GRANTS SEEF’S MISSION: To preserve and enhance the quality of education in Shakopee Public Schools by funding projects that provide innovative learning opportunities for our students. www.shakopeeedfoundation.org
SEEF The Shakopee Educational Endowment Foundation (SEEF) dedicates itself to preserving and enhancing the excellence that Shakopee Public Schools provide by funding cutting-edge technology, best practice programs, and innovative instructional materials for our students. Through our grant program, SEEF enables educators to test new ideas, attempt creative programming, or incorporate new technology that otherwise would not receive funding – all of which support valuable educational experiences for Shakopee students. SEEF awards grants across all schools and curriculum areas. Each year, district staff are encouraged to submit proposals up to $2,500. Thanks to our donors, the Foundation has awarded 603 grants totaling nearly $521,000 since 1991. Supportive But Separate While contributions to SEEF enhance programs in Shakopee Public Schools, the Foundation operates independently of the school district. We are a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization comprised of parents, community members, and alumni passionate about education in Shakopee. The Foundation’s board of directors reviews grant application submissions and funds projects that align with the Foundation’s guidelines and criteria. Our Future Depends on the Community Donor contributions continue to be the force behind SEEF’s ability to fund grant proposals that engage students and enhance the curriculum. Donations of any amount are appreciated and vital to the Foundation and its mission. We rely on support from area businesses, service organizations, community members, school district staff, and alumni. SEEF invites cash contributions, annual pledges, matching gifts from employers, donations of stock, memorial gifts, and planned gifts from a will, estate plan, life insurance policy, or charitable trust. Donations are tax-deductible, and contributions of $1,000 or more appear on the donor plaque at the Shakopee High School. BOARD OF DIRECTORS Joanne Block Kathy Busch Apryl Deutsch Andrea Harrell Holly Johnson Julie Maynard-Johnson Kathy McKay Paulette Rislund Jenny Smith Jack Trimbo Pamela Wilger Kristi Peterson (non-voting member)
GRANT CRITERIA We award grants of up to $2,500 to support innovative projects that will enhance education and benefit Shakopee Public School students. Rarely a unique project will be considered for a more significant award. Applicants must discuss a request for special consideration with a SEEF board member before applying. To keep projects in line with the general direction of the district, the applicant’s principal or supervisor must sign all grant applications. Projects that include technology must obtain the approval of the Director of Instructional Technology to ensure the school district supports the equipment. Within 12 months of the award, applicants must spend grant funds. Any balance remaining after that time is no longer available to the grantee. All purchased equipment becomes the property of Shakopee Public Schools. 2024-25 GRANT AWARDS The Shakopee Educational Endowment Foundation is proud to announce more than $27,000 in teacher grant awards for the 2024-25 school year. This year’s grant program awarded 20 grants, impacting an estimated 4,700 students and 175 staff in Shakopee schools. Funds will provide adapted materials for culinary classes, meet the sensory needs of special education students, build thinking classrooms in mathematics, and nurture bilingualism through literature - to name a few.
SUMMARIES* DISTRICT-WIDE LAUGHIN’ WITH LITERACY - Debbie Arterbury - Speech Language Pathologist Students with special needs are often unable to read typical picture books and use adapted books. This project will allow students with special needs to engage with a typical picture book. Each kit will contain a book with repetitive lines and a low-tech communication device programmed with the repetitive line or vocabulary. These kits will be stored in a central location and available to all special education students. All age levels and grades will be considered when selecting books. Special education teachers are encouraged to pair up with a general education classroom to form “Laughin' with Literacy” time. “Laughin with Literacy” encourages the inclusion of our special education and general education students in a fun, relaxed activity. General education students will have the opportunity to learn about different methods of communication that our students with complex communication use, disability awareness, develop leadership skills, and form impactful friendships with their peers with disabilities with a fun literacy activity. This could be a wonderful activity to add to the successful Gloomies program. *Summary statements provided by the applicant as part of the grant process. Photos are from the previous year’s grants.
