The Auburn Education Foundation recently announced the winners of its fall grants, with 15 projects set to receive funding.
The AEF provides grants for educational opportunities that are not eligible for Auburn Enlarged City School District funds. Two times a year, AEF committee members meet to consider funding proposals submitted by teachers.
鈥淭he Auburn Education Foundation is pleased to be able to provide funding for educator grants that directly impact the education of students within the Auburn Enlarged City School District,鈥 said AEF President Janie Hutchinson.
鈥淚 was very pleased with the number of grants we had this year, and it was an all-time high,鈥 said AEF board member Mickie Cuevas-Post. 鈥淚 think it's good that teachers continue to see the importance of putting in for the grants.鈥
Cuevas-Post also detailed what teachers can do to have a better chance of their proposals being approved for funding.
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鈥淲e really are looking for something that is creative, innovative, ideally something that hasn't been done, we like something that can be replicated,鈥 she said. 鈥淎n ideal grant would be for the greater number of students. If you have two or more teachers that are collaborating or departments, fantastic, but it doesn't necessarily have to be that.鈥
Here are the fall 2024 AEF grant winners:
"Explore Solar System with Planetarium": Genesee Elementary fifth-grade students are learning about the solar system. With this project, they will have the opportunity to have the portable planetarium from Onondaga Cortland Madison BOCES come to the school.
"AHS Preschool Traffic Safety Garden": The purpose of this project is to create a traffic safety garden for toddler and preschool-age children who attend Auburn High School聽preschool. The children will learn roadway safety and rules of the road. Through play activities, they'll exercise, learn new skills, challenge themselves and develop physically, mentally and socially.
"Black Girls Will Get Love": The grant will be used to contract with Black Girls Will Get Love. The project targets 15 girls of color at AHS and their allies.
"Joy of Reading": Funding will purchase a class set of novels for Casey Park fifth-graders. The goal is to enhance the students' joy of reading, create more engagement, and foster critical thinking using the novels.
"Piano Lab": The Piano Lab project is designed to improve upon music literacy skills and instrumental performance skills for Owasco general music students learning beginner piano, and develops skills in note reading and fine motor skills. The pianos are desktop-sized and easily accessible via USB connection to Chromebooks.
"Tangy Tuesdays: Math": The purpose of this grant is to continue providing students in all five elementary schools the opportunity to develop computational fluency through math puzzles. Teachers will have access to 800 math fluency puzzles that will be delivered on a weekly basis. Targeting math fluency in the basic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) are fundamental skills crucial to math performance and achievement.
"VersaTiles for Kindergarten": Funds will be used to purchase one VersaTiles literacy classroom and one VersaTiles math classroom kit for Herman Avenue kindergarten classrooms to share. VersaTiles allow students to practice teacher-chosen skills during small group or independent learning time.
"Fun with VersaTiles" (three grants): Funds will help incorporate VersaTiles as a supplement to the curriculum as a hands-on, engaging, screen-free, self-checking resource for small-group instruction of kindergarten students at Genesee, Owasco and Casey Park. The program will help students build math and literacy proficiency, and provide opportunities for practice in comprehension, phonics, fluency and mathematical skills.
"Buzz in for Health": Auburn High School students are engaged in friendly competition pertaining to the content material, as well as learning good sportsmanship, collaboration and communication. The buzzer system will be used for health and social studies classes.
Tonieboxes will be provided to Casey Park Elementary kindergarteners through an Auburn Education Foundation grant.
"Kindergarten Tonieboxes": Casey Park kindergarten students will have the opportunity to sing along with a character while learning and expanding their vocabularies. Tonieboxes allow teachers to select stories and songs that align to their students' academic needs and interests, while reducing screen time.
"A Smooth Ride For Health and Wellness": The Health and Wellness Committee will use the funds for a bike package and supplies for eight events. While riding a bike, students will create a smoothie to consume, replacing the necessary energy used. The project seeks to combine education and a fun activity to teach students how to take care of their bodies.
"The Postcard (Penpal) Project": The Postcard Project will do a presentation to Herman Avenue pen pal classes. The classroom will connect with a class outside of the district through a video conference. Students will send a postcard to the pen pal class to initiate communication through postcard or letter writing through the school year.
All of these projects that receive funding will have a positive impact on Auburn students.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e enriching what goes on in the classroom beyond what the curriculum covers or making the curriculum more inviting to the kids to really get involved,鈥 Cuevas-Post said about the projects receiving grants. 鈥淲e were impressed by the fact that there was both creativity but also variety.鈥
