Dear Parents, Alumni, and Friends:

There has never been a better time to demonstrate your support for the children and teachers in our excellent public school system. The Columbia Public Schools Foundation has established an endowment to fund classroom and curricular materials and innovations that serve children in all of the schools in the district. In the last 12 years we have awarded over $450,000 to purchase books, materials, and technology requested by educators to help our children learn better, faster, or easier. This year we funded $53,435 for projects ranging from enhancing math and literacy in elementary schools to purchasing robotic materials for engineering and physics projects in all of the Junior High Schools. There are many more excellent programs that we were unable to fund because we lack the resources to do so.

Please join as we continue to enhance learning for all students, in all grades and buildings in the district. Mark your calendars for a special evening recognizing the accomplishments of our Hall of Leaders awardees and featuring some of the best of Columbia’s student talent, “Foundation Showcase: Night of Stars” on October 1, 2009.

I encourage you to visit our website, www.patricks114.sg-host.com for more information on the Foundation. Together we can make a significant difference in the lives of our children and our community. We hope you will be part of this exciting year for the Foundation and our schools by returning your gift in the enclosed donation envelope. Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,
Kim Stonecipher-Fisher
President, Columbia Public Schools Foundation

P.S. Sometimes people wonder why this extra funding is needed since our public schools are supported with tax dollars. The simple truth is that those tax dollars barely cover “fixed overhead” – salaries, benefits, utilities, transportation, maintenance, etc. There are very few dollars left to invest in innovative teaching materials and experiences; sometimes even important basics such as library books aren’t adequately funded. Your dollars given to the Foundation really make a difference for kids in the classroom.