MEETING THE SENSORY NEEDS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS - Suzi Pierce Fish - Special Education Program Coach Shakopee Public Schools has a growing number of setting 3 special education programs (where 60% or more of the day is spent in the special education room). These programs primarily serve students who have autism, intellectual disabilities, emotional/behavioral disorders, and physical impairments. Students in these programs have intense and diverse needs stemming from their disabilities. Many of these disabilities are neurological and/or sensory-based and require increased sensory strategies and support from school professionals. To learn at their greatest capacity, students need to be emotionally, behaviorally, and sensorially regulated. To meet the unique sensory needs of Shakopee’s setting 3 students, classrooms must have access to a variety of larger sensory tools and strategies. By meeting the sensory needs of their center-based setting 3 students, and staff across the district will be able to support sensory and behavior regulation in their classrooms, which will lead to improved learning outcomes for Shakopee’s special education students. The sensory tools and strategies purchased through this grant will help Shakopee’s setting 3 programs immensely. ADAPTED MATERIALS FOR CULINARY CLASSES - Julie Phillips - Physical and Health Disabilities Teacher Our students at Shakopee East Middle School, Shakopee West Middle School, and Shakopee High School offer a variety of culinary classes as electives. Our special education classes, especially setting 3 students, do not have many options for elective classes, as the difficulty for some of the classes is high, even with modifications and adaptations. Some students will repeat a culinary class year after year as it is a more hands-on class to complete. Our goal for all students is to function as independently as they can. When we think about what everybody needs, we think of food. These cooking and baking classes at our middle and high schools are some of the only classes students can take to teach these skills. Students with special needs and physical impairments can be independent with the right tools. The tools and materials that go with this grant will teach our students independence and daily living skills as they move into adulthood.
INDIGENOUS EDUCATION FOR ALL - CULTURAL IMPORTANCE OF LONG HAIR Justyne Vogel - American Indian Education Coordinator Our proposal aims to enhance the educational experiences of Native American students by providing culturally relevant books for all preschool and kindergarten students in the district. The objective is to foster a more inclusive learning environment by blending traditional teachings in an academic setting ensuring that Native students feel seen, heard, and valued within their classroom community. Targeting young learners in our district will create a space where Native American students feel validated if they choose to grow out their hair.
E3D PRINT MANUFACTURING - Patrick Doty - Technology Education Teacher Students in the wood productions course will be tasked with designing soap for school-aged children in developing countries to wash their hands. They will use the engineering design process to come up with several ideas and then pick the best solution to create a 3D model using Fusion360 CAD software. They will then use 3D printers to make a 3D representation of their soap. This 3D model will then be used as the "buck" to vacuum form over to make a female mold to pour soap into. The outcomes include exposure to additive manufacturing technology using 3D printers and the heat molding manufacturing processes. Students will use these skills to create packaging for the product they make in the woodshop as their culminating manufacturing project. This project is a great opportunity for students because it has an interdisciplinary approach combining wood production, engineering design, and manufacturing processes. It encourages students to think holistically. They learn how different disciplines intersect and complement each other. In summary, this project fosters creativity, problem-solving, and practical skills while addressing a global health challenge. It’s a wonderful blend of innovation, education, and social impact! SUPPORTING STUDENTS WITH ADHD BY ALTERING ENVIRONMENT - Brenda Geraghty - School Psychologist THE CLASSROOM This grant proposes to use several tools to support students who have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by meeting their need for movement and sensory input, but also the need to limit distractions in a way that will not distract those around them. The two resource room spaces will specifically incorporate tools that would not otherwise be available to students but have been proven to improve student outcomes. It proposes to move beyond a typical desk and chair workspace to incorporate the option of movement while also using sensory input or limiting sensory input (depending on student need) to enhance focus and concentration. These spaces are accessed by students who receive special education services as well as students who have a 504-accommodation plan (i.e. a plan for general education students to receive accommodations in the classroom so that they have equal access to education).
