Monroe Public Schools Education Foundation

Welcome

Welcome to the Education Foundation of Monroe Public Schools

What's New?

The Fall 2007 Grants have been awarded. 

 The Education Foundation of Monroe Public Schools was organized in 1999 by the Monroe Board of Education and District Administration. The Education Foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees consisting of educational, business, and community leaders.
It's purpose is to provide a source of resources, monetary and human, to improve the education of students whose lives and futures are affected everyday by their enrollment in Monroe Public Schools. We seek to provide resources and opportunities beyond those that are funded and offered through normal channels -- enabling innovative, enthusiastic and motivated teachers to go that extra step toward providing that motivation, inspiration, spark or experience that can improve a child's life forever.
On this site, you'll find information about the Foundation: its mission and goals, the who, what, why and when -- along with practical information for teachers, students, parents and members.

"Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children."  --  Charles R. Swindoll

Experience: "You cannot create experience. You must undergo it."  --  Albert Camus (1957 Nobel Prize Winner in Literature)

Mini-grant Awards for Fall 2007

The following grants, totaling $4,387.70,  were awarded by the Monroe Public Schools Education Foundation to grant applicants for the Fall 2007 award cycle.

To Nicole Adams at Monroe High School, $250 awarded for:
Egg and Cell Differentiation: This project entails buying fertilized eggs and the necessary equipment for incubating them. The project is designed to discuss the progress from an egg to a living, breathing organism through cell differentiation.

To Mary Wolf at Manor School, $318 awarded for:
After School Math Club: Math games and manipulatives will be purchased to implement an after school math club that is designed to encourage hands-on learning that will improve 6th grade students’ basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division strategies that many of them lack.

To Jill Wilson at Custer School, $899.20 for:
Learning Math Concepts through Literature: Books would be purchased to create a math library that would affect over 1100 students and 40 teachers. Stories can help children see the relevance of math and help them understand how to apply math to everyday activities. Since every child learns differently, we need to apply different strategies to teach math concepts. This is a great way to integrate reading, writing, science, social studies and math.

To Sherri Zub at Manor School, $935 for:
Math Workshop Implementation: Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics, Grades K-3 and 5-8, and Contexts for Learning Mathematics, K-6, would be purchased and used as the primary delivery system for math instruction. Thise program provides for main elements: hands-on instruction; student choice in what and how to learn; student reflection on their knowledge and efforts; teaching through problem-solving and inquiry.

To Ernie Sellars at Raisinville School, $750 for:
Lego Robotics: Four Robo Technology kits will be purchased to offer an opportunity for 5th and 6th grade students to learn more about math, science, computers, and engineering through designing, building, and programming Lego Robotics. The program is voluntary and had been very popular.

To Amy Pace, Amy Emerson, Delores LaBeau, and Tara Saunders at Manor School, $1036.25 for:
Multi-age Foreign Language Instruction: Japanese, French, and Spanish: Foreign language dictionaries, board books, videos, and other materials would be purchased to teach students some basic foreign language words and introduce them to the customs and culture of our foreign friends.

To Karole Matthews at Riverside School, $235.50 for:
Lunchtime Book Club: Three sets of books will be purchased for a voluntary Lunchtime Book Club one day a week until the books are complete. The goal is to strengthen reading and comprehension skills as well as to inculcate each student with a love of reading. This is especially important since so many children do not read at home.

2007 Spring Grants Awarded

Four new projects were awarded grants by the Monroe Public Schools Education Foundation at a ceremony held just prior to the Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, May 8th.

Each winning award was the result of an application submitted by an employee or group of employees of the Monroe Public School System. The next series of grants will be judged and awarded during the fall of 2007. Information and applications are available on this website.

The four recently awarded grants amounted to a total of $3,950.82. Added to the $7,577.57 awarded in November, the Foundation was able to contribute $11,528.39 to projects around the school system that otherwise may never have been funded.

The most recent awards included:

• Hollywood School --  Study Buddies --  submitted by Lynn Simmons, Elizabeth Hays, and Kelly Levicki --  $996.17

This project is linked to the Monroe Public Schools Grade Level Content Expectations to help Kindergarten students become ready for first grade.  With board games, manipulative games, buddy tutoring, and computer activities, the grant funds Kindergarten and first graders who are still struggling in knowing their letters, numbers and phonics.

• Cantrick School -- FUNctional Phonological Therapy - MPS Speech Pathologists submitted by Kathryn Rahal, Catherine Rohrs, Nora Stoller, Karla Howey, Teri Deindorfer, Melissa Corey, Julie Dumoulin, Stephanie Bell, and Cheryl Turner - $956.25

The purchase of this software program - Sound Contrasts in Phonology- will supplement phonemic awareness and literary activities at the early elementary level.  The funding from this grant will provide a higher level of speech services for nearly 400 students in Monroe Public Schools.

• Monroe High School -- Parent Newsletter - Health Education -- submitted by Denise Rumple, Diane Heck and Sandy Kreps - $1,000

One of the focuses of the newsletter is to educate parents as to how the Human Sexuality curriculum is developed for Monroe Public Schools, what is included, and how they can become more involved.  The grant's funds pays for quality printing costs.

