$44,000 awarded to teachers from Pleasant Grove Education Foundation

Sponsor

The Pleasant Grove Education Foundation awarded over $44,000 to teachers on all four campuses Friday. The money was requested in grants written by the teachers.

The money was raised in partnership with local businesses and families.

To give money to support future grants see https://www.pgisd.net/Page/3943

See below for information on all the grants.

Pleasant Grove High School
Grant Name: Probing Your World
In Partnership with: Texarkana Emergency Center
$5,008.76
Project Description: Vernier LabQuest 2 handheld device, software, and probe attachments are considered top of the line classroom real-time data collection equipment. Within the science classroom from grade-level to AP and Dual Credit, students should be familiar with real world data collection from the world around them as a way to begin to analyze, question, and learn more deeply about the phenomena explained by the scientific method, laws, and theories. The science department would benefit from these devices and probes by being able to transform artificial data analysis invented by a teacher for study or merely listed on paper by allowing students to experience the natural world and gather their own data to be studied first-hand.
Purpose and Objectives: The purpose of these devices and probes will be to directly allow students access to TEKS requiring analysis of units, concentrations, changes over time, and local data. Instruction will become further student-centered as teachers are able to facilitate data collection that students will analyze within the laboratory setting. TEKS process standards in all science curriculum require 40% of time be spent investigating phenomena through hands-on laboratory experimentation or field observation. These devices will allow students within classes such as the physical sciences as well as life sciences to look at data not readily observable to the naked eye such as humidity changes under environmental conditions, pH fluctuations during natural phenomena and laboratory experiments, commercial product effectiveness related to marketing claims such as sunscreen, and other variations in data that outline the scientific concepts being learned according to the TEKS in the classroom. As time goes on, more probes unique to different courses and labs can be acquired and added so that the technology continues to be useful for years to come.
Impact: Students from every grade level at the high school will be impacted throughout their high school career by these devices in a way that brings the Pleasant Grove HS science department one step closer into a modern, 21st century STEM education center. Hundreds of students every year will benefit from these tools and gain invaluable experience with common resources/tools used at colleges and universities across the country.
Submitted By: PGHS Science Department

Grant Name: Let’s Get BIOtechnical
In Partnership with: Patterson Family Foundation
$7,000.00
Project Description: I am proposing a grant for biotechnology integration in science, primarily the Biology Department for the primary purpose of advancement for biotechnology practices at Pleasant Grove. Biotechnology is a field of science that is continually showing growth in graduation rates at university levels, as well as in the job market. Careers in biotechnology include biochemistry, bio engineering, medical science, microbiology, bio manufacturers, professorships, and many more. As Dual Credit Biology is aligned with CTE, it is imperative for students to not only understand classical biology curriculum, but be able to apply these concepts into advanced technology use as demanded by the post secondary workforce.

Project Purpose and Objectives: Learning to utilize biotechnological tools that holistically meet students with not only a basis in biological areas, but engineering, mathematics, and chemistry as well, along with technical training that paves avenues for acquiring workforce certifications and permits. These tools may include forensic apparatus, including DNA analysis and blood centrifugation, but also protein and DNA amplification tools that require additional training in laboratory settings. This could pose an advantage to our students as they are already familiar with the utility of these common biotechnological tools, as well as their purpose in various biotechnological disciplines. My vision is to be able to implement these advanced tools to Dual Credit and Advanced Placement Biology for the purpose of post secondary success in scientific fields, but to also introduce these concepts at a rudimentary and more basic level during 9th grade biology so that students can acquire comfort in utilizing common biotechnology tools. This creates a common understanding of using laboratory supplies, as well as digital equipment, to meet biotechnology goals found in career laboratories.

Impact: I intend to implement the biotechnology equipment for every biology student, including Biology I and Biology II (Dual Credit or AP), but specifically concentrated within the Biology II curriculum. This equipment and machinery will last several years, and is not consumable. The materials that are consumable, such as blood samples, DNA samples, etc. are not expensive purchases that can be requisitioned with the standard annual science budget. Thus, the equipment will sustain a high number of Pleasant Grove High School Students, and can potentially grow to a higher number of students as it gets integrated into middle school forensics and other sciences.

