In This Issue: Welcome New Families Shop N’ Support 2010-2011 Development Roundup Life After Bridges
BRIDGES FINALLY HAS A PERMANENT HOME! Thanks to generous leadership gifts from our Trustees, families, faculty, staff and community of supporters, we were able to move forward with the purchase of our Studio City Campus.
The Bridges Now! Capital Campaign is securing our future, by funding the acquisition and development of our campus and positioning us for even greater success in the years ahead! For information about the Bridges Now! Capital Campaign, or to make a gift /pledge your support, please contact our Development Office at: development@bridges.edu.
Dear Friends and Parents, With the return of our students just around the corner, the quiet hum on campus has erupted in a spirited and vibrant buzz. Our expanded Development Office has been busy over these summer months reaching out to new supporters in the community, expanding the opportunities for parent involvement and connections, welcoming our Alumni and their parents back to the Bridges family, and creating new opportunities for communicating to each other and our supporters. Please read on to learn more about Upcoming Events, our exciting Shop N’ Support program, how to connect to the community on Facebook, our new Alumni Outreach efforts and the myriad of ways you can become even more involved as proud members of the Bridges community! OUR COMMUNITY IS THRIVING WELCOME NEW FAMILIES The diversity and talents of our Bridges community continue to bloom! Please join us in welcoming new students and their families to our very special community at Bridges. The wide-ranging talents, interests and creativity of this passionate group of young people will greatly enrich “the Bridges Experience.” The 2011-2012 school year brings new writers, inventors, designers, scientists, linguists, historians, mathematicians, and artists to campus, with a passion for animals, scouting, volunteering and traveling, and a deep interest in robotics, reading, rollerblading, skiing, kickboxing and a host of other activities. These students will join us each day from as far away as Culver City and the Westside of Los Angeles, the San Gabriel Valley, and distant parts of the greater Los Angeles area and the San Fernando Valley. We even have a student joining us from Florida. We look forward to watching with joy and pride as these new members of the “Phoenix” community spread their wings here at Bridges! Welcome!
REMINDER TO NEW FAMILIES: Please hold the dates for the New Family Social on Sunday, August 21st from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m., and the New Parent Dinner on Tuesday, September 6th at 6:30 p.m.. More details to follow... page 1
DON’T FORGET TO “LIKE” US ON FACEBOOK!
www.facebook.com/ bridgesacademy Alumni and friends, be sure to join our mailing list and the Bridges Academy Alumni group on Facebook.
THANK YOU BRIDGES DONORS! Bridges Academy is going “green.” Watch your email for a copy of our new e-version of the 2011 Bridges Academy Annual Report.
WELCOME NEW STUDENTS! Please join us in welcoming these new students and their families to Bridges: Eli Lepler (grade 5) Nathan Walston (5) Ryan Andrus (6) Brandon Arenson (6) Shaunt Avakian (6) Charlie Dworsky-Hickey (6) Jason Lapeze (6) Max Loze (6) Alex Seeger (6) Taylor Smith (6) Micah Hiller (7) Bronson Moore (7) Wyatt Beckson (8) Ian Monahan (8) Anais Azria (9) Luis Balaguer (9) Cameron Labonge (9) Christian Penido (11) Jay Spiegel (11)
GO PHOENIX!
SHOP N’ SUPPORT A NEW PARENTS ASSOCIATION INITIATIVE- Act Now!
We’ve discovered a terrific way to raise funds for our school with your “Backto-School” shopping and your regular purchases at other vendors. When you shop at a participating vendor, enroll in a vendor’s community support program, and designate Bridges Academy as a recipient, our school will receive a portion of the dollars you spend in cash or credit! We have initially identified four school/community support programs for your participation: eScrip Program - - your everyday purchases and dining can earn money for Bridges! Simply go to www.escrip.com, click on “sign up,” select Bridges Academy (School ID#500025305), and follow the instructions to register your grocery and existing credit/debit cards. Office Depot’s “5% Back to School Program” - - Bridges will receive 5% of your qualifying purchases to use toward supplies. Simply provide our (School ID# 70209896), at checkout. For details, visit: www.officedepot.com/5percent. Target’s “Take Charge of Education Program” provides 1% of REDcard purchases to your designated school. Apply for a REDcard Credit Account, designate Bridges (School ID# 117441). For details, visit: www.target.com/tcoe Ralph’s Community Contribution Program allows you to designate Bridges Academy, (School ID# 93149), to receive a percentage of your eligible purchases (1-4% depending on your monthly spending level). To enroll or link your existing card, go to www.ralphs.com, click on Services, select Community Contributions, Enroll, and designate Bridges Academy. MAKE YOUR SHOPPING COUNT!!!
