The Indian Valley Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that raises funds to support and enhance the educational programs and opportunities in the Souderton Area School District. Initially founded in 1992, this organization has instituted many programs that are now integral aspects of the school district curricula.
WELCOME!
Thanks for taking the time to visit and learn more about the work that the IVEF is doing to support traditional public education in the Souderton Area School District. We encourage you to take a few minutes and have a look around. By making an intentional effort to partner with the community, the Indian Valley Education Foundation is investing in public education to ensure the long term success of this district and the economic vitality of our community. Stronger educational programs benefit everyone. Join us in helping to build strong, community-minded leaders for the future!
- We invite you to take a few minutes to watch our video to see first hand how the IVEF is playing an active role in supporting the Souderton Area Public Schools!
WhAT'S New at the IVEF?
EVENTSThe Teacher & Staff Appreciation Campaign
Looking for a way to honor that special teacher or staff member? The Teacher & Staff Appreciation Campaign is underway through Friday June 8, 2018.
Your donation in honor of a special SASD teacher or staff member means so much! Donations are used to provide additional resources and learning opportunities in the Souderton Area public schools. Donations of all sizes are making a tremendous impact in our classrooms. Keep in mind that the IVEF is an approved 501(c)(3) organization, so your donation is tax deductible. To make your donation, please visit: https://indianvalleyeducationfoundatio.givingfuel.com/2018-teacher-staff-appreciation-campaign Your teacher will be notified of your donation with a certificate acknowledging your generous gift in their honor. You can even include a personal message. And, you can acknowledge more than one teacher in one easy transaction! Please complete your donation by June 8, 2018 for delivery to recipients before the end of the school year. 5/24/2018: WE HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED OF A $2500 DONOR MATCH! If we are able to secure $2500 in donations for this campaign we will DOUBLE that thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor! REGISTER TODAY for the
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NEWS & UpdatesSPRING INTO AUCTION FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION!
Thank you to our donors, sponsors and all who enthusiastically participated in the 2018 IVEF Spring Auction! We are thrilled to announce that thanks to this amazing collaborative effort between donors and our community we were able to raise over $10,500 that will be used to support public education in the Souderton Area School District. These funds, will be used for classroom Innovation Grants, STEAM opportunities for students in grades K-12 and for the continued growth and implementation of SASD Next. Community support of public education is valuable beyond measure!
Innovation Grants lead to Innovative ClassroomsE. Merton Crouthamel Elementary School recently implemented an Innovation Grant thanks to the generous support and funding provided by Indian Valley Education Foundation. This grant focused on innovation and impact to further enhance the educational opportunities for students within the Souderton Area School District. This grant was awarded to Mrs. Stamp’s Fifth Grade Classroom. The Grant was used to implement flexible seating in the classroom.
Some of the impacts of flexible seating include:
- Mrs. Janell Stamp Fifth Grade Teacher, EMC Elementary School 2017 HOLIDAY GIVING CAMPAIGN SUCCESS!
As we begin 2018 we do so with continuing gratitude for the community support that allows the Indian Valley Education Foundation to provide opportunities to each one of the schools in the Souderton Area School District. Without the support from individuals and businesses in our community we couldn't continue to support traditional public education in the capacity that we do.
We asked and you all delivered. Our goal for the 2017 Holiday giving campaign was to raise $3500. Those funds, in combination with the funding that we recieve from our Teacher Appreciation Campaign each spring go to support our classroom innovation grant program. This program is available to teachers district wide and provides funding that allows teachers to provide innovative learning experiences and opportunities to their students. Our community responded to this goal and knocked it out of the park! Thanks to each of our donors we were able to raise $4500! Together we continue to make a difference in traditional public education for the Souderton Area School District. THANK YOU for your support! 2016-2017 Annual Report
Welcome BACK! 2017-2018 Faculty and Staff Convocation at Souderton Area High School
Tuesday August 29, 2017 will mark the official start of the 2017-2018 school year. Our schools are ready. Our teachers are ready. Most parents are ready, and whether they admit it openly or not, our kids are ready. Ready for a year of learning and collaborating and challenging themselves and each other to go a little further and try a little harder.
SASD Next will begin the second year in a five year implementation plan. It has created an exciting opportunity for us all to reimagine how we teach and how we engage our students to be collaborative lifelong learners. SASD Next is one of several initiatives the IVEF is working diligently to support. IVEF is dedicated to meeting the needs of our schools by investing in public education to ensure the long term success of this district and the economic vitality of our community. Stronger educational programs benefit everyone. As we begin a new school year perhaps you will consider joining us as we helping to build strong, community-minded leaders for the future! Contact Us today! TEACHER APPRECIATION CAMPAIGN
Last spring, the IVEF was approached by an anonymous donor with an offer to match up to $2,500 in donations from our community. When we shared that news, we knew it would be a challenge that we would likely be able to meet, but knew it would take a bigger commitment than ever before. Here's what we learned, when our community is asked for support, our community shows up! This spring, the IVEF Teacher Appreciation Campaign received over $5500 in donations, many of which were accompanied by a donor's company match! The majority of our donors were first time contributors.
