MEF Round 25 Awarded Grants – November, 2014

Round 25 Grants – November, 2014

  1. Let’s Get Up And Move
    Every student will realize that they will benefit from just 30 minutes of activity 5 days a week in or out of the classroom. Project focuses on healthy eating and exercise. Using six Omron Full Body Sensor Scales, students in PE will monitor body fat percentage, body mass index, skeletal muscle, resting metabolism, visceral fat, and body age and weight. Students will be charted throughout the year and keep a folder. The monitors will show progress.
    Tanya Bush, Pierce, 7th and 8th Grade, 1000 students, $497.88. 


  2. Pirate Pen Pals
    MCSC is comprised of five elementary schools. When 4th grade matriculates to MIS, they are grouped together for the first time. This project will eliminate some of the fear and anxiety the 4th graders have about going to middle school. Through the Pen Pal project, each student will be paired with another 4th grade student from another elementary school. They will not only improve their letter writing skills, but also get to know a classmate. The 4th grade teachers will be reading a powerful book about bullying, friendship, and fitting in to a new school. The project will culminate with a picnic held at MIS where students will tour their new school and meet their pen pals.
    Christine Waugh, Wood, Miller, Iddings, Salk, Fieler, MIS, 4th Grade, 450 students, $490.00. 


  3. “Super Heroes Unite.” A Celebration of Literacy
    The purpose of this grant is to partially fund a Celebration of Literacy Fair, “Superheroes Unite!” for K-4 students at Miller. The evening would showcase pieces of writing that students have created throughout the year. In addition, the fair would include stations where the children can enjoy a variety of literacy activities such as “Open Mic,” Make a Bookmark,” “listen to a story on CD,” “Listen to a Live Storyteller,” “Watch a book to come to life on video,” “Write their own comic or story from our ‘pick a prompt’,” “Practice word choice while making their own mask,” and more. This project will provide teachers, students, and families an opportunity to come together and celebrate the importance of literacy in our lives and the accomplishments of our true superheroes—our children.
    Lori Govert, Miller, K-4, 360 students, $662.00. 


  4. Structuring Numbers Using Inquiry Math
    Our goal is to encourage deeper thinking, foster questioning strategies and techniques to promote higher level thinking and problem solving skills. Although we are not an ISTEP grade, our goal is to supply students with the foundation necessary to be successful when taking state-mandated assessments (ISTEP). By starting the inquiry process early, we are providing the tools necessary for a smooth educational transition.
    Nikki Brayfield, Iddings, 1st Grade, 120 students, $657.34. 


  5. SQAIR Fitness System
    The purpose of SQAIR is to promote overall fitness through movement and to incorporate literacy and math skills in a Phys Ed classroom. The SQAIRS are 18 by 18 mats with one side stationary and the other side gliding effortlessly across the floor. They replace many other products in the PE class and will assist with learning math concepts. They can be used year after year.
    Jane Warren, Iddings, K-4th grade, 545 students, $699.98. 


  6. A Mountain of Math Practice
    Common Core Warm Ups Math Center will give our students continuous review of the many math skills they are learning. The question format of the chart will not only give them a spiral review, but also ask that they apply the skills to demonstrate their knowledge. The center is designed to promote a deeper understanding that is needed for students to be successful on ISTEP.
    Lori Williams, Salk, 3rd and 4th grades, 257 students, $191.90. 


  7. Civil War Inquiry Circles
    This project is a planned unit to study the Civil War via literature circles, inquiry circles, and small group research. The unit integrates literature and non-fiction as well as print and technological resources. Students will first participate in literature circles utilizing historical fiction books set in the Civil War era. After generating their own questions to research, students will work in groups to research various parts of the Civil War including people, places, and battles. Additionally, students will present their findings to the class using a technology component, PowerPoint or Educreations apps on the iPod.
    Nikki Laird, MIS, 5th grade, 60 students, $221. 


  8. Inquiring Minds Want to Learn
    This projects materials to aid us in our journey of Inquiry Math with our first grade students. The purpose is to supply our classrooms with the needed materials so we can focus our efforts in teaching our students through an investigative manner.
    Christine Kerr, Fieler, 1st grade, 100 plus, $781.70. 


  9. Books for Kids
    This project will allow teachers to choose books for their students based on level and interest, use these books in various ways in the classroom, and then send the books home for students to keep.
    Lynn Shoback, Miller, K-4, 380 students, $380.00. 


  10. Non-Fiction or Bust
    The second grade teachers at Salk have prepared a project to improve expository text reading skills of our students to better prepare them for the rigor of the new ISTEP and Acuity assessments. We plan to purchase 330 non-fiction books and require each student to read at least 1 a month.
    Hara Halkias, Salk, Grade 2, 115 students, $500.00.


  11. MHS Guidance Calculators.
    Test taking at the high school is not a level playing field, as students testing in math classrooms can use graphing calculators, but students in other rooms must bring their own, and many do not have them. The purchase of graphing calculators will aid test-taking abilities and potentially scores of students, and make it a level playing field for all test takers.
    Michelle Sulich, MHS, Grades 9-12, all students, $1000.00. 


  12. Necessary Non-Fiction
    Our students spend time every day reading self-selected tests. That being said, the more exposure they have to varied, interesting, and challenging nonfiction texts, the more their vocabulary and comprehension of this genre will improve.
    Michelle Hellwege, Fieler, 4th, 80 students, $500.00. 


  13. Reading is a Real Treasure
    This project will provide new and exciting books and bags to our kindergarten through 4th grade students that will enhance the development of their reading skills and promote recreational reading over the summer months. Each bag will contain three books, a reading log, summer reading BINGO sheet to share with their teacher.
    Janelle Bowen, Fieler-Salk-Miller-Wood, 2309 students, $754.92.


TOTAL ROUND 25 GRANTS:  $7,341.87

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