During the 2011-2012 school year, LCS students will become mathematical magicians, scientific investigators, higher-level thinkers, time travelers, and much more!
It is all made possible through business sponsored grants from the Lynchburg City Schools Education Foundation, Inc. In its twentieth year of offering scholarships, the Foundation awarded forty-three grants to teachers for the 2011-2012 school year.
The Lynchburg City Schools Education Foundation, Inc. has awarded almost 350 corporate sponsored teacher grants since initiating the program more than twenty years ago. More than $329,000 in grant funds have allowed teachers, counselors and administrators the opportunity to implement a broad range of creative and innovative ideas into our classrooms and schools. This year the Foundation funded grants totaling more than $56,000.
Sponsoring businesses include: Babcock & Wilcox Company, Genworth Financial, Lynchburg Economic Development Authority, Piedmont Community Health Plan, Appalachian Power, R.R. Donnelley, Wal-Mart(Wards Road), Dodson Pest Control, BB&T, Benchmark Systems, Fleet Laboratories, Greater Lynchburg Community Trust, Lynchburg Retail Merchants Foundation, Presbyterian Homes & Family Service, Wal-Mart (Old Forest Road), Wegmann USA, Inc., Wachovia Bank,Ace it! Tutoring Powered by Sylvan, American National Bank, AREVA, Bank of the James, Banker Steel, Candler Oil, Central Virginia Federal Credit Union, Colonial Brokerage House, Dominion Seven Architect, The Education & Research Foundation, Inc., Generation Solutions, Hurt & Proffitt, Lynchburg Municipal Employee Federal Credit Union, Lynchburg Nissan, Moore & Giles, Inc., R.M. Gantt Construction, Successful Innovations, Sylvan Learning of Lynchburg, Virginia School Equipment, Westover Dairy, Wiley|Wilson, WSET.
Below are the projects that received grants for the 2011/2012 school year:
Needed Physics Equipment at E. C. Glass High School
E. C. Glass High School – Teacher: David Templeton
Grant Sponsor: The Babcock & Wilcox Company
The purpose of the program is to provide the students in the Physics classroom at E. C. Glass the opportunity to experience how the world works around them. This is why the lab exists in the science classroom. The lab is not only an important part of science it is one of the driving forces in Physics. On too many occasions students miss the laboratory experience in the science classroom because of SOL preparation pressure or declining educational budgets. Physics equipment is not used up as in the case of Chemistry and Biology supplies. With proper care this equipment can be used over and over again throughout the coming years. This will allow the future students at Glass to use this equipment in developing their Physics aptitude and abilities. In addition this equipment is needed to better prepare those students who will be taking the AP Physics exam where there is a required laboratory experience that is referenced on the exam.
Children’s Book
Heritage High School – Teachers: Jon Roark, Lanaux Hailey
Grant Sponsor: Lynchburg Economic Development Authority
The purpose of the program is to provide practical experience in the world of publishing from the point of view of an artist, writer, scriptwriter, editor, etc. Previously, Heritage advanced art students illustrated a children's book Sandy the Starfish. Students from AP to special education participated in this project. The students read the story, analyzed it and picked scenes to illustrate and then produced their own illustrated version of the book. We then printed the book, with approximately $1500 raised to cover printing costs through a school-wide talent show, and had a gallery opening with a book release party as a finish to the project. The idea is to once again have students learn and experience all of the aspects of writing and illustrating a book. With this experience, they can also attempt to adapt stories to other areas such as drama.
Project Inclusion
E. C. Glass High School – Teacher: Heather McCormick
Grant Sponsor: Fleet Laboratories + LCS Education Foundation, Inc.
The purpose of the program is to increase high school students' sensitivity to and awareness of diversity issues so they can create school and community environments free from the distractions of prejudice and stereotypes. More specifically, this retreat will give participants the opportunity to work closely with their peers to explore personal experiences with discrimination and develop individual skills and school-wide action plans that address change in themselves and their schools. During “Project Inclusion”, participants will participate in experiential workshops focusing on diversity appreciation and conflict resolution. The sessions are designed to raise awareness of the individuals' experience with bias and prejudice in order to build empathy towards others. In doing so, students increase their understanding of what prejudice is, decrease stereotypes and develop an expanded awareness of discrimination and the harmful effects on individuals, groups, and communities.
