In the Schools

PRESCHOOL
Kids Count Como Zoo Field Trip
This grant will be used toward the cost of busing to and from the annual Kids Count parent­child field trip to Como Zoo.

H.U.G.S. Science Program
Grant money used by the Kids Count Preschool to fund the H.U.G.S. Science program, which was presented on Parent/Child Activity Day. The program consisted of a presentation tailored to preschoolers, handouts, and a take-home project.


EARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATION
Camera & Printer Dock for ECSE
The grant will purchase a digital camera with printer dock for use in the Early Childhood Special Education program. Photos are used to help students with autism to organize their thoughts and improve communication with teachers and parents. ECSE will also use its camera to photograph students in their standers, wheelchairs, and other equipment that promotes independence.

Lending Library
Grant funds used to increase the number of books in the ECSE lending library as well as books for children to read in the classroom to support the units they are taught. Funds were also used to increase the number of books written in Spanish.


CENTENNIAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
DVD Library
Funds used to purchase child-centered DVDs, playable in multiple languages, to be available for check-out to families. The school seeks to encourage age-appropriate choices in DVD selections for students and their families.

Super Science Event
Grant used to fund a Super Science event for students K-8th grade. The event consisted of one main session presentation from an invited speaker, followed by a number of age-specific group and individual activities that challenged students to apply scientific principles through completion of tasks and activities.

Kindergarten Home Reading Program
Grant money used to purchase English and Spanish books of the same title for families to read through the Home Reading Program, which allows students to take home books every day.

ESL Home Bag Project
Grant funds used to purchase books on tape, games, puzzles, and flash cards for students to borrow and use at home. The goal of this project is to provide ESL students and family members with practice in the English language, encourage quality family time, and foster a positive family/school connection.


SHERIDAN HILLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Books and Cassette Tapes
Grant funds used to purchase literacy materials for first-grade classrooms.

"Snap Cubes"
Grant money used to purchase "snap cubes" to accompany the newly adopted math curriculum. These snap cubes provide concrete examples of visuals in the student workbooks, supplementing the text with a hands-on method for learning math concepts.

Read-Aloud Books to Enhance Math Curriculum
Grant used to purchase read-aloud books with math concepts to tie math concepts to literature. Deepens student understanding and allows students to apply what they have learned in math.

"Big Book" Library
Grant funds used to purchase "big books" (books with enlarged print) for six first-grade classrooms. The books are used during the "shared reading" portion of the literacy program, when children read with the teacher and learn about print concepts, reading strategies, high-frequency words, and so on.


RICHFIELD INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL
Read-Along Audio Books
Grant helped purchase read-along audio books for the Special Education program at RIS. The books help build confidence in and improve vocabulary and pronunciation. The books also allow students with disabilities and other special needs to experience books too difficult for them to read independently.

Creativity Festival at the Science Museum of Minnesota
Students attended sessions with scientists, inventors, artists, and adventurers designed to give them hands-on experiences in the creative process.

ESL Take-Home Books on Tape
Grant funds used to purchase books on tape and tape players for students to borrow and use at home. The goal of this project is to provide ESL students and family members with practice in the English language, encourage quality family time, and foster a positive family/school connection.

Experiential Chemistry Unit for Enrichment Resource Classroom
Grant funds used to purchase classroom materials for a chemistry unit designed for high-potential fifth-grade students. The goal of this project is to stimulate students' experience with and interest in science, possibly as a future career option. The materials are reusable and will be incorporated in the ERC program on an ongoing basis.

Baile Folorica Mexicana
Grant funds used to bring in a group of traditional Hispanic dancers to perform for RIS students. The dances are rich with custom and tradition, providing students with a glimpse of Hispanic culture and honoring the traditions of Hispanic students.


RICHFIELD MIDDLE SCHOOL
Latino Parents Support Group
Grant funds to pay for instructors from La Oportunidad, a Latino organization that provides parenting workshops. The support group is being organized as a forum for parents to express concerns, to invite parents to become more involved in the schools, and to offer parenting information.

Youth Frontiers Courage Retreat
Grant supplemented the cost of a full-day retreat for seventh-grade students and their teachers. The objective of the retreat was to build unity within the student body, and to give students a strong sense of self-worth in order to make good decisions.

Super Science Event
Grant used to fund a Super Science event for students K-8th grade. The event consisted of one main session presentation from an invited speaker, followed by a number of age-specific group and individual activities that challenged students to apply scientific principles through completion of tasks and activities.

Connected Math Project Solutions Manual
Funds were used to duplicate a solutions manual developed by RMS teachers as a guide for parents to assist their children with Connected Math Project assignments.

Jazz Band "Jam Sessions" with Professional Jazz Musicians
Grant funds used to hire four professional jazz musicians (saxophone, trumpet, trombone, and rhythm), each of whom conduct an evening "jam session" for the combined RMS and RHS jazz bands. Topics include improvisation, styles, articulation, and listening.


RICHFIELD HIGH SCHOOL
Asian New Year's Celebration
Grant money was used to fund an Asian New Year's celebration at RHS in January, 2006. This event, designed to provide a fun forum for learning about and celebrating Asian cultures, was free and open to the community, and largely planned by RHS students.

MindSong Literary Journal
Funds used to improve the production quality of the student-written, student-published literary magazine at RHS.

StrengthQuest Web Survey
Grant funds were used to defray the cost of a web-based leadership development tool produced by the Gallop Organization. Members of RHS Student Government take the survey and then use the results in a one-day leadership seminar to discover how best to their personal strengths in academics, leadership, career selection, and relationships.

Theatre @ Three Program
Grant funds help support Theatre @ Three, a series of after-school theater arts performance classes and workshops open to all students, regardless of experience, talent, or financial need. The grant funds help bring in five theater specialists (one per week), and fund a five-session technical theater workshop.

"Smart Music" computerized Accompaniment Program
Grand funds used to purchase "Smart Music" software and licenses and to increase the memory on three computers. The software will be used by students as an accompaniment program when rehearsing solos and ensembles. The software will also be incorporated into classroom instruction, in conjunction with students' work on a graduation standard in the area of creative expression. The materials will be used on an ongoing basis.

In the Community

TRANSITIONS PLUS AND CONNECTIONS PROGRAM
Community Social Skills
Grant funds used to bring in outside resource person through the Learning Exchange to provide hands-on training in the area of community social skills and how to access recreational and leisure activities in the community. Students with varying levels of disabilities will benefit from this experience, which is designed to help them to take classroom skills and apply them to their lives within the community.

Job Olympics
The Job Olympics is a friendly competition between the Transistions Plus program and RHS's Work Development program. Students compete in categories including resume writing, interviewing skills, and dressing for success. Community members and business partners help administer and judge the event.


RICHFIELD COMMUNITY EDUCATION
Participation Scholarships
Grant funds used to provide scholarships to enable youths with demonstrated financial need to participate in after-school and summer enrichment or sports programs offered through Richfield Community Education. From 30 to 50 students will receive assistance, depending on the classes selected.

Participation Scholarships
Funding for the program continued in 2004-05. The scholarships were offered to 41 students to participate in activities at RMS, RIS, Centennial, and Sheridan schools. Activities include before- and after-school programs, basketball camps, swimming lessons, Sunsational Summer, and more.

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