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 $425 per student per year (equivalent to $42.50 per month) to support this goal. Even if you cannot donate the standard $425 per student, we ask every Mesa family to participate by giving what they can.
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
*Note our Tax ID number is "Mesa Elementary School PTO is #74-2230898"
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 Mesa Thrives donation 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
Nancy Casey This is my 18th year at Mesa. Two of my four children are former Mesa Mustangs! I am a literacy paraeducator, working with kindergarten through third grade students. I have small reading groups each day. Classes are tailored to the students' needs. We target skills such as phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency, word work, and comprehension. I also support the classroom teachers with written projects. Throughout the year, I do reading assessments for these grades as well.
Clare StockerClare has been working at Mesa for seven 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, Clare is a research professor in the psychology department at the University of Denver.
Anne Michaels
I accepted my first ever teaching job in 2001 teaching kindergarten at Mesa! Since then I have taught at every elementary school grade level while also taking several years off here and there to spend more time with my family. I completed my student teaching at Friends School in Boulder and got my master's degree in educational psychology from CU Denver. All three of my children were Mesa Mustangs . . . now two of them are heading to college and my youngest will be a junior at Fairview. I am so excited to be back at Mesa this year! I will be helping with literacy in 2nd grade every morning and working in the office on Fridays. GO MUSTANGS!
Rachelle Crumpeck I have been part of the Mesa community for 13 years, first as a 4th and 5th grade classroom teacher and sponsor of the Club for Bilingual Students and now as a classroom support specialist. I help teach math, social studies, and science for 2nd grade; do science support for 4-5, including lesson prep, materials management, and lesson implementation; and work with small groups and individual students in grades 3-5 to help personalize and deepen their learning experiences. I also plan and prep the monthly Treehouse meetings for Mesa. Before my life here, I taught language arts and social studies at traditional middle and high schools in BVSD and at an alternative high school in Denver. I grew up in the Table Mesa neighborhood and love coming to Mesa where it always feels like home.
Hilary Darling
This is my first year at Mesa and I am excited to support upper grade students in math and lead the Gifted and Talented program. I enjoy focusing on each child's unique style and creating an engaging learning environment supporting social, emotional, and academic needs. When I am not at school, you might find me hiking, skiing, enjoying live music, crafting, or curled up reading a book!
Nancy Casey This is my 18th year at Mesa. Two of my four children are former Mesa Mustangs! I am a literacy paraeducator, working with kindergarten through third grade students. I have small reading groups each day. Classes are tailored to the students' needs. We target skills such as phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency, word work, and comprehension. I also support the classroom teachers with written projects. Throughout the year, I do reading assessments for these grades as well.
Clare StockerClare has been working at Mesa for seven 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, Clare is a research professor in the psychology department at the University of Denver.
Anne Michaels
I accepted my first ever teaching job in 2001 teaching kindergarten at Mesa! Since then I have taught at every elementary school grade level while also taking several years off here and there to spend more time with my family. I completed my student teaching at Friends School in Boulder and got my master's degree in educational psychology from CU Denver. All three of my children were Mesa Mustangs . . . now two of them are heading to college and my youngest will be a junior at Fairview. I am so excited to be back at Mesa this year! I will be helping with literacy in 2nd grade every morning and working in the office on Fridays. GO MUSTANGS!
Rachelle Crumpeck I have been part of the Mesa community for 13 years, first as a 4th and 5th grade classroom teacher and sponsor of the Club for Bilingual Students and now as a classroom support specialist. I help teach math, social studies, and science for 2nd grade; do science support for 4-5, including lesson prep, materials management, and lesson implementation; and work with small groups and individual students in grades 3-5 to help personalize and deepen their learning experiences. I also plan and prep the monthly Treehouse meetings for Mesa. Before my life here, I taught language arts and social studies at traditional middle and high schools in BVSD and at an alternative high school in Denver. I grew up in the Table Mesa neighborhood and love coming to Mesa where it always feels like home.
Hilary Darling
This is my first year at Mesa and I am excited to support upper grade students in math and lead the Gifted and Talented program. I enjoy focusing on each child's unique style and creating an engaging learning environment supporting social, emotional, and academic needs. When I am not at school, you might find me hiking, skiing, enjoying live music, crafting, or curled up reading a book!
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.