Literacy Workstations-Practice with a Purpose
Paul Munro Elementary School – Teacher: Carla Fedeler
Grant Sponsor: Wells Fargo Bank + The Greater Lynchburg Community Trust’s Faye Marcum Mifka Fund
The purpose of the program is to provide students with the materials and opportunities to practice skills that are taught in the small group and large group settings. Students enjoy hands-on learning, and this project will provide classroom teachers with the supplies they need to be able set up literacy stations for students to use. Some stations could include premade literacy games and activities, while some stations would consist of the manipulatives students need to make words or projects addressing specific literacy skills. Items purchased will be checked out for a week at a time and returned for others to use later. Some items such as reader's theatre scripts may only be used one week per classroom. However, these would be purchased since they are time consuming for teachers to prepare. Other manipulatives such as letter stamps and inkpads could be used at different times, but probably not every week. The goal is to assist teachers with differentiating instruction and meeting individual needs in the area of reading while increasing time on task.
Kindergarten Travels to Letter Land
Bedford Hills Elementary School – Teacher: Lucinda Pickering, Nancy Campbell
Grant Sponsor: Moore & Giles + The Greater Lynchburg Community Trust Special Fund + LCS Education Foundation, Inc.
The purpose of the program is to provide Bedford Hills kindergarten students with an exciting, engaging, interactive, systematic, and comprehensive phonics program. By building a strong understanding of letter sounds, word segmentation and blending, we hope to set the stage for improved reading skills throughout the children’s educational career. At this time, two of our kindergarten teachers and all of our first grade teachers at Bedford Hills are already using the Letterland curriculum. We would like to implement this in our rooms, so that all of the Bedford Hills K-1 students are learning the same material. Our target area of improvement is Concept of Word. We will measure our success by comparing the Concept of Word scores on the Fall 2011 PALS (Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening) to the scores on the Spring 2012 PALS.
“Be Fit, Don’t Sit” @ Fort Hill Community School
Fort Hill Community School – Teacher: Tracie Hayes
Grant Sponsor: Genworth Financial
The purpose of the program is to provide physical education classes to our middle school alternative education students. The Fort Hill Community School created this course last year to assist our students to have a better understanding of the importance of physical fitness. Thus, we are in desperate need of additional physical education equipment. Secondly, the purpose of the program is behavior modification in which our students will improve classroom behavior and work ethic with the incentive of physical education time. Our students enjoy their physical education activities, thus they have a chance to release energy through a positive channel. It is a win-win situation because our students improve their behavior in the classroom; thus, they are more successful in school. It is a positive reward system in which the students earn fitness time by exhibiting good behavior. In order to make this program even better, we need additional equipment because our students really look forward to their physical education class.
Leaping to Learning with Letterland
Heritage Elementary School – Teachers: Tiffany Ellis, Vernessa Harvey,Julie Speck, Courtney DiBrango
Grant Sponsor: Virginia School Equipment + LCS Education Foundation, Inc.
The purpose of the program is to provide students with a high interest, motivational, multi-sensory approach to learning letter sounds and the blending of these sounds into words. Knowing that the concept of word task on the spring kindergarten Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) assessment is a reliable indicator of first grade reading success, we would like to target the area of concept of word among our students. With the Letterland program, we will motivate and engage our students in learning to read. Students in kindergarten at Heritage Elementary will have numerous opportunities to learn about how the sounds work together to make words with fun and creative stories. Through these learning experiences students will engage in many activities that will also build language, vocabulary, and writing skills. Letterland is designed to meet the needs of diverse learners with its multi-sensory approach.
VTS Transition Curriculum
Heritage High School, E. C. Glass High School – Teachers: Jennifer Anderson, Amy Page
Grant Sponsor: Piedmont Community Health Plan
The purpose of the program is to provide "a coordinated set of activities for students within the functional curriculum that is designed to be within a results-oriented process, focused on improving the academic and functional achievement of the child to facilitate the child’s movement from school to post-school activities, including post-secondary education; vocational education; integrated employment (including supported employment); continuing an adult education; adult services; independent living or community participation" (NSTTAC, 2007).
The curriculum comes with 39 work stations, 44 numbered totes, a Daily Schedule Board that can contain up to 16 names, complete shelving, Daily Log and support software with assessments. VTSTM provides students with hands-on experience where the tasks and activities can be manipulated and changed on a daily or weekly basis. This will aid in students learning that a job does not always consist of the same activity every day and that there are rewards to providing good work for an employer.
Product Production Program
Linkhorne Middle School – Teachers: Patty Webb, Gigi Sweeney, Patty Dalton
Grant Sponsor: Genworth Financial
The purpose of the Project Production Program is to provide encouragement, support, and materials to students as they create projects for their various classes. Our student population is composed of a large contingent of students who do not have support, direction or materials available to them at home.This program establishes a space for students to work creatively in a collaborative environment of peers and mentors. This will help to build a community of creativity and learning in our school where all students can work and/or volunteer to help their peers with creative projects. The program encourages academic learning, creativity, and productivity while emphasizing community and teaching our students how to give and receive help.
