MEF Round 32 Awarded Grants – April, 2018

Round 32 Grants – April, 2018

  1. Nat Geo Kids: “Getting Wild Across Subjects”
    The goal for the project Nat Geo Kids: “Getting Wild Across Subjects” is for students to engage with exciting digital nonfiction text, while investigating science topics that spark curiosity and wonder. The NGE magazine will promote higher level thinking in reading and writing, while exposing students to science and technology.
    Kristina Buikema, Fieler, Grades K-4, 530 students, $1,140.00 (for grades 2-4)


  2. Structuring Numbers Using Inquiry Math
    The goal is to provide an excellent mathematics curriculum that engages students in meaningful discourse through individual and collaborative experiences. Experiences are provided that promote their ability to make sense of mathematical ideas and reason mathematically. Deeper thinking, fostering questioning strategies, and techniques to promote higher level thinking and problem-solving skills will be encouraged. These aforementioned skills are necessary for students to be successful in life and conquer any career path they choose in the future.
    Monique Smith, Iddings, Kindergarten, 125 students, $400.00 (for three sets)


  3. Listen, Learn, and Love the World Around You
    Students will explore authentic videos from all over the world such as recipe videos, restaurant reviews, current events, make-up or technology tutorials, fashion shows, and much, much more. All of this in the target language of Spanish or French and at their own pace. Students will also have conversations with both class partners and simulated/virtual partners where they will get to record their voices and build their conversation skills.
    Monica DaCostaGomez, Merrillville High School, Grades 9-12, 500 students, $560.33 (for one lab)


  4. Train Your Brain
    Train Your Brain provides accessible resources and learning opportunities to help students learn how to regulate themselves to prevent behavior outbursts, more self-awareness so learning can take place, and be more productive students by being more self-aware and regulated people. Self-regulation and improved focus will occur using the resources provided by this grant as tools in teaching about the brain and in mindful breathing and focusing activities. As Alan E. Beck said, “You can’t do the Bloom stuff until you take care of the Maslow stuff.” Every child. Every part. Every day. Whatever it takes.
    Jennifer Wittrup, Fieler, Grades K-4, 25+ students, $300.00


  5. There is More to See Than Selfies!
    This grant will be the start for providing cameras for students to check out and use. If they are supposed to see their world around them, shouldn’t they be outside to do that? The majority of students’ knowledge of photography is limited to the selfies they take with their smartphones. The projects of defining camera parts, learning how to take pictures, and correctly developing them, will allow the students to feel a sense of accomplishment, and to create something they are proud of. I believe that photography enriches each student’s life and helps them develop in other areas as well. These cameras will give students an opportunity to experience different things and think beyond themselves.
    Janet Anderson, Merrillville High School, Grades 10-12, 20-50 students per trimester, $635.88 (for 12 cameras)


  6. The Great Kindness Challenge
    The Kindness Challenge will be an additional component to our Social Emotional Learning effort at MIS. We will add this piece as a positive way to encourage kindness and empathy. Through our beginning of the year kickoff, we will use the book as a jump off point for continuous focus on kindness. Using the materials in this grant, we will write lessons for Pirate Power and celebrate success for words and actions of kindness.
    Kara Bonin, Merrillville Intermediate School, Grades 5-6, 950 students, $553.17


  7. Family Engineering Nights
    We will host a Family Engineering Night each trimester. Parents and students will be invited in to participate together in a variety of STEM activities. The purpose to introduce our parents to the engineering process and the new Makerspace.
    Kara Bonin, Merrillville Intermediate School, Grades 5-6, 360 students and parents (120 x 3 nights), $895.00


  8. Math Makeover
    The goal with Math Makeover is to increase our students understanding of geometry and measurement concepts. We at Iddings are currently showing deficiencies in these areas according to our ISTEP and I-Ready data. These types of deficits are making us susceptible to lower scores on the upcoming ISTEP state assessment. Not only are we in danger of future issues regarding this assessment but we have also received detrimentally lower scores on the previous year’s assessment. The objective is to supply the students with the foundation necessary to be successful when taking state mandated assessments (ISTEP). With early exposure and superior resources, we will be providing students with the appropriate skills necessary to be a successful student.
    Jennifer Pozdzal, Iddings, Grades K-4, 580 students, $1000.00 (for Grades 2, 3 and 4)


  9. Robotics Team 2018-19
    The Robotics team will hopefully continue the two teams next year. These teams will work with Cero, a program donated to all FIRST teams to develop their robot in virtually reality before the students start building their robots. Although there are parts we can use from year to year for the game, we must invest in new technologies in order to stay competitive. One of the biggest problems encountered this past year had to do with the telephones used to communicate between the operators and the robot. This year we hope to upgrade the phones so we might alleviate this problem. Upgrading all the phones will be somewhere around $200 per phone.
    Charles Seligman, Merrillville High School, Grades 9-12, 25 students, $1000.00


 

TOTAL ROUND 32 GRANTS:  $6,484.38

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