Mesa Thrives donations directly help support classrooms and fund Mesa Paraprofessionals,
helping all students learn and thrive
At Mesa, each student is unique and special. Your donation to Mesa Thrives directly funds the experienced paraprofessionals working at Mesa, helping all kids learn and thrive.
In cooperation with Mesa leadership, the Mesa PTO requests that each family provide $375 per student per year (equivalent to $42 per month) to support this goal. Even if you cannot donate the standard $375 per student, we ask every Mesa family to participate by giving what they can. Our goal is 100% participation by October 1st. This year's ask is higher than last year's due to BVSD's cost of living increase.
While Mesa follows BVSD and state curriculum requirements, not all students learn the same way, or at the same pace. The Mesa Thrives Campaign responds to these differences by providing funds to pay for classroom support by a group of experienced education paraprofessionals—so each child’s education is individualized. ALL children benefit from this differentiated learning approach.
Company Match Programs
Do you work for Workday, UBS, Wells Fargo, IBM, Xilinx, Dell, Ball, McKesson, Avago, Medtronic, Brocade, Oracle, Northrop Grumman, or Google? These companies and many others MATCH your gift, please check with your employer! Matches are critical to meet our goal. For those who have initiated a company match through a corporate matching employer program, please let us know that you have donated to ensure it is counted towards your student's class participation!! You can do so by turning in a yellow Mesa Thrives form to the office which denotes your donation details or by filling out the online CheddarUp link and choosing cash or check at check out and clicking the box for corporate matches. If you have any questions about company matches, please email us!
In cooperation with Mesa leadership, the Mesa PTO requests that each family provide $375 per student per year (equivalent to $42 per month) to support this goal. Even if you cannot donate the standard $375 per student, we ask every Mesa family to participate by giving what they can. Our goal is 100% participation by October 1st. This year's ask is higher than last year's due to BVSD's cost of living increase.
While Mesa follows BVSD and state curriculum requirements, not all students learn the same way, or at the same pace. The Mesa Thrives Campaign responds to these differences by providing funds to pay for classroom support by a group of experienced education paraprofessionals—so each child’s education is individualized. ALL children benefit from this differentiated learning approach.
Company Match Programs
Do you work for Workday, UBS, Wells Fargo, IBM, Xilinx, Dell, Ball, McKesson, Avago, Medtronic, Brocade, Oracle, Northrop Grumman, or Google? These companies and many others MATCH your gift, please check with your employer! Matches are critical to meet our goal. For those who have initiated a company match through a corporate matching employer program, please let us know that you have donated to ensure it is counted towards your student's class participation!! You can do so by turning in a yellow Mesa Thrives form to the office which denotes your donation details or by filling out the online CheddarUp link and choosing cash or check at check out and clicking the box for corporate matches. If you have any questions about company matches, please email us!
Meet our Paraprofessionals
Melissa Hickey
This is Melissa's 10th year as a Mesa Mustang, and 20th year in BVSD! Originally, she taught Kindergarten Enrichment, before full day Kindergarten. She works with Mrs. Gregersen as a Library Aide. Additionally, Melissa supports kindergarten and first grade during Literacy times. She helps run reading groups and support kindergarten teachers during writing blocks. You will also see her supervising first graders during recess and lunchtime.
Nancy Casey
This is Nancy's 16th year at Mesa. She is a literacy paraeducator, working with kindergarten through third grade students. She has small reading groups each day. Classes are tailored to the student's needs. She targets skills such as phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency, word work, and comprehension. Nancy also supports the classroom teachers with written projects. Throughout the year, she does reading assessments for these grades as well.
Clare Stocker
Clare has been working at Mesa for five years. She provides literacy and math support to third, fourth, and fifth grades. Clare works with small groups and individual students on a variety of reading, writing, and math topics. Her support in the classroom allows teachers to break the class into small groups, personalize lessons, and give extra attention to students who need it. In addition to working at Mesa, she a research professor in the psychology department at the University of Denver.
Jocelyn Leibow-Zajac
Jocelyn is an experienced BVSD teacher of over 20 years. In the 2022-2023 school year, she taught kindergarten at Mesa. This year, we're so lucky to have Jocelyn secured through Mesa Thrives to provide hourly/daily math intervention groups (similar in design to literacy groups) for grades K-2. Jocelyn will also curate math enrichment materials for the upper grades. She also teaches the very popular "Art from the Heart" after-school classes at Mesa and is very much part of the fabric of the Mesa community.
Melissa Hickey
This is Melissa's 10th year as a Mesa Mustang, and 20th year in BVSD! Originally, she taught Kindergarten Enrichment, before full day Kindergarten. She works with Mrs. Gregersen as a Library Aide. Additionally, Melissa supports kindergarten and first grade during Literacy times. She helps run reading groups and support kindergarten teachers during writing blocks. You will also see her supervising first graders during recess and lunchtime.
Nancy Casey
This is Nancy's 16th year at Mesa. She is a literacy paraeducator, working with kindergarten through third grade students. She has small reading groups each day. Classes are tailored to the student's needs. She targets skills such as phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency, word work, and comprehension. Nancy also supports the classroom teachers with written projects. Throughout the year, she does reading assessments for these grades as well.
