Sahuarita Unified School District Educational Enrichment Foundation

TO ENRICH EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES FOR TEACHERS, STUDENTS AND RESIDENTS OF THE COMMUNITY.

POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIPS - SEE SCHEDULE O.POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIPS: A MAJOR ACTIVITY OF THE SAHUARITA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT EDUCATIONAL ENRICHMENT FOUNDATION (SEEF) DURING FY 2021-2022 WAS THE DISTRIBUTION OF COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS TO TWELVE STUDENTS THAT GRADUATED FROM ONE OF THE TWO HIGH SCHOOLS OF THE SAHUARITA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT. AN AMOUNT OF $35,745.99 WAS DRAWN FROM SEVEN SCHOLARSHIP ACCOUNTS. NEARLY 81% OF SCHOLARSHIP PAYMENTS WERE SENT DIRECTLY TO THE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS OF AWARDEES AND APPLIED TO TUITION AND MANDATORY FEES. HOUSING ASSISTANCE REPRESENTED 18% AND BOOK COSTS 1% OF THE SCHOLARSHIP TOTAL FOR THE FISCAL YEAR.DURING THE LAST FISCAL YEAR, AS IN PAST, THE KARL AND YOLANDA HARTKOPF MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND PROVIDED SCHOLARSHIPS TO THE LARGEST NUMBER OF STUDENTS (OR THREE OF TWELVE). THE HARTKOPF FUNDS TOTALED $24,245.99 AND REPRESENTED 68% OF THE SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS SPENT DURING THE YEAR. NOTABLY, AS OF JUNE 30, 2022, THE TOTAL SPENT ON HARTKOPF SCHOLARSHIPS REACHED $196,456.55. HOWEVER, THE AMOUNT OF MONEY SPENT IS NOT AS IMPORTANT AS THE RESULTS ACHIEVED. OF A COHORT OF EIGHT INDIVIDUALS INITIALLY SELECTED FOR A HARTKOPF SCHOLARSHIP (WHICH CAN PROVIDE AN AWARDEE ASSISTANCE FOR 4 YEARS), SIX HAVE GRADUATED FROM THEIR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM AND ONE WILL BE FINISHED IN DECEMBER 2022. ONE STUDENT LEFT HIS UNIVERSITY PROGRAM AT THE END OF HIS FIRST TERM AND MADE NO SUBSEQUENT REQUEST FOR USE OF SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS. FINANCIAL NEED IS AMONG THE CRITERIA FOR A HARTKOPF SCHOLARSHIP, AND IT IS DOUBTFUL THAT AWARDEES WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FINISH COLLEGE OR OTHER POST-SECONDARY EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM WITHOUT INCURRING SIGNIFICANT SCHOOL DEBT IF NOT FOR THE HARTKOPF SCHOLARSHIP. THUS, THE FOUNDATION BELIEVES THAT GRADUATION OF SEVEN OF EIGHT STUDENTS--OR 87.5% OF THE INITIAL COHORT OF AWARDEES--INDICATES A SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM.

