On behalf of the Board of the Foundation for the Future, we welcome all M-A families to our Foundation family. For nineteen years, we have supported excellence in education at Menlo-Atherton High School by efficiently connecting donor dollars to the needs of our students. The results have transformed our school and instilled a wonderful sense of community--our California Distinguished School is a source of great local pride.

Too frequently, we are reminded that state funding is inadequate to fully sustain M-A’s exceptional teaching and curriculum. We continue to raise private funds to provide stable solutions and we are the only fundraising entity at M-A which funds salaries for key teachers and staff. For this school year, we have committed to raise an inspiring $1,600,000. Menlo-Atherton High School is worthy of our commitment to continued excellence. With your help, the Foundation will:

Maintain smaller class sizes. We will fund 31 additional sections of key academic subjects in 2011-12, and hundreds of students will feel the difference-- last year, 45% of Foundation funds paid for 31 additional class sections, effectively reducing class size in 152 English, Social Studies, Math, Science and Foreign Language classes.

Support excellent teaching. We will fund professional development programs, enable departmental collaboration, and provide incentive awards for outstanding teachers and staff;

Enrich M-A’s curriculum. We will support important courses such as advanced languages, like AP Latin, and key electives such as Drama and Yearbook;

Ensure college and career success. We will support college counseling services, SAT prep classes and two guidance counselors; and Fund critical programs and services. We will provide vital funding for a Leadership Advisor, AVID, a Student Support Coordinator and more.

We will launch our official 2011-12 fundraising campaign in early October. Look out for information about how you can contribute in Trivocis, periodic emails and at informational events. Your donation at any level is greatly appreciated and will be spent purposefully to benefit every student at M-A. To maintain our current support of critical programs, we must raise $300,000 more than we did last year. To succeed, we need everyone to stand up for excellent public education at Menlo-Atherton High School!

Our very best regards,

Gloria Principe and Mike David
Foundation for the Future Co-Presidents