2018 Grants

"Where We're Going, We Won't Need Desks, But We Will Need Options? - $2,143.25

 RCHS- Lisa Pogue, Emily Taylor, Katie Vance

 ABSTRACT: This paragraph will be the review committee's first impression of your application. Make it interesting! ?. . . We Will Need Options? will provide more opportunities for students to have comfortable seating in the classroom increasing motivation and engagement. Students in the English I classrooms have utilized the flexible seating awarded last year, and additional pieces would increase the variety of options available and meet the needs of more students. Students have expressed their satisfaction with the seating, as well as the relaxed atmosphere of the classrooms. Certain types of seating have proven to be more popular, and we have noticed some students need opportunities to move in the classroom.

To Change Your Pace, Change Your Place -$4,783.32

RCHS- Sandi Walker, Ana Reyes, Victoria Gudino, Edith Torres, Paul Michie

Will provide students a comfortable learning environment that will 

change unhealthy, uncomfortable learning spaces to comfortable, inviting, and stimulating places that will increase engagement. Students given an option for different kinds of seating will find a place that is best for them, where they can boost their academic performance, as well as learn skills that will help them as they move forward into college and the workplace.

 Student Desks are so Last Century! - $4,943.39

RCHS- Brittany Biggie, Kendal Whisnant, Hannah Lindsay, Natali Taylor

Student desks are uncomfortable, cumbersome, and create a fire hazard when put together. Collaboration is a driving force behind all the changes we want to see in Royse City, however, it's difficult to achieve this in our current settings. Students need to be able to work together and express their learning in different ways if we hope to call them future ready. This grant will allow us to create workspaces like no other high school classroom in the district providing our students with a new outlook on what math should look like.

 GIVE EVERYONE A VOICE!  $179.00

RCHS-Chasity Stafford 

"Students learn more when everyone can hear what their students and their fellow students are saying" - Shane Cox, inventor of QBall Qball is a dodge ball with a microphone inside of it. This products always allows students to hear and be heard, block out background noise, and gives them the opportunity to move around! Even at the high school level, many students are afraid to speak up, The Qball helps students and teachers to be able to hear one another in a fun way to help engage students throughout the entire class.

 Hoppin' into Homes~Making Learning Leap! - $990.00

FORT ELEMENTARY-  Tiffani Eakin, Malorie Murray

Homework? Yuck! Just that simple word evokes feelings of dread in students and parents alike. We want to hop into homes with Frog Publications games. This program uses a variety of game boards and skill cards for math and reading with similar, easy to follow directions for each game. This makes skill practice fun and engaging for parents and students! This style of extra practice will cause our students' learning to leap without them even realizing it.

 Literacy Climbers - $197.70

FORT ELEMENTARY -Heidi ONeil

My grant, Literacy Climbers, is all about building literacy using our fundamental phonics and decoding skills in a very different and engaging way. Students will have the opportunity to explore words, build oral language skills, build vocabulary and represent new words with pictorial graphics using this very innovative literacy word ladder that moves around the room with them. Students will also be able to identify and examine a variety of word families while comparing and contrasting them. As students start to familiarize themselves with word patterns they will become more fluent readers and writers. Literacy Climbers is a grant that is student centered and I believe students will climb to the occasion.

 Super Sleuths -$1,051.06

FORT ELEMENTARY- Christina Lee

 Super Sleuths is a crime scene investigation grant that will turn our third graders into eager detectives! Students will be problem solving, inferencing, building reading comprehension skills and vocabulary, summarizing, and drawing conclusions all while trying to solve a Winter Wonderland Mystery PBL, project based learning. However, that is not all! Students will be working collaboratively to solve math riddles, and they will also need to work together to use science equipment to solve the mystery of the third grade kidnapping! Students will also be engaged as they learn from community guest speakers and work hands on in this cross curriculum project, where everyone gets to play a part.

 Little Humans Can Do STEM too! $1,002.31

FORT ELEMENTARY- Shawnye Moss Angeline Curry Courtney Loveless Lisa Malhiot Maria Vieda Cynthia Wineinger

When implemented at an early age, STEM encourages critical thinking combined with problem solving and collaboration. Through this grant, kindergartners will take well loved stories and use their imagination and creativity to help the main characters solve problems. They can achieve this goal through a hands on cooperative approach which builds and strengthens their communication skills. Play becomes real as they listen to the story, discover the characters, problems, and use physical items to build a solution to that problem. This is playtime with a purpose.