IDENTIFY, EMPATHIZE, AND ANALYZE - Millie Kleinfehn - Dean of Students The proposal is to purchase a wide range of social and emotional learning (SEL) books and workbooks for the Behavior Intervention Room (BIR) to implement the "Identify, Empathize, and Analyze" program. The "Identity, Empathize, and Analyze" program is an alternative approach to addressing student behavior through focused targeted interventions to encourage students to recognize their choices, comprehend who may have been affected by their choices, and take the appropriate steps to make amends while striving for a positive resolution to repair any harm. The purpose/objective of requesting resources for the program is to strengthen students' SEL skills to support their personal and academic growth. The target learners are students who have exhibited behavior that disrupts the learning environment. Some key characteristics of these target learners are students who struggle with behavioral issues (such as difficulty managing emotions, resolving conflicts, and/or adhering to school rules), have academic and social challenges, and may be considered “at-risk” students. The rationale/outcome for the program is instead of imposing punitive measures like traditional suspension or detention, students can access resources that focus on uncovering the root of the behavior through fostering empathy, accountability, and conflict resolution. In addition, we want students to reflect on their actions and choices while learning new strategies and skills to manage future situations. Overall, the program aims to enhance the school climate by repairing the harm and restoring relationships among students, teachers, staff, and peers. Ultimately, it offers an equitable approach to addressing behavior without excluding students from the educational process. BRAIDING SWEETGRASS - Holly Loiselle - English 9 Teacher The MN standards now include many Dakota and Ojibway (Anishinaabe) references as the two named communities or nations in Minnesota. Minne means life source and water is a life source. This book is broken into 6 themes to understand plants and people and how the caretakers are responsible for the health of our life source, our place, and our people. The target learners of Shakopee High School students would meet the new MN standards by engaging in the invitation to become better citizens through meeting, planting, tending, picking, braiding, and burning sweetgrass after they read, write, speak, and listen during the short story units.
BUILDING A THINKING CLASSROOM IN SPANISH - Liesl Bell-Fleming - Spanish Teacher/Department Chair I would like to implement a new teaching strategy that promotes higher-level thinking in my Spanish classes. The model I am using comes from Peter Liljedahl’s Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics. As part of my project, I will be attending the 5-hour seminar by Mr. Liljedahl on Saturday, Oct. 5th at Shakopee High School. He shares that students learn better when they are standing and working on vertical, non-permanent surfaces. His research has shown that students’ brains shut off when they are sitting and students will mimic what the teacher is doing without much thinking. Students need to access different thinking skills in Spanish because they need to learn and process a new language. Another of his strategies is that students are moving while talking with their classmates. I can create activities to help take students out of their “comfort zone” and facilitate thinking about what they are learning. In the few short weeks, I have been in school this year I have seen improvements in their thinking and the skill to talk about what they are learning. I expect our students to enjoy their time in class while learning important concepts in Spanish, ultimately creating better problemsolvers. I have been looking at Building Thinking Classrooms from the lens of several teachers at East that have already implemented this type of classroom. CURIOSITY QUEST COLLECTION FOR SCIENCE CLASSROOMS - Sandra Reishus Media Specialist for Shakopee Secondary Schools This proposal seeks funding to develop a “traveling” collection of 141 high-interest books on various science topics that can be split between middle school science classrooms for students’ enrichment reading. This collection will serve a broad range of scientific interests and reading abilities. Recognizing the power of providing students with choice and autonomy in their reading materials, we aim to tap into students’ natural curiosity and encourage them to become independent readers and investigators. The books in this collection will be cataloged through the school’s Learning Commons (library) for tracking purposes and usage statistics, but will primarily reside in classrooms in the hands of students. Dividing the books between science classrooms and rotating them regularly will allow students access to a large number of books in this targeted collection.
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