Clare Stocker
Clare has been working at Mesa for five years. She provides literacy and math support to third, fourth, and fifth grades. Clare works with small groups and individual students on a variety of reading, writing, and math topics. Her support in the classroom allows teachers to break the class into small groups, personalize lessons, and give extra attention to students who need it. In addition to working at Mesa, she a research professor in the psychology department at the University of Denver.
Jocelyn Leibow-Zajac
Jocelyn is an experienced BVSD teacher of over 20 years. In the 2022-2023 school year, she taught kindergarten at Mesa. This year, we're so lucky to have Jocelyn secured through Mesa Thrives to provide hourly/daily math intervention groups (similar in design to literacy groups) for grades K-2. Jocelyn will also curate math enrichment materials for the upper grades. She also teaches the very popular "Art from the Heart" after-school classes at Mesa and is very much part of the fabric of the Mesa community.
Mesa Thrives FAQs
Doesn’t the state and county provide education funds?
Under the current state and county revenue formulas, there are not enough funds to pay for paraprofessionals to the level deemed optimal at Mesa. Funds provided by parents and company matches are used to bridge the gap.
Who are the paraprofessionals?
Educational aides in kindergarten classes ∙ Literacy support in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades ∙ Math & literacy support in 4th and 5th grades
We can’t afford the $375 amount at this time; can we still participate?
YES! Any amount counts toward participation. We know some families are not able to donate the suggested amount, but we ask all families to give what they can. If you pay on cheddarup.com, you can also choose a monthly payment plan.
How many fundraisers does Mesa conduct during the school year?
The Mesa Thrives Campaign is the only fundraiser that we ask all parents to participate in and directly funds our paraprofessionals. Other fundraisers, such as Fall Fest, Fun Run, Book Fair, and Heart Challenge are optional.
Do all the funds go to the paraprofessionals?
Ninety percent of funds collected in this campaign go directly to paying for paraprofessionals at Mesa. For equity across BVSD schools, ten percent of the funds we collect are given to other schools to bridge the gap. If you pay by CheddarUp via credit card, a 3.6% charge will be added to your donation plus a small processing fee. You can avoid the 3.6% fee by paying by electronic check, which costs $0.59.
Does paying more than the suggested amount help?
YES! Last year numerous families at Mesa gave more than the suggested amount and some had company matching programs that matched their contribution. Without these donations, we would not reach our goal.
What happens if Mesa does not reach its fundraising goal?
We would have to run additional fundraisers at Mesa or reduce the paraprofessional staff time.
Do employers match contributions to the Mesa Thrives Campaign?
Do you work for Apple, Workday, UBS, Wells Fargo, IBM, Xilinx, Dell, Ball, McKesson, Avago, Medtronic, Brocade, Oracle, Northrop Grumman, or Google? These companies and many others MATCH your gift, please check with your employer! These matches are critical to reach our goal. Need help navigating your company's matching program? Please email us!
Are there tax benefits to my contributions to the Mesa Thrives Campaign?
Donations are tax-deductible. Contact your tax expert to verify eligibility to deduct your donation.
How do I give?
Click here to give online, or complete a donation card and put it with your check in the attached envelope and return it with your Friday folder.
Doesn’t the state and county provide education funds?
Under the current state and county revenue formulas, there are not enough funds to pay for paraprofessionals to the level deemed optimal at Mesa. Funds provided by parents and company matches are used to bridge the gap.
Who are the paraprofessionals?
Educational aides in kindergarten classes ∙ Literacy support in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades ∙ Math & literacy support in 4th and 5th grades
We can’t afford the $375 amount at this time; can we still participate?
YES! Any amount counts toward participation. We know some families are not able to donate the suggested amount, but we ask all families to give what they can. If you pay on cheddarup.com, you can also choose a monthly payment plan.
How many fundraisers does Mesa conduct during the school year?
The Mesa Thrives Campaign is the only fundraiser that we ask all parents to participate in and directly funds our paraprofessionals. Other fundraisers, such as Fall Fest, Fun Run, Book Fair, and Heart Challenge are optional.
Do all the funds go to the paraprofessionals?
Ninety percent of funds collected in this campaign go directly to paying for paraprofessionals at Mesa. For equity across BVSD schools, ten percent of the funds we collect are given to other schools to bridge the gap. If you pay by CheddarUp via credit card, a 3.6% charge will be added to your donation plus a small processing fee. You can avoid the 3.6% fee by paying by electronic check, which costs $0.59.
Does paying more than the suggested amount help?
YES! Last year numerous families at Mesa gave more than the suggested amount and some had company matching programs that matched their contribution. Without these donations, we would not reach our goal.
What happens if Mesa does not reach its fundraising goal?
We would have to run additional fundraisers at Mesa or reduce the paraprofessional staff time.
Do employers match contributions to the Mesa Thrives Campaign?
Do you work for Apple, Workday, UBS, Wells Fargo, IBM, Xilinx, Dell, Ball, McKesson, Avago, Medtronic, Brocade, Oracle, Northrop Grumman, or Google? These companies and many others MATCH your gift, please check with your employer! These matches are critical to reach our goal. Need help navigating your company's matching program? Please email us!
Are there tax benefits to my contributions to the Mesa Thrives Campaign?
Donations are tax-deductible. Contact your tax expert to verify eligibility to deduct your donation.
How do I give?
Click here to give online, or complete a donation card and put it with your check in the attached envelope and return it with your Friday folder.