Submitted By Shelby Strawn/Life Science- PGHS

Grant Name: Co-Teaching with Chromebooks

In Partnership with: Dr. Hesham and Layla Hazin

$4,504.00

Project Description: Assistive Technology in Special Education can be defined as any item or piece of equipment that can help improve learning and “level the playing field” for students with disabilities. The Pleasant Grove High School Special Education Department (SPED) would like to request fifteen Chromebooks for our students to use for instructional purposes. Currently, the SPED department only has access to other subject areas’ Chromebooks, so having our own will ensure that are students can easily access technology when needed during small group pull-out, Content Mastery and progress monitoring.

Project Purpose and Objectives: Chromebooks will help our students with disabilities to access different curriculum and instruction across all subject areas through technology rather than the traditional paper/pencil way. Most of our core subject areas and even some of our elective classes are heavily based around Google Classroom. A majority of our students have accommodations such as Small group or Content Mastery, and when teachers give a test or quiz on Google Classroom, they sometimes face many technical issues when trying to access these assignments especially when they are located in a different classroom and do not have access to Chromebooks. By having a set of Chromebooks in our SPED department, our co-teaching teachers and paraprofessionals will have full access to this technology in Content Mastery and our small group settings.
Computers will also assist in the implementation of differentiated instruction. Students would also have access to applications like Google Classroom and Quizlet, which they wouldn’t be able to access otherwise unless the computer lab was available. Allowing our students to have access to this form of technology will put more of the learning in their hands, which is where we are trying to get with these students. Another accommodation that some of our students have is the use of a Word Processor. The use of a Word Processor allows our students, who struggle with writing, the ability to show their skills through typing. The Chromebooks have features that allow our students to use Speech-to-Text for different writing assignments. This feature will include a student using their voice to speak directly what they want into the computer, and the computer will transcribe the students’ words to form a document.
At the high school level, all of our students take the STAAR test online with a few exceptions of students who are provided with a paper copy due to different reasons. Allowing the use of Chromebooks will give our students the exposure to use of an actual computer keyboard as opposed to other wireless devices. This access will prepare our students to be comfortable with the keyboard and other features of a Chromebook for when they take the STAAR test.
Each of our students are given the right to individualized instruction per IDEA. This individualized instruction then falls into each student having individualized goals and objectives based off of academic and social needs. For each goal and objective, Special Education teachers need to progress monitor each of these goals multiple times during a six week period. These Chromebooks will allow our Special Education teachers to pull students to collect data and progress monitor our students’ goals and objectives. There are a vast amount of different progress monitoring websites we can access with the Chromebooks such as AIMSweb which helps with literacy skills and Study Island which helps with additional instruction/practice for all subject areas. Online activities will also challenge our students, and they will become more efficient at data collection through the use of different sources.

Impact: All students who have a disability according to IDEA and who have an IEP at PGHS will be impacted because these computers will be available for all of our Special education placement settings at the high school (Inclusion, Co-teaching, Self-contained and Resource). We would like to have a Special Education Department set of at least 15 computers for student and teacher use. Since this is the first time our department is requesting Chromebooks, all fifteen Chromebooks, software, and charging cart will be included in the pricing.

Submitted By: PGHS Special Education Department

Pleasant Grove Middle School

Grant Name: Extreme Makeover- Science Edition

In Partnership with: Gregg Orr Auto Collection

$3,369.00

Project Description: This grant is being submitted in hopes of replacing old lab equipment, purchasing new equipment for science labs, and getting new giant wall poster periodic tables for 8th grade science classrooms.

Project Purpose and Objectives :We hope to update our three middle school science labs and classrooms with equipment necessary for implementing our 6th, 7th and 8th grade science TEKS. See spreadsheet for specific uses of each item, relevant TEKS, cost, and number of students impacted. We hope that by updating our equipment, we may continue to provide our students with all the necessary tools to learn the required science TEKS in a stimulating and well – equipped lab environment.

Impact: These items are not consumable and may be used by all students ( 500+ per year) for many years. The old triple beam balances are old and outdated but still functional for lower grade levels. We plan to offer them to the IS or Es campus for their science lab.

