The Annetta Weatherhead Fund
Our Mission
The goal of the Annetta Weatherhead Fund is to provide flexible and easily accessible financial resources to improve the lives of Reiche School students and enhance their educational opportunities.
The fund was established by Catherine and Todd Alexander in 2018 and is named for Annetta Weatherhead, who epitomizes the underlying spirit and intent of the fund: a daily “all in, whatever it takes” approach to support student success. Annetta has worked at Reiche School as an ed tech since 2004, and her three children attended the school.
Our Reiche School Community
Reiche Community School is an elementary school that serves children from PreK through Grade Five in Portland’s West End with a student population of 419. 84% qualify for free or reduced lunch. 66% are English language learners (ELL, and 67% of these students are newcomers to the United States who know little to no English (IELD). There are about 30 languages spoken at Reiche School.
Currently, at Reiche School, 25% of our families are unhoused. The Portland school with the next highest percentage of unhoused students is 12%.Our immigrant families come from countries such as Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, El Salvador, and Honduras, among others.
We also have a high rate of student transience. Between September 3, 2024 and March 12, 2025, 105 students have left, and we have welcomed 74 new students, 90% of whom are new immigrants. Our multilingual staff who welcome new families are moved by their resilience and determination. These families have left their home countries and come to the US, often living unhoused without access to language education, transportation, friends, family, housing, food, or healthcare. For us, this means that new students arriving with their families often arrive with new needs.
Annetta Weatherhead Fund Programs
MSSM, Maine School of Science and Mathematics:
We provide scholarships for families to send their child(ren) to the overnight Summer Camp at Maine School of Science and Mathematics (MSSM) in Limestone, Maine. For many students, this is their first sleepover camp. They are involved in fun and engaging hands-on activities and classes exploring many aspects of math and science, as well as fun summer camp activities and games. Transportation to MSSM is also provided by the Annetta Weatherhead Fund.
Riding To The Top Therapeutic Riding Center:
We cover the cost of therapeutic horseback riding lessons at Riding To The Top, including transportation, for special education students at Reiche. Riding To The Top is an invaluable program that provides our special education students with experiences they may not have otherwise. Children with special needs learn in different ways. School can be challenging for them, which often impacts their ability to engage with peers and their academic learning. At Riding To The Top, each child is engaged, and challenged. They develop many important skills, such as empathy, as they learn about horses and how to take care of them. The program provides occupational therapy benefits (balance, strength, coordination, motor control), and helps with self-confidence as they learn how to approach a horse, understand the horse’s body language, and learn to ride. These students develop important life skills such as trust, responsibility, and commitment. The well trained staff thoughtfully pair each child with a particular horse, matching their personalities and qualities.
Martha’s Vineyard Ocean Academy:
In July 2024, 10 students from Reiche School, ages 8 – 12 years old, from Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Gabon sailed on the Shenandoah with the Martha’s Vineyard Ocean Academy. At the time, all of these children were housed in the family shelter, a church, or a hotel. They joined 10 other children from Martha’s Vineyard and the two captains, one an environmental scientist, the other a social worker. Together with their staff, the program focuses on a few themes: self-reflection and self-confidence, stewardship of the Earth, and maritime skills. Everyone starts the day by making their bed and cleaning the decks before breakfast. They learn about Nature and the wonders all around them: the ocean, the wild horses they saw on an island, the excitement of visiting new natural places like islands, and experiences like swimming every day in the ocean. They learned about responsibility to the Earth and to each other, working as a team, and supporting each other. All 20 children became fast friends, making sure to get each other’s contact information before they left so they could stay in touch. Together, they helped each other overcome fears, like jumping off the boat into the water, celebrated their accomplishments on the ship, and thought of themselves in ways they hadn’t before. They explored different aspects of life in New England and were able to be away from the stresses of everyday life.
At the end of the week, they were all so happy and excited, gushing with stories, and it made me realize how invaluable that week had been for each of them.
Here is an article about our students on the Shenandoah: “From the Congo to the Shenandoah,” The Martha’s Vineyard Times
Annetta Weatherhead Fund Services
Food:
Since 2022, we have helped keep the Emergency Food Pantry stocked with nonperishable foods. We have also distributed more than $15,000 to immigrant and low-income families in need. The Annetta Weatherhead Fund has provided many families living in poverty with $500 each for food and other basic necessities, such as utility bills. We work with our Family Support Team, which consists of Reiche School’s three lead teachers, social worker, McKinney-Vento social worker, guidance counselor, and nurse to determine the families’ needs.
Community Dinners:
For the ’25-’26 school year, we are planning to provide the food for three community dinners. There will be five components to these evenings: food, education, research, practical application, and socializing. For example, our first community dinner next school year, we will focus on attendance. We will dine in small groups, each with a teacher and an interpreter. The teacher will cover critical talking points regarding the importance of attendance and research behind poor attendance and dropout rates. We will also provide tips on how to help a child who is reluctant to go to school, as well as talk about ways we can support parents who feel overwhelmed and consequently may not send their children to school. We will have dinner together, followed by a fun group activity at each table, a game that will focus on the topic of the evening. Families will also have time to socialize. In May, we will have a community dinner and talk to parents and caregivers about what they would like to have as topics for our dinners next year.
Clothing:
As we continue to welcome new families, there is always a need for clothing, mostly winter gear. The Annetta Weatherhead Fund collaborates with our social workers, who partner with Maine Needs and other organizations to ensure children are dressed for winter in Maine.
Furnishing Their Homes:
In 2022, we assisted an asylum-seeking family in furnishing their first apartment. Since then, we have helped several other families who were previously unhoused with furnishings for their new homes. We partner with Furniture Friends to provide furniture, and the Annetta Weatherhead Fund provides other essential household needs.
Donations:
Our support for students and their families is only possible with the support of people like you. Your generous contributions enable the Annetta Weatherhead Fund for Reiche School to help and enrich our students’ lives.
Donations made through the Foundation for Portland Public Schools to the Annetta Weatherhead Fund for Reiche School are tax-deductible. Gifts go directly to the Annetta Weatherhead Fund for Reiche School.
Please contact me at weatha@portlandschools.org if you are interested in more information.