Materials

Our grant provided students additional consumable exercise equipment for our highly favored workout room. Students use our equipment to build muscle, coordination, and skill levels, all while strengthening personal and social skills as a class. Workout Wednesday and Fitness Fridays are highly anticipated by all students to work out on various pieces of strength and cardio equipment during P.E. classes. This grant will help to replenish equipment that is wearing out due to repetitive use.

The objective of the project “Learning is Fun” is to utilize the resource materials purchased to help bridge the gap for our students that are low functioning and to challenge those students that are on level and high functioning. The materials that was purchased from the grant is Early Language Folder Games Libraries Complete Set which consists of folder games, hands on-practice with letter sounds and sight-words. Throughout the year our students are assessed on several of these skills. I have assessed my students for the winter using the Educational Software for Guiding Instruction which is a formal assessment used by Lawton Public Schools and 6 out of 11 students have made gains in the areas of upper and lowercase letter recognition and beginning sounds. We are currently utilizing the materials in small group instruction as well as during response to intervention (RTI) time to give repeated exposure and to enhance the early literacy skills of our special education preschool students in a self- contained classroom.

My nursing students and I are extremely grateful for LPS foundation granting $3,000.00. This grant has provided opportunity for CPR manikins, a life size human manikin, a few models, patient cots to help with re-enacting patient scenarios, and so much more. Students are learning and thriving each day in my nursing class, and I hope that as time continues my nursing classes will be expanded so that I can help teach students the nursing skills and knowledge that they will need furthering into the medical field.

My classroom at MMS had an old white board on one wall that wasn’t being used. It could not be written on because it would not erase and also had the dry erase material pulled off in parts. I had a vision of creating an academic word wall in my classroom to help students better understand the geography and history vocabulary that we study, but there wasn’t a space for it. My grant asked for bulletin boards to create the word wall, with the idea of taking down the old white board and using that space. I was very excited to have my grant funded, and now have a word wall for my students to read and see examples of concepts we are studying. In addition, it makes my classroom look nicer and more cheerful which makes learning more fun. I teach 6th grade Western Hemisphere Geography. Thank you to the LPS Foundation and all the donors who made my vision a reality. My students and I appreciate it! (I included before and after photos.)

Thank you so much LPS Foundation!! Your generosity has allowed me to start an afterschool board game club at Sullivan Village Elementary. I used the grant money to purchase a variety of board games which are being enjoyed by the students in the Game On! Board Game Club. This club meets every Tuesday from 4:00-5:00. It is comprised of over fifty 3rd-5th grade students. (I actually had so many students who wanted to join that I had to divide the them into two different groups. One group is meeting now, and I will start meeting with the other group after Spring Break.) During the Game On! Club meetings, the students are taught how to play the games and then, spend the rest of the time playing, strategizing, and enjoying. There is a lot of noise, excitement and smiles. The students discuss different strategies, and I always encourage good sportsmanship. Participation in this club helps the students learn how to follow rules, take turns and deal with winning and losing. They develop an understanding of cause and effect and learn how to improve their critical thinking skills.

As a counselor, I wanted to start this club, because playing board games can improve mental wellness. Many elementary students suffer from stress and anxiety. Hopefully, their involvement in this club will lower their stress levels and allow them to relax as they make positive connections with the other students.

So far, from what I have observed, this club has been very successful. The students look forward to Tuesday afternoons. They can’t wait to learn new games. Several of the students have asked if we can meet every afternoon. I’m loving it!!! The Game on! Board Game Club is a success! Thank you!!

The school was also able to use the purchased board games during an evening board game night with parents. We had several families attend, and it was fabulous seeing them participate in the board game fun!

I was so blessed to purchase a variety of art supplies for my classroom. The supplies included, watercolor paint, paint brushes, cardstock, clay, tempera paint, wooden cutouts, acrylic paint markers, tissue paper, and more. My first grade classroom is filled with vibrant colors, imaginative creations, and eager young artists. The beautiful paintings and drawings created with these supplies showcase each student’s unique creativity. From finger painting to clay sculpting, these budding artists are encouraged to explore different mediums and techniques to express themselves. The classroom is a hub of excitement and inspiration as the children eagerly share their latest masterpieces with their peers and teachers. Through art, these young learners not only improve their fine motor skills but also develop important cognitive abilities such as problem-solving and critical thinking. The atmosphere in the classroom is buzzing with creativity and I can’t help but feel equally enthusiastic about the endless possibilities art brings into these young minds’ lives. This is only achieved due to the generosity of the LPS foundation. Thank you.