Author: district45foundation

On the morning of May 11, 2023, the District 45 Foundation for Excellence in Education paid a surprise visit to D45 staff awarded Grants for the 2023-24 school year.

With giant replica checks in hand, Foundation Board President Rae Srch, directors Linda Nystrom and Peg Egan, along with ex officio directors Al Legutki and Superintendent Dr. Tony Palmisano, arrived at schools to surprise each of the grant recipients with news of their award. In all, the Foundation awarded five educational grants totaling $5,760.53.

One of the grants awarded went to Debbie Johnson, Lauren Wegner, and Esthela Arenas from Schafer Elementary. The grant will allow them to purchase a hydroponic gardening system, or “Tower Garden,” for Schafer School.

“The Tower Garden is a hydroponic gardening system that students can use year-round as an engaging way to meet science, math and writing standards,” said Wegner. “This will also allow students to collaborate and develop long-term goals and plans to meet those goals.”

“We have big plans,” said Wegner. “We’re going to let the second graders vote at the beginning of the year on what they want to grow. Then, they will choose what kind of party they can have at the end, based on what they will grow.”

The gardening system allows students to learn about the growing process, from choosing seeds and soils to making meals from what they have grown. Students will also develop a website to track the garden and their successes and possible failures in the growing process.

In February, the Foundation invited District 45 staff to apply for grants for new and innovative projects that were not within District 45’s normal operating budget. Then, in April, the Foundation’s Board of Directors carefully reviewed the grant applications they received and arrived at five winning proposals.

Earlier in the 2022-23 school year, the Foundation awarded four Educational Mini-grants of at most $1,000 in addition to the regular grant program offered each spring. 2023-24 Educational Grants were awarded to:

STEM Bins as Fuel for Creativity!: Gabriela Manzano
Stevenson Elementary
Amount: $1,281.06

High-Interest Books for Silent Reading: Amy Prester and Hayley Rost
Westmore Elementary
Amount: $597.51

Kindergarten STEM Basket Manipulatives: Jennifer Zappas
Ardmore Elementary
Amount: $597.96

Let’s Read Together: Desta Wenzloff, Carly Lee, Fred Leinweber and Joe Ritchie
North Elementary
Amount: $1,900.00

Hydroponics Indoor Garden: Debbie Johnson, Lauren Wegner and Esthela Arenas
Schafer Elementary
Amount: $1,384.00

Throughout the year, the District 45 Foundation for Excellence in Education raises funds for Educational Grants. Donations to the Foundation can be made online or by mail anytime.

Throughout the year, the District 45 Foundation for Excellence in Education raises funds for regular grants and mini-grants. Donations to the Foundation can be made online or by mail anytime. 

On the morning of December 19, 2022, the District 45 Foundation for Excellence in Education went on a “Surprise Patrol” by visiting D45 staff awarded Fall Mini-Grants for the 2022-23 school year. 

With giant checks in hand, Foundation Board members Lynda Wilson, Rae Srch, Peg Egan, and Linda Nystrom arrived at schools with Superintendent Dr. Tony Palmisano to surprise each of the mini-grant recipients with news of their award. Four mini-grants were awarded, totaling $2,744.68. 

One of the mini-grants awarded was to Leticia Carmona, parent liaison in District 45, and Fred Leinweber, principal at North School. Their proposal, the Latino Family Literacy Project, encourages literacy at home by curating books written in English and Spanish. In partnership with the Villa Park Public Library, the program will support community learning and academic enrichment opportunities for children during non-school hours. 

The mini-grant will allow the project to acquire books, materials, training, and supplies, to engage D45 bilingual families in their child’s education through literacy support for families. According to Carmona, the project will also allow participating families to grow stronger ties with their children.

“I was thrilled to learn that our project had been selected,” said Carmona. “As a child of immigrant parents, student and family literacy are so important to me. Our program embraces the learning process by engaging the whole family.” 

