Kiddo! Announces 2011-2012 Teachers’ Grants

Kiddo! is pleased to announce the recipients of its Teacher Grants for the 2011-2012 school year.

Kiddo! Teacher Grants are awarded in support of programs that foster creative and innovative classroom teaching. Each fall teachers submit grant applications, and an Awards Committee comprised of one teacher from each school, a representative from the administrative council, and a parent from PTA Council selects the recipients.  This year, Kiddo! is providing $17,000 to fully or partially fund 22 programs for classrooms in all six district schools.

Kiddo! would like to thank the parent community whose donations made these grants possible, especially the many parents who raised their paddles for “Fund-a-Need” at Kiddo!’s Spring 2011 Gala.  Because of your generosity, our children will enjoy the following exciting programs this year:

EDNA MAGUIRE TEACHER GRANTS

Lisa Monge and Adam Sanchez – “Young Author’s Fair” – After several library lessons focused on writing, students in grades 1-5 will write a short fiction piece that will be their “ticket” to a half-day fair celebrating storytelling.  Students will learn grade-appropriate writing skills and experience what it’s like to participate in a literary community.

Judith Barry and the Third Grade Team – “Third Grade Performance” – At the end of every unit in every subject, third graders will prepare a song, skit, poem, or video that synthesizes what they’ve covered in that unit.  Then, in the spring, they will perform a musical “wrap/review” revisiting and consolidating what they’ve learned during the academic year.

Jenny Leogrande and the First Grade Team – “Dance Through the Decades” — This weekly half-hour dance class, conducted by local dance instructor Annie Leese (Artistic Director, Performing Arts Academy of Marin), will teach first graders about the history of dance from the 1910s to the 1970s – from soft-shoe to disco.  The class will also introduce students to American culture in different periods.

OLD MILL SCHOOL TEACHER GRANTS

John Selix and Erica Dowell – “Recess, the Musical” – For the third consecutive year Old Mill second graders will perform a musical about the pluses and minuses of recess.   The musical is different every year, with teachers and students writing the script and composing the songs.  Students conduct surveys of their peers about recess topics of interest.  The play promotes mutual respect and collaboration, and gives students a memorable performance opportunity.

Lisa Spangler – “Old Mill Creek Watershed Puppet Making and Performance” – With the help of local puppeteer and artist Helen Haight, first graders in Lisa Spangler’s class will make puppets and a puppet theater that represent the Old Mill watershed ecosystem and its inhabitants.  Then they will write scripts for puppet shows that will teach and reinforce what they’ve learned about the watershed.

PARK SCHOOL TEACHER GRANTS

Andrea Dunn and Danny Marsh – “Scientists at Sea”  – As a supplement to their biology curriculum, Park School fifth graders recently spent a day on the bay aboard a research vessel operated by the Marine Science Institute.  They collected and studied plankton, ran hydrology tests, observed wetland ecology, operated trawl nets, and identified the fish they caught (and released).

Julie Herrera – “Astronaut Training Camp” – Third graders in Julie Herrera’s class will learn what it takes to be an astronaut by running an Astronaut Training Camp for other Park School students.  The third graders will design and operate training stations that will educate both trainers and trainees about the challenges astronauts face during space travel, and how they prepare for them.

Julie Herrera, Cristin Coleman, and Joe Martini – “Astronomy Fair” – As part of their Moon and Planets science unit, third graders at Park School will host an astronomy fair for their fellow students.  Each third grader will prepare a presentation on an astronomy topic that he or she will give at the fair.  Students who attend will get a solar system passport, and after they visit each presenter they will answer questions about the presentation to get their passport stamped.

Cristin Coleman, Joe Martini and Julie Herrera – “Student-Written Nonfiction Bare Books” –  As part of a unit on nonfiction reading and writing, Park School third graders will research, write and illustrate their own nonfiction book which they will share with parents and with their first grade buddies on an author celebration day.