CONNECT OUR STUDENTS - SEE SCHEDULE O.CONNECT OUR STUDENTS: SEEF BECAME INVOLVED IN THE CONNECT OUR STUDENTS PROGRAM IN NOVEMBER 2019 WHEN SEEF'S PRESIDENT WAS ASKED TO DESIGNATE REPRESENTATIVES TO PARTICIPATE IN THE BETTER TOGETHER SOUTHERN ARIZONA COALITION WHICH WAS INVOLVED IN EFFORTS TO CONNECT STUDENTS FROM LOW-INCOME FAMILIES IN BOTH THE CONTINENTAL AND THE SAHUARITA SCHOOL DISTRICTS WITH THE INTERNET. COVID-19 AND THE ASSOCIATED DISRUPTION OF IN-CLASSROOM EDUCATION RESULTED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF DISTANCE LEARNINGAN OPTION ONLY AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS WHOSE HOMES HAD BOTH A DEVICE FOR JOINING VIRTUAL CLASSES AND INTERNET CAPABILITY. TWO LOCAL COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONS OFFERED RESOURCES TO HELP GET THE HOMES OF ELIGIBLE FAMILIES WITH SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET, AND COX COMMUNICATIONS WAS PARTICIPATING IN A PROGRAM WHEREBY ELIGIBLE FAMILIES COULD OBTAIN INTERNET SERVICE FOR A REDUCED RATE. BECAUSE COX DID NOT PROVIDE SERVICES TO ALL AREAS WITHIN THE CONTINENTAL AND SAHUARITA SCHOOL DISTRICTS, ANOTHER LOCAL INTERNET SERVICES PROVIDER, SPROCKET COMMUNICATIONS, WAS IDENTIFIED AND FOUND AGREEABLE TO PARTICIPATION IN THE PROGRAM. THE COALITION SECURED A SIGNIFICANT LEVEL OF FUNDING AND SEEF ALSO RECEIVED A SMALL GRANT FOR INTERNET CONNECTIVITY. SEEF WAS ASKED TO ACCEPT AND MANAGE THE COALITION FUNDS, AND SEEF AGREED TO DO THIS. THUS, SEEF RECEIVED A TOTAL OF $34,715.00 THAT WAS RESTRICTED FOR THE CONNECT OUR STUDENTS PROGRAM. THE TOTAL AMOUNT SPENT BETWEEN NOVEMBER 2020 AND JUNE 30, 2022 IS $21,236.37; OF THIS AMOUNT, $14,615.57 WAS SPENT DURING THE PAST FISCAL YEAR. THE AMOUNT LEFT TO SPEND AS OF JUNE 30, 2022 IS $12,938.63. THE NUMBER OF FAMILIES WITH SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN BENEFITING FROM THE PROGRAM GRADUALLY REACHED THIRTY-FIVE, A NUMBER THAT HAS REMAINED CONSTANT FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. ASSUMING CONTINUED ENROLLMENT OF THE SAME NUMBER OF FAMILIES, IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE FUNDS REMAINING FOR USE WILL ALLOW CONTINUATION OF THE PROGRAM FOR ALL OR MOST OF SEEF'S 2022-23 FISCAL YEAR.SEVERAL INITIATIVES ARE UNDERWAY LOCALLY TO IMPROVE INTERNET CAPABILITIES AND MAKE INTERNET SERVICES MORE AFFORDABLE. WHILE THERE MAY BE NO NEED FOR LOCAL SCHOOLS TO REVERT AGAIN TO VIRTUAL CLASSROOMS, INTERNET CONNECTIVITY AND USE OF COMPUTING DEVICES AT HOME CAN MAKE A POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION TO A CHILD'S EDUCATION. THEREFORE, SEEF AND THE BETTER TOGETHER COALITION, WHICH INCLUDES SCHOOL DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES, PLAN TO MONITOR THE LOCAL SITUATION AND DECIDE IF A FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN IS NECESSARY FOR INTERNET CONNECTIVITY TO BE MAINTAINED AMONG LOW-INCOME FAMILIES IN THE GREEN VALLEY/SAHUARITA AREA.