In November, the Foundation invited District 45 staff to apply for mini-grants and fire up their creativity for new and innovative projects that were not within District 45’s normal operating budget. Then, in early December, the Foundation’s Board of Directors carefully reviewed the mini-grant applications they received and arrived at four winning proposals. 

For the fall of the 2022-23 school year, mini-grants of no more than $1,000 were awarded. The Foundation offered mini-grants this year in addition to the regular grant program offered each spring. 

D45 staff will be able to apply for the regular grants beginning in February of 2023, with program implementation in the 2023-24 school year. 

Mini-grants were awarded to:

Latino Family Literacy Project: Leticia Carmona and Fred Leinweber
North Elementary; Amount: $837.52

Let’s Get Growing!: Christina Rees and Tracy Shockey
Stevenson Elementary; Amount: $475.00

Friday Fun: Beth Shanahan, Taylor Nunley, and Jennifer Zappas
Ardmore Elementary; Amount: $975.21

Sensory Play, Learning the Fun Way: Beth Shanahan and Anne Blyth
Ardmore Elementary; Amount: $456.95

Throughout the year, the District 45 Foundation for Excellence in Education raises funds for regular grants and mini-grants. Donations to the Foundation can be made online or by mail anytime. 

During the 2019-20 school year, District 45 students will benefit from the following grants:

The District 45 Foundation Surprise Patrol made the rounds with the 2019-20 grant awards. Opportunities are being offered to students for the 2019-20 school year through five grants, totaling over $5000. The Foundation Surprise Patrol toured the District delivering BIG checks to the grant recipients. The District 45 Foundation raises funds for programs and materials which are not within the District’s regular operating budget.

Coping Kits – Students learn and utilize self-management strategies to aid them with academic engagement.
Experiences, language, and literacy: Weaving Together Oracy and Understanding – Younglearners are engaged through family nights and enriched through a field trip to the DuPage Children’s Museum to set them up for a lifetime of love for learning.
The Friendship Club – Students develop literacy skills and enjoy sharing open, honest communication with friends in book club.
Using Non-Fiction Text to Support Science and Social Studies – Students benefit from accessing non-fiction material at their reading level that is appropriate, engaging, and exciting.
Wildcat Book Club – Students become life-long readers by reading, exploring, sharing, and chatting about books.

Proceeds from the District 45 Foundation annual Foot Golf Open Classic fund the Foundation grant program. This year, the Foot Golf outing will be held on Friday, Aug. 16, at Western Acres Golf Course in Lombard. See below for details and how to reserve your spot now.

The District 45 Foundation Surprise Patrol made the rounds with the 2018-19 grant awards. Opportunities are being offered to students for the 2018-19 school year through nine grants, totaling $11,727.33. The Foundation Surprise Patrol toured the District delivering large checks to the grant recipients. The District 45 Foundation raises funds for programs and materials which are not within the District’s normal operating budget.

During the 2018-19 school year, District 45 students are benefiting from the following grants:

• Awesome Author Study of Melissa Stewart–Award-winning children’s book author Melissa Steward skypes with 1st graders. Each student receives a book and authors a book.
• Books & Hooks: A Novel Knitting Experience—Empowering young girls to be excited about reading and learning the skill of knitting.
• Classroom Podcast Station—Everyone’s Story Matters—Students use 21st Century learning skills to Edutain (Educate + Entertain = Edutain) locally and globally through podcasts.
• The Great Summer Reading Adventure— Students receive a passport to adventure for a summer of reading! Books go home, videos of staff reading are sent to families with key trivia key questions and two themed reading events bring everyone together in the summer
• North School Penguin News Team—A student news team scripts, tapes, edits and broadcasts newscasts.
• Chamber Pop/Jazz Strings—String orchestra players explore and perform music from the pop and jazz genres
• Summer Lunch Bunch—Students develop a love of reading by having books put in their hands and fun literacy activities at their fingertips all summer.
• Wildcat Book Club—Students become life-long readers by reading, exploring, sharing and chatting about books.
• Play based learning and Curriculum Connections–A trip to the Kohl’s Children’s Museum allows students to engage in dramatic play around the key Social Studies concepts of Economics while a visit to Cernan Earth and Space Center allows students to experience the scientific exploration of space.

