Topeka Public Schools USD 501

Past Recipients

Grant applications are due by the end of September. The applications are reviewed and awarded during the month of October. On October 19, the TPS Foundation "Grant Patrol" made its rounds, presenting big checks to grant awardees. The following grants were awarded during the 2011-2012 school year, totalling $33,940. Consider targeting your gifts to one or more of these projects.

Tidwell Educational Grant Recipients 2011-2012

African Hand Drumming: McCarter

Funding will go to purchase a full set of hand drums for the musical classroom so that all students are engaged in an activity at once. By acquiring this number of instruments, the students can participate in activities that incorporate dance & movement. Students can also meet several of the National Mucis Standards including singing a varied repertoire of music, playing instruments alone & with others, improvising, commposing as well as reading and notating music.

Group reading Project: Highland Park HS

Students will work in teams (3-4) to select a Young Adult novel by a minority author. The teacher will provide a list of possible books that represent a diversity of reading levels, interest, & ethnicities. Teams will read the books together, setting their own reading timeline, identifying vocabulary words, and creating thoughtful questions for discussion and assessment. Students will showcase their learning by designing a project and pesentation to share with the class.

Family and Consumer Science-Living in Today's World: Capital City School

Teaching students how to live on a budget in the "Real World". This project will directly focus on budgets & putting the budget into real life applications beginning with foods & family. Activities will include hosting a variety of school events, how to combine nutrition with your daily menu & creating healthy menu's on a budget. Also to focus on banking and the budget.

Digital Buddy Reading Station: Whitson

The 5th grade teachers at Whitson, want to create a digital buddy reading station as well as a research station during LEAD 21 Inquiry Day. This will allow students to read books with a buddy,conduct research for their inquiry projects, and have a digital library filled with books at their reading level. Students will have access to the digital reading/research station by using a Kindle.

Supporting Struggling Readers with MP3 Listening Centers: French MS

The acquisition of MP3 listening stations will enable below grade level readers including SPED & ELL, to access the text in a way not possible independently. The listening stations will also expose students to the text in an additional format, enriching and deepening their understanding. This will allow students to practice the skill & strategies we learn in the classroom, thereby enhancing their experience and engagement with the new Expert 21 curriculum.

21st Century Language Arts: Capital City School

We will use 21st Century tools & software to create language arts projects associated with helping our students meet reading, writing, speaking, and visual standars of both the current language arts standards and the incoming Core Curriculum Standards. To do this, students will create multi-media projects using video, still photography and audio that help themselves and peers understand & use the concepts required in the language arts standards.

Communicating about Transportation: Stout

The title of the unit is "Communicating about Transportation". The unit includes vocabulary development and learning goals related to transportation in the Topeka community. The culminating activity for the unit is a trip to Billard airport; Great Overland Station ; and a ride on the city bus back to school.

Dual Language Guided Reading/Spanish Invervention: Scott

At Scott Magnet Elem., we have begun a dual language program, in which the students are provided with the opportunity to learn both English & Spanish. Using a 50/50 approach, we hope to provide our students with meaningful opportunities in reading, writing, speaking, & listening in order to achieve proficiency in both languages. We plan to provide these oportunities through a well-balanced reading curriculum & small group work.

Introduction to Jewelrymaking: French MS

A 3D unit designing & constructing finished imagry in both soft & hard metals. Students must pass a test of knowledge & safety requirements after training in the safe & proper use of various applicable tools, materials, & equipment. Students will then create a finished piece in hard (high-melting) and soft (low temp melting) metal, demonstrating their knowledge and skill in forging, filing, cutting, melting, and polishing procedures.

Kansas Children's Discovery Center Field Trips: Sheldon Head Start

Sheldon Head Start would like to provide field trips to the Kansas Children's Discovery Center for the low-income three & four year old children who attend our program. The museum provides many hands on learning experiences that would support our curriculum standards. Due to cost, this experience may not occur for our children outside of school.

Second Grade Art: Whitson

Teach art lessons to all the second grade students at Whitson.

Podcasting Perfection!: Meadows

Students will create presentations and record them with a video camera. They will then upload these into iTunes and record narration if necessary. These presentations will be turned into podcasts which all students can view and learn from.

Learning STEM Through Creativity: Randolph

Learning STEM through creativity will enable students in Kindergarten through third grade to learn and explore, using cross curriculum, the basics of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). By purchasing Lego STEM education kits and implementing them into the classrooms, students will be better prepared for the 21st Century.

