Do you have a passion for Somerset? Do you want to make a difference by contributing your skills, experience or perspective to making our community a better place? Join us!
The Somerset Elementary School Foundation is a 501c3 organization, consisting of nominated parents and community leaders, along with the principal, PTA co-presidents, and a teacher representative. The Board raises funds from parents and the community for a variety of projects including ones that focus on academic achievement, capital improvements and classroom technology, and helping those in our community most in need.
In the last 9 months alone, the Foundation has provided over $25,000 in groceries and supplies to Somerset families in need of extra support during the pandemic, an additional several thousands in food scarcity support for families in other MoCo schools. Additionally, we have approved $26,000 in funding for private tutoring and spots at academic hubs for SES students who have fallen behind academically, and approved another $15,000 for non-SES students in MoCo who are suffering the same academic set-backs.
The SES Foundation has several open positions for board members, starting service in May of 2021. We enthusiastically invite interested candidates to apply. To learn more about the role and responsibilities, check out the position description on the Foundation website
Please submit via email a short paragraph or statement of interest to: somersetmdfoundation@gmail.com. All interested candidates will have a short meet and greet Zoom meeting with a SES Foundation member before board members are selected.
Accepting Applications: Now – Feb 19
Applications Due: Feb – 19
Zoom Meetings: Feb 19-Mar 4
Candidates Notified: March 12
Board Service Begins: May 11
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SES Foundation Winter Funding Drive
Somerset Elementary School Foundation (SESF) has worked tirelessly over the past 10 months to support numerous grants aimed to provide aid for families from our own school, as well as nearby schools in Montgomery County that have been deeply impacted by the pandemic. Since March, we have been able to:
- Provide $25,000 in direct assistance to Somerset families in need of food, medicine and supplies, as well as more than $10,000 to nearby schools’ food assistance programs.
- Award $2,500 in funds to support training for our teachers’ professional development in multi-sensory strategies for teaching fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
- Support academic intervention through private tutoring grants for Somerset students in need up to $7,500.
- Ensure all students have a safe place to learn through academic hubs, in partnership with Wonders and Bar-T, by providing more than $15,000 in grants.
But, our work is far from done. We realize this may be a difficult time to think about making financial contributions to organizations like SESF, but we hope you will consider supporting our current efforts. With so many people facing challenges due to the pandemic, we know that the need will only grow this winter and likely into spring. We hope to raise an additional $80,000 by June 2021, to continue supporting our community.
Thanks to your generosity, the Foundation has been able to impact the lives of more than 6,700 students over the last five years. This year, we feel our grantmaking is needed more than ever. So many children are falling behind and families need financial, emotional and educational supports. We hope you can help us provide ongoing assistance to these families to help alleviate some of their hardships.
2019-2020 Grants Approved
11/10/20: $7,000 for matching grant for Westland Cares food-support program
10/20/20: $7,500 for private tutoring services for up to 12 Somerset students
10/9/20: $15,360 for tuition for 4 non-Somerset students to attend Academic Hubs
10/9/20: $19,200 for tuition for 5 Somerset students to attend Academic Hubs
10/1/20: $20,000 for grocery cards for Somerset families in need
9/14/20: $2950 for Brainpop and Brainpop Jr subscriptions
8/20/20: $350 for meals for teachers
8/14/20: $2,550 for virtual OG training for 2 Somerset teachers
5/1/20: $500 for emergency relief for a Somerset Elementary family
5/1/20: $1550 for Gift Cards for Teacher Appreciation Week (for all staff at Somerset Elementary)
4/6/20: $2000 for Gift Cards for Somerset Elementary Families
3/24/20: $3000 for Gift Cards for Somerset Elementary Families
3/12/20: $4000 for Gift Cards for Somerset Elementary Families
3/10/20: $1600 for books and furniture at Cannon Road Elementary
3/10/20: $3000 for virus cleaning supplies at Somerset Elementary
3/10/20: $658 for RAZ ESL Software (2 years) at Somerset Elementary
1/14/20: $921 for library books at Clopper Mill Elementary
1/14/20: $325 for lanyards for Teachers and Staff at Somerset Elementary
1/14/20: $500 for Philadelphia Scouting for 5th grade fifth grade trip at Somerset Elementary
11/1/19: $4,500 for Digital Oral Reading Records at Somerset Elementary
10/15/19: $55 for Montgomery County Fingerprinting (required for certain chaperone duties) at Somerset Elementary
10/12/19: $500 for New and Multicultural Parent Committee at Somerset Elementary
10/12/19: $6,568.30 for Spring After School Clubs at Somerset Elementary
9/20/19: $796 for PESI Workshop
9/18/19: $2,550 for BrainPop educational technology at Somerset Elementary.
9/18/19: $200 for spelling reference books at Somerset Elementary.
Somerset Field Usage and Rental
While the field at Somerset was paid for 100% through fund raising efforts on the part of the Somerset Elementary School Foundation, i.e. no tax dollars were spent on it, the field is the property of Montgomery County Public Schools. Montgomery County’s Office of Community Use of Public Facilities (CUPF) will be responsible for scheduling use of the field throughout the week including after school hours (after 6:30) and weekends. CUPF will also determine the rental rate. It should also be noted that the field will not be rented to teams above U12 or for football or field hockey play.
2018-2019 Grants Approved By The Foundation
- 5/28/19: $10,000 for food, clothes, and other essentials for children in need at Somerset Elementary.
- 3/26/19: $1072 for Ms Flores and Ms Reed to attend Common Ground Conference in Maryland.
- 3/26/19: $5648 for 8 New Computers to replace current, out of date Dell laptops
- 2/15/19: $665 for a one-year subscription to Raz Plus, a computer platform that helps teachers work with English language learners. Over 17% of SES students are ESOL.
- 2/15/19: $1,061 for coding computers and software to be used at the February 20 STEM night and beyond.
- 1/22/19: Request for $933 from SES 5th grade teachers for Junior Scholastic subscriptions for all 5th grade students. Requester: Melissa Hopkins.
- 1/22/19: $3,750 to fund six SES staff members to lead after-school Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) with other SES staff in the areas of STEM, reading, and student/community engagement. The PLCs also coordinate and organize the STEM Night and Family Reading Night at SES. Requester: Maureen Turner.=
- 11/27/18: $2,000 to fund a Wings Mentorship for four elementary school students with learning disabilities — two from SES and two from other MCPS elementary schools. The program pays mentors (former teachers) $500 each to work closely with the students and help them design and research a project, culminating in a presentation that showcases their skills and strengths.
- 11/27/18: $2,218 to fund a program at Whetstone Elementary School (not Title I but 60% FARMS and 42% ESOL) to purchase various items (earbuds, bracelets, t-shirts, etc.) as incentives to students who read 25 books (outside of those assigned for class) during the school year.
- 9/27/18: $12,370 to fund the After School Clubs that provide remedial assistance to Somerset students in need of math, reading, and writing assistance.
- 9/27/18: $2,395 to fund a subscription to BrainPOP, an interactive educational website focusing on STEM education and used by all grades at Somerset Elementary School.
- 9/27/18: $198 to fund spelling reference books for all 3rd grade students at SES to enhance writing skills.
- 9/27/18: $2,016 to fund purchase of 8 new chromebooks for 3rd grade SES team.
- 9/27/18: $2,114 to fund the purchase of six 2-way radios to enhance school safety and security for Sequoyah Elementary School, a Montgomery County school that, while not a Title I designee, has a 61% FARMS eligibility rate (for free and reduced priced meals).
- 8/28/18: $1,075 to fund SES kindergarten structured writing curriculum.