Blog Archives

Neighbors Helping Neighbors

3/27/2020

When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ - Mr. Rogers

Dear Ravenswood Community,

As we come to the end of our second week of school closures and sheltering in place, I am grateful to provide you with some updates from Ravenswood that will warm your heart and soothe your soul.

How You Can Help

Sign up to volunteer. All Students Matter and REF are partnering with the District to collect a bank of volunteers we can call on as opportunities arise. The District has identified significant volunteer needs related to technology distribution the week of April 6. We will be making every effort possible to maintain social distancing and adhere to health guidelines for folks who join in person.
Contribute to the REF Emergency Fund
Donate and volunteer at Second Harvest Food Bank or Ecumenical Hunger Program
If you are able, continue to pay folks who typically work in your home, or that you see in your daily lives. Many of the parents in Ravenswood work in service industries that pay hourly, so this time will be devastating economically.
Stay up to date by checking the District website.
Please pass this email along to friends so they can join the REF email list.

REF Emergency Fund
Your generosity helped us achieve our matching grant and to date we have raised $383,776.85 for the REF Emergency Fund! In the last week alone, these funds have allowed the District to:

Provide 234 gift cards to families to purchase essential groceries and household items
Procure 300 masks for the child nutrition team to use to keep food distribution safe for families and staff
Purchase 430 ipads for every TK, Kindergarten and first grade student to ensure that every child in the district has access to online learning (2nd-8th graders will receive chromebooks previously used in the classroom)
Order 1650 hands-on at home learning STEM kits from KiwiCo to ensure that our students are able to engage in experiential learning regardless of what their family can provide

Community Champions
Thank you to all the REF community members who are getting creative and using your expertise in all kinds of new ways to support the Ravenswood family through birthday fundraisers, live streaming yoga classes, sponsoring meals and more. Here are a few fun highlights from our community this week:

Kelli Agnich is taking Porchraits in exchange for a contribution to the REF Emergency Fund.
Thanasis Pashalidis and the Taverna team are providing hot meals to Ravenswood’s essential workers.

More to follow after the District reconvenes the week of April 6. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or suggestions. I am so grateful to be part of this team of helpers with you - we truly are one community.

Warmly,

Jenna Wachtel Pronovost
Executive Director

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REF Community Comes Together

3/20/2020

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Dear REF Community,
Just one week has passed since Ravenswood schools closed and we launched the REF Emergency Fund, and yet so much has happened. I am so touched and hopeful to witness our community coming together to take care of each other. With the latest prediction that schools may not reopen until fall, our sustained support of our students and families will be critical.

How You Can Help

Contribute to REF Emergency Fund
Donate and volunteer at Second Harvest Food Bank
Donate and volunteer at Ecumenical Hunger Program
If you are bilingual, volunteer to interpret for families and teachers
If you are able, continue to pay folks who typically work in your home, or that you see in your daily lives. Many of the parents in Ravenswood work in service industries that pay hourly, so this time will be devastating economically.
Stay up to date by checking the District website.
Please pass this email along to friends so they can join the REF email list.

Thank you to the many of you who have already reached out wanting to help, and for your invaluable gifts of time and money. I’d like to give you a brief update of where we are today:
REF Emergency Fund:

The REF Emergency Fund has raised nearly $200,000, thanks to your kind contributions. This is a wonderful start, but the needs are growing daily.
Yesterday, we received a $50,000 match opportunity from an incredibly generous anonymous donor. Please share this opportunity to double your donation with your friends and family.
Thus far we’ve used the Emergency Fund to:
- purchase a Zoom license for the District to enable remote meeting and learning
- fund an emergency child care program
- make a donation to Ecumenical Hunger Program, a local food pantry that serves many of our families
- provide $10,000 in gift cards to Target and Safeway to allow families to purchase groceries and other household needs
- purchase masks and protective gear for our staff and volunteers distributing food
Our REF board is continuing to work closely with the District to evaluate opportunities to use the Emergency Fund to:
- enhance distance learning
- bolster food distribution
- offer emergency financial support for families and staff
- support emergency child care

Ravenswood City School District Efforts to Address Evolving Needs:

