Teacher Grants 2014-15

We are pleased to present the Curriculum Enrichment Grants for 2014-15

Each year the Pine Lake PTSA awards grant money to teachers and staff for curriculum and student educational support. These grants are made possible from the generous “Pass the Hat” donations the PTSA receives. Thank you to all of the families who donated to the PTSA and to all of the enthusiastic teachers who seek to add new enriching material to the classrooms for our students.

This Spring we received 7 grant requests. We were able to fund 6 requests for a total of $3,636 with the funds we had available for the Spring grants. On March 26th, the PTSA Board approved the following grants:

Teacher	Amount Awarded	Short Description
Ms. Oseran	$380	Cooking: Scales and Measuring equipment Awarded to purchase of 6 quart-size Cambro containers with lids (~$120) to safely store food and 8 Oxo scales (~$260) for weighing ingredients. Teaches 6th-8th graders how to measure ingredients to provide lessons that will transfer to life, health and job market skills.
Ms. Kiemle & the 8th Grade LA Team	$1,500	Tom Sawyer Replacement Copies Awarded to purchase as many copies as possible of "almost new" or "gently used" of out of print (OOP) version of Tom Sawyer, a district required 8th grade novel for last decade. The initial set of books was ideal with size 12 Times Roman font and pictures. When they started to fall apart, more copies were ordered. The original version was OOP so the Puffin edition was substituted and is less approachable (smaller font, less pictures, different pagination). Only 2 class sets of original exist. 1 class set (bad shape) was borrowed from BLMS this year.
Ms. Marton-Schultz	$450	IPad Air plus case for ELL Awarded for the purchase of an IPad Air plus case to protect equipment that assists English Language Learners with word definition and pronunciation lookup.
Ms. Weinberg	$372	Bon Appetit: Increasing Quality of Life & Functional Independence Through Cooking Awarded for the purchase of kitchen equipment to support existing curriculum which teaches cooking skills to LRC 2 and LRC 1 students & peer tutors so they learn to independently prepare meals.

Ms. Maher	$234	Ball Chairs to Balance Education Awarded to purchase 2 ball chairs to provide sensory support for LRC 2 students to improve attention and focus on school tasks. This supplements 2 that are already in classroom that have shown positive effects.
Ms. Roon & Ms Daar	$700	Shakespeare in 7th Grade Advance LA Awarded for the purchase of 70 copies (1 set Roon, 1 set Darr for multiple classes) of play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, to teach to 7th Gr. Adv. LA in April. Based on Georgetown University research, exposing middle schoolers to Shakespeare reduces fear, improves vocabulary and figurative language, and increases confidence via public speaking.

This Fall we received 7 grant requests, for a total awarded amount of $6,355. On Nov. 18th, the PTSA Board approved the following grants:

Teacher	Amount Awarded	Short Description
Ms. Rowland & Mr. Jewell	$540	Awarded to support a classroom visit on Urban Ecosystems by the Woodland Park Zoo for all 6th grade science students.
Ms. Kiemle & the 8th Grade LA Team	$1,500	Awarded to purchase new literature circle books to be used this Spring.
Ms. Marton-Schultz	$515	Awarded for the purchase of an Apple iPad 2 and case to assist English Language Learners with word definition and pronunciation lookup.
Ms. Bartholomew	$1,700	Awarded for the purchase of books to support The Common Core standard, ELL and LRC students, and the 7th grade poetry unit. These books will be available for checkout by all students.
Ms. Tariq & The Tech Team	$600	Awarded for the purchase of necessary replacement bulbs for dim or dead bulbs in classroom projectors. Projectors are used in every class all day.
Ms. Jarrell	$250	Awarded for the purchase of games to support a new LRC class: Learning & Communications Strategies. Students who struggle with social situations will practice appropriate social skills.
Ms. Maher	$750	Awarded to support a field trip for LRC students and peer tutors to a sensory-friendly theater to view a curriculum-relevant film and practice navigating a new environment.
Ms. Roon	$500	Awarded for the purchase of books to enhance a classroom lending library.

If you have questions about any of these grants, please talk to the teachers who received the grant, anyone on the Grant Committee, or on the PTSA Board.

Also, please take a moment to thank our Grant Committee volunteers, Kris Kleinsmith, Michelle Jensen, Ingrid Jarvis, Lynne De La Cruz and Lori Gorski for all the personal time they took to review & research the requests and for the recommendations they made to the Board.

You'll find the grant information from last year here: Teacher Grants 2013-14

Download the Grant Application for 2014-15

Application Deadline: Friday, October 24th at 11:00 PM

Applications should be sent to Kris Kleinsmith at kkleinsmith@yahoo.com

Pine Lake PTSA Curriculum Grant Application Process

Welcome to this year’s Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA) Curriculum Grant Application process. In this document you will find the application itself as well as information to help you understand the application process and timeline.

Why does the PTSA award grants?

One mission of the Pine Lake Middle School PTSA is to provide opportunities to engage our children academically. To that end, the PTSA provides curriculum grants to PLMS teachers to enhance educational opportunities for students.

How are grants awarded?

The Curriculum Grant Committee evaluates all applications based on funds available and a rubric that considers academic enrichment, sustainability, frequency of use in the curriculum, and the number and diversity of students impacted by the grant request. The scoring rubric is available for review (contact Kris Kleinsmith kkleinsmith@yahoo.com). After evaluating all applications, the Grant Committee presents funding recommendations to the PTSA Board for approval. Teachers will be notified of the status of their request shortly after the Board's approval process is complete.

When are the applications due?

The application process opens Thursday September 25, 2014 and applications are due no later than Friday, October 24, 2014 at 11:00 pm. Completed applications should be sent as an email attachment to Kris Kleinsmith at kkleinsmith@yahoo.com. You will receive a confirmation that your application was received.

Will there be in-person interviews?

Hearing about your request first-hand is our favorite part of working on the Curriculum Grant Committee. For applicants wishing to meet with us, short presentations will be scheduled for Tuesday, November 4, 2014. A sign-up sheet will be sent by email shortly before the application due date. In-person interviews will be the only opportunity for applicants to provide additional information and answer committee questions prior to evaluation and award decisions. We hope to see you there!

When will I hear if my application is accepted?

The Grant Committee will present recommendations to the PTSA Board for approval at the November 18^th PTSA meeting. Teachers will hear back from the Committee by email regarding the status of their requests shortly after the meeting.

Are there any additional requirements?

We ask that all funds be spent by March 31^st so full advantage can be taken in the classroom. Also, recipients will be asked to fill out a short survey at the end of the year.

Thank you for your interest in enhancing our children’s education!

The Curriculum Grant Committee