THE 2010-2011 DEVELOPMENT ROUNDUP SUPPORTING OUR SCHOOL! The “Culture of Giving” at Bridges grows stronger each day, as parents, trustees, teachers & staff continue to rollup their sleeves to ensure that the school sustains its current operations and programs, and attracts, retains and develop the best and the brightest faculty. The Parents Association (PA) is the cornerstone of fundraising support here at Bridges, planning, attending and promoting our special events, and serving as ambassadors in the community. The PA truly embodies our motto of Inspire, Persevere and Achieve! With their help, and the hundreds of hours of leadership and support provided by our committed group of Trustees, our 2010-2011 school year paved the way for an exciting year ahead. ...cont’d
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We count on the support of our families and friends to ensure that the Bridges experience is all that you’ve come to expect. Thank you for your generous support throughout the year, and do stop by the new Development Office on the first floor of the education building to say hello, or email us at development@bridges.edu.
BRIDGES DEVELOPMENT CALENDAR 8/21 New Family Social (3 - 5 pm) 9/1
Parent Association Meeting (6:45 pm)
9/6
New Parents Dinner (6:30 pm)
9/23
Alumni Parents Tour/Meeting
11/26 Alumni Social Mixer Sagebrush Cantina (1 pm) For further information, please contact our Development Office at (818) 5061091, ext 205 (Kristen) or 208 (Jodi), or email us at development@bridges.edu Parents Association inquiries: contact PA President Elizabeth Lindell at Elizabeth@lindellfamily.org
ALUMNI & ALUMNI PARENTS ARE RECONNECTING! ALUMNI: Join old classmates and friends at the first social mixer of the new Alumni Association at Sagebrush Cantina on Saturday, November 26th at 1:00 p.m. Check out the Bridges Academy Alumni Facebook Group for details. ALUMNI PARENTS: Please join us for our first gathering of the Bridges Alumni Parents Association on Friday, September 23rd at 8:45 a.m. at Bridges Academy. RSVP to Development Associate Kristen Schwarz at 818-506-1091, ext. # 205, or email us at development@ bridges.edu. We look forward to seeing you!
LIFE AFTER BRIDGES SPOTLIGHT ON ALUM SARAH GLASS! Our graduates continue to amaze, dazzle, and make us proud. In this first issue of “Spotlight On,” we are excited to share the ways in which Sarah Glass (Shillander, class of 2000) continues to shine. After graduating from Bridges, Sarah, an aspiring artist and graphic designer, decided to attend Woodbury University, where she earned her B.S Degree in Graphic Design in 2004. She drew on her talents as a Graphic Designer to form Gray Matter Grafix in 2008, a graphic and jewelry design firm, and later her love of animals to form Doggie Duty in 2011, a dog walking and pet sitting company (www.doggie-duty.com). She is also a successful IT Recruiter with Consulting Solutions. Sarah has harnessed her endless energy to help Bridges form its Alumni Association, and is planning its first social mixer at Sagebrush Cantina in Calabasas on November 26, 2011 at 1:00 p.m. Check out the Bridges Academy Alumni group on Facebook for further details. As Sarah puts it, ”Bridges was really good to me, so for years I have been trying to put some kind of reunion together. Now we are well on our way. I will always remember Bridges the way it was, but am looking forward to being part of the school’s future!” Sarah enjoys life, art/art history, music and travel. She lives with her husband, Scott Glass, in Woodland Hills. Ralph’s
Office Depot www.officedepot.com/5percent ID# 70209896
eScrip www.escrip.com ID# 500025305
Target www.target.com/tcoe ID# 117441
SUPPORT www.ralphs.com OUR SCHOOL! ID# 93149 SHOP N’ SUPPORT
Quick Reference Guide
Sincerely,
Jodi Schapiro Director of Development Bridges Academy page 3