“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.”

— Margaret Mead

Dear Canyon School Parents, Guardians, and Families,

Welcome to a new school year!  As you may have heard, we are facing a particularly difficult year for our schools as a result of our state’s ongoing budget crisis. This year, many California Public Schools have either been forced to close their doors, cut staff, or dramatically increase class sizes (33 kids to 1 teacher!)  Canyon Elementary School is one of the lucky ones.  Our doors remain open, our class sizes remain small, and our children continue to receive high quality, thoughtful instruction.  We perform well on standardized tests without “teaching to the tests.”  We are one of the few districts in the state without layoffs or furlough days.  We accomplish all this, even in the face of steep budget cuts, because YOU, the parents, guardians, and families, step up and GIVE when the state takes away.

What is CEF and What Does It Do?
The Canyon Education Foundation (CEF) was formed in 2003 by a group of parents, administrators, and community members, who were concerned with the state of funding in the California Public Schools.  CEF is a non-profit organization who raises the money that allows our school to continue to thrive, despite the current state of public education.  CEF gets its funds in part from community, and fundraising events, but predominantly from the monthly contributions of each student’s family.

Our task this year is huge for a school our size, but I’ve seen first hand what the dedicated parents of this community can do.  ”We’re all in” this together.  The years our children spend in Canyon Elementary School serve as the foundation for a lifetime of learning.  Let’s make a commitment to ensure that this foundation is as strong and supportive as possible.  

What We Must All Do
This year, in order to fill the gap left by the state in our school budget, we need each family to contribute $1,800 PER STUDENT.  This covers the cost of the instruction that your child receives for the year.  We cannot express enough how important it is that each and every child attending the Canyon Elementary School is supported.  This is simply a matter of our school being underfunded by the state of California.  It is up to us to make up that difference if we want Canyon School to continue to provide our children with the unique style and quality of education that makes it such a special place. If you think this seems like a lot, please note the suggested donation, when calculated over a year, is less than $5 a day per child. Please remember how very special this school is and how much our children receive here daily.  If every student contribution is funded 100%, additional funds raised throughout the year can be utilized to enrich the curriculum, and provide additional instructional support for all students.

Together We Can Make a Difference!
Canyon Elementary School is diverse on a number of levels and we understand that for families in true financial need a contribution of $1800 per student may not possible.  We want every family to feel they can be part of our team even if they can only contribute part of the entire amount.  Our goal is to have 100% OF OUR FAMILIES contribute SOMETHING on a monthly basis.  When ‘we’re all in” we all take ownership of our children’s educational future.  For those in true financial need, please contribute as much of the monthly $150 per student contribution as is possible each month.  It is also imperative for those who can afford the entire amount, to donate as much, or more if possible.  In this way, “we’re all in” and will be able to reach our yearly goal together as a school community.  

Currently, 61% of our families proudly donate to CEF.  With our small student body this number should be 100% and CEF will be working diligently to achieve this goal.  In the end, should CEF’s contributions not fill the gap between our school’s budget and what the state provides, we will have to let go of 1 of our 4 teachers, so please join us.

We have many options for everyone to get involved and help, including our new ‘Grandparents Club”, so extended family can get involved.  Please send this link to our wonderful grandparent body and anyone in your extended family who you think would want to help:  http://canyon.k12.ca.us/cef-grandparents-club

Also, please check out our webpage on the school website.  It is an amazing resource. http://canyon.k12.ca.us/canyon-education-foundation.  All information, forms, options to help, and answers to questions you might have, can be found there.  Should you know of a corporation, agency or sponsor who might want to help our wonderful school, pass on the link; every bit helps.

Please make this contribution a priority when budgeting for your child this year.  Canyon Elementary School is a gift that we give to our children.  It is where they spend many of their waking hours and where they will develop their love of learning.  We only get one chance to educate our children… lets each do our best to show them how much we care.  We’re all in this together.

Thank you so much for your support and I look forward to seeing you throughout the school year.

Sincerest thanks,

Angel Clifford,
CEF President

We want to thank all the parents who contributed to the School Fund this past school year, and also thank those who gave their time, talent, and resources to make the 2011-2012 school year amazing. The fundraising season was unbelievably successful and immensely helped bridge the huge deficit we were faced with this year. Thank you to all who supported the cause, whether selling raffle tickets, participating in our first on-line auction and/or attending and supporting the Urban-Peasant Auction—you all helped make the season a huge success!