March 2010 Volume 5, Issue 8. GRANTS INFORMATION, RESEARCH & EVALUATION Contact: Theresa Valentino Ext:

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1 In This Issue: Instructional Resources Elementary Habitat for Humanity p. 2 Elementary/Middle School Planet Orange p. 2 Building Big p. 2 Middle/High School Tour of the Cell p. 2 All levels Thinkfinity p. 2 Field Trip Earth p. 2 The Exquisite Prompt p. 3 Parent Media Ed.Program p. 3 Culinary in the Classroom p. 3 Journey North p. 3 Literacy All Level Dollar General Back to School Grants p. 3 Math/Science Dart Foundation p. 4 Interdisciplinary The Lawrence Fdn. p. 4 Christa McAuliffe Reach for Stars Award (Soc.St.) p. 4 Newspaper Assn. of America p. 4 Technology SAMCAM 860 p. 5 Digital Wish p. 5 Professional Development NAGC Harry Passow Teacher Scholarship p. 5 Pasco Ed. Fdn. Employee Scholarships p. 5 Contests/Awards Middle School Teams That Make A Difference p. 6 Apperson Giving Back p. 6 Do Something- Increase Your Green p. 6 Discovery Ed/CDW-G Wireless Lab Contest p. 6 Upcoming Grant Application Help Clinic & Grant Writing Mini-Training Wednesday, April 21, :30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. - Computer Lab, Bldg. 3 Grant Writing Mini-Training Session 4:30 p.m.- 5:00 p.m.: Budget Please R.S.V.P. to attend help clinic and /or mini-training session via phone or by Monday (3/??/10) preceeding the session date. GRANTS INFORMATION, RESEARCH & EVALUATION Contact: Theresa Valentino Ext: tvalenti@pasco.k12.fl.us March 2010 Volume 5, Issue 8 Welcome to the Research and Evaluation Department s March issue of the GRANT ALERT NEWSLETTER for the school year. This newsletter will inform of the most current Grant Opportunities with Deadlines in addition to many other fundraising, donation, award and recognition opportunities. This information is made available via and may also be downloaded from the district Grant Information website at: The Grant Information website also provides a listing of many funding opportunities that are available on an ON-GOING basis for your review. In addition, the Grant Wrangler headline widget featured on the website is a resource to find funding for projects and updated every 2 weeks by Grant Wrangler. Please check the Grant Information website for additional web resources on how to develop and write successful grant proposals and other updated potential grant sources, as well! I look forward to continuing to assist schools with grant projects you will be working on in support of your school improvement and/or professional development goals. Please contact my office for guidance in following District procedures when completing grant applications over $1,000 as they must be approved by the School Board before they can be submitted to the funding organizations GRANT TIP OF THE MONTH: Dissemination/Sustainability The Dissemination Plan of a grant application describes the methods/strategies to disseminate and share information about the proposed project to appropriate populations. Plans may include sharing the results with other groups at workshops, meetings, conferences, posting information on a Web site or other effective means. The following describes the scoring criteria for a dissemination plan: The applicant s dissemination plan will use effective and realistic means to reach the appropriate audiences, including the target population(s), the local community, and other organized entities, if/when indicated. The methods/strategies used to share services provided by the proposed project are innovative. The dissemination plan reflects a thorough grasp of the proposed project and the positive impact on the targeted population(s). The plan for dissemination of the project accomplishments describes strategies for sharing results for other schools or districts who may choose to replicate the intent of the project beyond the required report. Sustainability describes a plan for continuation beyond the grant and/or availability of other resources necessary to implement the grant. The plan outlines how funding and future program costs will be covered if the program is to be continued. A list of other funders approached and letters of commitment may accompany the plan. In addition, the activities or methodologies that are being used for a particular project may be considered to help sustain grant programs regardless of funding guarantees. These may include continuing use of evaluation methods after the project has ended to measure student achievement on a regular basis; embedding facets of the program into the curriculum; and, involving collaborators in alternative ways they can help continue a project (offers of services, volunteering at schools, acting as mentors or guest speakers, etc.). The plan should not indicate that the present funder will be approached for additional money.

