thankful thursday: part ii
part two of three: teaching & learning grants
If you missed last week's e-newsletter, you may have also missed that we have deemed the month of January "Thankuary" -- to acknowledge the support from the kind and compassionate people in this community who make it possible for us to work in fulfillment of our mission to cultivate student potential.
This week, we're focusing on how your support is helping enhance student learning, address opportunity gaps, and meet needs that may otherwise go unfulfilled in every one of Olympia's schools. Support made possible through our Teaching & Learning Grants. Read more below about just some of the incredible projects and programs that could not happen without you!
teaching & learning grants
Eighth-graders in Lacey Mies' ELA class at Jefferson Middle School last year read, wrote about and discussed the book "I'm Not Dying With You Tonight," which follows two teen girls -- one black, one white -- who confront their own assumptions about racial inequality. This was made possible through a Browsers Books Grant.
Grants providing students with incredible opportunities
Since September, your support has provided nearly $100,000 in grants that will allow for a wide variety of opportunities -- and will benefit nearly 14,000 students -- inside and outside of pre-K - 12th grade-classrooms throughout Olympia's schools this year.
Experiences that include:
Restoring electro-mechanical pinball machines (Olympia High School)
Learning to play ukuleles (Garfield Elementary)
Printing CHS literary magazine (Capital High School)
Updating nonfiction and identity book collections (Pioneer Elementary)
Making xylophones available for all music students (McKenny Elementary)
Providing field experiences in sustainability (Avanti High School)
Acquiring bilingual books (Centennial Elementary)
Promoting college and career exploration (Thurgood Marshall Middle School)
Learning with Ozobots (L.P. Brown Elementary)
Funding schoolwide assemblies (Roosevelt Elementary)
Yapping About Y.A. ("YAYA") Book Club (Washington Middle School)
Crafting a nurturing art space (Boston Harbor Elementary)
Making "medical detectives" kits available for science (Jefferson Middle School)
Ensuring art supplies for all students (Hansen Elementary)
Supporting improved student literacy (ORLA)
Providing nutritional snacks for Transition to Kindergarten students (Madison Elementary)
Purchasing books that will allow students to participate in Battle of the Books competition (Reeves Middle School)
Establishing a visual arts program (Lincoln Options Elementary)
Exploring complex math concepts with manipulatives (McLane Elementary)
The grantee who received the funding for math manipulatives at McLane shared that thanks to the tools, "Math instruction has been completely transformed ..." she said. "Every day, I see the joy and curiosity on my students' faces as they eagerly reach for dice, counters, open number lines, pop-it multiplication charts, base 10 blocks, and individual whiteboards. These tools have done more than just enhance our math lessons -- they've brought learning to life and given my students the confidence to tackle challenges with excitement and determination.
"One moment that truly touched my teacher's heart happened during a lesson on place value and regrouping. A student who had been struggling for weeks finally had her breakthrough. Using base 10 blocks, she pieced together the concept of regrouping. Her face lit up with a smile and exclaimed, 'O-M-G!' when she was able to successfully solve a problem with regrouping independently. That moment reminded me why hands-on tools are so powerful -- they make the impossible feel possible for students."
The grants listed above are just a handful of the more than 70 Teaching & Learning Grants (including Browsers Books Grants; see below) that your support has made possible this year alone.
We look forward to sharing stories, photos and videos of how these projects turned out as we hear from grant recipients leading up to the end of the school year. In the meantime, check out the video below to learn about one of our favorite grants from three years ago, which also would not have been possible without your support. Washington Middle School now also has one of these trikes, and Capital High School is looking to acquire one this year.
teaching & learning grants highlight
An all-time favorite grant of ours -- made possible through your support -- is one that allowed Olympia High School to purchase an adaptive trike. Access to the trike inspired a student who "had literally never left the corner of the gym" to finally participate in P.E., according to teacher Ryan Gerritts. Click on the photo above or this link to watch a video about how the trike has also "allowed increased physical activity (and) it has also provided an opportunity to break down barriers and walls that special ed students have with their peers ... and I've seen them just flourish in their ability ... to be a part of their school," according to district physical therapist Marnie Prandi, the grant recipient.
browsers books grants
Locally owned bookstore helps fill school and classroom library shelves
Since 2019, downtown Olympia's Browsers Book Shop has provided more than $25,000 in funding for grants that allow teachers and librarians to establish or build classroom or school libraries.
These grants have proved so popular that the funds are exhausted nearly as soon as they are available every school year.
Roosevelt Elementary teacher-librarian Jean Schuna received a Browsers grant last year to expand the library's selection of books.
One of the successes of the expansion was "Students being able to see themselves represented in the collection and other students gaining new perspectives as they read the books," Schuna shared.
"One student, who is Native American, started reading the books by Christine Day and was thrilled to find books that reflected her heritage," Schuna said. "When Christine Day came to Olympia to speak, this student ... was able to connect the books to the real author and further see herself represented by a Native woman."