Donations to SDAF (the parent foundation) funds student programs in ALL departments. Click the PayPal button to make a tax-deductible donation in any
amount, to support our highest priority needs.

Or send your check to
SDAF
PO Box 235109
Encinitas, CA 92023-5109

(Wondering where the money goes? Click here for the details.)

Click here to see where the money goes!

It is with great pleasure that I take on the position of president of the San Dieguito Academy Foundation (SDAF). I look forward to an exciting year during which we continue to expand the Foundation’s 14-year-tradition of enhancing SDA’s unique culture and quality programs by raising funds and promoting active parental and community involvement.

Click on the jar to help us close the gap between limited public funds and the dollars we need to support educational goals

It also serves as the umbrella organization over all parent groups at SDA and coordinates the volunteer and fundraising activities of its member councils: Academic, Athletic, Music, Theatre, Student Support Services and Grad Nite.

I know you share my pride in the recognition our school garnered this year. It became a California Distinguished School and is one of only four California schools to also receive an additional award for its Exemplary Career Technical Education Program. And, Newsweek Magazine ranked SDA 180 on its annual list of America’s Best High Schools. That puts us in the top 20 percent of the schools surveyed.

These outstanding achievements are due to the hard work of a dedicated team of educators, an amazing student body, and unwavering parental support.

The money we raised during the 2010-11 school year is already having a tremendous impact on our children: Thanks to the generosity of SDA families, we helped fund the completion of our new Performing Arts Center, a new Bio-Tech Lab, the Writing Lab and Math Tutoring Center, the Robotic class, the College and Career Center, scholarships for many deserving seniors, and technology training for staff.

This year, we will continue to support these programs and others, including the new Business Ownership & Management class beginning this fall.

As you know, the State of California continues to cut back on educational funding, thus forcing school districts to decrease the allotment for each school. As a result, educational foundations like SDAF are filling the gap between limited public funds and the dollars needed to support educational goals. In recent years, this gap has consistently expanded.

We owe it to our children to close the gap and make sure they continue to benefit from the school’s rigorous academic and extra-curricular programs.

Our financial goal for the 2011-2012 academic year is to raise $150,000 to bridge the gap between public funding and SDA’s needs. With approximately 1,500 families, an annual contribution of $100 per family will achieve this financial goal. That’s about $8 per month, per family! This contribution may be made as a one-time donation or as a pledge spread over the next 12 months.

I know that many of you will also be asked to support specific activities that your children are involved in, be they athletics, music, theater or speech and debate. I also know that each of us is rethinking how to spend our hard-earned dollars. I do hope you will allocate a portion of your charitable contributions to SDAF’s general fund through this Annual Appeal. Keep in mind that the Foundation’s efforts benefit ALL students and enable SDA to maintain its overall high standards of excellence.

Thank you in advance for your support. I look forward to meeting many of you over the coming year.

Sincerely,

Don Cardenas
President, San Dieguito Academy Foundation

P.S. Please take a moment to fill out the following forms:

• Support SDAF using the Annual Appeal donor form or by donating online on our Annual Appeal page.
• Submit information for the Student Directory (the directory is given free to those who donate to the Annual Appeal).
• Purchase tickets to our annual dinner/dance/auction. (This year’s Mustang Magic celebrates SDA’s 75th anniversary!)
• Sign up for SDAF’s e-mail list and volunteer to help with special events.

TAKE YOUR SEAT!
San Dieguito Performing Arts Center — $1,000
Sponsor a seat in the Clayton E. Liggett Theatre
Your family name will be prominently displayed on a seat in the theater to recognize your generous gift. Seats will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis and will be limited to 200 “First Families”.

When completed in August 2011, the 16,000 square foot multi-use center
will have room for instruction in:

• Music
• Recording arts
• Stagecraft
• Theater design
• Technical production

…and it will provide:

• A 200-seat theater with a flexible stage for teaching & performance
• A 500-seat outdoor ampitheater
• A large scenery production classroom
• An acoustically flexible music rehearsal hall
• 6 soundproof practice rooms
• An instrument storage space
• A musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) production studio.

The Time to Act is Now!

Here’s how you can participate:

MUSIC PLEASE, MAESTRO!
San Dieguito Performing Arts Center — $2,500
Sponsor the conductor’s podium set in the Music Rehearsal Hall

SDA’s conductor will stand in style when your gift purchases this combination podium, stand and chair. Recognition for your gift will stand in front of the band for years to come.

STRIKE UP THE BAND STORAGE!
San Dieguito Performing Arts Center — $3,000
Sponsor storage space in the Music Rehearsal Hall

Your name will be engraved on a plaque to be seen every day when students retrieve their instruments to play.

Multiple donation opportunities!

RAISE THE CURTAIN!
San Dieguito Performing Arts Center — $5,000
Sponsor a panel of the curtain in the Clayton E. Liggett Theatre

Make a gift to help raise the curtain ($25,000 total). Your family will receive special recognition on the lobby donor wall.

Limited to five special donors.

TURN UP THE LIGHTS!
San Dieguito Performing Arts Center — $10,000
Sponsor a section of the lighting grid in the Clayton E. Liggett Theatre

Light up the Clayton E. Liggett Theatre with your $10,000 gift. Be one of twelve donors who will join together to fund the theatrical lighting system ($120,000). Your family will receive prominent recognition on the lobby donor wall.

Limited to twelve special donors.

LEADERSHIP GIFTS
A gift of $10,000 and above will get TOP BILLING on the Lobby Donor Wall of the Clayton E. Liggett Theatre. Naming opportunities for rooms and equipment begin at $25,000.

For more information, contact Sheila Durkin at 760-753-1121, ext 5152, or sdafoundation@sduhsd.net.