Nebo Education Foundation Gives Grants December 2013

Submitted by lana.hiskey on

Nebo Education Foundation Gives Grants December 2013

Foundation past president Natalie Clyde remarked, "It is a pleasure to receive the grant applications and see how remarkable and creative the Nebo District teachers are. The Nebo Education Foundation facilitates these grant monies to help teachers realize their ideas and the students' potential. As a foundation, we get to see a glimpse at how well our teachers are instructing our students. Our teachers are truly talented and utilize every penny.  They do such a great job!"

Congratulations to the following teachers that continue to bless the lives of students.

Spring Lake Elementary – Erica Fordiani
“I would like to thank the Nebo Education Foundation for their generous donation! Through this funding, my students will be able to construct a miniature pond ecosystem and assess its biodiversity, then design their own experiments to determine the population dynamics and the effects of various pollutants on pond microorganisms. They will also model the impact of road salt runoff on a pond and assess the environmental impact on bottom sediments. Images from our microscope will be projected onto a large screen for all students to see through the use of the digital microscope camera. Chromebooks will allow students to look up information on various microorganisms and environmental factors. Thank you for providing my class with needed resources that will enable engaged student learning,” Erica Fordiani, sixth-grade Teacher at Spring Lake Elementary.

Brockbank Elementary – Tara Farr
Tara Farr said, “Thank you so much for the grant you have given our kindergarten team at Brockbank Elementary. The letter factory is a fun way to learn the letter names and sounds while incorporating music, movement in an engaging repetitive way.  We will be sending the 12 DVD's home on a rotating schedule so that every student that does not know letter names and sounds will be able to utilize these for years to come.  It will be a very simple way for a parent to help their child with at home.  This grant is such an enrichment to our classrooms.  Both Mrs. Kariuki and I have been trying to find a way to make this happen for a few years but the funds just weren't available on our own.  We are so appreciative for The Nebo Education Foundation and for the time they took out of their schedules to make this possible for us to have 12 Letter Factory DVD's available for the needs of our kindergarten students.  I know this grant will allow us to bridge the connection between home and school and give parents an effective tool to help their children succeed.  We are so thankful for this money to use to further help the kindergarten students in our district and give them a solid foundation in literacy skills that will carry into all learning in the future.”

Park Elementary – Principal Ryan Kay
Principal Ryan Kay said, “Thank you so much for your generous grant donation.  The money will be used to keep the Leader in Me moving forward at Park Elementary.  It will also help with our Leadership Day that we will be holding in the Spring.  We will be inviting parents, city, community and district officials into our school to see the process in action. Again, thank you for keeping this great program going in our school.  You can feel the difference it makes the minute you walk into the school or classrooms.”
                           
Barnett Elementary – Larraine Nelson
“We are so excited to be awarded this grant from the Nebo Foundation!  Our goal was to purchase a variety of books for our Title I Library.  This is the first year in quite a few years that Barnett has been a Title I School, and we needed books to help our students develop their reading skills.  We are using the University of Utah's Early Steps Program and Nebo Plus Reading Program.  Both of these programs need many books for the students to read and review daily.  These books will help the students read a variety of subjects while helping them with their decoding, fluency and comprehension skills.  We are thrilled to have this resource and know it will benefit many children here at Barnett Elementary!  Thank you so much!” exclaimed Larraine Nelson.

Mt. Nebo Junior High – Linda Durrant
“Reading has long been a passion at Mt. Nebo Junior High. But how do you appeal to reluctant readers or struggling readers? Our school plans to place in each classroom a set of quick, high interest fiction and nonfiction books. What will make this project unique is the one minute sharing component at the end of the period. With two minutes remaining in our Monday reading period, students will pair-up and share what they have read with each other. Research has shown that ‘What students read and then talk about is what they learn best and remember the longest.’ (Linda B. Gambrell, Clemson University). In addition, this will encourage students to have a ‘Now Book’ and a ‘Next Book’. Students will also have the opportunity to earn points toward their Term Reading Goal which is based on their current STAR testing scores. This should be exceptionally helpful to our struggling readers as many of them are so overwhelmed with trying to read a whole book. (Most fail to submit any points at all.) Now they can meet their goal in short, meaningful increments,” said Linda Durrant.

Wilson Elementary – Vicki Lyons
“Thank you, thank you, thank you to the Nebo foundation for approving my grant for an iPad. I was so excited to receive this grant. As an elementary counselor, I assist students with interpersonal skills, communication skills and achieving academic success. With the help of this tool, I can help students stay more engaged and interested while practicing problem solving skills, social skills, and understanding feelings. The Nebo foundation has helped so many of our Nebo students in countless ways. Thanks again to the 20 member board of volunteer community members and educators that make up the Nebo Foundation for helping our Nebo students achieve!! Also, thank you to Wilson School and Principal Daryl Fluckiger for matching the funds for this grant, said Vicki Lyons, counselor at Wilson Elementary.

Canyon Elementary – Robin Wheatley
Robin Wheatly said, “A huge thank you goes to the Nebo Foundation Board for the funds granted to Canyon Elementary. This money will be used to purchase 100 books for two first grade classrooms. These books will be used to support independent reading during daily guided reading time. It is so important for emergent and early readers to have ‘just right’ texts that they can read independently. These books will not only build fluency but confidence. The dedication and support the Nebo Foundation gives to the students of Nebo District is greatly appreciated.”

Sierra Bonita Elementary – Laura Elzinga
Laura Elzinga said, “The fifth-grade teachers at Sierra Bonita are excited to receive a grant from the Nebo Foundation to help them purchase science supplies.  Our school has increased dramatically in size in just a couple of years, and we find ourselves short of things like electrical equipment for making circuits, magnets, and other hands on items.  We know our students will have a great understanding of the concepts when they are able to participate rather than just watch.”
 
Landmark High – Howard Bonzo
“Thanks for approving the grant. This will be a big boost for landmark. We currently have only four potter wheels with 25 students in a class fighting over them. I teach three ceramics classes and the students will be thrilled with the additional wheels. There are not a lot of electives at Landmark. Art is one of the few classes students can express themselves. This will greatly enhance our art program,” said Howard Bonzo.

Larsen Elementary – Jenny Headman
"Thank you so much for the money for our new classroom rug.  The current rug we have is an old green rug with stains on it.  The classroom will be a brighter place for the students to enjoy," said Jenny Headman.

Payson Junior – Ingrid Bolz
Goshen Elementary – Nate Holt & Carrie Norton

Businesses and individuals can donate as well. You can specify a specific school, classroom or program to donate to. The extra help through additional funding gives Nebo students the advantage of enhanced learning. For more information about the tax deductible donation to Nebo Education Foundation, please contact Lana Hiskey at Nebo School District, 354-7400, email lana [dot] hiskey [at] nebo [dot] edu or mail 350 South Main, Spanish Fork, UT 84660.

Attributions
Lana Hiskey