Letter from the Executive Director

It has been my great pleasure to join the momentum of our students, our schools, our volunteers, our staff, and our partners for the launch of the 2008-2009 school year. We are especially excited to begin serving two dynamic campuses in Oakland, United for Success Academy and Wilson Prep. I want to take this moment to recognize the tremendous work of our staff, new volunteers, and partners at the school and beyond to make this launch possible and to share the energy of our program with a new community. As I start in this role, I look forward to meeting with all of you across our network of communities in California and hearing your insight to inform our next stage as an organization. It has been great to meet so many of you that are part of the momentum of changing the landscape of learning and opportunity for our students. Thank you for your early insights and may we work together for a blessed, exciting, and awe-inspiring year!

Sincerely,

Nancy Taylor, Executive Director, Citizen Schools California

Come and See Our Program In Action! 

You are invited to visit our program on Wednesday, November 19th from 3:30-5:30 pm at McKinley Institute of Technology in Redwood City.  Whether you are an educator, a philanthropist, someone who has thought about teaching an apprenticeship, or a supporter of Citizen Schools who hasn’t visited one of our campuses in a while…we’d love to have you join us for a campus visit.  The afternoon will include a tour of the campus, visiting our academic and apprenticeship program, and a conversation with some of our students, plus much more.  To learn more or to RSVP by November 14th please contact Sarah Iles at 650.363.2720. 

Volunteer Highlight: Jose Martinez with Word Weavers

Volunteer Citizen Teacher Jose Martinez is teaching students to create original literature in the Word Weavers apprenticeship at Campbell Middle School.  As an English Language Arts education associate at Campbell Middle School, Jose exposes students to the basics of story writing, poetry, and playwriting – expanding the knowledge they gain every day in academic classes.  For their WOW! presentation at the end of the semester, students will perform unique and innovative work at a local coffee shop in mid-December.  Stay tuned for the exact date and location so that you can come and support Campbell’s budding creative authors.

Donor Highlight: Koret

Koret is known for their deep commitment to addressing societal challenges and strengthening Bay Area life.  For nearly three decades Koret has been dedicated to promoting educational opportunity, contributing to a diverse cultural landscape, and bolstering organizations that are innovative in their approaches to meeting community needs.  Support from Koret has helped Citizen Schools serve hundreds of youth in the Bay Area – providing access to educational opportunities that will prepare these underserved middle school students for success in high school, college and beyond.  We are extremely grateful to Koret for their leadership, vision, partnership, and investment in our efforts over the past two years!

Updates

• The Governor rejected attempts to reduce funding for afterschool programs.  Citizen Schools California's state funding is no longer in jeopardy thanks to those of you who called your legislators.
• The ServiceNation Field Day Fundraiser for our Daly City campuses was a success!  The community raised enough money to provide our students with afterschool sports.  Congrats!
• Campus WOW! dates are set!  Please come and see what our students have accomplished this semester:

                         December 11: Ben Franklin (Daly City) and MIT (Redwood City)                              December 15: Kennedy (Redwood City)

                         December 16: TRP (Daly City) and UFS (Oakland)                                                 December 17: Campbell (Campbell) and Wilson Prep (Oakland)

                         December 18: Monroe (San Jose)

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to the power of investing in our future leaders!

-The Citizen Schools California Team

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