2 FREE INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES Elementary The Habitat for Humanity classroom lessons include handouts, worksheets, assessments, answer keys and rubrics designed to teach elementary school students about housing issues around the world. Subjects covered include language arts, math, social studies and science. To download copies of the elementary, middle or high school lessons, please visit our Web site at: Elementary/Middle School Planet Orange - Habitat for Humanity Elementary School Lessons Website developed to provide fun and engaging activities to help kids from 1st to 6th grade embark on a mission to discover the importance of earning, spending, saving and investing. Through their travels on Planet Orange, they will tackle topics from the value of money, to setting a budget, to building savings goals for the future. Teachers can go to the Teacher Resource Center for lesson plans, curriculum information, and other useful tools! Parents can check out the Parent Center for more information about how Planet Orange works and how it teaches kids about money in a fun and safe way! BUILDING BIG - Web site seeks to increase students' awareness of their built environment and the impact of technology on society, while teaching basic physical science concepts. Activities for fifth to eighth grade students. Middle School/High School A TOUR OF THE CELL On the National Science Foundation s Biology Web page, students can take a tour of the cell. By clicking on the parts of the cell, they can explore the nucleus, DNA, RNA, ribosomes, the endoplasmic reticulum, the cell membrane, mitochondria and protein. Thinkfinity.org makes it easy for educators to enhance their classroom instruction with lesson plans, interactive activities and other online resources. Thinkfinity.org also provides a wealth of educational and literacy resources for students, parents and after-school programs. All of Thinkfinity.org's 55,000 standards-based K-12 lesson plans, student materials, interactive tools and reference materials are reviewed by the nation's leading education organizations to ensure that content is accurate, up-to-date, unbiased and appropriate for students. At Thinkfinity.org, you'll find primary source materials, interactive student resources and grade-specific research lists to help you tailor materials to meet your needs. Field Trip Earth Field Trip Earth is the global resource for teachers, students, and proponents of wildlife conservation. Field Trip Earth may be used in any learning situation and implemented into day-to-day teaching activities. Field Trip Earth provides classrooms the opportunity to interact meaningfully with wildlife researchers and other conservation experts. Students can read researchers field diary entries, direct questions to the researchers (and read their responses), listen to recorded satellite telephone calls and other communications, see video taken in the field, and discuss conservation issues with them. Students can use the interactive resources of Field Trip Earth to become part of the research team itself. 2

3 The Exquisite Prompt The Exquisite Prompt is a series of monthly writing challenges designed as a classroom activity for kids in grades K-12. The writing prompts are inspired by the 18 authors and illustrators participating in the Exquisite Corpse Adventure - a new serial story that launched on September 26, 2009 sponsored by the Library of Congress and the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance. The prompts are accompanied by author/illustrator biographies, bibliographies, interviews, and many resources specifically related to each prompt (for example, a prompt that asks for students to write an original poem will include links to great online poetry resources). To be eligible for prizes, students are asked to submit original writing of 350 words or less for each writing prompt (still time to enter for May & June contests!). Prizes include being published on Reading Rockets and AdLit and receiving a selection of books, including titles autographed by the authors and illustrators. Winners are also are eligible for a classroom visit by one of the authors or illustrators via Skype! Parent Media Education Program From cyberbullying to cell phones, media is central to being a kid today. Become a Common Sense School is a FREE parent media education program to get parents, educators, and your community talking about how to raise safe, smart and responsible media creators and consumers. Resources include flexible print and video materials organized by grade and interactive workshops and videos to engage parents. Also see web site for children and tweens that features the characters from Disney s animated series Phineas and Ferb and supports Common Sense Media s Rules of the Road for smart and safe use of digital media. CULINARY IN THE CLASSROOM Culinary topics are an excellent way to introduce math concepts, science principles, and even artistic ideas. Measuring ingredients and converting recipes seems more like fun than math! Is it more interesting to read about yeast in a book, or bake bread from scratch? How many ways can food be presented on a plate to create a pleasing visual experience? The answers point to one conclusion: culinary arts can be an invaluable teaching aid! Journey North engages students in a global study of wildlife migration and seasonal change. K-12 students share their own field observations with classmates across North America. They track the coming of spring through the migration patterns of monarch butterflies, robins, hummingbirds, whooping cranes, gray whales, bald eagles and other birds and mammals; the budding of plants; changing sunlight; and other natural events. Find migration maps, pictures, standards-based lesson plans, activities and information to help students make local observations and fit them into a global context. LITERACY JOURNEY NORTH - Dollar General Literacy Foundation Back to School Grants The Dollar General Literacy Foundation Back to School Grants provide funding to assist school libraries or media centers in meeting some of the financial challenges they face in the following areas: Implementing new or expanding existing literacy programs Purchasing new technology or equipment to support literacy initiatives Purchasing books, materials or software for literacy programs Maximum Grant Amount: $5,000; Deadline to apply: May 21, 2010; Grant Announcement: August 20,

