Save the date Saturday March 8th for the Achieve Night of 100 Dinners.  Host or attend a dinner - contact Patricia Canning and Lindsay Scott at100dinners@achievefoundation.org
Donations fund programs that promote a exemplary public education in South Orange/Maplewood: innovative teaching, state-of-the-art technology, interdisciplinary studies, extra academic support and more. 
In 2013 several teachers were awarded grants through Achieve; find their projects here http://www.tuscanpta.org/1/post/2013/01/achieve-teacher-grants-awarded.html

The Achieve Foundation of South Orange & Maplewood is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization made up of parents, educators, merchants and other volunteers from our towns who raise money to enrich the educational experience of students at all nine local schools. To date, the Achieve Foundation has raised $1.8 million from events, campaigns, corporate and foundation grants, and—most important—contributions from over 2,500 local families.

Want to run a 5K and help SOM schools? The annual Newstead 5K on Sept. 21. Last year raised $14,000 for the Achieve Foundation to support innovative programs, advanced technology and overall excellence in all nine schools in the district.
This year, you can register early or on race day. The race begins at the South Mountain Annex, 112 Glenview Road in South Orange. Information on preregistration, sponsorship opportunities and more is available here.

There are a few more days to Honor Your Teacher — the deadline to send in tributes has been extended to Monday, June 10.

Express your gratitude and enrich the learning experiences of all students with a special tribute to any district staff member in any school. Achieve will print your personalized messages on beautiful cards and hand deliver them to the recipients before the end of the school year. The funds raised will support Achieve’s Teacher Grants program.

Complete the tribute form and pay online here (for total donations of $10 or more), or print a form here for each tribute and send directly to the Achieve Foundation (PO Box 84, Maplewood, NJ 07040).

If you have questions or need more information, send an email here.

Support Great Teachers and Great Teaching in Our Schools
Teacher appreciation time is here, and the Achieve Foundation of South Orange & Maplewood has the perfect gift idea – it’s one-size-fits-all, doesn’t require a trip to the mall and is rated teachers’ top rated-gift! It’s also the gift that gives back to public education in South Orange & Maplewood!

Order personalized Honor Your Teacher and Staff tribute cards as thank-you gifts from your family to any staff member at any school. For a donation of a minimum of $5 each, Achieve will print your child’s message of thanks to a teacher, counselor, nurse, bus driver, etc. on special cards and deliver them to recipients the last week of school. Proceeds from Honor Your Teacher tributes support the Achieve Foundation’s Teacher Grants Program that enables all educators to apply for grants for their unique projects in the fall. This year Achieve awarded a total of $55,000 for 50 innovative classroom grants in all nine district schools. Help fund more Teacher Grants in 2013 by ordering Honor Your Teacher & Staff tribute cards now. Look for order forms in May, order them at achievefoundation.org,  or call 973-275-1420 to place your order by June 1.

Prior grants from Achieve in action at Tuscan:
http://www.tuscanpta.org/1/post/2013/01/help-students-through-achieve.html

District Digital Backpack Flyers are posted.  You can find the link to them on this site each month here  Flyers & Forms: Digital Backback

Achieve Foundation
Honor Your Teacher & Staff Tributes

Maplewood Memorial Library
The Centennial Quiz Show
Children's Programs - May 2013
Teen Programs - May 2013
 
North Jersey Pride, Tyler Clementi Foundation, Columbia High School Spectrum & GLSEN
Engaging Families: Turning Bystanders into Upstanders

The Achieve Foundation is also seeking hosts for its 9th Annual “Night of 100 Dinners,” scheduled for March 2, 2013.  At this event, community members host dinner parties and guests are asked to donate a minimum of $50 per person.  The proceeds fund Achieve Foundation programs, such as the grants, tutoring, and restoration of the Columbia High School auditorium.  If you are interested in hosting a dinner (No dinner is too big or too small: A party can be as simple as a group of families doing potluck or a girls' night out with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. Or it can be an elaborate theme party or gourmet meal… It's entirely up to the host), please contact Eileen Neri at ecneri@verizon.net or 973.763.6244.
photo slideshow include Mrs. Lee's 4th grade Language Arts students utilizing iPads for learning; Mrs. Lee's grant was partially funded.  Find out how to contribute to her grant at www.achievefoundation.org