Submitted By: PGMS Science Department

Grant Name: Versatiles for Vocabulary

In Partnership with: Annette and Winford Dunn

$499.89

Project Description: I want a class set of VersaTiles and workbooks to allow hands-on, self-checking vocabulary work and reading comprehension practice in my classroom. We are working towards increasing our knowledge of vocabulary words and using our knowledge of affixes and roots words to help with this. These answer cases can also be used with any skill by using the VersaTiles grid sheet as a sample.

Project Purpose and Objectives: I want to make a “boring” skill like word study and reading comprehension strategies become more interactive to increase student engagement and performance. VersaTiles is an interactive activity with numbered and pattered tiles and a small compact/answer case. They come in a compact about the size of a small tablet. The students use a worksheet or form to answer questions which correspond with the tiles. They then place the numbered tiles on the correct answer choice within the compact. Once the tiles have all been placed, the students close the compact, flip it over and see if the pattern on the other side of the tiles matches the pattern on their sheet. It’s great for students who need instant feedback. They are able to see which questions they got right without me being there to check their work. This set comes with the answer books for up to 6th grade. Although I teach 8th currently, many of my students are reading below level and need this additional practice to help bring them up to grade level. This would help me easily differentiate my lessons and skills to meet those students where they are.

Impact: This year, we can impact up to 70 students, but this purchase is usable for years to come.

Submitted By: Magan Wisdom

Grant Name: Sensational Sensory Stations

In Partnership with: Erie & Associates & TXK Today

$1,034.00

Project Description: I want to create sensory stations within my classroom that will help my students have a learning environment that is fun and educational. My focus will be to allow a better learning environment for my Special Education students that will enhance their abilities to reach new levels.

Project Purpose and Objectives: I want my students to have access to different ways to learn. The Sensory Stations will help them stay focused while meeting educational goals. I want the stations I create to touch on the five senses and how each student can use one or all methods to learn in new and exciting ways. I feel if I use the Sensory Stations as an added way to to learn, my students will be more confident in their environment. Special Education students need to be involved in their learning and feel confident at the same time. Sensory Stations will bring a calm and satisfying way to learn.

Impact: My proposal will primarily affect Special Education students. However, I feel that all students can use the stations if they need that extra break to learn in a different environment. I will have my stations open to anyone on campus that can use the stations to execute a positive learning experience for the students. I will use and add to the stations over time and the expansion can be larger depending on extra rooms that are available for use. I think this could be a district wide project if successful. The plan is to provide a different way to learn using sensory motivation. This can be implemented district wide and would accommodate many children. I think the stations will use the five senses to calm and allow students to be happy with learning. It is a different way to learn but allows students a break with positive reinforcement using sensory items.

Submitted By: Cindy Humphrey (PGMS Special Education Department)

Pleasant Grove Intermediate School

Grant Name: Captivating Minds Through Chromebooks 2.0

In Partnership with: Paula and John Pickett

$ 7,669.00

Project Description: We would love to have a second Chromebook cart for our fifth grader to use! We currently have one cart with 20 Chromebooks to share between 8 classrooms and 160+ students. Our fifth graders will be expected to be proficient users of several Google programs when they reach the middle school. We would like to have our fifth graders better prepared for an easier transition to sixth grade.

Project Purpose and Objectives: A class set of Chromebooks would allow each student access to their personal Google account. Our goal is to have our fifth graders better prepared for middle school by exposing them to Google Classroom, Slides, Docs, etc. Our fifth graders need to become more knowledgeable with the technology that they will be required to use as they further their education through Pleasant Grove and on into their adult lives. Having the new WiFi system in place on our campus gives us the ability to use our Chromebooks and expose our students to newer and better enhanced learning resources. Currently, we are at a slight disadvantage by not having enough Chromebooks for each student to have their own device. Our class sizes may have more than 20 students which leaves 2-4 students to have to wait their turn. Now that we have access to the WiFi system, we would love the opportunity to fully supply a device for each student in classrooms from each pod to utilize at the same time.

Apps in the G suite for Education like Google Docs and Google Slides enable students to collaborate on documents and projects in real-time. These collaboration and teamwork skills are essential for the future workplace and help prepare students to succeed in tomorrow’s jobs. Whether in the library, in class, or at home, they’ll be able to participate in group work and work together on their projects.