• Manor School -- Foreign Languages (Spanish, Japanese, French) - submitted by Amy Pace, Amy Emerson, and Delores LaBeau - $998.40

This grant funds dictionaries, music and resources for students to learn a foreign language for basic communication. At the ceremony, the audience was treated to a demonstration of some of the language games that the students use to hone their skills.

Sumo Bot Demolition Derby

Steel Bot was ready to compete.
Anonymous Bot was nearly ready. 
The venue? Raisinville School on a cold and clear Thursday night.
The event? The Sumo Bot Demolition Derby.

If you've never heard of a Sumo Bot Demolition Derby, it's probably because you don't spend your recesses at the Lego Robotics Club like ten year old Dustyn Durbin does. Dustyn is a fifth grader at Raisinville (that's him on the left in the picture) and built Steel Bot with his partner Connor Knowles, also ten years old and a fifth grader at Raisinville. Steel Bot is a compact, well designed robot with a light detecting sensor and a computer brain that it uses to stay within the dark black sumo circle while it tries to push the other robots out of the circle. It took three attempts to get Steel Bot into fighting trim. Dustyn can explain it all to you if you ask: why Steel Bot is built low and compact, why it has two motors instead of one, why power is more important than speed.
Sounds like fun, doesn't it?  It is. That's why Dustyn and twenty-nine other fifth graders eat their lunches as fast as they can so they can hurry to Lego Robotics Club with their advisors, teacher Ernie Sellers and Tech Media Specialist Justin Nye. That's why the club members occasionally stay after school to work on their projects. And that's why fifth grader Tyru McClendon wanted in.
Trouble was, the club had grown as large as it could. The limiting factor was the fact that each robot requires a moderately expensive electronics module and the school had only nine modules donated to them by the middle school. Fortunately, Mr. Sellers heard about the mini-grant program offered by the Education Foundation from Raisinville principal Julie Everly and submitted an application. His application was chosen by the Foundation during the fall of 2006 and he used the $1,000 award to boost the club's module supply to fifteen.
That's why Tyru is in the club now and that's why Anonymous Bot was around on Thursday night to challenge Steel Bot to some serious sumo dueling.

Mini-Grant buys Microscopes

You remember your high school biology class, don't you? The semi-rubber frogs, the odd smells, the amazing new world revealed at the bottom of the microscope tube? Try to imagine biology class without any microscopes — no giant onion cells, or wiggling brine shrimp that transformed from near-invisible specs to lobster-like creatures under the optics, or unexpected creatures in a drop of water that finally got you to wash your hands before eating… 
Well, things weren't quite so drastic in teacher Sarah Richardville's biology classes. They had some microscopes — but they had to share the eight available scopes with all the other biology classes — and that often meant doing without when more than one class needed them on the same day.
An Education Foundation mini-grant awarded during the spring of 2006 has been a "huge help" according to teacher Richardville who applied for the grant after hearing about the opportunity in an email from foundation trustee Wendy Spicer. The school was able to nearly double the number of available microscopes from eight to fifteen. "Now", according to Richardville, "all four science teachers can be doing something at the same time." There is now "no disruption to the flow".
What's more, the grant also funded the purchase of two microscope cameras and software to allow the view at the bottom of the lens to be displayed on a video monitor to the entire class — picture pond scum on the big screen.
Freshman Samantha Martin, 14, was one of a classroom of students who recently completed a week-long project to learn microscope use — learning how to prepare slides, focus and light the subject and, if necessary, attach the camera for a more permanent image.
If it's been awhile since you grappled with a microscope in high school biology class and your memories of the whole process are dimmer than an under-lit paramecium, you can take Samantha's word for it:  "It's easy".

Fall 2006 mini-grants awarded

The Education Foundation of the Monroe Public Schools received twenty-five applications for mini-grants to be awarded during fall of 2006.  A committee of six was selected by the board of trustees to review and rank the grant applications following the critera listed in the mini-grant fact sheet. With advice from the committee, the Foundation Board selected the ten top-ranked projects to receive funding for the current period. The total amount awarded was $7,577.57.

The Foundation honored the grant winners at a reception held at the M.P.S. Administration Building on Monday evening, December 11 at 4:00.  Representatives from all the winning organizations were on hand to receive award certificates from various members of the Board of Trustees.
Congratulations to all of the fall grant recipients. This was the second series of awards by the Foundation. The total amount awarded during Fall 2006 was more than twice that of the Spring awards. The Foundation received many worthy and deserving grant requests that it was unable to fund. Hopefully, the number of grants that can be funded will continue to increase each year as the Foundation becomes better established and word gets out about the terrific work it has undertaken.

Click below to read a detailed list of the most recent awards.

First Annual Fundraising Dinner

The Education Foundation hosted a dinner fundraiser in the atrium of the La-Z-Boy Center at Monroe County Community College on February 23, 2006.  Mary Sue Coleman, President of the University of Michigan, was the featured speaker.  This first annual fundraising dinner was a huge success as it helped to fund the mini-grants awarded in April.