Hands on Nature
Dunbar Middle School – Teachers: Thomas Foster, Kacey Anderson
Grant Sponsor: The Babcock & Wilcox Company
The purpose of the program is to provide the students of the Lynchburg City School system with an opportunity to experience nature first-hand, by bringing nature into their classroom. Having this touch-tank in their classroom, students are given the opportunity to visualize, feel, and feed the animals spoken of in various textbooks. All of these unique opportunities are woven into specific science SOL related initiatives that supports STEM integration. Students are taught about ecosystems, adaptations, human impact upon biomes, watershed components, niches, organisms role, populations, and food webs to name a few. Also, through this initiative, students are able to use math and writing concepts that supports SOL based instruction, topics include: volume, density, finance math, graphing, multiplication, division, subtraction, addition, research, writing, and reading. Through the continuation of this program, we seek to enhance the specific SOLs related objectives associated with the aforementioned disciplines. Also, we hope our program will continue to serve the upcoming school population of Lynchburg City Schools and further progress academic success in these core subjects.
Letterland
Bedford Hills Elementary School – Teachers: April Roberts, Anna Karnes, Sarah Rowland
Grant Sponsor: Lynchburg Nissan + LCS Education Foundation, Inc.
The purpose of the program is to provide an engaging, hands-on environment for students to learn and retain the rules of phonics. Letterland will be implemented alongside our current Harcourt Reading Series to enhance the phonics instruction. Letterland utilizes evidence-based strategies to optimize instruction for all learning styles. Each Letterland character has an action trick accompanied with the sound that gives the students a ‘hook’ to remember the short vowel sounds. The students use movement, music, visuals, and objects to recall the learned skills. Furthermore, Letterland is designed to differentiate the instruction based on the student’s individual needs. For example, if a child does not master the short a spelling unit, he or she will repeat the skill until it is mastered. The students that do not need remediation will continue on to new vowel patterns. This program allows for more individualized instruction in the classroom.
The Time Travelers: Integrating Reading, Writing, and History
Dunbar Middle School – Teachers: Gail Waller, Jennie Howell, Keith Bennett, Sue McClure
Grant Sponsor: RR Donnelley
Our primary goal is to improve the culture of how our students view reading and books. The chief purpose of this proposal is to quite literally place books in the hands of our students, and make their time with books meaningful, enjoyable, and rewarding. “The Time Travelers” is an after school remediation/enrichment program targeting students living within a low socio-economic community. By doing this, we aspire to increase student academic confidence, creating in students a life-long love of reading while developing positive relationships between students and teachers. We will also increase student exposure to a variety of reading and writing genres.
Dressing Up Social Studies Communities Past and Present
Perrymont Elementary School – Teachers: Carla Hamilton, Kathy East, Candace Mercer
Grant Sponsor:Wiley|Wilson + LCS Education Foundation, Inc.
The purpose of the program is to broaden and enhance our students’ world so that they can think critically about their community and their world. Many of our students due to our economy have not experienced historical sites or have gotten to see areas outside of Lynchburg, Virginia. Their world is what they see in their immediate neighborhood. Hands on materials, internalizing our history by reenacting it, reading and writing in response to what they learn, will enable them to become stronger analytical academicians. We want them to read critically, write creatively, learn how historical events have affected their community and know how the geography of an area affects how they function daily.
Mobile Listening Makes Math Magical
Perrymont Elementary School – Teacher: Martha Pollard, Ann Marie Clingingpeel, Laura Putney, Page Miller
Grant Sponsor: Genworth Financial
The purpose of the program is to provide math listening stations for students at all ability levels. Our project, Mobile Listening Makes Math Magical, will enable the Kindergarten unit to promote station-based learning in the area of mathematics. Through station-based learning, we will be able to promote independent learning while providing remediation and acceleration opportunities for all students. These stations will allow us to reinforce skills that have been taught in the classroom while providing our students with the opportunity to further explore these skills and topics. This project will help our students love math and have fun while learning.
True Shoes: A Work in Progress
E. C. Glass High School – Teachers: Patricia Worsham, Heather McCormick
Grant Sponsor: Hurt & Proffitt + LCS Education Foundation, Inc.
