Spring Lake Schools Foundation Fund
2022 - 2023 Grant Awards
Multi-Tiered Systems of Support - Behavior; Intermediate and Middle School all grades. Recipients - Sarah O'brien, Amanda Walker, and Matt Augustin. Multi-Tiered Systems of Support provides layers of academic and behavioral interventions that have been proven to promote high student achievement as well as a positive school culture and climate.
Resources for Success; Spring Lake students taking a post secondary test for the next 5 years. Recipient - Daniel Hackett
Teachers need current and up-to-date resources to better prepare students who are taking post-secondary tests. Current textbooks are not up-to-date and don’t address post-secondary skillsets. Too often districts rely on teachers to buy updated supplemental resources on their own. This small grant for Spring Lake High School math teachers is meant to get at least once College prep or ASVAB testing book in each secondary math teacher's hand so they can use the resource to help students. In addition, the grant will offer each HS teacher the chance to purchase online lessons/units from the website TeachersPayTeachers(TPT). This electronic resource will allow the teachers to better inspire the students and tailor curricular instruction to specific student's needs. The goal is to get current and advanced math resources in the teacher's hand so they can improve student performance.
Logically Thinking: Hands on Logic and Critical Thinking Game Play; 4th grade students at Holmes Elementary. Recipients - Mary VanderBosch, Caryn Lannon, Kevin Teays, and Amy Berry. The purchase of logic games, brain teasers, and puzzles that teach critical thinking and logical reasoning skills through hands-on, fun game play.
Engaging Math "Escape Room"; 60-70 students in grades 7th and 8th. Recipient - Anne Delong
The grant to purchase "escape room" type puzzles that could be solved through correctly applying the math skills and concepts being learned in class. Using lockboxes, hollowed out books, and other hidden clues that students need to find to complete a challenge. The main way for students to find clues would involve correctly solving 7th and 8th grade math problems which would be highly engaging and would be a great motivator for students to engage in math skill work, problem solving, and team work.
Improving Student Access; Students in the SXI Classroom. Recipient - Mike Rotman. The grant money will be used to purchase a stander which multiple students will use to work on their physical therapy goals while participating in classroom activities.
Curriculum Enhancement; Students at Intermediate and Middle School. Recipient - Tracey Olsen
We will use the money to purchase books that will enhance the curriculum for the Intermediate and Middle Schools. Including but not limited to materials on: Environmental Activism, The Great Depression/Dust Bowl, The Black Plague, Civil Rights, Child labor, Genetics, and Diseases. That is just a few of the areas where we are lacking at the present time.
Book Clubs and Mysteries; Jeffers 3rd grade. Recipient - Kelly Orquist
Funds used to purchase high interest, low level mystery books to enhance teaching and the learning experiences of readers who need more growth than others. In addition, the 4-5 copies of high interest books at a variety of levels to allow for more choice of reading material during our book club reading unit.
Tier 3 Intervention; K-4 Jeffers. Recipient - Sarah Gray
This grant will support our Tier 3 reading interventions, specifically the S.P.I.R.E. intervention. We have a S.P.I.R.E. kit, but it is outdated and we do not have enough of the kits to support our struggling readers at all grade levels.
Astronomy Club; High School. Recipient - Jonathan Reinhard
Our grant is split between two separate projects: a portable planetarium, and astrophotography equipment start-up program. The planetarium project will not only impact members of the SLHS Astronomy club, but a planned outreach program will impact the students throughout the district. The planetarium project will develop interpersonal and communication skills of astronomy club members through planetarium presentations and interactions with elementary students, teachers and administrators. Technical skills will also be developed throughout the construction of the planetarium during the winter school months. The planetarium outreach program will impact students by introducing them to the night sky at a young age, in addition to potential elementary science lesson development around the project. The astrophotography equipment start-up fund request fulfills the mission of SLPS by introducing club members to develop and enhance a new set of technical skills around the activity of astrophotography. This will continue to develop their appreciation for this field of study and their skills as amateur astronomers.
Substitute Teacher Gift Bag Project; Spring Lake Intermediate School. Recipient - Bridget Fogel.
Funds awarded to this grant will be used to purchase items of appreciation that will be shared with our hard working and dedicated substitute teachers. The growing demand for finding substitute teachers is at an all time critical level. We want to offer every substitute teacher a gift bag on the first day that he or she works in our building for the first time. After a year of issuing these Substitute Teacher Gift Bags, we have found that this does provide a warm welcome that helps substitute teachers feel gratitude for working at a Spring Lake School. We would like to continue to offer an additional gift bag for those substitute teachers that work in our building for the 5th and then again for the 10th time. We would also like to award an end of the year award for the top two substitutes for their year long commitment. These dedicated individuals should continue to feel our appreciation as they continue to work in the building. It is our hope that this practice becomes part of our culture and continues for years to come
Ramped Up Read Aloud; Holmes Elementary. Recipient - Megan Dean and Katie VanSingel
Our district already has a resource entitled, The Ramped-Up Read aloud: What To Notice As You Turn the Page. The Ramped-Up Read Aloud is a professional text written by Maria Walther. It shares two-page read aloud experiences for each of the 101 picture books listed in the resource. For each of the 101 books listed in the resource, there is a two page guide that goes along with each book that tunes teachers into what to notice, say, and wonder in order to bolster students’ literacy skills. The read alouds int he resource help to facilitate:-Foster a strong sense of community-Celebrate the written (and illustrated) word-Build a foundation for future reading and learning-Expand vocabulary (with a focus on Tier 2 words)-Support budding writers-Spark collaborative conversations-Increase students reading comprehension for fiction and nonfiction books-Encourage perspective-taking, empathy, and a growth mindset Currently the district does not have the books (the mentor texts) for implementation of The Ramped-Up ReadAloud. The two sets of books that would be provided by this grant, offer up a springboard for lessons to be differentiated for the needs of students in our lower elementary classrooms for years to come