TEACHER ASSISTANT PROGRAM - SEE SCHEDULE O.SAHUARITA COMMUNITYSHARE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM: IN 2020, SEEF BEGAN SUPPORT OF A FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM FOR TEACHERS CALLED COMMUNITYSHARE. THIS PROGRAM IS OFFERED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE CITY CENTER FOR COLLABORATIVE LEARNING IN TUCSON AND ITS MISSION IS DESIGNING, IMPLEMENTING, AND ADVANCING EXEMPLARY PRACTICES IN TEACHING AND LEARNING THAT TRANSFORM THE LIVES OF YOUNG PEOPLE AND THEIR EDUCATORS. INITIALLY, THE DISTRICT TEACHERS PARTICIPATING IN THE FELLOWSHIP ATTENDED MEETINGS IN TUCSON. BUT CONSISTENT WITH A COMMUNITYSHARE OBJECTIVE, THE SAHUARITA COMMUNITYSHARE FELLOWSHIP WAS LAUNCHED WITHIN THE SAHUARITA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT (SUSD) WITH A TOTAL OF TEN TEACHERS PARTICIPATING DURING THE PAST ACADEMIC YEAR. A DISTRICT ART TEACHER WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY ATTENDED THE TUCSON-BASED COMMUNITYSHARE PROGRAM SERVED AS THE SAHUARITA PROGRAM COORDINATOR, AND TWO DISTRICT TEACHERS SERVED AS ASSISTANTS AND HELPED PLAN AND IMPLEMENT THE PROGRAM. ALL PARTICIPATING TEACHERS ATTENDED MONTHLY TRAINING MEETINGS IN DISTRICT FACILITIES AND IMPLEMENTED CLASSROOM PROJECTS INVOLVING AT LEAST ONE SKILLFUL AND KNOWLEDGEABLE MEMBER OF THE SAHUARITA/GREEN VALLEY COMMUNITY.SEEF HELPED TO SUPPORT THE LOCAL COMMUNITYSHARE PROGRAM BY PROVIDING SMALL STIPENDS OF EITHER $300 OR $500 (FOR THE ASSISTANTS) TO NINE OF THE PARTICIPATING TEACHERS IN CONSIDERATION OF THEIR TIME AND PROGRAM LEADERSHIP. THE PARENT COMMUNITYSHARE PROGRAM COVERED THE STIPEND FOR THE TEACHER SERVING AS THE PROGRAM COORDINATOR. SEEF ALSO OFFERED MINI-GRANTS OF UP TO $500 TO PARTICIPATING TEACHERS IF NEEDED TO IMPLEMENT THEIR PROJECTS. EXAMPLES OF PROJECTS IMPLEMENTED DURING THE YEAR INCLUDE: KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS LEARNING ABOUT ANIMALS AND ECOSYSTEMS THROUGH THE USE OF CLAY IN A VIRTUAL/ONLINE CLASSROOM; THIRD GRADE STUDENTS MEETING AN AUTHOR AND LEARNING ABOUT WRITING AND ILLUSTRATING BOOKS ABOUT THEIR PERSONAL LIVES; MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH STUDENTS EXPLORING HISPANIC CULTURES THROUGH THE LENS OF FOOD AVAILABLE FROM LOCAL FOOD TRUCKS AND RESTAURANTS; ELEMENTARY MUSIC STUDENTS EXPERIMENTING WITH HOUSEHOLD MATERIALS TO CREATE INSTRUMENTS WHILE EXPLORING PHYSICS AND MUSIC; AND THIRD GRADE STUDENTS LEARNING QUESTIONING TECHNIQUES FROM A NEWS REPORTER AND THEN WRITING THEIR OWN CLASSROOM NEWSPAPER. AS A RESULT OF THESE PROJECTS, COMMUNITYSHARE BENEFICIARIES INCLUDED NOT ONLY TEACHERS ENGAGED IN THE FELLOWSHIP BUT ALSO ABOUT TWENTY STUDENTS IN EACH OF THE TEACHERS' CLASSROOMS. AND DURING AN EVALUATION SESSION CONDUCTED IN MAY 2022, IT WAS NOTED THAT SEVERAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAD EXPRESSED APPRECIATION FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CLASSROOM PROJECTS. SEEF OFFICERS ATTENDED THE EVALUATION MEETING, AND THEY WERE PLEASED THAT THE PROGRAM HAD DONE SO WELL CONNECTING TEACHERS WITH LOCAL COMMUNITY PARTNERS ARTISTS, SCIENTISTS, BUSINESS LEADERS, AND OTHERS WILLING TO SHARE THEIR "REAL-WORLD" EXPERIENCES WITH STUDENTS IN THE CLASSROOM.