The Education Foundation kicked off Public School Proud Grant season with three awards at Rosa Parks Elementary! Kris Hanson received the first award, and she will use $1,457.02 for her proposal, “I Can Use Letter Sounds to Blend New Words!”

Kris will purchase magnetic boards, letters, and trays to help students practice their letter sounds and CVC words. In the application, she wrote, “My students will be assessed on blending sounds in reading and writing every two weeks. By doing this, I will be able to see the progress that they are making. It gives me the freedom to meet students where they are developmentally. If they are on an IEP, I can modify assignments and concepts to meet them at their level. I can also scaffold students that are excelling to higher concepts that I would not normally teach in first grade.”

Angie Erickson received the second Public School Proud Grant. She will use $558.16 for her proposal, “Let’s Get Dicey!”

Angie plans to purchase various types of dice for math centers that will be used by all first graders. She wrote, “The dice will allow us to give our students extra practice when learning new math concepts. Students love using various types of dice, and they are engaged and will work hard while having fun!”

The third award went to Sam O’Brien for her grant, “Learning Letters with Our Senses.”

Sam received $397.49 to purchase magnetic boards, sandpaper and construction letters, smelly markers, and trays to help K-3 students establish and maintain the letter names, letter sounds, and correct letter formations. In the application, she wrote, “Once students have a strong foundation in their letters and sounds, they gain confidence in their reading skills, and can start manipulating and blending sounds to form words. By incorporating multiple senses, students engage different parts of their brain, allowing the information to be processed in various ways.”