Leading Literacy:
The Glades Education Foundation’s Leading Literacy project will utilize matching grant funds to assist in maintaining the Florida Reading Association (FRA) Children’s Book Award program (K-2), Sunshine State Young Reader's Award (SSYRA) Program (3-8), and Florida Teens Read program (FTR) (9-12) in Glades County Schools. The Foundation is committed to supporting Glades County schools as they prepare students for success. These literacy programs support Language Arts Florida Standards. The goal of the project is to promote early literacy for young children and motivate older children to read independently. The Foundation recognizes the need to enhance media center inventory and to provide increased opportunities for exposure to high quality literature. The project will provide sets of FRA, SSYRA, and FTR books to support staff in increasing the percentage of students independently reading high quality literature. School data from students eligible to vote for books based on the number of program books read successfully will be analyzed to determine if there has been an increased interest in reading.
AVID About Success:
AVID, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination, is a research-based program that brings strategies and curriculum to classrooms and to prepare students in grades 6-12 for success in middle and high school. The Glades Education Foundation is seeking funding for AVID program enrollment, teacher training, and classroom materials, as well as for AVID tutor salaries, in order to provide mentoring and skill advancement for academic success in grades 6-9 in the initial start-up year. We will be providing pre- and post-tests to all students in grades 6-9 measuring an increase in the number of students planning to apply for college, increase in the number of first-generation students who are matched with mentors, and increase in the number of students with knowledge of post-secondary attainment steps.
Glades Grants for Great Ideas:
The Glades Education Foundation is requesting funding for a continuing program titled, “Glades Grants for Great Ideas.” Glades Grants for Great Ideas (GGGI), also referred to as Classroom Grants, provides $500 grants to teachers or $1,500 for a team of teachers to buy equipment, provide enrichment activities to their students, or fund field trips. The classroom grants will be available to teachers in grades K-12, in all of the schools in Glades County: Moore Haven Elementary School, West Glades School, Pemayetv Emahakv Charter School, and Moore Haven Middle-High School. Teachers will apply for the grants through an application process that will be reviewed by the Glades Education Foundation, Inc. Grants Committee for approval. Teachers are required to submit a final report to demonstrate positive project outcomes. Because teachers need funding for activities to supplement their curriculum, enrich their classroom teaching strategies, and engage their students in the areas of career/technical education, increasing graduation rates, literacy, academic achievement of low-performing students, and/or STEM education, Glades Grants for Great Ideas (GGGI) will give them an opportunity to receive funding to positively impact teaching quality by meeting the teachers’ classroom needs.
Now Showing: 3-D STEM Dreams (Motorola STEM Solutions) (AT&T STEM at Work)
By working with workplace partners, students will able to understand the interrelationship of 3-D printing technology to the sciences of medicine, forensics, math and engineering, and much more. Students will be able to use the technology to produce materials directly related to specific science STEM activates such as evolution and genetics. Now Showing: STEM 3D Dreams allows students hands on application of STEM concepts through problem-based learning and an introduction to STEM careers.
Step Up to STEM (AT&T STEM at Work)
Students will learn about the heart and how it works throughout the project. They will learn about moderate to vigorous physical activity and how it is useful in being fit and healthy. Students will be issued FITstep Pro Uploadable Pedometers and will wear them as they exercise in physical education class. The data from their pedometer monitors will download to the teacher’s computer through a hub that will be placed in the physical education building. Information will be shared with students, parents, and administrators so they can see how the students are performing. The teacher will use data across time to help students learn how to increase their fitness levels. In Pedometer Power (the book that will be purchased with grant money), Pangrazi, Beighle, and Sidman (2007) provide ideas for learning activities using pedometers to track physical activity, which can be incorporated into individual lessons and assessments.
Students will also use math during class to figure out the amount of time they were in MVPA during class time. Students will figure out the percentage of time they were in moderate levels, vigorous levels, and levels below moderate levels. Students will be introduced to health related fitness components and FITT principles during the project. Students will learn about heart disease and how lack of exercise affects the heart. The Glades County Health Department nurse will work with students to emphasize the danger of heart disease and why exercise for the heart is important. Students will learn about different types of exercises they can do to increase their cardiovascular endurance to improve their heart, while using their pedometers. Students will also learn about the effects of weather on exercising and what to do in certain weather to stay safe while exercising in the elements.