We are thrilled to announce a very generous donation of $50,000 from the Kaplan family to be invested in music education in our school district!

SRVEF is working with district administrators to start disbursing funds to our elementary schools for all elementary music teachers, and will develop a plan to invest in middle and high school music programs in the near future.

Thank you, Kaplan family, for your thoughtful gift!

We are excited to offer four classes over Thanksgiving Break. Classes will be held over two days, Monday (11/22) and Tuesday (11/23) from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. with a break for snack.

CSI:Forensics

Grades: 6th through 9th

Instructor: Tracy Gilcrist, Monte Vista HS Forensic Science Teacher

Location: Monte Vista High School

Cost: $160 + $15 for supplies, materials and consumables

Click HERE to register for this class.

This fun, interactive, project-oriented course is designed to engage students in a truly fascinating area of science, CSI/Forensic Science. Students assume the role of crime scene investigators as they use their observational skills, deductive reasoning and their newly acquired analytical skills to solve a realistic crime scenario. Students will analyze evidence including blood typing, blood spatter, fingerprint processing, collection and analysis, analysis of hair and tire prints to name a few. Students will create their own mock crime scene, and solve someone else’s as they hone their critical thinking skills.

Intro to Raspberry Pi with Python

Grades: 6th through 9th

Instructor: Sean Raser, California HS AP Computer Science Teacher

Location: California High School

Cost: $160 + $10 for supplies, materials and consumables

Click HERE to register for this class.

If your student loves tinkering, creating and expressing their creativity digitally, this is the class for them. This physical computing class will introduce students to both the Raspberry Pi and the Python Programming Language. Students will learn about the physical hardware of a Raspberry Pi, how it operates, and how to use Python to program input/output components, sensors, and the Pi-camera. In this class, students will see just how powerful this micro-computer is and get some coding experience by controlling these accessories with Python. This will be a great introduction to both physical computing and programming.  

Stop Motion Animation (Lights, Camera, Action!)

Grades: 3rd through 5th

Instructor: Erin Lopez, Teacher at Live Oak Elementary School

Location: Live Oak Elementary School

Cost: $160 + $15 for supplies, materials and consumables

Click HERE to register for this class.

Technology meets art in this introduction to animation class. Students will use a variety of mediums, from paper to Legos to practice the art of stop motion animation. Students will learn how to storyboard, write a script, film, and edit their own stop motion animation films. In addition, students can add in sound by recording their own voices or collaborating with others to bring their story to life. This class will spark the imagination and creativity that students can use to continue to tell their own stories beyond the walls of a classroom! 

Culinary Arts: Holiday Baking

Grades: 3rd through 6th

Instructor: Joanna Chung, Windemere Ranch MS, AVID / Baking Home Economics Teacher

Location: Windemere Ranch Middle School

Click HERE to register for this class.

Cost: $160 + $15 for supplies, materials and consumables

Students will make a variety of baked goods in preparation for the upcoming holiday season. Some possible selections include Pumpkin pie, Gingersnap cookies, Red velvet swirl brownies, Pumpkin bread, Coffee cake, Red velvet cookies. Students will practice measuring and mixing techniques, decorating skills and presentation. Students are sure to have a great time while learning essential life skills and how math and science are integral aspects of baking.

Schools have earned almost $28,000 towards projects at their sites!

The 38th Annual Run for Education took place on October 9-10th. While the runs were virtual, we were very excited to enjoy our community at the in-person Run for Education Expo on Saturday and Sunday! We enjoyed choir and band performances from our elementary and middle schools, chatted with local business exhibitors, watched the kids enjoy the art and inflatables in the Kids’ Zone, and even saw a few runners finish their personal runs under our Finish Line! The generosity of our community will again provide funding for schools and district-wide initiatives. The schools earned almost $28,000! And thanks to our generous sponsors and donors, SRVEF earned $80,000 to invest in school district programs and initiatives!

A huge thank you to our participants, sponsors and volunteers for making this event possible! See you next year for the 39th Annual Run for Education on October 9-10, 2022!

Questions? Contact Karen Robman at karen@srvef.org.

Get to know Mrs. Lopez, a Twin Creeks, Charlotte Wood & SRVHS Alumnus!

