Support ACDS

Elevate the Experience

At ACDS, tuition builds the foundation, but it’s our community that elevates the experience. When families volunteer, they not only model the importance of giving back for their children, but they also create a shared spirit of belonging and accomplishment that strengthens our whole school.

And when families give, through the Annual Giving Campaign and the Annual Dinner Auction, they directly invest in what makes our school exceptional: inspiring teachers, joyful learning, and opportunities that go far beyond the basics. Every gift and every hour volunteered makes a difference, because together, we’re elevating the experience for every child.

Tuition builds the foundation. Our community elevates the experience. Are you in?

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Annual Giving Campaign

Tuition builds the foundation, but it’s philanthropy that elevates the experience.

The Annual Giving Campaign is our most important fundraiser of the year, providing essential support that enriches every child’s day-to-day experience. Your gift fuels what matters most—exceptional teachers who inspire, a curriculum rooted in curiosity and creativity, small class sizes with personal connection, and the joyful spaces where our core values of childhood, balance, belonging, and lifelong learning come alive.

Every gift, no matter the size, makes a difference. It’s not just about dollars—it’s about joining a shared effort to keep our school vibrant and deeply rooted in its mission: discovering the gifts in every child. Together, we elevate the experience for your student—and for every student.

Annual Dinner Auction

Our Annual Dinner Auction is our second major fundraising effort of the year and also one of our most beloved community traditions. It’s more than just a fun night out; it’s a celebration of connection and generosity that brings our families together in support of our school.

Tuition builds the foundation, but it’s philanthropy that truly elevates the student experience. When you raise your paddle, donate an item, or sponsor the event, you’re investing in what makes ACDS extraordinary: exceptional teachers, a joyful and creative curriculum, supportive spaces for childhood, and the flexibility to innovate with care.

The Annual Dinner Auction is our only community fundraising event, and every gift — no matter the size — helps bring our mission to discover the gifts in every child to life, while living our core values of belonging, balance, childhood, and learning. Together, we make it possible for every child to experience more opportunities, more creativity, and more joy.

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Ways your gift makes an impact!

Exceptional Faculty and Staff

At ACDS, we believe that great teachers shape confident learners.

Through professional development opportunities our educators stay inspired and equipped to bring out the best in every student.

Here are some examples of what our faculty and staff have been up to:

Positive Discipline - Cathy Kawakami
Social-Emotional Learning - Sheri Glucoft Wong
Belonging - Emmett Griffith
People of Color Conference (POCC) - two teachers attended and shared insights with their colleagues
Orton-Gillingham (OG)
Bridges Math
Civil Discourse and Civic Leadership - Sphere - five teachers
Service Learning in Minneapolis, Youth Leadership - two staff members
Math workshop - two teachers
Reggio Art workshop - four teachers
Orff training - one teacher

Enriching Curriculum & Programs

Enriching Curriculum and Programs

At ACDS, we believe learning should be joyful, engaging, and well-rounded.

Our students experience a dynamic curriculum and programs that spark curiosity, creativity, and balance in every child’s journey. We are always becoming—continuously elevating the learning experience for our students and teachers.

Here are a few recent investments made possible through your support:

Music – new instruments and microphones
Drama – a short-throw stage projector and additional microphones
Art – a new kiln
Science – updated microscopes
Athletics – new discus and shot-put ring, added storage, improved long jump pit, and updated equipment
Technology – new Chromebooks and projectors

Student Support & Well-Being

Student Support and Well-Being

At ACDS, every child deserves to feel seen, supported, and challenged.

Our goal is to meet students where they are and help them learn in the way they learn best, in a high-opportunity, low-stress environment that nurtures curiosity, encourages questions, and provides intellectual rigor in an emotionally safe setting.

We foster an inclusive community where every child feels both part of the whole and recognized as a unique individual.

Ways we bring this to life:

The SPARK Team (Specialists Promoting Achievement, Resilience, and Knowledge) - Support teachers providing extra guidance when needed and enrichment for those ready to excel.
Belonging Training - strengthens our inclusive community
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) - builds resilience, empathy, and confidence

Safe and Inviting Facilities

Safe, Inviting Facilities

At ACDS, children thrive in spaces that are safe, inspiring, and developmentally appropriate. Our campus is designed so every student can learn, play, and grow with confidence. It is not only beautiful and functional, but also a place where children feel secure, valued, and free to explore.

Examples of recent campus improvements include:

Updates to the Middle School Quad
Expanded and enhanced garden spaces, with new shade structures
Upgraded safety features, including security cameras, fencing, and an emergency communications system
Continuing building improvements and upgrades
Purchase and storage of emergency supplies
Updated classroom furniture

Flexibility to Grow & Innovate

Flexibility to Grow and Innovate

Unrestricted funds allow us the flexibility to seize new opportunities, respond to emerging needs, and continuously elevate the student experience.

It enables us to innovate while maintaining a balanced, well-rounded education that keeps the joy of childhood at the center of everything we do.

Examples of this flexibility in action include:

Expanding Middle School electives, after-school sports, and clubs based on student interests
Replacing and/or repairing educational equipment and other learning resources. (Some examples include a new kiln and microscopes)

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Almaden Country Day School’s vibrant community is further enhanced by the active involvement of our families.

ACDS families engage in the life of the school by sharing their time, talents, and resources as generously as possible. It is important to remember that the school we love today was created in 1982 and has been sustained by those who came before us, leaving it as our responsibility to ensure that this and future generations of ACDS students receive the same educational opportunities.

As a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, ACDS relies on its families to make the school a philanthropic priority. For this reason, every family is asked to contribute beyond tuition in several ways each year — both monetarily and by volunteering time and energy — at a level that is appropriate for them.

Opportunities for philanthropy are designed specifically to build community at Almaden Country Day School. Nothing is more important than coming together to accomplish something that no single person is likely to manage on his or her own.

If you have questions about making a contribution to ACDS, please contact:

Kimberly Ahlgren
Director of Annual Giving & Special Events
(408) 997-0424