                                  

Mini-Grant Facts

WHO…

Any interested Monroe Public Schools employee may apply for a grant.  It can be a collaborative effort between staff members from the same building/department or from multiple buildings/departments.

WHAT…

Provides individual grants up to $500 or $1,000 building-wide grants for new and innovative learning opportunities or community outreach projects.

BUILDING-WIDE GRANTS

Sometimes building staff may have a project they would like to execute to assist their students and staff to reach a school-wide and/or district goal.  This grant is intended for that purpose.  It should address a project that has the potential to reach the majority of the students in your building.  Building-wide grants are available up to $1,000.

WHEN…NEW DATES

Applications are due into The Education Foundation of Monroe Public Schools Office by March 15, 2007.  The completed applications may be sent through interschool mail or through the US Post Office.

WHY…

Foundation grants provide seed money for teachers and staff: 

• Teachers who have an idea to energize or challenge their students.
• Teachers who have an innovative teaching strategy to pilot.
• Support staff who may wish to conduct a project to impact their relationship with students, staff, parents or community.

THE NEXT STEPS…

• Follow directions and complete all application questions.
• Copies of the form can be downloaded from the Foundation web site at MPSFoundationOnline.org.
• Make your answers simple, but specific.  Write for your reader by painting a picture of your project in words.  Use active voice.
• Return completed application signed by your building administrator.
• Awards will be announced 15 days after application deadline.

For additional information contact:

The Education Foundation of the Monroe Public Schools
1275 N. Macomb Street
Monroe, Michigan   48162
734-265-3010

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The Education Foundation of the Monroe Public Schools
Mini-Grant Review Criteria

Reviewers will score application using the following criteria.

1. OBJECTIVES:  (15 points)

Extent to which applicant provides objectives that are specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and time specific.

2. PROJECT PLAN:  (25 Points)

Extent to which the proposed actions appear feasible with the available and requested resources, in the proposed time frame.  Extent to which the steps for accomplishing the action are reasonable for completing the action in the proposed time; and the extent to which responsibility for each step is assigned to appropriate parties.

3. NEED:  (5 points)

Extent to which the applicant identifies the school community needs and connects the proposed actions to those needs.

4. RATIONALE:  (10 points)

Extent to which the applicant provides evidence that the proposed actions are likely to achieve the stated objectives.

5. RESOURCES:  (20 points)

Extent to which the applicant proposes involving appropriate member(s) of the school community (5 points) and has sufficient human and material resources to carry out the proposed actions (10 points).  Extent to which the applicant proposes involving appropriate community partners in a meaningful way (5 points). [NOTE:  If partnerships with organizations outside the school are not applicable or appropriate, reviewers will use a scale of 10 points for involvement of appropriate members of the school community.]

6. EVALUATION/OUTCOMES:  (10 points)

Extent to which the proposed evidence would demonstrate completion of the proposed actions (5 points) and the achievement of the stated objectives (5 points).

7. SUSTAINABILITY:  (15 points)

Extent to which the proposed actions are likely to continue providing benefits to the school community after the funding ceases

8. BUDGET:  (No Score)

Extent to which the budget matches the proposed actions.  Extent to which the applicant justifies proposed budget items.  Extent to which the budget appears reasonable and sufficient to accomplish the proposed plan.

 

2007 Meeting Dates for the Board

The Board of Trustees meets once a month at 12:00 (noon) at the Monroe Public Schools Administration Building.  The meeting dates for the first part of 2007 are:

• January 8
• February 12
• March 19
• April 16
• May 21
• June 18

We extend our appreciation to the following for their support of our 2006 Annual Dinner:

        Mary Sue Coleman
        University of Michigan

        Dr. David Nixon
        Monroe County Community College

H. Douglas Chaffin
Monroe Bank & Trust

Susan Vanisacker
La-Z-Boy, Inc.

Robert Trowbridge
Midway Products Group, Inc.

William D. McIntyre, Jr.
Allegra Network, LLC

Debbie Bagnall Haines
American Speedy Printing

Denise Fox
Education Plus Credit Union

DTE Energy
Molly Luempert Coy

Paul Assenmacher
Monroe County Community Credit Union

John Costas
LaSalle Bank

Charles Hawes
Michigan Institute of Aviation and Technology

Joe Buick
Hylant Group

Dr. Nair

Mission and Goals

It is the mission of the Education Foundation of the Monroe Public Schools to acquire, distribute and direct resources to Monroe Public Schools for programs and projects aimed at enhancing or supplementing learning opportunities for students, staff and community.

The Foundation operates with a clear set of goals defined by the Board of Trustees:

For Our Students:

• Provide sources for supplementary education.
• Provide resources for unique learning needs.
• Provide resources for scholarships to high school graduates for post-secondary education.

For Our Staff:

• Provide resources for innovative ideas and creative programs.
• Provide resources to support unique development opportunities.

For our community:

• Encourage school and community partnerships.
• Collaborate with other educational entities in expanding and enhancing learning opportunities.
• Promote the school district as a center for learning.
• Promote community awareness and understanding about the Foundation and Monroe Public Schools.