Teacher Grant TestimonialsBecause of the generous donations we receive, we are able to make a difference in our schools on a daily basis;
“Each year I seem to have
more and more students that have a difficult time focusing and sitting still
for instructional time”.
-First Grade Teacher
testimonial
As
a result of the “Fixes for Fidgets”
grant, ten first grade teachers have been able to have joint use of multiple
wobble cushions, bouncy bands, finger fidgets, and weighted lap blankets.
The
goal was to reduce the number of classroom interruptions and distractions
caused by those students who need that extra movement in the classroom.
The
items have been used in various ways to address this concern. Those that used them have reported that they
have been successful at channeling energy into less distracting avenues and
also have provided safety to students who tend to wiggle out of their seats
often.
“They seem to help because instead of leaning and falling out
of their seat, students who need that motion can lean and feel the movement of
the wobble cushion and not lean to the point of falling out of the chair”.
The wobble cushions and bouncy bands are by far
the most commonly checked out item. They
have become accommodations for many students.
The finger fidgets are being used by one teacher in her safe place (an
area for overwhelmed students to calm down).
The weighted blankets have been used to help students become more aware
of their body and lap space at carpet time.
We are grateful for the items received from the
grant. We are particularly thankful that
the items were here and available to students from the beginning of the school
year. This allowed us to include the
items in our routines and procedures and nonchalantly introduce the items as
learning tools and not toys. This was
very helpful.
Teachers will continue to have access to these items next year and they
will continue to reach more students who need that little extra help to control
their “fidgets” and focus on their education.
The Storyworks grant that 5th grade ELAR was awarded has been a great asset to the reading curriculum. With the grant money we received we ordered a magazine subscription to Storyworks for each student. We use the magazine in our classrooms both as an instructional tool and assessment tool. Our students are much more engaged in these articles than typical STAAR-type passages, while still experiencing the same level of intense reading that they will see on standardized tests. This magazine does a great job of guiding their thinking and making them dig deeper into a selection. Because each student has their own copy, they are allowed to annotate and document where they found answers to document comprehension. It has allowed us, as teachers, the opportunity to provide work that is still rigorous but more interesting to the students because it is based on current events. We also have access to extras that further their comprehension of what they are reading, as well as cross curricular connections. In addition to this, we are able to provide much better differentiation to our inclusion students with the extra materials provided by Storyworks. Our students are actually asking if they can read articles we haven’t used yet before we assign them!
Thank you,
Cindy Mayes
Jeanne Ranft
Samantha Ranft
The Annex Campus received a
grant to acquire new graphing calculators. The calculators we had been
using with the students were from the Coop and were beginning to have
issues. The TAG students are using newer technology which has helped
some prepare better for college courses. The staff has been able to
spend more time with the student teaching the classes instead of
changing batteries. We are most appreciative of the monies and hope to
be able to use these calculators for many years to come.
Miranda Brown
Our
new projection screen in the PAC been useful for all groups who use the
PAC along with projection devices. It's motorization is so convenient.
Students are served by this item as well as teachers and administrators.
Thank you so much!!!!
Kendra Tatsch
