The Lake Washington Schools Foundation announced the recipients of 32 Reaching for Success grants totaling more than $83,000.
All district schools were eligible to submit an unlimited number of grant applications on behalf of individual classrooms, grade levels, or entire schools, emphasizing creative educational programs to assist those schools in successfully meeting their Continuous Improvement Process (CIP) goals.
The state mandates that schools have a CIP plan to address each school’s individual educational goals, however, no state funds are allocated for implementing these goals.
The Reaching for Success grants include 12 literacy grants, 10 math grants, five before- and after-school tutoring grants, two science grants, and one grant each for comparative government, robotics, and parent education.
Seventeen elementary schools will receive grants. Six schools will receive funding for Explorations in Math, a proven program used to develop a math culture through family math nights, after-school math clubs, and enhancements to the current school math curriculum; schools include Franklin, Carson, Twain, Peter Kirk, Rose Hill and Lakeview Elementary.
A widely used on-line math program, IXL Mathematics, will be broadly implemented at Rockwell and Twain Elementary Schools. After-school math tutoring will be funded at Sandberg and math curriculum resources will be purchased for Franklin Elementary.
Literacy grants will be awarded to Muir, Thoreau, Mann, Einstein, Rose Hill, Smith, Blackwell, Lakeview and Frost Elementary schools. These literacy grants include the purchase of books and lab resources, as well as the implementation of reading programs to improve literacy and comprehension, and to instill a love of reading.
The Green Team at Mann Elementary will continue its science field studies and Einstein Elementary will implement a Parent Academy to more fully engage parents in the education of their children.
Four junior high schools will receive Reaching for Success grants. Redmond Junior High School will implement a school-wide reading program. Rose Hill and Finn Hill Junior highs will implement and expand after-school tutoring programs, and Evergreen Junior High School will implement an online literacy program.
Five high schools will also receive grants. Redmond High School will continue its robotics program; Lake Washington will continue an after-school tutoring and mentoring support program; BEST will create a new Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) class focused on green sustainable design and technology; and the International Community School will continue its Comparative Government Studies course.
These Reaching for Success grants will enhance math and literacy learning, extend the learning day through before- and after-school programs, develop tutoring, mentoring, and homework programs, and allow teachers to tailor their instruction to the specific needs of students.
For a complete list of grants awarded and other foundation programs, visit www.lwsf.org. The Reaching for Success grants were made possible by the generosity of donors.