Impact: These Chromebooks will be used to service all of our fifth graders for many years to come. Having access to Chromebook for each student will be a new innovative way of learning for our students. When they reach middle school, they will need to be proficient with Chromebook usage.

Having all students using Chromebook will allow the teacher to use online curricula to differentiate concepts by ability levels. This will allow the teacher access to specific data for student needs. This data will in turn give us (the teachers) the instructional tools we need to provide specific intervention in all classrooms and especially in the W.I.N. classroom. We will be able to use the data in the W.I.N. classroom to create learning groups within Google Classroom. The students will then only need to access Google Classroom from their device to complete the differentiated assignment that the teacher has catered for them.
Our classrooms can begin to switch from teacher lead to more student driven. The students will be more engaged and take more ownership in their work.

Submitted By: 5th grade

Grant Name: Math Words Matter! Bringing math vocabulary to life through dynamic word walls

In Partnership with: Rowe Casa Organics & Schlotzsky’s

$480.12

Project Description: Math Vocabulary Picture Card Bundle for Academic Word Wall for third and fourth grade math classrooms.
Math vocabulary is extremely important at all grade levels. These grade specific TEKS based Math vocabulary picture cards will be a great way to display the rich language that supports the daily learning through our units of study.
These Target Vocabulary Bundles won the Learning® Magazine 2017 Teachers’ Choice™ Award for the classroom: one of the most recognized awards in the educational market. This award, given by teachers, honors products of exceptional quality and outstanding performance in the classroom.

Project Purpose and Objectives: These cards will be used as a word wall for general review. They will benefit our visual learners, ELL students, and struggling readers since the illustrations quickly and easily create a visual connection between the term and its meaning. Our goal is that these visual representations become a permanent reminder of the academic language they will use now and in the future.

Impact: Every student in each grade level would benefit greatly from these brightly colored, grade specific vocabulary cards. Since our fifth grade math teachers are already using these Lone Star Learner Math Vocabulary Picture Cards, our students would be exposed to vocabulary in the same format from year to year. This would enhance our vertical alignment throughout our math department.

Submitted By: 3rd and 4th grade math teachers

Grant Name: Print- A-Palooza!

In Partnership with: Haltom and Doan & Belt Construction

$950.00

Project Description: Printmaking is an ancient art through which children can connect to science and history. It is an artistic process based on the principle of transferring images from one surface onto another surface, most often paper or fabric. Through printmaking, students learn problem solving skills, critical thinking skills, and gain another mode through which they can accomplish creative expression. I am requesting essential tools to be used in this process to make learning fun and engaging.

Project Purpose and Objectives: Unlike most children’s art, printmaking allows students to make multiple products with one design. Children are then able to experiment and explore without the fear of failure. With this grant, children will be able to also discuss their artistic process of transferring an image from one surface to another. They will experiment with different tools and identify ordinary objects they can make prints from. It is critical in education to make connections not only to “real life”, but to the environment and other subject areas. With printmaking tools, students will also be able to collect items from nature and begin to look at these objects in a new and different way. They will learn about the process of creating multiple images through positive and negative space. Possibilities also include using handmade stencils (or using ordinary objects/nature items) on a variety of recycled papers for art journaling exploration. On top of their completed printed backgrounds, students can even write poetry or prose to incorporate language arts.

Impact: On a weekly basis, almost 500 aspiring artists visit the art classroom. They are creative, enthusiastic, knowledge-driven, and risk takers. With your help, they can use 21st century skills like collaboration, problem solving, experimentation, creativity, and critical thinking using printmaking and seeing how their learning applies to everyday life. Gelli plates are great because they can really build a student’s confidence in learning. No matter what the artistic level is, ALL students can be successful in this medium. There are so many various kinds of printing and so many everyday items they can experiment with such as foam, cardboard, paper towel tubes, yarn, etc.