A World Book Online for Topeka Public Schools: TPS District Wide

We will fund access to World Book Online, in English and Spanish, as a research tool for our students and staff, for one full year. World Book Online is a reliable and safe way for our students to acquire information about the World! Upon obtaining login information, an automatic desktop link to World Book Online will be provided for everyone, students and staff, using the Topeka Public Schools' network.

Wood Art Vessels: Capital City School

Wooden bowls, vases and cutting boards will be crafted from exotic woods to elevate everyday objects into art.

Leaping Into Technology!: Randolph

I would like to purchase 5 LeapPad Explorers for my classroom to use during our Guided Reading time. The LeapPads are handheld electronic devices that teach students through videos, ebooks, and multisensory technology.

Portable Multi Sensory Support System: Bishop

This system will be customized for Bishop Elementary in order to help improve students' ability to manage behavioral challenges, increase instructional time in the classroom, and decrease anxiety and frustration that can impede the learning process.

Adult Education Center Tutorial Support Plan: Adult Education Center

Research in Adult Education indicates that individualized contact increases the retention rate in a literacy program. Due to budget cuts, the Adult Education Center has fewer teachers and, thus, cannot divide students by skill levels. High-functioning students, who are almost ready for the GED, are in class with students who lack basic literacy skills. A basic skills tutor can work individually with students who otherwise may fall behind and drop out of the program.

Walk and Talk - Point and Click: Scott

The Walk and Talk - Point and Click project will allow both students and teachers to manipulate any lesson or activity anywhere in the classroom at Scott Computer Technology Magnet Elem. School using the remote presenter's mouse. The mice are plug and play USB devices that are easy to use and require a minimal amount of training to use.

Mustang Walking Trail: McCarter

The staff, students, parents, & patrons of McCarter Elementary recognize the importance of overall heath and wellness for all of school community members. Healthy lifestyles and positive nutritional choices, as well as physical activity. As a result, our school community has set forth a goal, as well as several projects that target this goal. Specifically, the McCarter Mustang fitness Trail, will provide a safe, convenient, and inviting fitness course & walking trail. In addition, this trail will promote a sense of community and provide area patrons the opportunity to utilize the trail for the purpose of overall health & wellness.

Astronomical Research Project: Capital City School

The purchase of an Astrovid Stellacam 3 Video Camera with Cooled Thermal Management. This would be added to our school's quality astronomical video system. The difference is that we would be adding the ability to go significantly deeper into space with controlled timed exposures while still keeping them timed for scientific purposes. Capital City School is pledging money toward the project as well as the time the teachers are putting into the project.

Eisenhower School Logo Update/Mural: Eisenhower MS

This mural project will involve the students from the art class who will each paint a section. The art teacher has developed a new Logo for the school to update the old one in the gym. The project will be broken down into sections & each student will paint a section on board. Once approved by the art teacher, then the section will be attached to the wall of the gym covering the old logo.

Outdoor Environmental Educaton Summer Day Camp 2012: District Wide

The Outdoor Enviornmental Education Summer Day Camp will provide students in grades 3rd - 8th, district wide, the opportunity to learn about their enviornment. The camp runs for one full week, 8AM - 2:30 PM and offers opportunities to explore ecosystems of water, woodland & grassland. Recreational opportunities as fishing, canoeing and hiking are included as students build new friendships.

Topeka Public School's Summer Music Program: District Wide

The Summer Music Program provides an opportunity for participation in band, strings, and choir beyond the traditional school year. The program will be held at a high school that is yet to be named from June 4th through June 29th. The program provides music instruction during the summer to retain and enhance skills of band & string students who are in grades 5th - 8th, and choir students in grades 4th - 8th.

Music Rental Scholarships for Disadvantaged Youth: District Wide

The Topeka Public Schools Music Library maintains an instrument pool which provides music instruments at low cost ($25 per year) to students that are economically disadvantaged. This scholarship program will allow us to provide elementary music instruments free of charge, to 60 disadvantages students who would otherwise be unable to participate at their schools. Some families can not afford the $25.00 reduced fee.

Carly Likes Blue and Preschoolers, Too!: Sheldon Head Start

I am working with United Way Young Leaders Society to provide hardcover books to 285 district-area preschoolers. This includes four-year old at-risk classrooms located in Topeka Public Schools, Auburn-Washburn, Seaman, & Shawnee Heights. Because Sheldon Head Start is not included in the United Way initiative, I would like to provide each of the 416 three- and four-year old children at Sheldon the same hardcover book within a similar time frame.

Quincy Student and Staff Become Bucket Fillers: Quincy

Create a school environment where kindness, respect and goodwill toward all will prevail. Using direct instruction, reinforcement and a school-wide positive behavior process.