This funding will be used to support the Classroom Innovation Grant program that is available district wide each spring. Every teacher is able to submit their application for funding that would go to support a unique learning opportunity for the students in their classroom or school. Thank you to each and every one of our donors for your commitment to supporting traditional public education in the Souderton Area School District. #SASDPRIDE 2017-2018 Classroom Innovation Grants Awarded
One of the many initiatives the IVEF works to support is the Classroom Innovation Grant program within Souderton Area School District. This program, available district wide each spring, encourages creativity in the classrooms. We know that SASD teachers are some of the very best at "thinking outside the box" and the IVEF works hard to support many of the ideas that takes classroom learning to a whole different level. This year was no exception!
The IVEF has awarded over $18,000 for the 2017-2018 school year for various classroom opportunities district wide. The premise of this grant program is not to supplement existing resources, but rather to provide teachers with the opportunity to give life to ideas that they would like to integrate into their classrooms. Ideas that otherwise would not be possible. The best part of all this? This funding will reach an estimated 6500 students! While the Classroom Innovation Grant Program is is not a new resource to the SASD, the IVEF has been able to expand the funding provided thanks to the generosity of our donors. By simply participating in the Teacher & Staff Appreciation Campaign, supporting the Mixed Bag Fundraiser or playing a round of golf at our Annual Golf tournament, you are taking steps to ensure that these ideas can be awarded the seed money to flourish into programs that are a part of the curriculum. Check back regularly to see the impact that these grants are having in classrooms around the district. Ask about them when you visit your schools! Remember them when it comes time to consider charitable giving. For more information about the Classroom Innovation Grant program please click here. SASD Next: The Next Step in education
Heading back to school is always an exciting time of year. For the middle school students in Souderton Area School District, this year was no exception!
Every student in grades 6, 7 & 8 started their school year with a Chromebook laptop that will transform their learning experiences and classroom opportunities. The IVEF Board of Directors voted unanimously to provide funding, in part, for the SASD Next initiative, developed by the faculty and administration of the SASD. The IVEF has been able to provide over $100,000 in funding so far. Over the next 4 years, SASD will continue to grow and expand access to technology that will ensure that all students and teachers have access to the technology they need to be engaged and invested in education at a capacity not seen before. The IVEF is thrilled to be a part of this exciting opportunity for our students, and we will work diligently in cooperation with SASD to support this initiative every step of the way! Please click here to see a video showing how SASD Next is transforming education! Souderton Teachers MakE a difference beyond the clasSroom
Pictured above: Kim Detwiler IVEF President, RuthE Potter IVEF Executive Director, Carol Luciani SAEA President , Tom McGinniss SAEA Community Outreach Chairperson
One of the most important components to a successful Education Foundation is the support it receives from the school district that it serves. The IVEF is incredibly fortunate to recieve support from the Souderton Area School District on many levels.
While SASD teachers give generously of their time and talents each day, not many people know that they also give generously of their paychecks! Each year, teachers can elect to have a portion of their income directed to a fund that enables the SAEA (Souderton Area Education Association) to give back the local community. With a voluntary participation rate of approximately 85%, the dedication of our teachers goes well beyond the walls of their classrooms. The SAEA has been a long time supporter of the IVEF. Thanks to their generosity the IVEF is able to provide funding for unique and creative classroom opportunities district wide! Thank you to the Souderton Area School District teachers for the work you do each day for the children in this community. We are honored to work in partnership with you to ensure that every classroom and every child has the resources and opportunities for success! Dot & Dash are making a splash!Dot & Dash are rather ingenious tools disguised as two cute little robots that enable students to explore and learn computer coding and programming. The appeal and application of these bots have spread beyond far programming!
Elementary technology teacher Jennifer Kling applied for, and was awarded, a mini grant for the 2014-2015 school year for a Robot Programming initiative that has taken off at the elementary level. That program is now being utilized in a Souderton Area High School Classroom as well. Thanks to the enthusiasm of Mrs. Kling, classroom teachers and special education teachers have been encouraged to sign the robots out and use them in their classes. Recently, Mrs. Kling shared the robots with colleague Matt Montagna and his students in the Autistic support classroom at Souderton Area High School. Mr. Montagna introduced his students to Dash & Dot with the intention of having them work with the K-2 graders in the Carleen Caldwell's Autistic support classroom at Franconia Elementary. Earlier this month, the high school and the elementary students spent the morning together programming the robots. While the original grant was proposed as a robot programming opportunity at the elementary level, thanks to the creativity and collaboration of several faculty members, the robots were also used to help teach his older students empathy through their work with the younger students. This is exactly the kind of momentum the IVEF hopes for when grants are funded each spring. Collaboration between teachers leads to exceptional opportunities for the students in SASD. If you have a story about growth of mini grant opportunities in your schools, please contact us! We are thrilled to share the great news! | ||||
Mission Statement:
The mission of the Indian Valley Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization serving the Souderton Area School District, is to ensure the highest level of educational opportunity for students through a community partnership with public education.