2007 Grants Awarded: $55,753

$5,050

Building Literacy Skills through Readers' Theater

Muir

The establishment of a Readers' Theater program at Muir School will promote literacy; strengthen relationships among students and among Muir families; and allow students to participate in the performing arts in a way that encourages creativity, builds self-esteem, and makes reading both fun and purposeful. Using RT students read from scripts rarely using props or costumes. Students learn to use their own voices to create a character; this reliance upon their voices deepens students' understanding of how tone and inflection are used to convey meaning and emotion. Repeated reading of the scripts helps students develop reading fluency, improve reading comprehension, build vocabulary, and learn high-frequency words. Performing together encourages community in the classroom, school and community. To encourage all Muir teachers to consider RT as a useful strategy for promoting language skills, the artist will oversee a workshop for all Muir teachers on "Using Readers' Theater."

$5,950

Logging on to Literacy

MMSD

Teaching & Learning

"Logging on to Literacy" is a collaborative project that will forge a bond between resource professionals across departments and district teachers at every elementary school serving intermediate students (Grades 3-5). This leadership development project combines face-to-face and on-line learning that focuses on literacy connections across content areas differentiated for all learners. Its purpose is to share current knowledge of best practices in literacy instruction, and to initiate a support system that can be built upon over the next five years to significantly impact the quality of literacy instruction in school-dependent third through fifth grade students.

$10,000

Glendale CSC Model

Glendale

(Collaboration, Shared Ownership, and Coaching)

This project represents a significant restructuring of Glendale's staffing and professional development plan by providing professional development funds to support the integration of ESL (English as a Second Lang.), Title 1, and special education services into classroom based Instructional Teams (ITs). The new model seeks to better coordinate services among the myriad of special programs at Glendale - CC (Cross Categorical), DHH (Deaf and Hard of Hearing), ESL, Title 1, and Bilingual. The entire staffing plan is reorganized around Its that embed ESL, Title 1, and special education services to better coordinate instruction and collaboration among these specialists and classroom teachers.

$10,000

Creating Above the Line Classrooms and Schools

MMSD

Assistant Superintendents

This grant will help provide a week-long training with Corwin Kronenberg ("Above the Line" approach to address antecedent causes of behaviors that lead to suspension), targeting all MMSD elementary, middle, and high school staff. Planning and support for the training will include collaboration with Student Services personnel, Positive Behavior Support Teams, after-school care providers, and parent organizations. Through the systematic training across students' adult supports, it is anticipated that student behaviors will improve due to consistency in expectations, language, and techniques.

$3,000

Personal Learning Plan

West High School

The Personal Learning Plan will be a multifaceted, internet-based tool designed by a work group of West High students, staff, and community members to help students succeed in school and customize their educational experience to meet their broader life interests and future goals. This grant continues the development of the PLP program adding new pre-designed goals, a printable facilitator's guide, new student assessment tools, access to infinite campus, and an evaluation component regarding the use of the PLP.

$3,500

Elvehjem Playground Improvement Project

Elvehjem

Underwritten by the Madison Central Lions Club

LVM is one of the select schools in the MMSD that serves children with all cognitive disabilities, physical handicaps, and learning abilities in grades k-5. There is also an Early Childhood Program serving children as young as three years old. While the building is fully accessible, the playground offers very limited opportunity for all children to interact and learn the social, physical and academic lessons of childhood through play. The Elvehjem Long-Term Playground Improvement Committee is seeking funds to promote inclusion, improve safety, increase recreational/educational opportunities and promote physical fitness through a comprehensive improvement plan.

$2,500

East High School Publishing Project

East High School

This highly collaborative project is designed to address the literacy needs of students who struggle with their reading and writing due to learning disabilities, limited access to reading materials at home, or because English is not their first (or second) language. Four publications will be created, one for each of four programs that are scheduled to be implemented this year in East High School classrooms. The content areas are art, English literature, science and history, and students will create a publication related to the content area which will be published and distributed throughout the district.

$5,000

All Together Now

Mendota and Lindbergh

$1600 (Music Endowment Fund)

Lindbergh and Mendota Elementary Schools, in collaboration with two non-profit organizations (Wisconsin Council on Developmental Disabilities and Kiddo Publications of Madison), will work with an innovative hip-hop group, "The Figureheads," to address and enhance efforts to improve inclusion and the celebration of individual differences.

$5,000

Let's Rap

Chavez

$1600 (Music Endowment Fund)

Chavez Elementary School will work with community professionals to develop a comprehensive program to address student behavior referrals. The "Let's Rap" initiative will address cultural differences in student behaviors through staff training in how to handle cultural differences in student behavior, and how to use effective behavioral interventions to turn misbehavior into a learning experience; provide information to African American parents about the school's social/emotional learning programs, and to create a forum where these parents can discuss their thoughts, ideas and concerns; and to create a music video in conjunction with The Figureheads and Kiddo Publishing containing original songs created by the students using the social skills and value statements taught at Chavez.

$1,516

Growing Friendships around the World

Shorewood Hills

(Wozniak/Dickinson Visual Arts Fund)

Artist K. Michele Hatchell will collaborate with poet Fabu Mogaka, parent artists Lenora Saposnik and Brenda Gratton, REACH teacher Jeanne Dalle-Steele, the Global Focus Committee and the PTO to create a 6'x 8' clay tile mural with the young artists of Shorewood Elementary School that incorporates poetry, photography and student created imagery about global friendship. This grant is intended to fund the mosaic supplies portion of the grant.

$1,037

Spanish for Spanish Speakers

Wright

(Immigrant Families Fund)

This grant provides funding for literature and media supplies to initiate a unique class for middle school Latino students. These students will enhance their personal identities while developing Spanish language and literacy skills and a greater understanding of the experience of Latino Americans in the United States.