Erin Lopez is an instructor with our Imagineering Program. She has taught 3D Printing and Design for many years, as well as Design Engineering with LEGOS, where students created their own designs with instruction booklets incorporating both graphic design and engineering skills. For another Imagineering class, Mrs. Lopez brought her passion for space into a STEAM class imagining life on the moon where students were tasked with 3D printing lunar landers, creating models of the moon surface out of clay, and engineering lunar rovers, among other things. She has also taught game design/coding using Roblox studio, and most recently developed a Stop Motion Animation class that is being offered over Thanksgiving Break for students grades 3rd through 6th. Click here for more info on that class. Mrs. Lopez is also a Raspberry Pi certified educator and has supported students at several of the SRVEF Imagineering Hackathons. 

As a child, Mrs. Lopez moved to the San Ramon/Danville area and started as a 5th grader at Twin Creeks Elementary School. Mrs. Lopez promoted to Charlotte Wood for middle school, and then headed to San Ramon Valley High School as an incoming freshman. Mrs. Lopez became a big part of the choir/theatre community at SRV and in her spare time, volunteered at the Village Theatre in Danville. As a result of her hardwork and dedication, Mrs. Lopez’s supervisor created a position for her, Apprentice Technician, and encouraged her to continue to study theatre after graduating high school. 

Mrs. Lopez attended the Pacific Conservatory of Performing Arts as a technical student where she learned everything from MIG Welding, building sets, building costumes and props from a variety of materials, and soldering lighting fixtures. After finishing that program, she continued on to the Conservatory of Theatre Arts and Film at SUNY Purchase located in New York State to earn her Bachelor of Arts where she studied with teachers who professionally worked on Broadway. 

Mrs. Lopez has always been drawn to working with children since she was a child herself. When she was 11 years old, Mrs. Lopez took a Red Cross Babysitting Basics class and decided to start her own babysitting club in Danville. She had 11 different families that she worked for throughout the school year, often taking on longer hours as a nanny during the summer. When she got to high school, Mrs. Lopez used one of her electives to tutor other students, and in college she worked at a childcare center and as a nanny. Eventually realizing that she kept coming back to working with kids, she decided that she would pursue a career in teaching as it would allow her to continue working with kids but would also allow her to be creative every single day. After graduating from college, Mrs. Lopez returned to the Bay Area and continued to work in theatre for several companies while earning her teaching credential and Masters Degree in Education from Cal State East Bay which allowed her to bring her love for design and creativity to students.

Mrs. Lopez also has some really cool hobbies, including Irish dancing! She has danced for McBride Irish dancers for the past 28 years, and counting, where she still competes as an adult dancer and performer at events. Mrs. Lopez enjoys running races and is currently training for the Dopey Challenge in Walt Disney World where she will run a 5k, 10k, half marathon, and full marathon across 4 days. It will be her 15th half marathon and her 2nd full marathon. Mrs. Lopez enjoys designing/crafting, and often designs/draws projects on her iPad and then brings them to life with her Cricut or laser-cuts her designs when she gets time with a laser cutter. 

At her school site, Live Oak Elementary School, Mrs. Lopez has developed their on-campus Makerspace and has worked with LEGO robotics, Ozobots, Dash Robotics, and Little Bits circuits, and has incorporated 3D modeling/printing, and the design engineering process into her 5th grade classroom. Being an educator and a theatre enthusiast is a family affair for Mrs. Lopez. Her husband, Robert, is a middle school teacher, teaching drama and leadership in San Jose. They met during a show in Walnut Creek where Mrs. Lopez was the costumer and her future husband was a lead actor. The two bonded over grading papers before each show, and their relationship grew from there. They now have a six year old daughter who is a first grader at Live Oak where Mrs. Lopez teaches. Mrs. Lopez loves learning new skills and is planning on taking some blacksmithing classes this summer at a community makerspace. Prior to the pandemic, her whole family was involved in local theatre, with her husband and daughter performing and her working backstage. She can't wait for that to be possible again!

Thanks for taking the time to get to know Mrs. Lopez, she would love to see you in one of her Imagineering classes!