School, 50 students are studying math and science. Thanks to corporate grants and their STEM program, students at 17 Oakland schools have the opportunity to have an enriched summer with hands-on activities that encourage science, technology, engineering and math.

Similarly, Faith Network is also playing a part in trying to keep students at the top of their learning abilities so that they will be ready for the next grade. At Prescott Elementary, Succeeding by Reading (one of Faith Network's three core programs) is having a summer reading program where kids can come for one-on-one literacy tutoring.

Also, students are having experiences with nature with our summer camp program. A great part of not having school is that kids can go on vacation and have experiential learning. But for students whose parents must work through the year with little to no vacation, the opportunity to go to our free, week-long camp is immense.

Here's to hoping for not only more summer opportunities for our students we go into our eleventh school year, but also a greater participation from those students and families as those opportunities arise.

A Science Night Preview

Our upcoming newsletter is going to have a large feature on Oakland's first Family Science Night (FSN) that was put on by Sandia National Laboratories in partnership with Faith Network's Science Horizons program. Mark and Joanne Perra, lifelong scientists and Faith Network volunteers, authored the article and served a foundational role in making FSN a success.

Attendance surpassed expectations as three schools were invited to join Prescott students in the Prescott auditorium for the event. Scientists had various stations that gave students and their families hands-on experiences with science. Most of their materials were everyday household items such as soda bottles, glue, toothpicks and marshmallows.

Unfortunately, we could not fit all the photos into the newsletter, so I am posting some of the gems here.
Sit tight for the August Faith Network newsletter, which will be published at the beginning of next month!
The following photos are courtesy of Sandia National Laboratories with Dino Vournas as photographer:

Students, parents, and even grandparents came to explore and discover.

 An infrared camera captures the body's surface temperature.

Students cheer the release of a pressure-propelled bottle rocket.

A lesson in chemical reactions: making goo glue!

A PhD candidate from CAL (right) shares a soda bottle vortex.

We Appreciate Our Teachers

Usually we have a lot to say about our students--we take a lot of joy in celebrating their accomplishments and cheering them on through challenges.

Now it is time to recognize the teachers that put so much effort into their classrooms.

A couple times a year, Faith Network volunteers put together appreciation luncheons for the teachers at a few of the schools we serve. Teachers are free to come and relax during lunch and enjoy a variety of food made by volunteers. It's a great way to do a little something for teachers at the end of the year without adding on to the time they already spend at school.

Teacher appreciation in action at Burckhalter Elementary

Many, Many Thanks

Maxwell Park Elementary is closing this year, all the grades (from Kindergarten through Fifth) wrote their thanks to Ms. Flom, their beloved librarian.
Kim Flom has been a Faith Network volunteer for many years, and we are so thankful for her hard work. If it hadn't been for her, Maxwell Park's library would be shuttered with no one to help students check out books, keep the books organized, and check books in. In addition to these administrative duties, Kim read to classes, recommended books, piqued kids' interest in reading, and much, much more.
We cannot express our thanks as appropriately as the students that she has served, though, so we've included a small sampling of the kids' expressions of gratitude.

Celebration!

Newsflash: The school year is ending tomorrow, and students throughout Oakland celebrate their accomplishments with their literacy tutors!
Here are some pictures from the joyful closing ceremonies that reading students had before they launch into their summer vacation:

Students at Camp

Faith Network's program, Science Horizons, is mentioned in current Covenant Church news.
Take a look to see what our students have been learning and exploring!

It is Here: The End of the School Year

Somehow the end of the year manages to always take us by surprise here at Faith Network. Here are a few indicators that the school year is drawing to a close:

• Students tackle STAR testing which coincides with Science Horizons kids coming back from camp, ready to apply their knowledge.
• Our annual fundraiser--which we spend months planning--is suddenly a week-and-a-half away, and the office is buzzing with gala details.
• The Succeeding by Reading students prepare for their evaluations while we prepare the certificates and summer book bags to celebrate their achievements and encourage leisure reading.
• We start designing and printing teacher appreciation invitations to thank our teachers for their devotion and send them off for a well-deserved break.
• Randy delivers bikes to students that have the best attendance in their entire school.

We are using our longer, warmer days to support our teachers, fund-raise and friend-raise, and celebrate how far our students have come!

Time for Faith Network's Gala

There is still time to RSVP for our annual Gala as an individual guest or as an event sponsor!
Just click above for more information and to register.
We hope to see you there!

Oakland Schools on the Up and Up

Good news: Burckhalter Elementary School was one of five to receive the Title I Academic Achievement Award for raising their test scores. Many students even improved by double digits through two years.
This news is quickly followed by the news that test scores in Oakland are on the rise.
In fact, the standardized score improvement is outpacing those of other California schools. Despite deep cuts in the budget, grades and scores are going up.
There is still a lot of work to do with out public schools, but the good news is welcome amidst the common dire statistics that plague Oakland.