STRAWBERRY POINT TEACHER GRANTS

Karin Haley and Cathy Cohen – “Ancient Artifacts of Native Americans” – Fifth graders at Strawberry Point will learn about the daily lives of Native American tribes through a presentation by Ancient Artifacts, an organization that uses interactive storytelling, humor, and period artifacts to bring Native American history to life.

Elizabeth Caroli and the First Grade Team – “Dance Through the Decades” — This weekly half-hour dance class, conducted by local dance instructor Annie Leese (Artistic Director, Performing Arts Academy of Marin), will teach first graders about the history of dance from the 1910s to the 1970s – from soft-shoe to disco. The class will also introduce students to American culture in different periods.

TAM VALLEY TEACHER GRANTS

Ann Marie Padilla and Fourth Grade Team – “Poetry Through Song” – Fourth graders studying poetry will have the opportunity to hear their poems turned into song by Scott Kalechstein Grace, a recording artist who will set their words to music complete with instruments.

Mary Whitney and the First Grade Team – “Dance Through the Decades” — This weekly half-hour dance class, conducted by local dance instructor Annie Leese (Artistic Director, Performing Arts Academy of Marin), will teach first graders about the history of dance from the 1910s to the 1970s – from soft-shoe to disco. The class will also introduce students to American culture in different periods.

MILL VALLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER GRANTS

Julie Leonard – “8^th Grade Art Trip to Disney Family Museum” – As part of their study of the visual arts, middle school art students will travel to the Disney Family Museum in the Presidio to learn about the processes used in animation by the Disney Corporation, as well as the history of animated movies.

Kathie Fischer – “Anne Rovetta Comes to 7^th Grade Science Classes” – Naturalist, story-teller, and artist Anne Rovetta will visit all seventh grade science classes to lead a lesson on biological drawing.  Students will use their new skills to create drawings of invertebrate organisms, enhancing their study of invertebrate biology.

Erin Ashley – “PROBE Biotechnology Labs” – Kiddo! is providing seventh graders with biotechnology lab kits produced by PROBE, an organization devoted to connecting local biotechnology companies with schools.  Students will transfer genes from a jellyfish to a bacterium in the genetic transformation lab; learn about the diversity of life in the biodiversity lab; and explore the structure and function of DNA in the gel electrophoresis lab.

Darby Doyle and Ben Wien – “Robotics Team” – In this extracurricular club students use LEGO Mind Storm kits to construct robots that they will enter in the International Robogames competition in April.  Through robotics, students learn key elements of programming and mechanical design.  Kiddo! is providing this ongoing club with the funds to purchase new kits and parts to replace old equipment and expand the program.

Jonna Palmer, Laura Myers, and Suzanne Chase – “iPads in the Classroom” – Kiddo! is supplementing the middle school’s iPad collection with five additional iPads.  iPads have been extremely popular and effective in teaching a wide variety of subjects interactively and collaboratively through apps such as Keynote, StoryKit, iMovie, and Roma (an interactive history of Ancient Rome).

Cayce Carnahan – “Sectional Guests” – Middle School band students will work with top Bay Area musicians in instrument-specific sections.  Students will receive training and mentoring that will help them become better musicians, and will get to know professional musicians who have made music a permanent part of their lives.

Cayce Carnahan – “Band Festivals” – Kiddo! will pay the fees for the Middle School band to attend music festivals.  At each festival students will play a different style of music for a panel of university music professors who will provide them with comments and evaluations, and at one festival the band will compete against schools from the state and nation.  This program will help students develop their performance skills and become better musicians through critical feedback.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MUSIC TEACHER GRANT

Lori Adessa – “Let It Rain!” – Second graders at Park, Tam Valley, and Old Mill will make South African rain sticks of different sizes from mailing tubes, nails, and rice or beans.  They will explore how the size and composition of the rain stick affect the volume and pitch of the instrument, and will learn and perform a Spanish song.