Livermore Generosity | Kelly Bowers Superintendent

Livermore Generosity by Kelly Bowers Superintendent of Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District

At this time of year, I am particularly grateful for the generosity I see in our schools, our parent/guardian groups, and among our community partners. December is a time of warmth between neighbors, even as the temperature outside drops; it is a time in which we are reminded of the needs of many in our community. I applaud the widespread spirit of giving that brightens winter days for our students and families.

This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of co-announcing with Livermore Police Chief Michael Harris at the annual Livermore Downtown Holiday Sights and Sounds Parade. What fun to celebrate the talents of many of our student groups! I am so proud to be part of the lives of our children and part of the fabric of our community.

Thank you for all you do throughout the year to support education. I hope everyone enjoys time with family and friends as we ring in the new year, 2019!

Happy Holidays! Warm Regards, Kelly Bowers, Ed.D.  Superintendent of Schools

Our Generous Community

Elementary students are the grateful recipients of grants recently awarded through the Livermore Valley Education Foundation (LVEF). The Foundation facilitated the disbursement of funds provided by the Choices for Children Education Foundation (CCEF), with the intention that the money support projects and programs for elementary school students. Principals at each school site with students in grades TK – 5, submitted grant proposals designed to support art, music, remediation, language, and library and/or classroom technology in their schools.

We are so grateful for the ongoing support from our community and from LVEF, which continually keeps our students’ needs at the forefront of its mission and ensures equitable distribution of donated resources to all of our schools.

Spotlight on Our Schools East Avenue Middle School

The East Avenue Jazz Band began in 2014, under the guidance of Matt Finders. A professional musician and East Avenue alumnus, Matt’s career led him to New York and Los Angeles, and enabled him to work with The Tonight Show ensemble. As a student at East Avenue, Matt was able to realize his love of music, and he hoped to instill a love of music for all the kids in the Jazz Band at his former school.

Students come to Jazz Band with at least one year’s experience of playing any instrument. The enrichment program was created to expose students to jazz, build their con

Members of the Jazz Band perform two lunchtime concerts at East Avenue, a concert at the Bothwell Arts Center along with Element 116 – also founded and directed by Mr. Finders – and the Livermore High School Jazz Band. They also perform at East Avenue’s Winter and Spring concerts, and the school’s Tacos & Tasting event at Retzlaff Vineyards. Our talented Jazz Band students are always fan favorites at any event or venue where they perform.

Smith Elementary School

The students of Estelle Coffeen’s fourth grade class took the stage last Friday to perform a student- friendly version of Gaetano Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love for Smith Elementary students, teachers, and parents/guardians in a morning assembly. Professional opera performers shared the stage with Coffeen’s class as part of Opera a la Carte – a program from the San Francisco Opera Guild, which brings abridged versions of famous operas to schools.

Coffeen’s students auditioned in class for on-stage parts, with everyone who was not in an on-stage role singing in the chorus. Students learned their lines and the lyrics to their songs. The class took time to practice together before Friday, when they met the professional opera performers and quickly rehearsed on the stage for the

This was Ms. Coffeen’s fourteenth year participating in the program, and she continues to be impressed by the quick turnaround between students auditioning and learning their parts, and performing for a school-wide assembly. She appreciates the conrates courage, expressive imagination, and school spirit all at once.

We rotate spotlighted schools so that each of our 19 schools will be featured throughout the year. Each month, we share a short article about the schools that were recently recognized at a School Board meeting.

Source: https://kellybowerssuperintendent.com/
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