Easter fun!

Thank you Saint Francis In The Valley Episcopal Church for your generous spirit. With some help from our 5th grade scholars, they gifted each of our families with a very colorful and yummy Easter basket!

Garden Goodies!

Look at these yummy beets, straight from our school garden!

Science Fair Projects Have Begun!

Every year, our scholars investigate the world of science and technology by creating special experiments to explore the natural properties of the world around us, chemical reactions and the effects of force and gravity on solid objects. This year, we’re especially grateful to PICOR for awarding us a Ken Nickel STEM grant for a project involving student-built catapults!

Stonewall Foundation and Tucson Museum of Art Renew Commitment to Imago Dei Art Classes

The Stonewall Foundation has been a generous supporter of Imago Dei for years, and the Tucson Museum of Art (TMA) has long provided art classes to our students at the museum campus. Because of funding shifts, we were confronting the possibility of losing those classes, but concerned members of the TMA Board of Directors and the great folks at the Stonewall Foundation stepped in and provided the support we need to continue our program with the museum. A big thanks to Rick Small, Jean Cooper, the Stonewall Foundation and the Tucson Museum of Art!

An Amazing Thanksgiving Holiday: Thanks to Pappas Kids Schoolhouse Foundation!

We want to thank Pappas Kids Schoolhouse Foundation once again for generously giving every single family at Imago Dei a Thanksgiving turkey and all the trimmings this year! Dayna and Ted from Pappas made the drive down from Florence to help us celebrate, and Mike Solis and his great crew from Food City delivered the Thanksgiving bounty. All of our scholars and their families had a truly festive Thanksgiving this year!

Mike Solis and the Food City delivery team.

Pappas Executive Director Dayna Sandoval holds up a thank you poster from Imago Dei’s scholars.

Left to right: Pappas Executive Director Dayna Sandoval and Board Member Ted Carpenter; IDMS scholars Jonathan, Marky and Josh; and Head of School Rev. Anne.

Sonu Wasu and a crew from KOLD-TV News came down to interview our staff and scholars and tell everyone about Pappas Foundation’s amazing gift!

Before receiving their Thanksgiving meal fixings, our scholars and their family members took a moment to contemplate the meaning of Thanksgiving.

 

GEICO and Arizona Leadership Foundation Announce Huge Gift for Local Scholarships

For the last few years, GEICO has partnered with Arizona Leadership Foundation to provide corporate tax credit scholarships to children of low-income families in Tucson. These scholarships allow children whose families have limited resources to attend the best private schools in Arizona and have every opportunity to succeed. Arizona Leadership Foundation has generously awarded scholarships to many of the scholars at Imago Dei.

Today, at a celebratory event at GEICO’s Tucson Regional Headquarters, GEICO announced that it will give $8 million in tax credit gifts this year through Arizona Leadership Foundation, $4 million of which will be reserved for students in Pima County. Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild and Arizona Leadership Foundation President Aaron Muth spoke at the celebration, along with young scholars who had received GEICO corporate scholarships. Imago Dei was honored to be included in this event, and two of our Arizona Leadership Scholars, Marky and Mireya, represented the school with grace and charm!

Marky and Mireya, with Arizona Leadership’s Ariana Muth and GEICO’s gecko. Ariana holds a stone & glass art tile made by Imago Dei students and presented to her as a thank you gift.

GEICO has been in Tucson for ten years now, and their commitment to the success and well-being of the local community is amazing. Through charitable donations, corporate tax credit gifts and employee volunteerism, GEICO makes a huge difference to non-profit agencies all over Tucson and Southern Arizona.

GEICO Regional Vice-President Martha Furnas (far right), with The Rev. Anne Sawyer (far left), Mireya and Marky, and the GEICO gecko.

Thank you to GEICO and Arizona Leadership Foundation!!

Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild (holding the check, at far right), celebrates GEICO’s announcement with teachers and scholars from around Tucson.

Imago Dei Launches New Tennis Program!

Coach Britt teaches the fundamentals on the first day of Imago Dei’s Tennis Program.

United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Coach Britt Feldhausen is passionate about playing and teaching tennis. He has been playing tennis for more than 50 years and achieved the highest tested rating the USPTA offers, Professional 1. Britt is the former Director of Tennis at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort and founder of Britt’s Tennis Academy in Tucson, and thanks to Britt and the United States Tennis Association, Imago Dei now has a tennis program, and all of Imago Dei’s students have brand new rackets! Britt will be teaching our boys and girls the fundamentals of the game, along with amazing volunteers Susie Scott and The Rev. Tim Scott (retired rector of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church). Our whole community would like to thank Britt and Susie and Rev. Tim! Finally, a big thanks to Tucson High Magnet School for sharing their tennis courts with us.

Ready? Play.

Thanks to Susie and The Rev. Tim Scott for supporting Imago Dei!

Eyes on the ball!

First thing first: get to know your racket!

Great Kickoff to Our 2013 Annual Campaign!

We’ve kicked off our annual campaign to raise scholarships for Imago Dei students! Our goal this fall is to raise 5 full scholarships ($75,000) to provide deserving students everything they need to achieve their full potential. The campaign started just this week and we have already received more than $6,000 from our generous community to help our children learn, thrive and succeed!

Your investment in Imago Dei’s children lasts a lifetime! The support you provide our students today changes the course of their lives, as they navigate from the world they find themselves in toward the world they dream for themselves. You can help, and your contribution matters, no matter how much you can afford to give!

Mark 12:42-44: But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

Your generosity creates a community of caring, curiosity, creativity and kindness. The teachers, staff and children of Imago Dei thank you for your generous support!

Click on this link to donate today!

Special Thanks to Beach Fleischman, St. Alban’s and St. Francis!

This month, we give special thanks to Beach Fleischman CPAs, St. Alban’s Episcopal Church & St. Francis in the Valley Episcopal Church, who have given our students backpacks filled with school supplies to kick off the year! Thank you for your generosity and your thoughtful efforts to help our students succeed!

Still Time for Tax Credit Giving!

All of us here at Imago Dei would like to extend our gratitude to our many supporters who give to Imago Dei through the Arizona State Tax Credit Program. Your contributions provide scholarships to the very children in our community who need us the most. We thank you for making Imago Dei possible. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the program, it’s not too late! You may still make a contribution through this program, which doesn’t cost you a penny because it is a dollar-for-dollar credit against your Arizona state income tax obligation. But, in order to receive credit, it must be made through a qualified School Tuition Organization. Contributions will be accepted up to April 15, 2013 for the 2012 tax year, so please follow the link below to donate online and learn more. Thank you for all of the ways in which you support our school and our students.

http://az-esf.org/