Submitted By: Christina Cook

Grant Name: Dyslexia Students Take Flight with Interactive Technology: Take Two

In Partnership with: Dr. Chad and Danielle Patterson

$ 4,995.00

Project Description:Take Flight is the two-year comprehensive intervention we use for students with dyslexia. The Orton-Gillingham-based curriculum is written by the staff of the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas. Take Flight addresses the five components of effective reading instruction identified by the National Reading Panel’s research – phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension – and is a comprehensive Tier III intervention for students with dyslexia. Take Flight Interactive is an exciting way to present this scientifically-based effective reading curriculum through smart technology; however, our current StarBoards and SMART Notebook software are outdated and not compatible with the program. The SMART Board MX075-V2 INTERACTIVE DISPLAY WITH SMART LEARNING would bring the PGISD Dyslexia Department up to date and into the fascinating, engaging world of Take Flight Interactive.

Project Purpose and Objectives: Students these days are surrounded with distractions at every turn. Teachers find it difficult to compete for their attention using traditional educational mediums – pencil and paper, for instance, as is currently used during the Take Flight dyslexia intervention program. With the use of the SMART Board MX075-V2 INTERACTIVE DISPLAY WITH SMART LEARNING and Take Flight Interactive, students in the dyslexia program will have fun, engaging technology that not only captivates their attention, but will extend their learning. We hope to accomplish more student growth in the area of effective reading curriculum through these resources by engaging the students in innovative technology and enhancing what is learned in the dyslexia intervention classroom.

Impact: The Dyslexia Department at PGISD serves approximately 150 students 1st through 12th grade, with 53 students currently in active therapy. The grant will directly affect the instruction of the students in active therapy on a daily basis and will be used as needed for students who have exited the program and are being monitored. Statistically, one in five people have dyslexia, so this technology could potentially serve 20% of the students in our district (approximately 425) and can be used over and over again as new students are identified each year.

Submitted By: Amanda Kelley, Kelsey Reynolds- Dyslexia Department

Pleasant Grove Elementary School

Grant Name: Leveling the Literacy Playing Field

In Partnership with: Farmers Bank and Trust

$ 3,923.25

Project Description: Fountas & Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI) is a short term reading intervention that provides daily intensive small group instruction that supplements classroom literacy instruction. It is proven to turn struggling readers into successful readers with engaging leveled books and systematically designed lessons. This program is rated one of the top interventions used for struggling readers and writers. This proposal request includes two components of the LLI system:
1. The Leveled Literacy Intervention Orange Kit for Kindergarten- This kit provides teachers with pre-printed and online access to lesson materials. (poetry books, letter mini books, vowel books, journal response books, word cards, letter cards, and instructional posters. It also includes LLI based instructional books, 4 copies each, of 110 titles of leveled books to match small group reading levels. It also provides the Fountas and Pinnell Online data management system. This includes analyzing of a universal screener, provides progress monitoring, evaluates effectiveness of instruction, as well as, being able to share data and customize reports based on our own district.
2. The Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System provides a reliable and accurate benchmark that includes valuable tools to gather data of a child’s strengths and weaknesses to help drive individualized instruction. The benchmark system provides one on one formative and summative assessments that evaluate student’s reading and comprehension abilities and determines a student’s instructional and independent level for guided reading instruction. The system includes these components: leveled assessment books, assessment guide, student forms book, the Fountas & Pinnell Literacy Continuum, Online Data Management System, online resources, professional development and tutorial videos, and student folders. We have been using a suggested alternative leveling system to find reading levels, however, we feel this system provides us with an accurate and reliable testing tool that aligns to the Fountas & Pinnell Text Level Gradient. This assessment system will provide data for all intervention students.
These are truly top of the line products when it comes to phonics instruction and reading development.

