Collins Hill Education Foundation

MISSION STATEMENT
To enhance and enrich the education of students in the Collins Hill Cluster by providing funding for innovative and creative educational programs.

Collins Hill Education Foundation 2090 A Highway 317 #273, Suwanee, GA 30024 Visit us on the web at: www.collinshilleducationfoundation.org - Click on Grants

2012- 2013 CHEF GRANT APPLICATION Applicant Name: __Kathy Schmidt__ Position ____School Library Media Specialist____ School/Group/Organization: ___Rock Springs Elementary School_____ Street Address: ____888 Rock Springs Rd._______ City: ____Lawrenceville____ State: ___GA__ Zip: ____30043___

Phone: 770-381-4844 Fax: 770-932-7476 Email: [email protected] Project Title: __Nooks for Rock Springs__ Requested Amount: _$1014__ Purpose of Project: Nooks will be a valuable asset to Rock Springs Elementary. They will be used for teachers to check out from the Media Center and used in the classroom for Daily 5 literacy and various reading lessons. Total amount required for project: Funds raised to date: __$1014____ __$0___

If CHEF partially funds your request, will you be able to complete the project? __yes__ Will the project or purchases made, be usable for multiple years? __yes__ Have you received a grant from the Foundation in the past? If so, did you complete and return an End of Project Report? Project start date: __October 2012__ __no__ _______

Project end date: __ongoing__

Applicant may submit up to 3 additional pages of pertinent information to expand on your answers or provide illustrations.

1. Project Plan (25 points) As digital media begins to replace print materials, students, parents, and teachers expect increasing access to digital resources in the classroom. Due to the high cost of Nooks and eReaders, the school cannot afford for each student to have one. The library media center is a wonderful place to store sets of technology related materials like eReaders because it has the ability to store, keep inventory, and ensure access for all students. With a purchase of 6 Nooks, teachers could check out the Nooks and use in their classrooms with their Daily 5 literacy centers. Throughout the year, as the Nooks circulate the building, all students will have the opportunity to get their hands on a Nook. This emerging technology is becoming popular and widespread. Many middle and upper-class students may already own an eReader at home. It is important to for all students to have the opportunity to become familiar with eReaders and other digital media as this is the wave of the future. Students need to become familiar with navigating and interacting with technologies like Nook which will be used more heavily in secondary education, college, and in the workplace. eBooks also have several advantages over print books. For instance, in most cases, eBooks are more economical to purchase than print books. They are indestructible, last forever and can be circulated an unlimited number of times. eBooks also have several universal access features such as enlarged text for visually impaired students and read-aloud features for hearing impaired students. I have several thousand dollars in my budget this year that can be used to purchase print or eBooks, but I cannot purchase the actual Nooks with these funds. It is my belief that students and teachers would enjoy and benefit greatly from the opportunity to use Nooks in the classroom.

2. Explain what makes this project unique/creative (25 points) Adding Nooks to our Media Center would help develop our school into a 21 st century learning environment. Teachers could add more variety and excitement to their reading lessons with the use of interactive eReaders like the Nook. As technology continues to immerge, Rock Springs needs to stay current.

3. Benefit to Cluster/School / Number of Students Affected (20 points) Every classroom in the building would have access to the Nooks and it is my goal that Nooks would reach every classroom in the school by the end of the school year. Having access to these tools would help students develop reading and digital literacy skills that will carry them into the middle and high school years.

4. Longevity/Multiple Uses or Use in Multiple Years (15 points) Can the materials, products or outcomes developed throughout the project be used for multiple years? Even if the number of students affected is limited, is there likely to be a lasting benefit to those who do participate or use the resources? Will students gain age appropriate skills needed for the future? Nooks are durable and should last several years, especially with the protective cases I am requesting. All students will have access to the Nooks, and using the Nooks will have a lasting benefit on student learning and achievement. Students will learn a wide variety of digital literacy skills that they will need for the future, in both secondary school and the college years.

5. Expected outcomes and Evaluation Plan (15 points)

How will the success of the project be measured and monitored? Preferably not by standardized testing. Teachers will be able to measure the success of student achievement in reading comprehension and vocabulary skills by observing their progress before and after using the Nooks. The media specialist will measure the success of the project by providing a survey at the end of the year, asking teachers for their thoughts and suggestions regarding the Nooks and their academic impact on teaching and learning. How will the project directly benefit the children of the Collins Hill Cluster? All students will have access to Nooks in their classrooms during literacy lessons and other lessons deemed appropriate by the classroom teacher. How will the funds requested be used? Purchase of Nooks and covers for the Media Center available for teacher check-out. Can partial funding be used? If so, how would it be used? Yes, although 6 Nooks would be ideal, I would like to have as many as possible available for checkout to classrooms. Having 1 Nook per grade level is ideal (6 total) to ensure access to every student in the building. Hover, even if I only received 1 Nook, I could ensure access to at least one grade level throughout the school year.

ITEMIZED BUDGET Attach a separate sheet if more room is needed for budgeted items ITEM AMOUNT ___6___Nook Color ______ __$149/ each = $894__ ___6___Nook Case_______ __$20/ each = $120__ _____________________________ _____________ _____________________________ _____________ _____________________________ _____________ TOTAL FUNDS REQUESTED $ __1014__

Application Deadline October 1, 2012 Applications must be received in the Foundation office or postmarked on or before the deadline date. You may include three extra pages of supporting documentation. Be sure your name is on the top of each additional page. This must be typed (double spaced, using no smaller than a 12 point font, with one inch margins) or photocopied materials. All grant recipients are required to turn in documentation on expenses incurred and complete an End of Project Report. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

The information submitted is accurate to the best of my knowledge. __________________________________

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Date ______________________ Date

Role of Faculty Sponsor (Check the most appropriate category) __x__ Mostly advisory and administrative _____ Supervise and routinely oversee the project _____ Directly involved in the work Contact Information for Faculty Sponsor School: __Rock Springs Elementary__ Email: [email protected]__ Phone: __770-888-7474__

Applications should be mailed to: Collins Hill Education Foundation 2090 A Highway 317 #273 Suwanee, GA 30024