The leadership team at the District is working hard to address the evolving needs of the school community. Please take a few minutes to watch this video to hear directly from Interim Superintendent Gina Sudaria and her team about their latest efforts to support families.
The District is providing almost 2,000 meals a day to children in the community. Families can drive by school sites to pick up breakfast and lunch from school nutrition staff and bus drivers are also dropping off meals at students’ homes. In addition, a coordinated effort with Second Harvest Food Bank and the Boys and Girls Club provides food for families. The schedule is on the District website.
Mental health counselors, guidance counselors, the District nurse, and the District social worker are continuing their work with virtual appointments.
Students, families and teachers are making the big shift to distance learning. Teachers have the goal of calling families 2-3 times per week to provide academic support and collect and share information around urgent needs and concerns including child care, rent payments, groceries and health care.
With the longer closure anticipated, the District is moving to having online options for all students, not just middle school students. This is a big lift for this community. Many families lack internet access, and rely on shared phones for homework. CZI is helping provide 300 WiFi hotspots, with more to follow, and the District is signing out classroom Chromebooks to individual students.
Teachers are working to record and send out lessons, schedule Zoom and Google hangout sessions with students, call and text families and more.

Volunteer Needs

We are partnering with the District to enlist translators to support with communication during this time. So far,128 bilingual volunteers have signed up to connect families and teachers and interpret conference calls.
We will continue to post volunteer opportunities on the REF website as they arise.
We are working closely with city officials, local non-profits and community service providers to coordinate efforts including Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Facebook, Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto, EPIC, Devices for Students, LitLab, Menlo Church, Boys and Girls Club and more. Please reach out to partners above for volunteer opportunities in our community.

Together, anything is possible. Please stay healthy and thank you for keeping Ravenswood students and families in your hearts.

Warmly,
Jenna Wachtel Pronovost
REF, Executive Director

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Our Support of the Ravenswood Community During this Time

3/13/2020

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Dear REF Community,
During this stressful time, as we protect our loved ones, stock up on supplies, and prepare for the weeks ahead, I am heartened by the outpouring of care from our REF community asking how you can support local students and families most in need.
Today, in response to the COVID 19 pandemic, the Ravenswood City School District made the difficult decision to close schools from Monday, March 16 through April 3. While closing schools is challenging for all communities, it is particularly challenging here, where 90% of students qualify for free and reduced price lunch and the majority of our parents work hourly service jobs.
How We Can Help:
In collaboration with Interim Superintendent Gina Sudaria, we have identified the following avenues for support:

Contribute to the REF Emergency Fund - REF is establishing an emergency fund to provide financial relief related to the school closures. We are working closely with Ravenswood Interim Superintendent Gina Sudaria and her team to develop a plan to address identified needs, including those listed below. If emergency needs do not deplete the fund, your donations will roll over to support district programs as students, teachers, and staff return to school.
Donate and/or volunteer at the Second Harvest Food Bank - The Second Harvest Food Bank will be a major source of food for our most vulnerable families. Please consider supporting their much needed efforts.
Use the Ravenswood City School District website for the most up to date information including volunteer opportunities.

Areas of Concern We are Working to Address:

Distance Learning - Teachers and staff are dedicated to doing all they can to make sure learning continues. Children in grades TK-5 arewill receivinge take-home bags with books at their reading level, writing prompts, math exercises, and login information for online learning programs. Middle School students will continue to engage in learning through the online Summit Platform. REF is working with local community partners including the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and Facebook to ensure that all children who need a device or mobile hotspot for internet access will receive one.
Food Distribution - Although schools will be closed for class, they will remain open Monday through Friday to provide breakfast and lunch for children via drive-through distribution stations. In the event that the families are not able to come to campus, meals will be delivered.
Supporting District Families with Financial Needs - Many of our families work hourly service jobs and are only paid if they are able to go to work. REF is collaborating with the district and other local agencies to identify ways to help with rent, bill payments, and groceries.
Supporting District Staff - Ravenswood employs over 300 people who rely on their salaries to take care of themselves and their families. Although some staff members will be able to continue to work during school closures, the district is creating a plan to financially support our district staff, especially our certificated, hourly employees. REF is preparing to support these efforts in the event that public dollars are not able to cover the cost of this compensation.

With your help, we can take care of each other and face this crisis with love, gratitude and generosity. It is a privilege to be part of this community with you.

Warmly,
Jenna Wachtel Pronovost
REF Executive Director

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REF Updates

Neighbors Helping Neighbors

REF Community Comes Together

Our Support of the Ravenswood Community During this Time

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