News & Updates
It's Almost Back to School Time!
It's not too late to give to the Connect to Learning Campaign
Thank you to everyone who has given already to our Connect to Learning campaign.
There's still time to be a part of this important initiative! To give today, visit bedfordeducation.com/give. Donations will be accepted online or may be mailed to BAEF, PO Box 2434, Forest, VA 24551. For online gifts, please type "Connect to Learning" in the notes.
Thanks to Magdala Louissaint for this great story on WSLS!
And much appreciation to Mari and Brian for the interview and info on WLNI 105.9.
Thanks to WSET-13 for getting the word out about our Connect to Learning Campaign! Check it out!
COVID-19 has affected every aspect of school in 2020. Who would have thought that one of the most essential school supplies this fall would be Internet access?
Yet, the expense of getting online is a significant barrier for some families. That's why the Bedford Area Educational Foundation is partnering with Bedford County Public Schools to meet this need.
You can help through our new Connect to Learning Campaign.
“So much has been uncertain in this time of COVID-19. But what is certain is that students need access to internet service who do not currently have it and cannot afford to get online,” said Debby Allen, BAEF Board Chairwoman.
To meet immediate needs, we have committed $15,000 up front from generous sponsors, such as Ford Mays and the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation, and we are raising additional funds through the Connect to Learning campaign.
The ask is simple: Sponsor a family by giving $299. Donors — individuals and businesses — may give part or all of this amount. To give today, visit bedfordeducation.com/give. Donations will be accepted online or may be mailed to BAEF, PO Box 2434, Forest, VA 24551. For online gifts, please type "Connect to Learning" in the notes.
Bedford County Public Schools will administer the program and determine eligibility based on need.
“The willingness of the Foundation to provide this start-up funding for family internet access is a big step toward ensuring that all BCPS students have this invaluable learning resource."
— Dr. Mac Duis, Chief Operations Officer for Bedford County Public Schools
Here’s the complete list from elementary to high school:
Bedford Elementary School: Lisa Shipp
Bedford Primary School: Leslie Ponder
Big Island Elementary School: Haley Wissinger
Boonsboro Elementary School: Jennifer Overstreet
Forest Elementary School: Wendy Shupe
Goodview Elementary School: Samantha Gray
Huddleston Elementary School: Lisa Taylor
Moneta Elementary School: Kristen Bell
Montvale Elementary School: Mike Roebuck
New London Academy: Kelly Mistretta
Otter River Elementary School: Heidi Oliver
Stewartsville Elementary School: Jami Cash
Thomas Jefferson Elementary School: Jennifer Long
Forest Middle School: Cheryl Haney
Liberty Middle School: Neal Bryant
Staunton River Middle School: Teri Bowles
Jefferson Forest High School: Jessy Richard
Liberty High School: Shayna Crews
Staunton River High School: Shannon Thomas
Susie G. Gibson Science and Technology Center: Leonard Hutton
5 Ways to #ThankATeacher — from Home!
Teacher Appreciation Week 2020 will, as with all things in the time of COVID-19, look different. Yet, you can still show teachers how much you care with these 5 ideas during the week of May 4-8:
1. Send e-love. Teachers are still checking their email. Scan or photograph a card made by your child and send it electronically. Some online stores even allow you to send gift cards via email.
2. Remember and share. Tell a story about how a teacher changed your life or made a difference in your child's education through social media.
3. Buy dinner. Email your teacher(s) to find out what local restaurant they love. Find out what night would work best, then order it, pay for it, and let them pick it up. (Or use a restaurant delivery service such as Uber Eats, Door Dash or GrubHub to have it delivered.)
4. Brag on them. Send an email to their principal to express your appreciation for the ways they go above and beyond.
5. Honor an educator. Send a donation to the Bedford Area Education Foundation and include a teacher's name in the notes area. We'll honor that teacher on our Facebook page and use the funds to support innovative education grants throughout Bedford County!
Teachers are missing their kids as much as the kids miss school! Let them know they're not forgotten.
Click here to read our complete May newsletter.
Click here for March 2020.
Click here for April 2020.
Find out how the Bedford Area Educational Foundation partners with the community to support real world learning at the newly re-named Susie G. Gibson Science & Technology Center (formerly the Bedford Science & Technology Center) in our February newsletter.
Thanks to the Bedford Bulletin for writing about how we teamed up with the Bedford Community Health Foundation to fund a Sensory Path at New London Elementary School.
Check out our December e-newsletter.
Read our November 2019 newsletter.
Students check out the Liberty Middle School virtual reality goggles, which were funded through a grant in May 2019.