Project Purpose and Objectives: This proposal adds two more components to the Fountas & Pinnell K-2 Leveled Literacy Intervention System (LLI) that we are currently using for our students who are identified for the need of reading intervention. Currently, we are using the Green and Blue Kits that focus on 1st and 2nd grade. We would like to add the Orange/Kindergarten Kit and the Benchmark Assessment System. We feel like adding these two additional components will provide a consistent, reliable, and accurate approach to meeting the needs of our K-2 students in the area of reading intervention.
Fountas & Pinnell’s LLI System is an intensive supplementary small group intervention program used for students who find reading and writing difficult. The goal of LLI is to lift the literacy achievement of students who are not achieving grade-level expectations in reading. Research states that students who do not have a solid foundation in phonics by the time they get to third grade will struggle in reading the rest of their school career. Research also states that systematic phonics instruction is more effective in helping to prevent reading difficulties among at- risk students and in helping students overcome reading difficulties. Non-systematic approaches do not provide ample opportunities to practice and apply what they are learning about letter sound relationships.
The Leveled Literacy Intervention System is designed to:
*Advance the literacy learning of students not meeting grade-level expectations in
reading
*Deepen and expand comprehension with close reading
*Elevate the expertise of teachers
*Increase reading volume by engaging students in large amounts of successful daily
reading
*Increase reading volume by engaging students in large amounts of successful daily
reading
*Increase student engagement with books that build knowledge
*Intervene with small groups of struggling readers to maximize growth
*Meet the needs of struggling readers
*Monitor student progress
Impact: At a minimum, this proposal will reach 60 students per year who are struggling with reading and writing. It has potential to meet more students based on need through data performed at the beginning, middle, and end of year assessment. The program is designed to target a group of students for 14 weeks. These students may exit the program if adequate progress has been made, or continue with additional small group lessons if needed. This curriculum will be able to be used year after year with no additional costs. This proposal adds the final needed components of the Fountas and Pinnell K-2 Leveled Literacy Intervention System.

Submitted by: Natalie Reeves & Rita RhodesElementary Campus, Intervention for K-2 students

Grant Name: “Centered” on Math Success

In Partnership with: Heritage Home Health Hospice

$1,260.00

Project Description: We are wanting to purchase engaging math folder kits, Quiz Cards (with special “Power Pens” for self checking answers), and various math skill board games. All of these target specific math objectives. These items will aid in the recall of 2nd grade math skills. It has been proven that through play children can develop social and cognitive skills, mature emotionally, and gain the self-confidence required to engage in new experiences and environments. Learning through play empowers children to become creative, engaged, lifelong learners and problem solvers. The children will practice specific math skills while having fun at the same time. These activities and games will reinforce what we are already learning in our math curriculum.

Project Purpose and Objectives: We hope to accomplish a sense of ownership in the quest for knowledge. We want their math building blocks to be strong enough to support the next degree of learning as they prepare for assessments as well as the next grade level. With a strong foundation in math skills, the students will transfer this learning into their everyday life. For example, some of our second grade math objectives include money, time, fractions, and many more. These are all necessary skills that they will use for the rest of their lives so we want their foundation to be strong. The items we are requesting will impact the students in a meaningful and positive way. They will reinforce vital math skills as a result of these math games and activities.

Impact: There are about 160 students in the 2nd grade at Pleasant Grove Elementary and they will all get to utilize these activities and learning games. These items will be used for many years. The knowledge they gain from practicing targeted skills through these educational games and activities will transfer with them as they move on to 3rd grade. Third grade is the first year these students will take the STAAR test in math. Having the use of these engaging activities and math games will help them become “STAAR ready”!

Submitted By: 2nd Grade Math Department

Grant Name: Listen for Learning

In Partnership with: The McCulloch Family

$750.00

Project Description: We know how important it is for students to read, however in Kindergarten the students are just learning to read. Since they can’t yet read most books, we find that it is very beneficial in developing literacy skills by having the students listen to books being read to them. With a grant I want to buy additional books and cds for the students to use in the listening center.

Project Purpose and Objectives: I hope to create an exciting and engaging activity for the students to learn from. The books and cds I would like to purchase are fun for the students. As well as being fun, listening to books being read will help teach them how to turn pages in a book, follow along in a story, teach how to read in a fluent manner and increase story comprehension skills.

Impact: We currently have 156 Kindergarten students that will use the books in their listening centers. The books and cds will be used for approximately the same number of students for years to come.

Submitted By: Kindergarten Team

Grant Name: Making a Math Connection

In Partnership with: Miller, James, Miller, & Hornsby LLP

$326.91

Project Description: The Connect and Count math manipulatives are a hands-on way for Kindergarten students to count, compare, add and even subtract – making math fun for everyone!

Project Purpose and Objectives: The easy to connect and count number rods make it simple for Kindergarten students to count and recognize numbers as well as compare numbers. These manipulatives are also an easy way for little learners to learn how to add and subtract. Each rod is color coded and features numbers on one side and the corresponding pips (dots) on the other side. The pips enhance subitizing (the ability to instantly recognize a number by a small quantity of objects such as dots on the dice) skills too! Having these rods will greatly enhance their hands-on exposure in composing and decomposing numbers, which is an essential element of joining (addition) and separating (subtraction).

