Acronyms are commonly heard around Fremont all year long. PTA (Parent Teacher Association), JAT (Jog-A-Thon) and SOS (Support our STEAM) to name a few. Outlined below is a quick definition of each:

LBEF – (Long Beach Education Foundation) A non-profit, volunteer-driven foundation, which helps with grants and other key assistance to our Long Beach Schools, raising funds through employee and community contributions. In Fremont’s case, SOS money is deposited into our own account at LBEF and it’s used to cover the cost of our Science and Technology Labs.
 
LBUSD – The Long Beach Unified School District. 
 
PTA – The National, State and local Parent Teacher Association is an active group of members who advocate for, fund, build and maintain projects to benefit our children. Becoming a member does not obligate you to help, however, it does allow you to vote on important school matters!
 
JAT – The Jog-A-Thon is Fremont PTA’s largest school-wide fundraiser that usually takes place in the fall. Students can earn money for Fremont by soliciting donations from friends and family (as sponsors) either per lap run or as a flat donation. Students can earn prizes for most laps run and most money raised. Fremont has raised approximately $55,000+ per year in the past several years with almost 100% student body participation – a high achievement for a school our size (500+ students.) All JAT monies raised fund
PTA programs such as Meet the Masters (educating students in the Arts), Fremont Theater Program, Home Reading Club, Field Trips, STEAM programs and Classroom Aides. 
 
SOS – (Support Our STEAM) The SOS campaign was created in 2004 by passionate Fremont parents to raise funds for the Science and Technology Labs after funding was cut by LBUSD. Fremont is one of the only K-5 schools in the entire LBUSD that offers curriculum integrated labs taught by specialized instructors in both science and technology. Each week all grade levels visit the labs and receive science and technology lab instruction. Every donation to SOS goes directly to the Long Beach Education Foundation (LBEF) to execute funding the labs. The largest SOS fundraiser is the SOS Fund Drive in the spring. Additionally, the Fremont PTA contributes roughly $30,000 each year to SOS. The survival of our labs relies completely on donations from Fremont parents, friends and community. Support Our STEM was changed to Support Our STEAM by unanimous vote in 2016.
 
STEAM - STEAM is an educational approach to learning that uses Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics as access points for guiding student inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking. The end results are students who take thoughtful risks, engage in experiential learning, persist in problem-solving, embrace collaboration, and work through the creative process.