The purpose of the program is to provide students with the experience and insight of a published author who writes books for young people. We will invite Doug Wilhelm, a young adult writer, to come share his book and writing skills with the students at E. C. Glass. Doug is a well-known young adult author who has worked with many schools across the country. Doug is able to use a wide range of strategies to work with students to comprehend, evaluate and interpret text. Similarly, Doug will work with students and teachers in writing workshops which use different elements of the wring process to communicate different audiences for a variety of purposes. For example, he will focus on how a writer creates characters. Students will have the opportunity to discuss a work in progress with a “real life author” and then be able to see the finished product in the spring. Finally this project will provide a forum for discussion of an issue that affects all secondary school students in some form: bullying.
Reading Rocks - A Student-Directed Reading Campaign
Sandusky Middle School – Teachers: Terra Vance, Maria Jaeger, Ryan White, Connie Ellison
Grant Sponsor: Walmart + The Education & Research Foundation
The purpose of the program is to provide students with an opportunity to inspire the school community to get into reading. Students from diverse backgrounds and all reading levels converge to form an advertising campaign that keeps reading a predominant social influence. The students who fail to meet the basic skill requirement year after year in reading are not being inspired by the traditional efforts, so students joined together to create "Reading Rocks", an innovative campaign which uses modern, fresh, popular iconic imagery to sell books as the "must-have" accessory of the season. Students work together to create T-shirts, posters, videos, and other projects to address their school community in its own voice and unique culture and are given the opportunity to use their creativity to make a positive difference in the world around them.
Math for Students
Linkhorne Elementary School – Teacher: Carrie Finney
Grant Sponsor: The Babcock & Wilcox Company
The purpose of the program is to provide practice for multiplication facts, place value, telling time, elapsed time, naming fractions, counting money, and making change which is taught in Virginia’s 3rd grade math curriculum. These skills addressed in this proposal are skills that require practice to master after they have been taught in the classroom. Many students do not have the support to provide practice outside the classroom. Within the classroom, students need engaging opportunities to practice skills. By providing the students with opportunities to practice in a fun and engaging way, the students will master these key concepts.
Many Faces, One School
Bedford Hills Elementary School – Teachers: Janet Bates, Faye James
Grant Sponsor: Genworth Financial
The purpose of this program is to help minimize the achievement gap. We will do this by providing an opportunity for minority and lower socioeconomic parents to feel comfortable and welcome in their child’s school. We will do this by providing transportation for parents to volunteer and making sure all staff and teachers have things ready and available to do. We will provide staff training on cultural competency. Bedford Hills will address better communication between staff and our targeted parents.
We will have three that will provide an opportunity for open discussions. We will promote this through speakers and break out groups. We will offer incentives for children and adults. The adults’ opportunities to win will be based on attendance and involvement in the school. The students will be based on A/B honor roll, grade improvement and reaching their AR reading goals.
Snack on a Good Book
Sandusky Elementary School – Teachers: Malinda Morgan, McKinley Tucker, Staci Treadway, Cathy Straw
Grant Sponsor: RM Gantt + LCS Education Foundation, Inc.
The purpose of this program is to provide quality literature for our students that will help to increase their experiential background. Allowing opportunities for students to increase their background knowledge is a winning situation for all involved. As standards increase so does the need for our students to score higher on standardized tests. If we can reach all modalities of learning for our students we have to believe the success rate will be higher. As the population of our students diversifies, students are exposed to new ethnicities and therefore there is a need to educate about cultural awareness. Exposing students to various genres and cultures will increase their background knowledge, therefore increasing an experiential background that they will be able to pull from when dissecting cold passages on an SOL test for Reading, Social Studies or Writing.
With Just One Touch, You Can Read!
Linkhorne Elementary School – Teacher: Karen Kohuth, Jennifer Lovett
Grant Sponsor: The Babcock & Wilcox Company
The purpose of the program is to provide students with the opportunity to read various genres of stories online to increase students’ reading skills, comprehension, motivation, and become more familiar reading stories on a screen. The National Reading Panel report (NRP,2000) suggests that technology successfully enhances reading instruction in the elementary grades. The students have technology opportunities at school, however, it is not enough to compete with other children that have more resources at home. Our students need more experience and exposure to reading lengthy passages on a screen in order to properly prepare them for the computerized SOLs. The targeted students did not pass the SOLs, so the use of this proposed project is another avenue to reach and teach our at-risk students with the iPad!