School Closures: Where the Students are Going

Oakland Unified School District has released some interesting maps that show where students will go for the 2012-2013 school year when their schools close.
The maps show Lakeview, Lazear, Marshall, Maxwell Park, and Santa Fe elementary's redistribution of students. They also show the difference in API scores between the closing school and the schools that students will be attending next year. Another chart shows how the district did their best to respect the placement wishes of the families of these students in transition.
Looking at the data, it appears as though choices were mostly made based on proximity to the closing schools. The schools that will be receiving the most students will be Burckhalter and Grass Valley elementary with 88 and 75 new students each, respectively.
These are two schools within our network, so with the growing student body at each one, Faith Network will be more aware of and responsive to the schools' changing needs.

Please take a look at the maps here.

Health 4 ALL Kids

You may be familiar with Faith Network's food program called Health4Kids (H4K).
Twice a month, our H4K volunteers pack over 2,000 bags of food for kids that receive subsidized school lunches during the week and might not have access to nutritious food during the weekend. Kids that show up to school needing basic sustenance are not ready to learn. Hunger in the classroom (and anywhere) is a huge distraction from paying attention to the task at hand.

Packing all the bags is a big task, so volunteers are always needed during those two Wednesdays each month. Please contact varetta[at]faith-network[dot]com if you would like to be a part of this great team.

To go along with this focus on nutrition as a basic need, there is news that OUSD has set a goal to be "the first major urban school district in the nation to guarantee universal access to primary health care to all its students."
Read this article to see how funding is being used and what sites will be set up in order for Oakland to help its public school children have access to basic care.

the first major urban school district in the nation to guarantee universal access to primary health care to all its students

Source: The Bay Citizen (http://s.tt/18Gmu)

the first major urban school district in the nation to guarantee universal access to primary health care to all its students

Source: The Bay Citizen (http://s.tt/18Gmu)

be the first major urban school district in the nation to guarantee universal access to primary health care to all its students.

Source: The Bay Citizen (http://s.tt/18Gmu)

be the first major urban school district in the nation to guarantee universal access to primary health care to all its students.

Source: The Bay Citizen (http://s.tt/18Gmu)

School Closures Coming to a Close?

It has been a long school year for Oakland with the Occupiers making the New York Times while the OUSD board members met quietly to draw plans to close and consolidate five public schools.
The board stated that additional schools would close, in accordance with their 3-year downsizing plan. Now, this month, the board has stated that those five schools ( Lakeview, Lazear, Maxwell Park, Marshall and Santa Fe Elementary) will be the only schools that will close as a part of the budget overhaul.
After all the back-and-forth: There will be no more planned school closures.
Now the district can concentrate its energy on the schools that are closing and the myriad of issues that will result in teachers, students and staff looking for an open school.


In other news, Michael Krasny's KQED program "Forum" was at Castlemont High School today. In a two-hour long program, he focused on California's unacceptable dropout rate. In the first half of the show, Krasny interviews various people from within the Castlemont campus. In the second half of the show, there are interviews with people who are more familiar with the outside workings of the system: Superintended Tony Smith, the president of the California State Board of Education.
Stay tuned for when the show will be released as public audio files here and here.

An Ever-Widening Chasm

Ipads are still in the news as the enter classrooms.

While some Bay Area schools are receiving money from bonds or parent contributions to purchase this hot technology, schools in Oakland are struggling to get textbooks to all their students. Many computers are becoming obsolete as many Oakland schools (especially middle through high school) do not have the budget for repairs or new technology.

In her article about the widening technology gap, Tammerlin Drummond also explores the growing financial disparity between schools that have a lot of district and parent support and schools that have very little.
Technology is a very visible marker of the difference between the haves and have-nots. Also hinted at within the article are disparities in teacher and staff stability, classroom order, and parent involvement.

The "widening gap," then, is not just about the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer in a financial sense. It is a systematic issue where the advanced have more access to advantage and those without fall further behind.

Yet another reason to follow technology: it serves as an indication--though imperfect and incredibly trendy--of where schools are heading.

Charter School Update

You may have heard this already: ASCEND and Learning Without Limits--two schools that applied to become charter schools in the fall--had their proposals rejected by the OUSD board. What you might not have heard is that the schools might become a hybrid of a charter district school in what is known as a "partnership" school.

As a partnership school, ASCEND and Learning Without Limits would be able to receive public and private funding among a host of other agreement struck between the OUSD board and these two schools.
Please take a look at this article to read a bit more about the preliminary discourse.

The board met with school officials this Wednesday, and the schools decided to become charter schools in a partnership with the Oakland district. This would minimize the financial blow for OUSD, and it would also allow the schools much more freedom than they have within the district.
Also, after two years, the schools will be called to evaluate the option of re-joining the district.
Read Katy Murphy's article for more information about the meeting's results.

Science Season Camp is Here!

