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News From API Growth RCSD
Ravenswood Education Foundation
September 2011 
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HIGHLIGHTS
  • District Test Scores Continue 4-Year Climb with Cumulative 77 Point Increase in API Measure
  • REF Welcomes New Executive Director 
  • Parent Engagement Kicks-off Stronger Than Ever
  • Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Menlo Park Office Partners with REF  
  • Extended Day Initiative to Expand Through Partnership with Citizen Schools 
  • New York Times Highlights the Potential for Education to Transform East Palo Alto
  • Upcoming Events

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REF FALL FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN LAUNCHING SOON! 
API Growth RCSD 2011
Test Scores Continue 4-year climb with 77 Point Cumulative Increase

Standardized test scores continue a 4-year climb at Ravenswood City School District (RCSD).  The Academic Performance Index (API) score for RCSD improved by 27 points this year, reaching a district-wide score of 715, surpassing the symbolic threshold of 700 in pursuit of the 800 target set by the state for all schools.  (The increase indicates improvement from year to year based on scores on a scale from 200 to 1000 calculated from the results for each school's students on statewide tests.)  This result continues a consistent and impressive trend of improvement over the last four years, according to the 2010-2011 results released by the state earlier this month.  Other highlights include:

  • Brentwood Academy surpassed the 800 mark, the first school in the District to do so with a score of 816.
  • Costano Elementary, with the next highest score of 759, had a remarkable 58 point improvement, part of a truly impressive 147 point increase over the last 3 years.
  • Notably, five of the District's schools surpassed a score of 700 this year, two more than did so last year. 
REF Welcomes New Executive Director
REF Board member and Development Committee chair Renu Nanda has become REF's new Executive Director.  Outgoing Executive Director Charley Scandlyn will assume a new position on the board as he moves to a fulltime pastor role with Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, where he previously served as a pastor for fifteen years prior to leading REF so successfully through its first years.  

Board President Eric Lane had this to say in an announcement to REF supporters, "Renu brings her exceptional professional background to REF full-time at an opportune phase of our growth.  In addition to being an attorney with broad experience managing non-profit programs and initiatives, including the Low Income Investment Fund and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Renu has the strategic vision, management background, and community commitment to ensure that the Ravenswood Education Foundation continues our strong partnership with the Ravenswood City School District." 

Read more in the article from the Palo Alto Weekly. 
Parent Engagement Kicks-off Stronger Than Ever
The new school year had not even begun when dozens of parents from Willow Oaks Elementary gathered on campus for an organizational meeting and committed over $1,000 in donations as part of REF's parent engagement matching grant initiative. 

To date, the total from Willow Oaks parents is over $2,000, which is more than one-third of what was raised in total last year from all of the schools.  These funds, which stay at the schools for specific uses determined by the principal and parents, are matched up to $2,500 by REF. 

According to Parent Engagement Coordinator Lupe Martinez, who helped facilitate the meeting, participation seems poised to surpass last year.  Willow Oaks parent Ana Adriano also played a key role in rallying the parent support.  You can see Ana featured in a 90 second video highlighting exemplary parent leadership in our District by visiting this link:  Parent Leadership! 
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Partners with REF
Employees from the Menlo Park branch of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney joined with REF on an August afternoon prior to the new school year to deliver textbooks to District campuses.  It is part of an ongoing effort that the branch plans to make in partnership with REF to give back to the community.  For more details, please see the San Jose Mercury News article:  http://www.mercurynews.com/census/ci_18705705
Extended Day Initiative To Expand Through Partnership with Citizen Schools
Cesar Chavez Academy begins an extended day this Fall through a program provided by the national non-profit Citizen Schools.  The program is being made possible in part through contributions made by REF.  Citizen Schools has distinguished itself for the strategic use of data and assessment in its programming. 

"We are excited about the partnership with Citizen Schools.  It will be a seamless expansion of our school day and will provide educational opportunities for students most in need of our time," said Superintendent Maria De La Vega in a press release.  For more information on Citizen Schools, visit:  www.citizenschools.org
New York Times Highlights the Potential for Education to Transform East Palo Alto
The arrival of Facebook's headquarters in the Belle Haven neighborhood of East Palo Alto has drawn attention to the progress still required to bring the community to the standard of living found in the surrounding area.  See the New York Times article featuring comments by outgoing REF Executive Director Charley Scandlyn on the promise education presents:  As Facebook Moves In, Hopes that Progress Follows
Upcoming Events 
  • October 1: 2nd Mile service project at Willow Oaks 
  • October 12:  Sacred Heart School's Freshman Community Day and Service Project at the Child Development Center
  • October 19:  KaBoom! Playground Build Day at Willow Oaks
  • October 22:  YCS and Palo Alto University Rotary service project at Willow Oaks 

REF Fall Campaign Launching Soon!  Please watch for our Fall appeal seeking your contributions to help our District surpass the successes of this past year.  Just imagine!  
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The mission of the Ravenswood Education Foundation is to raise funds for essential programs and personnel to ensure quality schools, teachers and programs for the students of the Ravenswood City School District.
 
Please visit our website www.RavenswoodEF.org to donate online or contact Executive Director Renu Nanda for more information about how to volunteer or lend your expertise to improving our Ravenswood schools. Call 650.380.0902 or email rnanda@ravenswoodef.org. 
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