Impact: I am requesting 8 sets of the Connect and Count Number Rods, which will reach as much as 160 or more students each year. These manipulatives can be used from the first day of instruction all the way through the last day of instruction. They are plastic, which makes them durable to use year after year. The number sets up to 10 provide the solid foundation for many different areas for the students to carry their skills into 1st grade!

Submitted By: Kindergarten Team

Grant Name: Integrating Steam into Early Childhood Special Education

In Partnership with: Christus Saint Michael

$867.71

Project Description: I would like to integrate more STEAM activities into my Early Childhood Special Education Classroom. My students require a lot of sensory input and output throughout their day. These items will not only aid in their sensory needs, it will incorporate more complex ideas and activities into their daily routine.

Project Purpose and Objectives: My goal in writing this grant is to integrate more STEAM related activities into my ECSE classroom. My students enjoy hands on learning and creating projects together. Having these items and activities will increase their participation and introduce them to more complex ideas and problem solving situations.

The finger crayons and the texture brushes will give the students who have fine motor delays more independence in creating their own art pieces. The shape of the animal finger crayons make them easier to grab and hold onto. The texture brushes have large handles and can be used independently. Paint brushes are an amazing way to give a student sensory input. The feel of the sponges with or without paint give some students great joy. Many enjoy the feel of them on their arm or cheek.

The light table play materials and alphabet mystery box are another great way to implement sensory input and problem solving. We will use the light table bins to play and manipulate the materials or we can place items in the bins for students to dig around and find. Using the alphabet mystery box will incorporate many different skills for students. Reaching into the box and pulling out an item is something that can be used to foster many of our needs. It will incorporate fine motor, counting, verbal and matching skills. These activities can be used daily in our classroom.

The stand up magnetic board and the create a path magnetic center will be a wonderful addition to our science center activities. Using the tubes to engineer a pathway for the marbles is great for problem solving, language development and fine motor skills. The roll and race activity ramp will also be another great addition to our science center. Using this we can easily incorporate positional words, verbs, fine motor skills and more. We can use both of these activities in so many different ways in the classroom.

The safety mirror can be used in a variety of ways in our classroom. Many of our students are more inclined to speak and repeat words if they can see themselves and watch the movement of their mouths. Our students love to watch themselves in the mirror and are fascinated with the reflection and movements that they see. Having this mirror will be used to incorporate verbal and also gross motor skills.

Impact: Two classrooms will be served with these items: Early Childhood Special Education and our K-2 Self contained classroom. The number of students that will be impacted is 16. All of these items will have recurring use in the classroom and can be shared back and forth. They will be implemented into centers and group activities with the classes. There is potential to expand into other classrooms and Speech Therapy Groups. Many of our ECSE students are being integrated into their general education classroom for most of their day. These items could be easily transferred between these Gen Ed Classrooms and Special Education classrooms daily.

Submitted By: Erin Wafford

Grant Name: Circle Time Learning Fun

In Partnership with: Eternal Beauty & Linda and Gary Jackson

$2,252.94

Project Description: This project will provide each classroom in Pre-K with a Circle Time Learning Center pocket chart and an All About Letters pocket chart. This will provide students with daily experiences to talk about the day of the week, letters, colors, shapes, and many other activities like counting and weather. If awarded this grant, we would also like to have a Teaching Easel to hang the pocket charts on, and to use writing for other activities in our whole group with students.

Project Purpose and Objectives: This project will impact instruction by providing a daily circle time routine which is interactive and engaging for our students. This will provide a visual center for our students to have meaningful interactions with the teacher during circle time. Many conversations and questions will start during this time of day, as the children follow along. The All about Letters pocket chart is a great extension to add with your circle time routine, and is filled with tracing cards and words that start with that letter.

Impact: Pre- kindergarten children thrive with routines and meaningful activities. This will be part of our morning routine, each and every day. This Project will impact roughly 80-100 students in our Pre- K program each year (based on enrollment), and will be used year after year.

Submitted By: Pre-K

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