 

The District 45 Foundation is pleased to share that 45Fest netted a total profit of over $37,000, with $20,000 of that total collected prior to the event in the form of sponsorships and donations. These funds will be put to good use by the Foundation next spring when grants are awarded.

The District 45 Foundation for Excellence is a non-profit organization that raises funds to support the enrichment of the educational opportunities for the students in District 45. Last spring, seven grants were awarded for the 2017-18 school year and the Foundation provided generous funding for two 21st century learning classrooms.

The seven grants awarded by the Foundation included:

• Utilizing Technology in Music—Connect+Pro headphones will extend the use of music in the Schafer School General Music classroom.
• You Can Do the Cube—Rubik’s Cubes with 40 STEM/STEAM lessons and curriculum will engage Schafer students in solving problems through puzzles.
• Makerspace Club—A Place to Explore, Create and Collaborate–Makerspace Club will meet weekly to expand student creativity and problem solving skills in the Makerspace at North School.
• Awesome Author Study of Bruce Hale—Award-winning children’s book author Bruce Hale will Skype with Schafer 2nd graders to increase writing and reading engagement. Each student receives a book, and authors a book.
• Experiences to develop language and background knowledge—Trips to the Kohl’s Children’s Museum and the Lincoln Marsh will build background knowledge, vocabulary and hands-on play experiences while incorporating common core standards as well as the next generation science standards for Stevenson School first graders.
• Summer Reading-Lunch Bunch—Schafer 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade students will develop a love of reading by having books and fun literacy activities put in their hands to read and then meet at the park for sharing their reads.
• Jefferson Middle School PE Choice Program/Heart Rate Monitors— The most efficient and up-to-date heart rate monitors, will allow the Jefferson Physical Education (PE) teachers to implement the “My PE Choice” program which helps students lead physically active lifestyles.

The District staff will be invited to apply for the 2018-19 Foundation grants next spring. The grants will be awarded prior to the end of the current school year, so planning can be done over the summer. The success of 45Fest will offer the District 45 Foundation the opportunity to greatly enrich the education programming in the District 45.

Last spring, the District 45 Foundation Surprise Patrol made the rounds with the 2017-18 grant awards. Opportunities are being offered to students for the current school year through seven grants, totaling $6,831.99. The Foundation Surprise Patrol toured the District delivering large checks to the grant recipients.  The District 45 Foundation raises funds for programs and materials which are not within the District’s normal operating budget.

During the 2017-18 school year, District 45 students are benefiting from the following grants:

Utilizing Technology in Music—Connect+Pro headphones will extend the use of music in the Schafer General Music classroom.
You Can Do the Cube—Rubik’s Cubes with 40 STEM/STEAM lessons and curriculum will engage Schafer students in solving problems through puzzles.
Makerspace Club—A Place to Explore, Create and Collaborate–Makerspace Club will meet weekly to expand student creativity and problem solving skills in the Makerspace at North.
Awesome Author Study of Bruce Hale—Award -winning children’s book author Bruce Hale will Skype with Schafer second graders to increase writing and reading engagement. Each student receives a book and authors a book.
 Experiences to develop language and background knowledge—Trips to the Kohl’s Children’s Museum and the Lincoln Marsh will build background knowledge, vocabulary and hands-on play experiences while incorporating common core standards as well as the next generation science standards for Stevenson first graders.
Summer Reading-Lunch Bunch—Schafer 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th grade students will develop a love of reading by having books and fun literacy activities put in their hands to read and then meet at the park for sharing their reads.
 Jefferson Middle School PE Choice Program/Heart Rate Monitors— The most efficient and up-to-date heart rate monitors, will allow the Jefferson Physical Education (PE) teachers to implement the “My PE Choice” program which helps students to lead physically active lifestyles.