 STEM - More Than Just a Class $3,000.00

FORT ELEMENTARY - Angela Homan

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) is the new buzzword in education. While it sounds impressive to parents, teachers see the other side of STEM. Student engagement, critical thinking, problem solving, constructing, and excitement are the norm in a STEM classroom. So, why is there so little STEM happening in the elementary classroom? Most teachers think of STEM as a lesson instead of a way of teaching. It can require many resources and time prepping. Discovery Education has created STEM Connect, units that are "teach ready" with all the resources needed to create a culture of STEM in the classroom environment

Climbing Into Fitness – “Rachel Forbus Memorial Grant “ $3,860.99

FORT ELEMENTARY Melissa Kethley Rager

Kids are fascinated with rock climbing and it’s such a fun and exciting thing

for a child to be able to do! Not only is it enjoyable for all ages, but through rock climbing lessons, kids will build strength, improve balance, persevere, and gain focus which will help build confidence. The River Rock Traverse Climbing Wall allows students to climb over and across the wall, while never being more than a few feet from the floor. Rock climbing is a rewarding and challenging activity that I know our students here at Fort would love!

 Zebrafish bringing Research into the Classroom- $4,860.83

RCMS- Carolyn Hickey (grant author) Stacy Haumpy, Nicole Belpedio , Rebecca Rhodes, Kim Butcher Michele Alford Laura Savage

Imagine the excitement of conducting your own research experiment on zebrafish and being able to see results with the aid of a stereomicroscope. Stereomicroscopes are a binocular microscope that provide a high resolution, wide-field of optics, and good depth within that broad field of view which is important to improve students ability to easily find and focus on the eggs, embryos, and larvae of zebrafish. Zebrafish are used on the forefront of cancer research at the Amatruda Lab at University of Texas Southwestern. Royse City has an opportunity to be among a select few schools able to offer this program in their district.

 Play Doh Touch- $800.00

RUTH CHERRY INTERMEDIATE- Lizzie Watson

Have you ever wanted what you wrote down on a piece of paper come to life? Do you love playing with Play-Doh? My students love creating with Play-Doh and bring their thoughts to life. We are really focusing on main idea in my class to help my special Ed kiddos understand what they are reading. With Play-Doh touch they will be able to bring their thoughts to life on the IPad. My students will also be engaging in our districts learner profile in all aspects. The first way they will be engaging in the Royse City ISD learner profile is by learning to think critically by having to plan their story. Secondly by excelling and becoming college ready by using a IPad to create their work also, advocating by building perseverance to keep trying. Lastly they will discover by creating something they are proud of.

What's that Commotion? It's LEARNING in motion!! $799.04

RUTH CHERRY INTERMEDIATE -Dawn Jordan and Michelle Dusek

The students we teach come from diverse cultural, linguistic, and economic backgrounds where the need is great, but the opportunities are generally limited here. We teach our students to dream big, that they can go to college, and that STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) careers present a wonderful opportunity. But without the resources to entice, cultivate, nurture, and build those interests students lack a concrete connection or vision. With the right technological tools they can explore vocational passions that last a lifetime. With these coding kits and sewing machines, our students can learn very important skills that can help direct their future choices in not only course work but also career choices.

 Let’s Make Math FUN Again- $2,354.00

VERNON ELMENTARY- Jillian Lowry , Crystal Harrelson, Susan Snow, Shannon Black, Christin Propst, Farrah Mackie, Chantell Olive

Math can be frustrating and intimidating, for parents and students alike! So much has changed in Math instruction, yet we 

Recognize how vital families are in supporting their student’s exploration of math. 

The FROG Family Math packs are family friendly games that provide practice, support, guidance and FUN as families work together to explore the Mathematical concepts we cover in 4th grade. By holding a grade level Math night, we can invite families to come and partner with us in supporting their students, as we teach them how to play games, practice concepts, and ENJOY Math alongside their student!

 Broadcasting The Big Future 2.0 - $2,884.08

VERNON ELEMENTARY Kim Villarreal Emily Taylor

Celebrate! Recognize! Motivate! Communicate! Learn! Excel! Advocate! Discover! Miss May Vernon students can achieve all of this and LEAD our school into the future with student led broadcasting and video production. Currently Miss May Vernon is the only district elementary campus without a student broadcast program. Our students would love the opportunity to move our announcements and school news from the old school intercom to the 21st century. Help us broadcast the big future at Miss May Vernon!

 Phonemic Awareness At Its Best!  $1,560.00

SCOTT ELMENTARY -Michelle Richie, Yvette Woltman, Vanessa Soto, Brandy Bryant, Kamey Sprouse

When a teammate goes to a workshop and just has to call you and tell you all about it as soon as it was over, you know it was a good one that you hated to have missed . Fortunately, there was a follow up workshop that the entire team went to on September 7th: Phonemic Awareness, Decoding, and the Emerging Reader! Even after teaching reading for almost 20 years, I walked away with so many "Ah-ha moments!" Although the presenter wasn't trying to sell her company's products, she sold us! We would love to have the letter tile boards as well as the Syllaboards to use daily in small groups during RTI time. Kindergarten and first are the critical years for building strong decoders.