Teachers bring a lot to the classroom.

That may seem like an obvious remark, until you realize just how invested they are in their students. Teachers often buy materials to support their lessons, for instance, or spend their own money on basics like markers and paper.

And thanks to COVID-19 and the yo-yo between in class and remote learning it causes, there are even more demands on educators.

But Mexico School District has a partner. Since 1991 A+ For Mexico Education has been providing classroom grants for Mexico schools. Board members recently met via zoom to approve $25,732.21 to be distributed to 25 grant applicants.

Several of the grant requests this year reflected the changing dynamics in the classrooms due to Covid restrictions.

The following grants were approved for full or partial funding:

McMillan Early Learning Center

Light Up Their Learning – Kayla Hildebrand, Pre-K   

Learning centers are scheduled each day where students work together with various materials and manipulatives. The light table and its manipulatives will enhance student learning skills while making the experience fun.

PATHS Social Emotional Learning Early Childhood – Angelique Moeller, Special Education   

PATHS packages are used in preschool classrooms to promote alternative thinking strategies dealing with peaceful conflict resolution, emotion regulation, empathy, and responsible decision making. It includes literature, puppets and role playing to help facilitate lessons.

Active Calming Centers —Dr. Anne Billington, Principal  

The active calming center guides children through nine physical and mental tasks that help organize the inner states of their brains. The stations can be used for ages 3-6.

Eugene Field Elementary

Active Calming Center – Samantha Porter, Counselor   

Classroom Library for Students Who Are Reading Below Grade Level – Katelynn Isaacson, 2nd Grade

Resources will provide students who are reading below grade level access to books on their level. The books will help the students with sight words and phonetic skills on a kindergarten and early first grade reading level.

Hot Dot Interactive Learning – Katelynn Isaacson and Caroline Schafer, 2nd Grade   

Hot dots are interactive battery-operated pens that students can use to practice specific skills BrainPOP Curriculum – Samantha Malott, 4th Grade     

BrainPOP is a subscription service that provides videos, games, quizzes, and assignments. The topics include all of the core areas, engineering, technology, and health. They work independently, yet get immediate feedback on their success.

Hawthorn Elementary

Technology Support – Peggy Klick, 4th Grade   

The increased use of technology results in an increased need for portable charging stations for laptops and Chromebooks in the classroom. When students use the devices they also are in need of headphones as to not disturb others in the room.

Soft Starts – Amanda Kinkead, 4th Grade   

Soft Starts will provide a way for students to enter the school setting and connect with peers in a calm, creative, and engaging way before any academics start.

St. Brendan School

Fostering Cultural Awareness – Theresa Farnell, 2nd Grade           

Fostering cultural awareness is important as our country continues to be a “melting pot” of many cultures. The materials purchased will help students become productive citizens who genuinely care about all individuals in our diverse world.

Literacy Sets for Guided Reading – Vanessa Kerr, 3rd Grade   

Classroom libraries allow students the opportunity to explore a variety of texts, genres, and narratives that support readers’ growth.

Innovation Factory-STEM Kits for Kids! – Kelly Stanford, 1st Grade

STEM Classroom kits can create opportunities for teamwork and collaboration through shared scientific discovery. Young scientists will learn how to be team players and enjoy the enlightening world of science at the same time.

Growth Mindset & Covid Adaptations – Vanessa Kerr, 3rd Grade   

Bouncy bands will allow a way for students to move more, and lap desks give students the opportunity to take a learning activity to a safe spot or even outside for a break from their seats.

Individual Sports – Olivia Kerr, Physical Education          

This grant will help fund materials that can be used during PE that will keep students active, healthy and strong no matter what restriction level the school is currently observing.

Calm Down – Selena Ramsey, Pre-K         

The use of fidget devices, calming blocks, weight objects, and sensory pods will help students learn how to calm their bodies and to use the calm and quiet to focus and learn.

Everybody’s Talking – Selena Ramsey, Pre-K   

The grant will provide storytelling kits that will foster language development and expand the knowledge they already have.

Kiddie Kits – Brandi Cross, Early Childhood Teacher   

These manipulative materials will allow students to explore different careers, transportation methods, and health safety choices as well as helping them learn their numbers and letters.

Playful Playground – Brandi Cross, Early Childhood Teacher     

Tunnels will help foster crawling which leads to developing functioning skills and helping children feel grounded. Tricycles, bikes, pulling wagons, and pushing scooters will aid in the development of the larger muscles in their lower extremities. The balls and frisbees will help to develop reflexes and to encourage sharing opportunities.

Active Calming Center -1 – Theresa Farnell, 2nd Grade         

The grant will provide an active calming center for students that can be used in their classrooms. Each station has a physical or mental task that helps them calm down and be ready for learning or for problem solving when there is an issue.

Orff Percussion Instruments: Instrumental Musical Creativity – Ted R. Brauker, Music Department

The use of the Orff Method and the percussion instruments will provide a way for students to explore and play with music through means that are much less contingent on the creation of airborne particulates.

Award Winning Books for Classroom Libraries – Vanessa Kerr, 3rd Grade       

The grant will make sure students have access to the appropriate literature on a variety of themes in their classroom that will promote academic growth and hopefully the desire to become a lifelong reader.

Mexico High School

Resources for Making & Utilizing Mathematics Instructional Videos! John Wilbers, Math       

The use of the wireless lavalier mics, webcams and small portable speakers will allow the teacher to teach from the smart board or move around the room and thus provide a live lesson for the students which can be consistently and clearly heard.

Hear All Things, Speak All Things – Rebecca Moppin, Student Success & Behavior Management       

It is an initiative to provide students with individual headphones and microphones for foreign language studies in order to ease the burden on multiple levels so each student will be provided with their own headsets.

Fidgets and More for Success – Rebecca Moppin, Student Success & Behavior Management

The concept is to use objects to first develop positive relationships with students who struggle academically, socially, emotionally or behaviorally. The object is to develop a plan to move students toward success in the classroom through fidgets, puzzles, games, etc.

Novels for English I and II – Jennifer Silver, English Department       

Students need increased engagement and exposure to varying reading resources. By providing choices, they can connect to and represent their culture through choices. They will explore ideas through their reading and develop confidence in their reading skills.

Funding for this program, which is unique to Mexico, comes from individuals, businesses, local foundations and the United Way. Each fall Mexico teachers are invited to submit grant requests for extra classroom items and teaching aids. The names of the schools and teachers are removed from the grants when they are individually reviewed by anonymous readers. In recent years, the A+ board has placed a cap of $3,000 on the grants.