Ruby Bridges Elementary School is currently in the middle of their Science Camp as I type! The 5th-graders will go to the Mission Springs Conference Center, in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where they will take nature walks, participate in team-building activities, join the banana slug club, and learn more about the biological sciences.
With Science Horizons, 5th-graders at Ruby Bridges, Prescott, Esperanza, Grass Valley, and Laurel elementary schools have been learning about various parts of the ecosystem, including food chains, climate and energy cycles. In the following days at Mission Springs, these classroom lessons will come to life for these students as naturalists lead  them in hands-on lessons. Throughout the school year, students have also been fundraising so that their classes can go on this wonderful experience.


If you would like to make a donation to help off set the costs of the science camps, please visit here.

Old-fashioned book and fancy iPads

While some organizations are trying to get books into kids' hands, some schools are improving test scores by introducing iPads to kindergarteners.

It's always great to see other organizations promoting literacy, and this article explains how Reach Out and Read works in tandem with hospitals in low-income areas. This organization addresses one of the three pillars of literacy: having books readily available to the learning reader. The two others are: learners being surrounded by role models or peers that read and also being supported in their efforts to learn to read.


On the tech front, iPads are improving the literacy test scores of kindergarteners. Though quantitative data is not provided in the article, Time Magazine reports that the iPads helped with one class' overall standardized testing scores as well as "classroom engagement."

There is much to be said about solemn condition of our local education with booming technology. While so geographically close, we still seem so far from the forward movement of Silicon Valley.
While we are at the cusp of release of the iPad 3, it will be interesting to see how Apple will continue their forays into classrooms and if there will be some sort of a trickle-down effect to kids that don't even have access to books made of paper.

West Oakland's Changing Demographics

With the release of the latest census, we are learning that the number of school-aged children in West Oakland has declined drastically over the years.
Instead, Katy Murphy reports on what seems to be an increase in the hipster population as single people and young couples move to the city while families with children move out. In addition, over half of the students living in West Oakland go to school outside of West Oakland.
The loaded words that come to mind to describe this slow and noticeable exodus are marked with controversy: youth brain drain, gentrification, displacement. Or could this be simple a shift in demographics as various people groups find West Oakland suitable for their needs?
Either way, no schools are closing in West Oakland. Rather, Superintendent Tony Smith wants the schools to emphasize science, technology, engineering, and math to hopefully revitalize the schools.

For more, please click here.

An Emphasis on Poverty

In a somewhat controversial article, Stephen Krashen weighs in on what he considers the most detrimental factor in the US public school system: child poverty.
He emphasizes that schools  need to focus on providing food, healthcare and books to underprivileged children. He also slips in advocacy for a more holistic method of learning: where children can immediately apply lessons rather than waiting until complete mastery.


The article is definitely worth a read, but I do wonder if too much responsibility is being placed on schools. Child poverty comes from low-income families, and it does not seem like a sustainable solution for schools to "defend children against the effects of poverty."
  
Please read the article here.

Tutor Training

Interested in spreading literacy and boosting a child's confidence in reading?
Need a refresher as a tutor?
If so, come to our tutor training this Saturday!

Who:  You! Your investment of an hour or two per week can open the world of learning to a second grader. Reading is the key!

What:  Literacy Specialist Carolyn Piraino will introduce the building blocks of reading and how to guide a child into becoming a successful reader.

When: Saturday, February 11  9:00 - 11:30 am

Where:  Faith Network Office, 2633 Telegraph Avenue, #409, Oakland

RSVP: To sign up for this workshop, call or e-mail Varetta Mayes (510) 836-5100  or
Varetta[at]Faith-Network[dot]com

Also please consider volunteering to be a tutor at Downer Elementary in San Pablo. It's the site of the newest Excel Reading Clinic.

Save the Date!

Faith Network is excited to announce the date and location of our annual Hope for Children NOW banquet fundraiser:

On Sunday, May 20th, there will be dinner, live music, and speakers from the community at the Claremont Hotel.

If you are interested in being a part of the Gala, please call or email the office. Here are some ways you can participate:

• Sponsor a table
• Host a table
• Volunteer at the event
• Come as a guest

Please stay tuned for more details.

School Closure Update

As students go back to school for the new year, a group named Concerned Parents and Community Coalition is gathering signatures to recall the five board members that were in support of the closure of five schools. As Katy Murphy details in her blog, the recall process unfolds like this:

"First, a small amount of signatures need to be collected in each of the five districts. Once those signatures and the language of the proposed ballot measure are certified, its proponents go about collecting a larger amount of signatures (for a mayoral recall election, it’s 10 percent of registered voters, or 19,811, in 160 calendar days — not sure about the school board members) to qualify the measure for a future ballot. Meanwhile, pro-recall supporters put forth their own candidates."

Just before school holidays, over 100 parents attended a meeting to present the board members with packets containing the recall petitions.
This recall effort comes as no surprise to the board members, each of whom is up for re-election next year. As students take their finals and enter a new semester, we will know more about the progress of this motion to recall.