Greetings Montecito Union Families and Supporters,
 
The Montecito Educational Foundation is a not for profit corporation whose sole purpose is to enrich the lives of students attending Montecito Union School. It does this by funding projects that are not fully funded by the MUS School District or other organizations such as the PTA.

This year’s project is going to concentrate on inside the classroom and take Montecito Union School to the very forefront of technology in educating our children. It is with great pleasure that the MEF is working in conjunction with the Education Technology Committee at MUS. This year’s project will benefit each and every grade level at Montecito Union School.Our project this year is to purchase computerized teacher presentation systems for the 17 MUS classrooms which currently do not have them. These systems have been very well received by the teachers who currently do have them and will help insure that each and every classroom at MUS benefits from this wonderful new technology.

Please help us make this worthwhile project a reality by giving a tax-deductible donation today.

We thank you in advance for your support.

Sincerely,
Gary L. Schlegel, President, Montecito Educational Foundation

Testimonials:

Today I used my classroom presentation system several times and in each case, I realized the amazingly powerful effect this visual capability has made to my teaching.  It has totally changed the potential of my lessons. This year, when I taught the children about the four regions of CA, we were able to use GoogleEarth to fly above the ground, tilt the earth, and totally "get" what the words on the page described.  Then I could segue to paintings of California that show how various artists interpret the landscape and show the characteristics of the regions and then to actual photographs.  Wow!  I feel so fortunte to have these tools available to me and my students.  This has shifted the way I teach and the way my students learn.  Thank you all for having the vision to make this technology available to us. 

Joni Chancer - 4th Grade Teacher

Kindergarten children and teachers are truly grateful for MEF's foresight and financial assistance in making the playground renovation a reality.  The swings and the climbing structure have been made safer with a cushioned pour-in-place surface. New additions to the playground include a larger basketball, foursquare, ball games area; an arts and crafts area with a sink; a bike path with storage shed for the bikes; a water feature with a hand pump, a new and improved sandbox area; and an organic gardening area.  None of this would be possible without the vision and support of the MEF.  Thank you!

Sue Hillway, Stacy Allison, Laurie McMahon  - The Kindergarten Team

My gratitude ... [for] the generosity and the vision of MEF, who so kindly offered their financial support for the art gallery.  The art work that your children create every single day in the art room is imbued with beauty, depth of feeling, and an inspired creativity well beyond their years. Very soon we will have an art gallery that will be an elegant setting for the dazzling work. This great gift will be the very heart of the school. It will be a gathering place for many community events for years to come, all centered on the visual arts.  A deep bow of gratitude to everyone who was a part of this endeavor.

Allison Atwill - Art Teacher