MEF Round 31 Awarded Grants – November, 2017

Round 31 Grants – November, 2017

  1. Early Bird Book Collection
    The Fieler Kindergarten teachers have experienced great success using the Joy Cowley “Wishy-Washy” series for many years. She provides lower level reading materials that have great characters and humor. The children become truly engaged in these books year after year. These books are perfect for introducing poetry, rhyme and alliteration to the youngest readers.
    Fieler Grade K, 67 students, $322.50


  2. Great Egg-Spectations
    During this hands-on learning project, Great Egg-spectations, students will be engaged in cross-curricular activities while studying embryo development. Students will learn through reading, scientific investigation, daily measurements, discussion, problem solving, and real-life experiences to enhance their understanding of living things around us. Once chicks are hatched, students will be able to use their knowledge to design and build structures using previous knowledge of simple machines and the design process. This high interest unit not only addresses content curricula, but also supports our PBIS knowledge of be responsible, be respectful, and be safe with handling other living things. Students will be chirping about this egg-sperience for years to come.
    Fieler Grade 3, 100 students, $786.11


  3. Students Doing Science
    In “Students Doing Science,” we are providing the materials that teachers need in order to conduct science experiments with their classes. The purpose of the project is to encourage teachers to engage children in hands-on learning and to remove some of the barriers that might dissuade teachers from doing these types of activities with their students.
    Elementary Grades K-4, 2257 students, $500.00


  4. Drumming for Development
    Drumming for Development is a project to enhance music instruction and to promote students’ development using drumming activities. Students would use a set of tubano drums to practice rhythm activities. They would engage in drum circle activities that encourage group and individual playing and improvisation. The purpose is to help students grow musically, personally, and socially while supporting their cognitive development.
    Wood Grades K-4, 284 students, $609.00


  5. I/O Lab Physics Equipment
    The physics lab equipment at Merrillville High School is old and much of it does not work anymore. This equipment will allow the science department to do lab experiments solving for velocity, acceleration, distance, momentum, luminosity and more. We cannot prepare students for college physics if we cannot perform lab experiments in our classes.
    MHS Grades 11-12, 600 students, $904.00


  6. Flexible Seating
    The classroom of 50 years ago does not exist anymore! As students change, our instruction must change. This also means a change in the design of our classroom. If we are preparing students for the future workforce, why are we teaching them that the only way to learn is sitting behind a desk? As our instruction has evolved, so must our classrooms. Just Google flexible seating and you will find a myriad of benefits for students in a variety of classroom nationwide. In my classroom, I have found that students are more attentive, less disruptive, more collaborative, and much more engaged when they are not focused on how uncomfortable their chair is. I hope that you will find this project worth funding, and I know my students will appreciate the additional seating options.
    Kristin Schultz, Grade 4, 22 students, $150.00


  7. MHS Robotics Team
    As the sponsor of the Robotics team, we expanded our group to two teams for competition this year. With the second robot we are able to engage approximately 24 students with both machines. These students are working with a CAD program donated to all FIRST teams to develop their robot in virtually reality before starting the build. This program gives our students a chance to work with real objects while trying to solve the real problems of our robot. It is one of the best STEM programs our students can participate in here at Merrillville High School.
    MHS Grades 9-12, 25 students, $1000.00


  8. Peace Corners
    Peace Corners will be developed as a resource for students to self-regulate their emotions and feelings in the classroom. These practices align with our corporation’s commitment to the importance of social emotional learning as well as restorative practices. Every student at MIS will be impacted by this grant.
    MIS Grades 5-6, 950 students, $562.46


  9. One Book for All
    The purpose of this project is to involve the entire student body in our school-wide initiative to improve the love of reading at Iddings School. This goal will be accomplished by sharing a time-honored piece of literature. The story will be shared with every student at Iddings allowing students at every level to discuss the story.
    Iddings Grades K-4, 600 students, $165.00


  10. Middle School Math and Science Manipulatives, Games, and Lab Materials
    Teachers have found that improving memory, retention, and application are enhanced by the pairing of reading, writing, and the physical manipulation of objects related to these activities. Students in the Pierce PEP program would benefit from physical resources that increase the depth of their learning math and science concepts. I would like to purchase materials that require students to manipulate objects at various levels of difficulty. Such objects include puzzle cubes, manipulative models of common objects, electronic circuitry kits, basic chemistry materials, and simple musical instruments.
    Pierce Grades 7-8, 20 students, $500.00


  11. Cello Acquisition Project
    The purpose of this project is to acquire string instruments for student use in the MCSC Orchestra Program. This project would provide school-owned instruments to promising string students whose lack of resources would otherwise prevent their participation in our program. Having these new cellos would enrich the orchestra program, enhance at-risk student learning in core subjects, and would create a resource to be used for years to come.
    MHS Orchestra Grades 6-12, 450 students, $1,316.00


  12. Inclusion Dance for Special Needs Students
    FCCLA’s Inclusion Dance is very beneficial to many people. The Inclusion Dance is held for special needs students from seven local schools. This dance helps these students by allowing them to interact with other teens. It makes them feel special because they have a school activity created just for them. There is no cost to the special needs students and young adults to attend the dance. We have learned that some live in group homes and are from low income families. We do not want any special needs students or young adults to be excluded from this activity. The Inclusion Dance does not only benefit the special needs students. When FCCLA members see these students interact, it gives them a brand new respect for these students. They realize that special needs students aren’t that different- they just have some special needs. Because FCCLA wants to see this very important and much needed high school dance continue, we and Ms. Von Behren are requesting a grant to pay for the DJ and a portion of the fee for the photos.
    MHS Grade 9 BLAST Program, 367 students, $500.00


  13. Reading Is a Real Treasure!
    The goal of our project is to provide new and exciting books and bags to our pre-kindergarten through fourth grade students that will enhance the development of their reading skills and promote recreational reading over the summer months. By providing our students with their own books they will be able to develop their own home libraries. Approximately, 2,374 students will benefit from this project. In each bag, students will receive three books, a reading log/Bingo sheet, summer reading information and a bookmark. Providing students with an economy book bag to store their materials in will allow them to read at home or on the go this summer. Students will be encouraged to bring in their reading logs/Bingo sheets to share with their new teacher. When the students return the log and Bingo sheet to their teacher they will be entered into a drawing to win a $15 gift certificate to their school’s Book Fair later in the year. Students will be able to start their own home libraries.
    Fieler, Iddings, Miller, Salk, Wood, Grades PK-4, 2,374 students, $1,282.75


 

TOTAL ROUND 31 GRANTS:  $8,597.82

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