About LASF: Grant Program

Spring 1999 Grant Awards

The Allocations Committee is pleased to announce the following grants for Spring, 1999:

1. Take Home Book Bag Program — Leslie Finta, faculty @ Springhill School.

School Site: Springhill; Grade level: 1st; Grade Curriculum focus: Reading/language arts, science

This pilot program fosters a literacy instruction connection between home and school by funding reading materials for a take-home book bag program. A variety of quality books with a wide range of interests and ability levels would be provided to each student. The take-home book bag both supplements and builds upon the Lafayette District Curriculum Framework in all areas. Fiction and non-fiction titles, appropriately leveled, will assist students to learn to successfully read texts independently. The vision of the project is to expand it to include other first grade classes at Springhill, and to encourage all first grade classes district-wide based on the expectations for the project.

2. Physics Enrichment — Kris Rasmussen and Libby Dalcamo, faculty @ Stanley

School Site: Stanley; Grade level: 8th Grade; Curriculum focus: Physical Science

LASF funding provides lab materials to bring to life an understanding of the concepts of speed, force, motion and leverage through hands-on experiences. Previously, concepts that are covered in these labs were merely demonstrated by the teacher, lectured about, read about, or not covered at all in eighth grade. The goal of the program is to enhance the understanding and learning of physics as designed by the state and district science curriculum. The students knowledge and understanding will be assessed with demonstrations and written evaluations. Students will also create interactive multimedia projects which demonstrate the understanding of the physical concepts they have learned.

3. Project Envision — Michael McAlister, faculty @ Acalanes

School Site: Acalanes High School; Grade level: 12th Grade; Curriculum focus: Government and Economics

This grant enabled the creation of a comprehensive video archive as a resource for research projects performed by high school seniors as part of the state and district required Government and Economics curriculum. With rapidly changing technology, the research paper of the past may become the multimedia presentation of the future. Students will be able to use this library to gain understanding of the class material, and to use this material in presentations of their own. Over time, Project Envision should grow to include computers with DVD capability, web authoring software, scanners and other presentation tools that students can use to build their own internet web sites.

4. Learning Center Software — Betsi Jamison, faculty @ Stanley

School Site: Stanley; Grade level: 7th Grade; Core Curriculum focus: Technology, Critical Thinking, Analysis and Presentation

This grant permitted the purchase of five computer software site licenses to assist in establishing a seventh grade core Learning Center. The software can be used in the Stanley Library Computer Lab until a future module can be established in the seventh grade core classrooms. The project also included release time for the seventh grade core teachers for training in innovative software utilization, internet resources and projects, and instructional strategies using technology. The Lafayette School District, working in cooperation with LASF, purchased 30 portable computer word processing stations to permit the students to prepare and revise their reports. This exciting project provides staff development with a focus on using innovative student-centered technology curriculum.