Visalia Education Foundation

The Visalia Education Foundation will again be hosting the 14th Annual Band Showcase on Monday, October 3rd at 7:30 P.M.  El Diamante, Golden West, Mt. Whitney and Redwood High School bands will perform their half time shows. The high school cheer and dance squads will be performing that evening.

The Band Showcase provides an opportunity for high school bands to introduce their upcoming half time shows to family, friends, and the Visalia Community. 
The fun-filled evening features great music and entertainment along with tasty concession stand food and drinks.

Proceeds from this event help purchase musical instruments and support music and performance programs in our VUSD schools. 


In case of rain, the event will be held on Monday, October 10th.


Thank you to Betsy for agreeing to come and support the work of the Visalia Education Foundation. Thank you to our community for making this concert a big success that will help fund additional student scholarships and grants for Visalia Unified staff.

For stories about this event great event CLICK HERE

  ​Major Grants Awarded February 17​​​

On Wednesday, February 17, the Visalia Education Foundation made a presentation of the 2016 Major Grants at Visalia Unified School District's Principals' meeting.  Laura Pace, Chair of the VEF Grant Committee represented the Foundation in making the presentation of checks totaling $6711.43.
VTEC  Benjamin Ramirez  wrote a grant proposal to purchase a Skutt kiln for the 3D art/ceramics program at VTEC High School.  The grant will help integrate ceramics, garden art, pottery and sculpture to combine art and horticulture.  Mr. Ramirez is the instructor for both subjects.  Currently the school is limited in their ability to offer a comprehensive 3D art program and are badly in need of a kiln.  The cost for the project is $6000.  The school requested and was granted $5000 with site materials and funding being used to complete the project. The principal is Victoria Porter.
Golden Oak Elementary  Erik Johnson wrote a proposal to purchase 30 ukuleles, tuners and soft cases in order to teach 2nd and 3rd grade students how to play them in a bi-weekly after school program.  Students who participate would learn the basics of playing a stringed instrument and build a foundation for learning and playing harder stringed instruments at a later time.  Golden Oak already has a 4-6th grade bluegrass band that teaches other instruments.  The Foundation was pleased to match the request for $1211.43 to further this outstanding program. The Principal is Sue Wallace-Sims.
Goshen Elementary  Dave Card wrote a proposal to purchase three digital cameras and accessories to facilitate photography and yearbook at Goshen Elementary School.  The foundation funded the full grant for $500 to further the opportunities for students at this school site. The Principal is Jessica Alvarado

             2015 Mini Grants Awarded

 

Visalia Education Foundation Board member Laura Pace presented checks to the principals of five teachers who were selected as 2015 Mini Grant recipients on Wednesday, December 9. Five applications  were funded for a total of $2351.61 in awards this year. To learn more about grants available from the Foundation, click the tab "Teacher Grants" on the left side of this page.​

Those receiving funding this year were:

Susan Schieferle               Hurley K-6                                        $500.00
Elevated Garden Bed for Physically Challenged Students and Adults
Purchase and assemble a Handicapped Elevated bed. Master Gardeners of Tulare-Kings Counties will provide labor and run drip line. VUSD earth science curriculum will be incorporated into garden lessons. Open public workshops will be open to physically challenged adult and youth population in Visalia. Progress will be reported in school and local newspaper.

Maria Botello                   Ivanhoe 5th Grade                             $500.00
Learning through photography
Purchase Pentax K50 digital camera. Students will learn through classroom experiences that are aligned with Common Core objectives that incorporate use of the digital camera. Their educational experience will be enhanced by completion of projects requiring the use of a variety of multimedia tools. This is a study of plants, mathematics, art, and science. 1 hour, 4 days per week, shared by all three 5th grade teachers.

Claude Guillory III            Willow Glen 7th and 8th  Grade             $491.60
Photography

Show how photography can help kids in math and science by making calculations with camera, I0, lens and showing the chemical reactions with film, light and sensors.
Photography can help in History and Language Arts in that pictures can help with writing prompts or analyzing an historical picture for content. By bringing in photography it can open up the curriculum making it more layered, richer and deeper. 3 months, 4X 45 minutes a week in class and 20 minutes homework. 14-15 students, 1 teacher. Purchasing 3 digital cameras, 3 16GB memory cards, 2 tripods.

Melissa Link                     Redwood 10-12 English                     $360.00
Writing On the Walls
Create a writing contest open to all students in the English Department. Literature will be judged and the winning pieces would be published on 18X24 posters. In conjunction with the Art Club the pieces would be either illustrated by student artists or a separate art contest will be run and the winning pieces combined on the posters. Posters will be hung around the school with the hope that the visual art will attract someone to stay long enough to read the writing. Materials for poster printing and lamination and hanging.

Stephen E. C. Post           Redwood 9-12                                                   $500.00
STEM is the future
Beginning in November provide twice weekly for 2-3 hours (75-100 total hours) of support for both teams in studying and building for next year's Science Olympiad. Five teachers have committed to coach approximately 35 students. The materials will be used at 23 events with about 6-7 being constructions event requiring glue, balsa wood, wire, pine wood, nails, etc. to compete.

You are visitor.

The Visalia Education Foundation Board of Directors would like to acknowledge Elisabeth Elaine Nichols Romani (Libby) who passed away on July 11, 2016. Libby worked tirelessly to promote the music programs in the Visalia Unified School District since 1977. She taught classroom music, led the teams for classroom music instruction and eventually oversaw all music programs as the administrator for music in the K-12 school district. As a flautist, vocalist, choir conductor and teacher, music was at the center of Libby's life. Libby served as a board member of the Visalia Education Foundation upon retirement from Visalia Unified. We appreciate all that Libby did on our Board and for her many years of dedication to the students of our community and the advancement of the arts.

​​​Betsy Wolfe Concert Benefits VEF  - Community Support Appreciated       

          In Memoriam: Libby Romani     
                                                             

Band Showcase Set for October 3rd!