Submitted by Janet Brownell.

Well – it’s been a while. Like four years (think “COVID intermission”).

The Orcas Island Education Foundation will be holding its first fundraiser since 2019 – and we hope you will join us. This dinner/auction takes place on Saturday, November 2 from 5-8 p.m. in the Madrona Room at Orcas Center. There will be some de-lightful elementary art projects up for auction!

What has OIEF been up to lately? Well, this school year, we are funding several essential programs:

Outdoor Learning: Naturalists work with elementary students, and teachers, to provide an educational experience in a variety of island outdoor spaces.

Multilingual (ML) Coach K-12: This new position will greatly enhance the Multilingual program. The Coach will: continue to integrate ML strategies district-wide, train a new ML Family Liaison, and co-create ML programming for the next 5-10 years, includ-ing a robust and articulated Newcomer program.

Futures Lounge: This incredibly successful program began in 2021. The Futures Lounge provides space and counseling to all OIHS students beginning in 7th grade. Working with students and their families, counselors work to create post-secondary plans.

And, of course, we continue to do the small things (ballet shoes for the Bilingual Dance Club) and the big things (scholarships for graduating seniors). But NONE of this happens without you!

Please come to the OIEF fundraiser — a fun and fabulous way to support our public schools. Tickets available at: www.oief.org/events.