4 MATH/SCIENCE Sponsor of Environmental, Math, Science, & Engineering Programs Dart Foundation grants can be targeted toward an organization's specific programs, projects, capital needs or general operations. Applications of $5,000 or less are accepted and reviewed on an ongoing basis. However, if your grant request is over $5,000, deadlines apply. Deadlines for grant requests over $5,000 are: June 15, September 15, December 15, & March 15. Grant decisions are announced on or about: July 15, October 15, January 15, & April INTERDISCIPLINARY The grant application provides the opportunity to introduce your organization, tell about problems faced, and how the foundation can help. It also allows us the foundation to determine whether the purpose or project for which you are seeking funding has aims consistent with our mission and areas of interest. Grant applications due by April 30 are awarded by June 30 and applications due by October 31 are awarded by December 31. Christa McAuliffe Reach for the Stars Award Christa McAuliffe was an innovative social studies teacher who reached for the stars in an effort to make her dream of space travel a reality. She was the first classroom teacher to participate in space flight and planned to use the experience in teaching lessons from space. The purpose of the $2,500 grant is to help a social studies educator make his or her dream of innovative social studies a reality. Grants will be given to assist classroom teachers in: 1) developing and implementing imaginative, innovative, and illustrative social studies teaching strategies; and 2) supporting student implementation of innovative social studies, citizenship projects, field experiences, and community connections. Application deadline: May 1, Newspaper Association of America Foundation Student/Newspaper Partnership Grants The NAA Foundation has given Student/Newspaper Partnership Grants annually since The program provides funds to help establish or revive student newspapers. Grants are awarded to partnership proposals between middle and high schools and their local professional newspapers. Deadline for application April 15, High Five Grants As part of the Student/Newspaper Partnership program, the NAA Foundation may award High Five grants to middleschool proposals that meet the grant criteria. Funding levels are different; selected schools must agree to use the High Five curriculum in their publication efforts and then report on their usage. Deadline for application April 15, Young Publishers Grant Young Publishers is designed to help high school students and advisers learn the skills required for success in newspaper publishing through the development of a business plan. To accomplish this, students and advisers must interact with and be mentored by volunteers from the local professional newspaper as the business plan is crafted. Applications for the Young Publishers grant are accepted on a rolling deadline. Emerging Media Workshop In this three-day training opportunity, high school journalism advisers learn how to take their print publications to the Web. The workshop also includes an introduction to multimedia storytelling techniques and social networking. 4

5 TECHNOLOGY SAMCAM 860 "Active Learning" Grant Program SAMSUNG is seeking to award 50 SAMCAM 860 digital presenters to those schools who can best utilize a document camera that encourages Active Learning. Applicant must be currently teaching in a school in the U.S. and will use the Samsung Document Camera in the classroom. Applicants submit online application and respond to question asking how they would take Active Learning to the next level with a SAMCAM 860 in 100 words or less. The Samsung Document Camera will become property of the school district. Deadline to submit application is June 1, Digital Wish Grants Calendar REMINDER! Check out the Digital Wish Grants Calendar to qualify to win as many as 43 different grants for hardware and software! Register your classroom and create a detailed class profile. All teachers who submit a technology-based lesson plan on Digital Wish will be automatically entered to win as many as 43 technology grants! Grants will be awarded on the 28th of every calendar month. Upcoming grants include Autism Awareness Month, April Podcasting Grant, Spring into Math Skill, May Podcasting Grant, and End of School Push. More information regarding grand awards, upcoming deadlines and descriptions may be found on the Digital Wish website. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT NAGC A. Harry Passow Classroom Teacher Scholarship The National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) annually awards the A. Harry Passow Classroom Teacher Scholarship to teachers of grades K-12 who have shown excellence in teaching gifted students, the ability to meet the needs of gifted students, and commitment to furthering the development of their teaching skills. The scholarship is designed to reimburse/defray the costs of continuing education for up to two eligible teachers currently teaching gifted students in a variety of educational settings ranging from a homogeneous or full-day special class to a heterogeneous classroom. The nominee must be a member of NAGC for at least one year. Materials may be submitted either by the teacher (selfnominations are encouraged) or another nominating party. Submissions must be postmarked by Monday, April 19, Employee Scholarship Program All Eligible Employees of The District School Board of Pasco County are welcome to apply. Approximately $50,000 in scholarship money is available. Go to to view the catalog of scholarships available this year. The application deadline is 11:59 p.m., Sunday, April 25, Scholarship winners will be announced online sometime in May or June. 5

6 CONTEST/AWARDS Middle School Teams That Make A Difference is an awards program that identifies teachers and others who work to improve the education and well-being of young adolescents. Examples of programs include: Tutoring program, Enrichment opportunities, Creative teaching strategies, Problem solving and creative thinking activities, Homework approaches, Parent involvement suggestions, Mentoring project, After-school program, etc. The grand prize winning team will receive a $5,000 cash award from Pearson and be honored and will present their winning programs at National Middle School Association's 37th Annual Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, November 4-6, Deadline for entries is April 30, entid=82 Teams That Make A Difference Apperson Giving Back to our Schools Apperson created a program that lets teachers and faculty members nominate a school to win up to $1500! The school with the most votes wins $1500. The school with the second most votes wins $750. The school with the third most votes wins $500. The only requirement is that the money is used for educational purposes. Nominations accepted through October 22, Schools must sign up to participate and submit your plans to reduce waste, save energy, or use technology to go green. Winning schools will receive up to $5,000 in environmental funding and HP Artist Edition Notebooks! Deadline to report back on completed projects: April 22nd 'WIN A WIRELESS LAB' SWEEPSTAKES Discovery Education and CDW-G will award wireless labs to five schools as part of a 2010 technology sweepstakes. Five monthly random drawings will be conducted that will award one prize: an Interactive Whiteboard valued at approximately $1,500. The competition closes May 3. After the final monthly winner is picked, three grand prize winners will then be chosen around May