LASF: Grants / School Year 2005-06

About LASF: Grant Program

2005 - 2006 Grant Awards

../funding/Adding%20Machine 1. LCD Projector - $978

Teacher: Clifford Shaw, Acalanes High School, Spanish teacher

This grant will enable the purchase of an LCD projector for use in the Spanish language classroom. The LCD projector will allow the introduction of a variety of visuals to facilitate learning. Students will also be able use the projectors for project presentation using PowerPoint.

2. Get Digital - $1000

Teacher: Susan Lane, Acalanes High School

Funds from this grant will go toward the purchase of four digital cameras to facilitate the teaching of digital editing skills and photo design in Acalanes’ Digitial Design classes. Emphasis will be on teaching students how to design with photos that communicate effectively and have maximum impact. The project will introduce students to a different creative medium and will reflect the realities of today’s design world.

3. Computer Program Updates - $1432

Teacher: Bob Athayde, Stanley Middle School, Instructional Music Teacher, Grades 6-8

This grant provides updates for computer programs. These programs will make available to music students cutting edge technology which allows them to improve their skills in a more individual, differentiated manner. The programs also reinforce concepts and theory learned in class, promote abstract thinking, and allow students to work at their own pace.

4. Bridges - $680

Teacher: Amy Wright, Stanley Middle School, math teacher

Students learn about truss bridges using software called West Point Bridge Design, produced by West Point Military Academy. There are three major components to this program. First, students will design and virtually test truss bridges taking into consideration safety, stability and cost. Second, students will enter a national contest to test and compare their designs to those of other students in their age and academic groups. Last, students will build a scale model and receive feedback from engineers currently working on the Benicia Bridge.

5. The Magnetic Levitation Train Challenge - $1437.03

Teachers: Mike Meneghetti, Mark Brune, Anne Peterson, Don Hirabayashi, Stanley Middle School science teachers, 6th Grade

This grant allows for the current levitation train project to be updated. During the project, students design and build a magnetic levitation train that travels a sixteen foot track as quickly as possible. Students work with partners to prepare scale drawings, design circuitry and analyze results to determine necessary changes to improve their trains’ timed runs.

6. Simple Machines Lab - $739.03

Teachers: Alice Cyr, Jim Changaris and Kris Rasmussen, Stanely Middle School

This grant allows for the replacement of lab equipment for the current simple machines until which was originally funded by LASF. During the unit, students physically manipulate, collect data from and compare first, second and third class levers. They also examine inclined planes and pulleys.

7. ALEKS Math Tutorial - $7700

Teacher: Bill Ratto, Stanley Middle School, Math Department Chairperson

This grant allows for the purchase of ALEKS accounts for all students in Math Skills, Math 7, PreAlgebra 8 and five students for each section of Math 6. The ALEKS program is a web-based tutorial that is individualized for each student and is currently in use in the after school Math Sense program.

8. Third Grade Hands-On Enrichment and Differentiation Materials - $1230.39

Teachers: Anne Fisher, Kathy York, Scott Turner, Ellen Stuart, June Trentacosti, Burton Valley Elementary, 3rd Grade

This grant will enable third grade teachers at Burton Valley to purchase new materials and manipulatives for classroom instruction in math and language arts. Because each student learns differently, teachers will now have the opportunity to incorporate new and innovative games into everyday lessons. These materials will add a “fun” aspect of learning that is critical in third grade and will cement the various goals of the standard and benchmarks for many students.

9. Choral Music Commission - $850

Teacher: Ellen Winnick, Burton Valley Elementary, 5th Grade

This grant provides the opportunity for the Burton Valley fifth graders to learn more about folk music through working with a professional choral arranger. The students will rehearse and perform a musical piece (chorally arranged by this professional) during their February unit on Colonial America. This professional will also work with the students to teach, discuss and demonstrate her creative process.

10. Nature Area Director - $10000

Teacher: Mallory Pierce, Burton Valley Elementary, science teacher

This grant will provide a director to oversee the Burton Valley nature area, which will be maintained and upgraded with compost bins, a worm bin, bird baths, and hummingbird and butterfly gardens. The director will be required to develop the site for science and social studies curriculum for a 12 month year, integrate use of the site with standards for all grades, develop curriculum, and assess and maintain elements needed for standards-based curriculum.

11. Craft Lessons - $786.62

Teachers: Kim Stern, Danielle Boone, Debbie Sioui, Happy Valley Elementary, 3rd Grade

This grant will enable the purchase of invaluable writing resources from Craft Lessons Teaching Writing K-8 that will allow the teachers to teach the elements of good writing through mini-lessons. Students will have the opportunity to read vibrant texts in order to learn by example, what good writing is. Additionally, teachers will be able to use explicit language to address specific issues of the craft. Having the books and lessons in the classroom will also save valuable prep time for each classroom.

12. Hands-On Geography Games - $$1747

Teachers: Jonifer Hotter, Kitty Hellman, Tracy Rubenstein, Sue Yamashita, Happy Valley Elementary, 2nd Grade

Social studies lessons will be enhanced and supplemented with hands-on interactive games and quizzes aided by the use of the products purchased with this grant. Teachers will use the Geosafari Talking Globes, Geosafari USA Search Games and USA and world laminated desktop sets purchased with this grant. Special projects will be done monthly using these materials to reinforce information about the community, city, state and country lessons.

13. Reading Counts - $818.74

Teachers: Linda Marsden, 2nd Grade, and Scott Moe, 5th Grade, Lafayette Elementary

Lafayette School has been successfully using the Reading Counts computer comprehension program. This grant will allow for the purchase of supplemental discs to support the new Houghton Mifflin Reading Series. These discs will include tests for the anthologies, theme paperbacks and the reader/phonics library sets for grades 1 through 5.

14. Now You'll Have to Learn Math Facts - $773.94

Teachers: Dennis Begg, Robert Anke and Susan Thompson, Springhill Elementary, 4th Grade

This grant will provide for the purchase of “Math Facts in a Flash,” a sequential computer generated multiplication, addition, subtraction, division, and fraction/decimal facts practice for mastering computational fluency. With this program, students can focus and learn math facts they have not yet mastered, proceeding at their own rate, increasing their speed as they move through the program.

15. Accelerated Spelling and Grammar - $1646.43

Teachers: Helen Hirsch and Christina Churchill, Springhill Elementary, 1st Grade

This grant will allow for expansion of the current differentiated spelling program and allow students to transfer skills more readily to daily written assignments. The program will provide the needed support to improve STAR testing scores, as it is aligned with the state standards and benchmarks.

16. Math Games in Room 5! - $120

Teachers: Laura Spain, Springhill Elementary, 1st Grade

This grant allows for the purchase of differentiated math games for use in the first grade classroom.