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.