Carl Hankey International Education Foundation

Carl Hankey is an extraordinary school. Just this past year our middle school teacher Sherri George was recognized as Capistrano Unified’s Middle School Teacher of the Year, and our elementary school earned the California Department of Education’s Distinguished School Award! These achievements were due in large part to our International Baccalaureate program.

IB is an internationally renowned education program that provides our students instruction in subjects that even the state of California doesn’t require.  Hankey students get all the standard classroom curriculum PLUS:

• Foreign language — Hankey is the only local, non-immersion public school that provides foreign language instruction to all its students in grades 1^st – 8^th.
• Technology — This includes computer classes (K-5^th)as well as exploring the use of technology in problem-based learning scenarios (6^th-8^th).
• Visual and Performing Arts — Our students receive instruction in music techniques, as well as music appreciation and art.
• Physical Education — Every Hankey child gets regular Physical Education, which has been cut or significantly reduced in other public schools.

And IB integrates classroom discussion of subjects, teaching our students to critically consider ideas from different points of view while illustrating natural connections in the world (visit http://www.IBO.org for more information). All this adds up to more academic success, a higher rate of college acceptance, and a more informed, intelligent citizen.

For a price…

IB isn’t free. In fact, it costs our school nearly $100,000 a year more than is budgeted from public funds to give our students this extraordinary education. The Hankey community must raise the money ourselves through generous donations from our local business partners and involved parents and concerned citizens like you.

Please make a donation today and help provide this extraordinary education for our students.

California is one of more than 40 states that have either adopted Common Core Standards or have some version of them. Federal Common Core Standards were developed by educators and state governors to ensure public education is “robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers…and the global economy.” If that statement sounds familiar to Hankey families that’s because Common Core Standards nicely compliment and reinforce International Baccalaureate education.

Conveniently, both Common Core and IB call for a more in-depth study of subjects rather than a shallow review. Hankey’s IB teachers have been trained to do just that, exploring topics to a greater degree than other, non-IB schools. So our students and teachers will have a much easier time implementing Common Core over the next few years.

To learn more about California’s Common Core Standards and implementation strategy, just go here.

Now that the Federal Government is officially in sequestration, it’s a good time to see how that impacts education. The National Education Association says it means cutting services for millions of students and eliminating tens of thousands of education jobs. In California it also means cutting millions of dollars in grant money, which schools rely on to fund everything from sports to music to curriculum. School foundations such as this one look to myriad sources for funding, and this reduction in grant opportunities can be disastrous for foundations such as ours.

Fortunately, we have devoted families who value the extraordinary International Baccalaureate education our foundation funds and support it with their time, talents and treasure. To date, a large sum of the money CHIEF has received has come from Hankey families.

We continue to ask for support from our school community as we struggle through the sequester. Please make your commitment to IB education today and give.

California votes for increased taxes to fund education.

How much do you spend on your kids’ extracurricular activities? After school classes offered through CUSD range from $80 to $140 per class; AYSO is $99 to $120 for a season; local dance studios charge up to $140 a month. A family with two kids can easily spend more than $1,000 a year on extras.

Now consider how much we spend on our kids’ education. Most of us don’t consider writing a check to our public school — even if our school, like our sports teams — asks for it. 

While extracurriculars are fun and help build well-rounded kids, it is education that will help our kids succeed in the 21st Century. Carl Hankey School, in particular, is providing an exceptional education for our students. Our International Baccalaureate program is world renowned in its rigor and relevance. We are asking you to support you child’s education through a voluntary donation today.

If each Hankey family gives just $103 per student we can give your child a full school year’s worth of extraordinary education.

So please give today by clicking on the DONATE button above.

In this election cycle there are two propositions that seek to fund education. Prop 30 increases taxes on earnings over $250,000 for seven years and sales taxes by ¼ cent for four years to prevent cuts in school funding. Prop 38 increases taxes on earnings for twelve years using a sliding scale, generating revenue for K–12 schools and early childhood programs and to repay state debt. Will you vote to support either proposition? Why / why not?