Foundation Manager, Author at District 39 Educational Foundation

Movie Benefit Was Full Of Laughs

Dog owners and comedy lovers joined to watch “Best In Show” on Thursday, April 11th at the Wilmette Theatre fundraising event for the D39 Educational Foundation. Many viewers sent in photos of their dogs that played in a slide show prior to the movie with one lucky winner enjoying a Wilmette Pet gift. Plus a door prize of a Wilmette Park District-donated pool/beach pass for a family of 4 including beach parking pass was given to one happy attendee. Thanks to all of the wonderful Wilmette businesses and organizations that helped make this a howling good time for all!

Trivia Night 2018 Was Fun For All!

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For the 7th year of Trivia Night, we changed up a lot, but made sure the fun was amped up as well! A new location at St. Joseph School created a different atmosphere. Sporcle Trivia Master and Jeopardy Champion Seth Wilson led the 19 teams through new types of trivia rounds requiring point wagering and strategy. We even added a Super Bowl Squares game to our raffle and Heads or Tails game for added fun and fundraising. The evening ended with a time for dancing and socializing so teams could mingle.

Congrats to Team Livin’ On A Square for their victory over the pack in the last trivia round!

Soymates won Best In Show with fabulous costumes and table decor!

$15,415 Awarded for Four Fall 2018 Gripp Grants!

Gripp Grant Award Recipients, News

Four Gripp Grants were awarded on November 14th for the Fall 2018 grant season.

Jeneane Pence, Highcrest PE teacher, was awarded a grant for 30 Zone watches to assist students with heart rate monitoring during PE activities. Students will get accurate, real time feedback while still active to help them make a connection between their intensity level and heart rate. Teachers will also be able to use this information to personalize the students’ fitness goals.

D39 Student Services Coordinator, Taylor Harvey and Romona/Harper Assistant Principal, Elena Ryan were awarded a grant to purchase 20 Qballs and JBL Flip portable speakers which will be used in all D39 elementary schools. A Qball is a ball-shaped microphone that sends a user’s voice via Bluetooth to a speaker that amplifies their words for all to hear. It can be passed or tossed around the classroom as students answer questions, read papers, and contribute to conversations. It supports collaboration in the classroom and an inclusive and shared learning environment for all students including those with speech and hearing special needs.

All elementary schools will benefit from the grant for 32 Sphero BOLT robots awarded to the four schools’ technology teachers Julie Garry, Lauren Wysocke, Beth Cummo and Christina Rosario. Each school was granted 8 robots which will provide students with a hands-on opportunity to expand their coding skills. With three different coding canvases – Draw, Block and Text – that move from beginner to advanced coding skills, the robots can be differentiated by age group and coding ability. Robots will be used in many different classes including math, social studies, art, etc.

Central PE teacher, Kathleen Peth, was awarded a grant to purchase 5 Gameballs to be used in PE. These balls link via Bluetooth to nine game apps that voice directions for each activity as well as updates scores, distance, etc. These games give students immediate feedback on their game skills and technique. These games can utilize math, measurement and competitive skills as well.

We’re celebrating our 25th Anniversary!

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It’s hard for us to believe we’ve been part of the District 39 community since 1993. Our mission continues to be:

Promote educational innovation and excellence
Support educators as they raise their aspirations for educational programs
Increase students’ global awareness and understanding of human diversity
Expand opportunities for students to fulfill their varied interests & talents
Encourage community involvement & support for education

We’ve do this through the awarding of Gripp Grants named in honor of Phyllis Gripp (foundation member and former D39 teacher). These encourage teachers, administrators, and others in the community to pursue innovative ideas and think beyond traditional classroom teachings. We fund what the district cannot support with tax dollars alone.

What have Gripp Grants Provided?:

Introduction of digital cameras, laptop carts, iPads & SmartBoards to D39
Outdoor classrooms & learning gardens at all six schools
Learning Commons district wide
Academic speakers such as Jo Boaler on the Growth Mindset
Fitness & wellness programs
Equipment & programming to enhance experiences & environments for special needs students
Visiting musicians & artists from around the world
Breakout EDU boxes in all schools for team-based, hands-on learning experiences
Advanced science equipment such as microscope cameras

Foundation Gifts Pedal Desks to All Highcrest & WJHS Classrooms

Gripp Grant Award Recipients, News

Due to the resounding success of Meghan Espinoza’s 2017 Gripp Grant for pedal desks in her 6th grade classroom, the D39 Educational Foundation has gifted Highcrest and WJHS up to $5000 to purchase approximately 144 under-desk pedal units to be used in classrooms across the two campuses.

Thank you WJHS PTO & Graduating 8th Grade Class

News

Thank you to the WJHS PTO and the 2017-2018 8th Grade Class for the very generous $3,325 donation. For all who donated to the 8th Grade Graduation Raffle, we appreciate your generous participation. We are honored by this gift and will use it in our Foundation efforts to enhance the educational opportunities for students throughout District 39 via Gripp Grants, Science Olympiad, in-school enrichment, and more. Congratulations WJHS graduates, best of luck in your high school endeavors!