Searching for Clues in Science and Social Studies
R. S. Payne Elementary School – Teacher: Sandy Halpin
Grant Sponsor: Walmart
The purpose of the program is to provide Virginia Studies Weekly newspaper, "Mouse" government books, and Virginia based historical fiction to fifth graders at RS Payne base school, for the purpose of improving understanding of Virginia History and Government. Scores indicate that improvement needs to be made in how we teach and motivate our rising 5th graders to prepare them for Spring 2012 SOL tests. The short, exciting format of the magazine and newspaper articles and the use of pictures and graphics make these publications attractive to the students. The anticipated result is an improvement in SOL grades in Reading and Virginia Studies as a result of using these resources. In the same way, use of Virginia Science Weekly newspaper would support acquisition of scientific concepts and knowledge while supporting non-fiction reading in the content areas.
C3 (C Cubed) Core Curriculum Centers
Perrymont Elementary School – Teachers: Linda Wyndham, Emily Morris
Grant Sponsor: Benchmark Systems
The purpose of this project is to provide students with opportunities to review and further explore the core curriculum subjects (reading, math, writing, science, and social studies) during station-based learning time. There is an ongoing need to review material in both science and social studies in order for students to understand and remember the essential information that is taught during the year. In order to promote mastery and retention of previously taught material, we need to be able to offer different opportunities for students to be actively engaged with the content throughout the school year. We plan to purchase materials needed for students to work independently at a station or with a partner in order to further enhance their knowledge in the core subject areas. Our grant will provide the funds needed to include science and social studies. These stations will be introduced when the information is taught in class and will be used throughout the year to review and reinforce the material.
Bringing Harriet Tubman to Lynchburg!
Sandusky Middle School and Dunbar Middle School – Teachers: Connie Ellison, Meg Smith, Ryan White
Grant Sponsor: Bank of the James + Anonymous
The purpose of the program is to provide a live theater performance for both of our schools. Children who have never seen a play enacted onstage will have the opportunity to do so. At DMS, 74% of the students live in poverty. At SMS, the number is hovering are 70%. These children's parents often cannot afford to take their children to the enriching activities such as live theater that many children from more affluent homes take for granted. We want to give ALL our students the opportunity to see history and literature come alive on stage. Every opportunity we grab to expand out students' general knowledge and broaden their horizons helps us bridge the gap in achievement that exists between the affluent and the poor in our schools and community.
A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words
R. S. Payne Elementary School – Teacher: Abby Seay
Grant Sponsor: WSET TV + George Rainsford Grant
The purpose of the program is to provide fifth grade students with an opportunity to improve and build up a variety of writing skills as well as a reading skill. It will also provide the students with an opportunity to build a stronger and more cohesive community within our fifth grade unit. This program will have the fifth graders practice being more creative in their writing as well as using a variety of sentences and words to make their writing more interesting. It will also require the students to edit their descriptions for errors such as grammar, word usage, punctuation, capitalization, and correct them, thus further practicing this skill. By asking the students to compare and contrast each other they will be practicing not only an important reading skill but also using this skill to develop a stronger sense of community within our unit by showing the students what they may or may not have in common.
Portfolios for Pre-Professionals
E. C. Glass High School – Teachers: Allen Whitacre, Kim Hansen, Renee Stephens
Grant Sponsor: Lynchburg Economic Development Authority
The purpose of the program is to provide ECG Career-Technical students with materials (binders, sheet protectors, and photo paper) to produce high-quality, organized professional career portfolios. A career portfolio will help students look at career options, plan for post secondary education, write resumes, cover letters, complete job applications and prepare for job interviews; thus providing these students with an advantage over other applicants. Such a portfolio can be helpful in assisting a student in preparing for a career after high school or in preparing for post secondary education. By providing students with an opportunity to create their own career portfolio, you also provide them an opportunity to explore their interests and skills, discover their career goals and develop plans to reach those goals.
Off to a Write Start
Linkhorne Elementary School – Teacher: Karen Mason, Marin Swienton, Jennifer Zuniga
Grant Sponsor: Dodson Pest Control
“Off to a Write Start” will be a dynamic instructional program integrating evidenced-based practice of video modeling and kinesthetic handwriting instruction to promote recognition and execution of manuscript print. The project will target instruction of students at the kindergarten level: a pivotal point in the development of manuscript and hand skills. Classroom handwriting instruction will be supported through the video, “Alphabet Beats,” which models letter formation paired with a verbal chant. Retention will be strengthened by enabling students to observe proper letter formation paired with motivating auditory reinforcement. Students will be provided additional opportunities to watch and then practice the presented letter(s) of the week at a center within the general education classroom and resource classroom. The center will have available a small portable DVD player, laminated practice worksheets, and dry erase crayons. Furthermore, centers addressing the development of hand strength and dexterity will also be available within the general education and resource classroom. The centers will address the development of intrinsic motor control necessary for smooth motor movement involved in handwriting.
