Welcome back to another school year! And, if your child is new to Yulupa or Strawberry schools, then welcome to Bennett Valley Union School District!

Last week was our first week back and already some parents have had the chance to attend Back to School night events. If you were able to do so, perhaps you had a chance to hear about one of the major reasons BVUSD is a great place for your child to be? In addition to a dedicated administration, top-notch teaching staff, and physical facilities that are even now being enhanced, the children in our district are all given the opportunity to participate in a comprehensive arts program including visual art, dance, band, and chorus programs. Study after study shows that children receive a lifetime of benefits and perform better academically when they are given even some exposure to artistic form and the chance to create.

None of these programs would be possible without the active and generous support from our parents and the community at large. Bennett Valley Education Foundation (BVEF) is a group of parent and staff volunteers who are dedicated to ensuring arts education continues on in BVUSD.

Please look for information on this website and in occasional distributions from your child’s classroom about events and opportunities to assist BVEF and the children in our schools. The Family Contribution Campaign (see sidebar for PayPal payment option link) is our year-round and main source of funding, asking for a $125 donation per child per year but NO AMOUNT is too small to be accepted and there are also volunteer opportunities if that works better for you. You can contact either your child’s teacher or your BVEF/APT classroom representative for information about volunteer opportunities.

Thank you so much for your support and looking forward to another great year with the kids!

BVEF Board Members and Volunteers

The previous two years have been a blast and have been a significant contributor to the ability to fund the continuous programs of art and music and dance that significantly differentiate the educational experience afforded to the children in our school district. Aside from the good cause it supports, just ask anyone who has been to previous editions of VoTA and they will tell you it is a singluarly unique opportunity to have fun just as a school community and to relax with other parents in a great setting with wine, music and, of course…art.

Please look for more information and ticket order forms to go home with your child soon and, don’t forget, previous years have always sold out so please get your tickets early!

The board members and volunteers of the Bennett Valley Education Foundation would like to welcome you (and your children) back to the school year. We hope everyone’s summer was fantastic!

Last year was another great year for the children in our district. Despite increasing budgetary constraints, with the aid of so many generous community members, staff, and administrators we were still able to sustain and further develop our arts program. Our children are truly fortunate to be able to have access to these programs and benefit from what has consistently been shown to be an integral part of a full education and a key to future academic success.

This year, BVEF intends to focus (mainly) on gaining greater participation from district parents for our Family Contribution Campaign which is the key for full funding (Please see the sidebar for the link to PayPal for an easy and quick donation). Of course, we will still be coordinating special fundraising efforts such as the popular Family Tile Nights and the Valley of the Arts for Spring, 2011, which has become a real event in the community.

We thank you in advance for your support for the organization (and for ALL of our kids) this year, which we hope to be the best yet!

Thank you,
BVEF Board and Volunteers

April 16th, 2010

Thanks to everyone who made this event such a success! Please check this site for pictures to be posted soon and we look forward to communicating on the 3rd edition for Spring 2011!

Last year, we introduced the means to donate (easily) through use of PayPal and many find this to be a convenient (and secure) means of donating:

* Please Note: A PayPal account is NOT necessary in order to donate to BVEF. Credit Card options are available and you need only look for the “continue” button on the left hand side of the page above the credit card logos (you may need to scroll down to see this link).

Again, thank you!