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Replenish your wine stash at the Benziger Family Winery and Imagery Estate Winery spring Friends & Family Wine Sale Thursday, March 12, from 10am to 6:30pm. A portion of the proceeds will benefit SVEF! With discounts up to 60% off, you won't want to miss out on this opportunity to stock up on delicious wines for spring and summer 🍷 - and select merchandise, too! The sale will be held on site and each winery will offer its own wines exclusively. If you want to sample and buy Benziger wines, head to Benziger; if you want to try and purchase Imagery wines, visit Imagery. Or, take the opportunity to experience both! * Wine selection and availability subject to change 
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School district, education foundation partner to bring intensive tutoring to middle school students10/31/2025 A cutting-edge program for middle school math acceleration is gaining momentum in Sonoma Valley thanks to a joint effort by the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation (SVEF) and the Sonoma Valley Unified School District (SVUSD).
SVEF Executive Director Sarah Carroll gave a presentation Nov. 13 to the SVUSD Board of Trustees about high-impact tutoring, which has demonstrated substantial learning gains at all grade levels in schools across the country. High-impact tutoring delivers tailored small-group instruction by specially-trained tutors within the school day. Students receive instruction in groups of no more than four students at least three times per week to address academic skill gaps. Research from Stanford University’s National Student Support Accelerator shows that when implemented consistently over time, high-impact tutoring can accelerate learning by three to 15 months, Carroll said. “This evidence-based approach has the potential to make a big difference in the lives of local students,” said Carroll. “We’re grateful to be working in partnership with the school district to pilot this initiative locally.” Steps taken so far by SVEF and SVUSD to implement high-impact tutoring include:
By focusing on middle school students, the initiative is helping students master concepts that are critical for high school success – and hopefully will inspire ongoing exploration, said Christina Casillas, associate superintendent of educational services. “During the summer intensive, students didn’t just learn linear equations and ratios - they grew in confidence, collaboration, and critical thinking,” said Casillas. “We’re excited to see our partnership with SVEF continue to grow these efforts in math through high-impact tutoring.” We're excited to share that our generous friends at Benziger Family Winery and Imagery Estate Winery will host their annual Friends & Family Wine Sale Thursday, November 13 from 10am to 6:30pm. A portion of the proceeds will benefit SVEF! 🍂 With discounts up to 60% off, you won't want to miss out on this opportunity to stock up on delicious wines for the holiday season! 🍷 The sale will be held on site and each winery will offer its own wines exclusively. If you want to sample and buy Benziger wines, head to Benziger; if you want to try and purchase Imagery wines, visit Imagery. Or, take the opportunity to experience both! * Wine selection and availability subject to change.  The latest directors to join SVEF's board were elected Sept. 18 for three-year terms. We appreciate their willingness to serve!  Kalpi Kadaba has held leadership roles at Menlo School, Power My Learning in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and numerous community organizations worldwide. With decades ofexperience guiding teams, raising funds, and creating impactful programs, Kalpi brings a proven track record of strengthening schools and fostering partnerships that uplift young people. She is passionate about supporting local students and ensuring every child has the opportunity to thrive. Kalpi has served as a mentor with the Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance since 2021. Her favorite activity is spending time with her three grandsons.  Wendy Swanson currently serves as the Work-Based Learning Coordinator and CTE Grants Coordinator at Sonoma Valley High School. , where she loves helping students find their future paths through guest speakers, job shadows and internships and hands-on career exploration. She also assists the Career Technical Education (CTE) pathways develop and secure local, state, and federal funding. Before transitioning into education, Wendy had a diverse professional career that included 20 years practicing law. She and her husband, Dan, have lived in Sonoma for more than 30 years.
Event series will celebrate students, teachers, and schools at Sonoma's Tuesday Night Market  Logo design by Lilly Streb, SVHS Class of 2026 A month-long celebration of Sonoma public schools, students and teachers kicks off Tuesday, Sept. 9, at Sonoma’s Tuesday Night Market on the Sonoma Plaza, presented by the SVEF.
Back to School @the Market will be held at four Tuesday evening markets Sept. 9, 16, 23, and 30, starting at 4:30 p.m. Each week will focus on a theme and feature free interactive activities, said Sarah Carroll, SVEF executive director. The first showcase on Sept. 9 will coincide with the Sonoma Plein Air festival’s “Quick Draw” event and will focus on the arts, Carroll said. Artwork will be on display and short films will play, all created by Sonoma Valley High School students. Sports will be featured Sept. 16, while Sept. 23 will focus on career and technical education. The final night of the series is Sept. 30, which is also the last Tuesday night market of the year. The theme will be student leadership and attendees are encouraged to wear “Red for Ed” to show off their pride in Sonoma schools, Carroll said. Back to School @the Market is the next evolution of SVEF’s Red & White Ball, the former gala fundraiser that transformed into a community event in the wake of the COVID pandemic. “With this exciting new format, SVEF is expanding to a month-long celebration,” said Carroll. “There are more opportunities than ever to learn about the ingenuity and creativity of our local public school students and educators.” In addition to coordinating programming for the free series, SVEF will provide information at its booth about how the community can get involved and support local students and schools throughout the year. The start of the school year is exciting -- but it can also be a hectic and anxious time as students prepare to meet new teachers and families adjust to new routines. Sonoma Valley Unified School District social workers Camille Garcia and Michelle Jackson have provided a few quick tips to ease the transition.  As we head into back-to-school season, we're spotlighting one way your support inspired learning -- with the help of some very special classroom guests.
The visitors brought biology studies to life for Ms. Markham’s third-grade class at El Verano Elementary School. They were funny and fascinating and awe-inspiring. They were exotic animals from Classroom Safari -- a sloth, an African serval cat, and more. Your support helped cover the whole cost of this inspiring visit. Thanks to the generosity of donors like you, Ms. Markham received funds for the experience through SVEF's Classroom Grants program. Removing cost barriers is important at El Verano, where 82% of students come from low-income households. As Ms. Markham put it: “I didn’t need to ask families to help cover the cost of bringing the animals to campus, which would impose a financial burden. I felt empowered to do what I do best: find creative ways to engage students and make learning fun.” When students came face to face with an alligator and its toothy grin, they understood the food chain on a whole new level. When they touched its dark armor-like scales, their senses were fully engaged. They could feel and see how this trait provides protection and camouflage in the water. Ms. Markham told me, “That level of engagement is what every teacher dreams of.” The generosity of donors like you enabled Ms. Markham to arrange this inspiring encounter for her students. Thank you you for supporting her!  Thank you to the Sonoma Index-Tribune for covering new programming at the Empowerment Academy inspired by students' curiosity about our local hospitality and tourism industry!
"One of the most rewarding aspects of speaking with the students was being able to demonstrate that hospitality careers aren’t 'one size fits all,'" said Jessica Koski of Benziger Family Winery and Imagery Estate Winery. Benziger and Imagery are long-time SVEF business partners, and SVEF Executive Director Sarah Carroll said, "I look forward to building more bridges with the Empowerment Academy and our business community as the hospitality workshop evolves beyond its initial pilot and other opportunities arise."
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