Extreme Makeover Reading Edition
Bedford Hills Elementary School – Teachers: Chelsey Dews, Gwyneth Tatum
Grant Sponsor: BB&T
The purpose of the program is to enhance our reading instruction and facilitate small group learning. We plan to purchase a complete set of leveled comprehension board games for use during our reading center time. It is our desire to purchase these games to actively engage the students in productive activities while their teacher works one on one with a reading group. This set includes eighteen titles ranging from Main Idea to Predicting Outcomes and targets reading levels from 2.0 to 6.5. These games directly correlate to our SOL objectives in language arts and will be accessible to all learners including struggling and advanced readers. Additionally, we predict that the use of these games will improve behavior management of small group instruction.
Memory Books
Linkhorne Middle School– Teachers: Patricia Dalton, Patricia Webb
Grant Sponsor: Lynchburg Retail Merchant Foundation
The purpose of the program is to provide reading, writing, and oral presentation opportunities for students in advanced English, literature, and SOAR classes taught by the two teachers submitting the application. Memory Books are autobiographical books written by students during the last six weeks of the school year. These books give the students an opportunity to expand their writing skills beyond the essays required by the SOL Writing Test. Creative expression such as poetry, anecdotes, family trees, and personal narratives are included to creative a lasting memento for students to keep and share with their families. The addition of photos, awards, and letters from their teachers make this even more important for those students who are unable to afford school yearbooks and value this “Memory Book” as a keepsake of their middle school years.
Inquiring Minds Want to Know
Sandusky Middle School – Teacher: Linda Borland
Grant Sponsor: Appalachian Power Company
The purpose of the program is to provide science kits that will encourage students to investigate concepts within a guided framework. The new science SOL test for 2012-2013 will include more analytical open-ended, higher-level thinking questions. We wish to prepare our students for these kinds of questions by providing activities that will encourage them to use critical thinking skills to discover, explore, investigate, and test as they complete hands-on tasks. These kits are learning tools that use inquiry-based activities to build links between science, math, and technology. These activities are designed so that students will be able to expand upon classroom learning by working in groups to develop problem-solving skills and focus on simple machines; forces, energy and motion; energy, acceleration and speed; and renewable energy. There are no consumable parts, so these science kits can be used over and over.
“Smile Lynchburg”
E. C. Glass High School – Teacher: Sandra Williams
Grant Sponsor: Wegmann USA, Inc.
The purpose of the program is to provide information and education to the Lynchburg community that will enable them to maintain their oral health for a lifetime. Dental screenings will identify cavities or other problem areas for children in order to help alleviate the possible of pain and tooth loss. Area dentists and other professionals will partner with Dental Careers students to provide these much needed services and encourage people in the Lynchburg area to value their oral health as well as their over-all health. The goal is to make this an atmosphere similar to a Health Fair and provide the tools that will make the attendees more aware of their over-all and dental health needs. By providing free dental screenings the parents will be made aware of any problems that they need to address for the dental health of their child.
Linking Thinking with Literacy, STEM and Families
Dearington Elementary School for Innovation – Teacher: Tawanda Johnson
Grant Sponsor: Successful Innovations & Rev. Haywood Robinson Grant
The purpose of the program "Linking Thinking with Literacy, STEM and Families" is to increase student achievement in the areas of reading and science and develop greater understanding of a STEM Education among both students and their family members. Students in grades kindergarten through fifth along with parent(s)/family member(s) will be invited to attend hands-on workshops both during the school day and after-school. These workshops will involve students reading to their families and participating in a hands-on STEM challenge. The STEM challenges will involve the use of engineering to solve a problem which will encourage the use of critical thinking skills. Students along with their family members will communicate together about the reading as well as about the solution to the challenge. This project will provide students quality time spent with their family while at the same time allowing children to both practice reading with their parents/family members and to conduct a stimulating hands-on experience together.
The Puzzle of Autism - Adding Peers to the Solution
Laurel and E. C. Glass High School – Teachers: Jennifer Berkeley, Dana Koenig, Amanda Ramirez-Myers, Claire Ickes
Grant Sponsor: Presbyterian Homes & Family Services
The purpose of this program is to facilitate social and behavioral learning for students with Autism using our most valuable resource- their peers. To meet the goal of having an aware community, it is necessary to provide both awareness training and specific training on the use of peer mediated learning strategies to teachers, support staff and assistants who are directly working in the classroom. The prevalence of individuals with Autism is now reported to be 1 in 110, with a higher rate of 1 in 70 in boys. Our classrooms are reflecting this increase, and there are now students on the Autism Spectrum in all of our schools. Involvement with "typical" peers is crucial for success of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. With more students on the spectrum in learning environments with non-disabled peers, the General Education teacher, Resource teachers and Paraprofessionals who support the classrooms must develop a new skill set for managing the sometimes challenging communication, social and behavioral needs of the child with Autism.
VersaTiles for Math
Perrymont Elementary School – Teachers: Ruth Oertle, Wendy Pugh, Stacey Childress
Grant Sponsor: Lynchburg Municipal Employees Federal Credit Union + LCS Education Foundation, Inc.
The VersaTiles Math Lab combines the challenge of a puzzle with the practice of a workbook, offering many activities that allow students to practice skills independently and at their own pace. Students use an answer case to complete activities, in which numbered tiles are used to indicate answers to the activity’s multiple-choice questions. Once all questions in the activity are answered, the answer case is flipped over to reveal a pattern on the backside of the tiles. The pattern is used to check for accurately answered questions. This way, students receive immediate feedback and may rethink solutions to the incorrectly answered questions until they are successful. The ability to make mistakes and self-correct fosters motivation and engagement in students. Skills taught include: number concepts, estimation and computation, patterns, functions, algebra, geometry, measurement, probability, problem solving, and abstract thinking.
Where in the World are the Seven Continents
Bedford Hills Elementary School and Heritage Elementary School– Teacher: Karen Camden
Grant Sponsor: Generation Solutions + LCS Education Foundation, Inc.
The purpose of the program is to provide a variety of art opportunities that will illustrate the architecture, history, and culture of at least one part of each of the seven continents. For the continent of North America we will learn how to draw the D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia. Africa will give us a chance to review Egypt and introduce Mali, while creating fabrics and gold used for trade purposes. Europe is a place we can explore Greek and Roman Architecture exposing students to both the Art and Social studies SOL expectations for 3rd graders. In Australia and Antarctica we will compare the two different environments and draw a variety of animals and their habitats. Throughout our travels we will discuss the explorers before us, draw maps, and by the end of the year use our imaginations to discover and create faraway lands of our own with a variety of art materials.
Slide and Learn Phonics
Perrymont Elementary School – Teachers: Chris Smith, Martha Clark, Terrell Midkiff, Loredana Parker
Grant Sponsor: Sylvan Learning of Lynchburg
The purpose of the program is to provide students a chance to manipulate phonetic patterns in which they have specific weaknesses. There will be 5 different 'Slide and Learns" phonics models: CVC words, Short Vowel Word Families, Silent 'e', Blend and Digraphs, Contractions. Students will use these slides to build words within each model and then record their words on wipe off boards. Students can then use wipe off boards to use words in sentences. These slides can be used as direct small group instruction or can be use independently by students in learning stations specific to the student's phonetic needs. Students will then be able to practice writing words containing these specific phonetic patterns. Being able to physically manipulate the slides into words using phonetic patterns will reach both visual and haptic learners. Students will also be able to practice writing and handwriting by transferring words they have created onto wipe off boards. We believe that once students improve their phonetic skills they will be able to read and comprehend independently on grade level.
Talk to the Hand Puppet
Linkhorne Elementary School – Teacher: Barbara Reid
Grant Sponsor: Central Virginia Federal Credit Union
The purpose of the program is to provide a realistic way for students to connect the abstractness of literature to the concreteness of the puppet. Students today come to school with much less background knowledge than ever before. They are used to the television telling and showing them a story rather than using their imaginations while listening to a book. Once the television show is over, students very rarely act out the plot of the show or demonstrate much comprehension beyond the immediate emotions. The Kindergarten curriculum is filled with math manipulatives and science projects galore, but where are the manipulatives for reading and social studies? Storytelling with puppets creates a concrete connection to the written word for students. After hearing the story, students can use the puppets to reenact the plot with main characters and share their version of the story with friends. Puppets can be used as a creative outlet as students create new stories based on familiar characters.
Leading Learners on the Path to Reading with Letterland
T. C. Miller Elementary School – Teachers: Kelley Jacobs, Sarah Sitton
Grant Sponsor: Westover Dairy + Colonial Brokerage + Piedmont Community Health Plan
The purpose of the program is to provide a multi-sensory approach of teaching reading to meet the diverse needs of our students with disabilities and students that are struggling to achieve in reading. Students with disabilities often learn better with unconventional methods. Multi-sensory approaches often appeal to their senses as well as their diverse learning styles. Letterland is a research-based program which uses multiple modalities to teach students how to read. Beginning with phonemic awareness and continuing through the teaching of digraphs, diphthongs, and more difficult vowel-consonant patterns, Letterland makes reading fun and obtainable for all children. We have begun implementing some of the program with our Kindergarten students. However, we do not have the funds to buy the complete program needed to implement the entire program. The program provides an alternative method to learning reading that is not only research-based but fun.
First Grade Pizza Garden
Sandusky Elementary School – Teacher: Cindi Bowen, Kerri Doremus
Grant Sponsor: Candler Oil
The purpose of the program is to provide an experiential, hands-on educational tool where core curriculums SOLs come alive. Providing a space for a classroom garden instills an appreciation and respect for nature that lasts into adulthood. First Graders will have the opportunity to be scientists, farmers, chefs, and authors with their own First Grade Garden. Gardening offers active and engaging connections to academics, from science and math to nutrition and literacy. The garden will serve to foster keen observation and critical thinking skills. When students have ownership of a project such as this, research shows improved social skills with a positive impact on student achievement and behavior.
You Better Think
Sandusky Middle School – Teacher: Santina Knight
Grant Sponsor: American National Bank
The purpose of the program is to provide a dramatic production for our student body designed to give them examples of the social skill of decision making. The money from the grant will be used for sets, programs, props, and technical assistance. The production of this play will address the needs of middle school students to literally, Stop and Think! Through the use of examples taken from real heroes in our culture, I wish to impress upon our students that they too, can be heroes. And through the use of illustrations that people have lived to regret very deeply, I wish to convince our student body to weigh all options before acting rashly.
Jeopardy Review of 3rd Grade SOL Curriculum
William Bass Elementary School – Teacher: Patti Reynolds
Grant Sponsor: AREVA
The purpose of the program is to provide students with an opportunity to learn and practice their SOL content while engaging them in a high-interest interactive game. It offers the teacher a chance to present SOL material in a different format, breaking up the monotony of review. Children learn more when they find the activity enjoyable and are involved in the learning process. Jeopardy motivates students to interact with their study guides and flashcards and offers repetitive practice of vocabulary and facts: practice always enhances learning! Before students can be expected to apply their knowledge, they must have a firm understanding of that knowledge. Jeopardy helps build a solid foundation in skills, facts, and subject content. Games, like Jeopardy, also help meet the needs of all types of learners. Kinesthetic learners have the opportunity to move around and hold the game remotes. Visual learners see visual clues which assist them in recalling facts. Auditory learners respond to the music and hearing other students respond to questions helps them in their recall of facts.
Sheffield Bilingual and Cultural Library for International Students
Sheffield Elementary School – Teacher: Melinda Wheeler
Grant Sponsor: Ace it! Tutoring-powered by Sylvan Learning
The purpose of the program is to provide our international students who are learning English with a chance to do extra reading and reading with their parents. I want to provide them with books that are accessible in their native languages, books that are interesting and enjoyable, and a chance to improve their reading skills. Reading is probably the most valuable skill a student can have. It is the basis for all academic subjects, and a sure way to increase communication skills, knowledge of the world, and ability to express complex thought. Students can improve these skills by improving their reading comprehension, vocabulary, and enjoyment of reading.
A Taste of Afghanistan
E. C. Glass High School – Teachers: Cecily Holbrook, Patty Worsham, Warren Bowling
Grant Sponsor: Dominion Seven Architects
The purpose of this project is to enhance our study of ‘The Kite Runner’ and foreign culture by eating the food and following the customs of the region. We will then write a creative piece based on the experience as if we were residents of Afghanistan. We will examine how the entire social milieu would differ from our own housing, clothing, transportation, etc. Based on our reading and experience, we will describe a typical day in the life of one of the characters in the book. Half of the class will write from the point of view of Amir--the wealthy young man and half will write from the point of view of his servant-Hassan. We will also discuss the role of women and the fact that if we were in Afghanistan this would be a single gender event.
Coming Full Circle with Great Math Books!!
Sandusky Middle School – Teachers: Shamara Johnson, Gessi Wright, Donna Rosser
Grant Sponsor: Banker Steel
The purpose of the program is to provide three sets of books for math teachers to use to strengthen and reinforce concepts learned in class. We wish to target students who are strong in reading skills, but who struggle in math. By presenting mathematical terms and concepts to them through literature, we will enhance and strengthen their understanding of them. Each book has a unique take on principals that students struggle with, and we feel we can reach these students through the use of literature in a positive and enjoyable way. We want to reach our students through the use of entertaining novels and books that present the concepts we teach in a new and fun way.