2011 – 2012 Grant Application Packets Available
What do you envision for your students? Do you see them working on innovative new projects or activities? Building better skills with exciting cutting-edge tools or materials? What if you could find funding to help you in those endeavors? Now is the time to turn those visions into reality through the Victoria ISD Education Foundation's Grants for Great Ideas Program. 

Grants for Great Ideas (GGI) is an innovative grant funding program available to educators employed by the Victoria Independent School District. Individual teachers, counselors, librarians and educators may apply for mini-grant funding up to $1,000 for their innovative and meaningful activities and district-wide projects that will enhance student learning. Campus teams, departments and district initiated programs and projects may apply for up to $2,500 in mini-grant funding.

GGI applications are being accepted beginning September 1, 2011. Interested applicants will want to review the guidelines and complete the application forms as described in the Grant Application Guidelines and Application Packet. Completed and signed grant applications are due in the Foundation on Monday, October 17, 2011.

Grant writing workshops (optional) will be hosted to answer questions, give grant writing tips, and provide information about the process. Those attending at least one session will receive up to five additional points towards their application review score. The workshops will be held on September 28, 2011 from 4 – 5 p.m. at the VISD Administration Building in Board Room 2 and again on October 4, 2011 from 4 – 5 p.m. at the VISD Administration Building in Board Room 1. Interested applicants need only to attend one workshop.

For further information on applying, click the following:

• 2011-2012 VEF Grants for Great Ideas Guidelines & FAQ
• 2011-2012 VEF Grants for Great Ideas Application

If you have questions, please contact Brittany Hollas by email at brittany.hollas@visd.com or by calling 788-9271.  Thank you and best of luck on your application.

VISD Education Foundation surprises educators with $10,000 in grants

Whistles filled the air.  Pom poms shook with glee.  The noise from party blowers swarmed the school halls of Victoria ISD.

It wasn’t a pep rally to cheer on student athletes.  The celebration was sparked by teachers and other educators receiving a grant award from the Victoria ISD Education Foundation’s Grant Patrol. 

Faceted with Mardi Gra beads, toting colorful balloons and oversized checks, the board of directors from the education foundation along with community members and school administrators awarded some $10,000 in grants to deserving and innovative teachers and their students this February.

With donations from local businesses, individuals and organizations, the grant patrol empowered VISD educators with the chance to request grant funds to implement innovative activities that expand their students’ creativity and potential.    

Ten grants were awarded to ten projects to enhance learning and boost children’s minds in immeasurable ways, said Brittany Hollas, executive director for the foundation.

“These grants impact morale and encourage teachers and staff to propel student learning and potential,” Hollas said.  “Teachers today have an incredible job and not necessarily all the resources.  These grants are a pat on the back for creative ingenuity that enables access to dollars not funded by the normal VISD operating budget.”

The education foundation helps Victoria public school teachers and students excel in programs not funded by public tax revenues.  Resources are directed to areas that impact student learning and achievement, parental involvement, alumni and community engagement, technology, student scholarships and professional development. 

“Teachers today compete with technology to hold the attention of their students more than ever,” shared Michelle A. Yates, a first grade teacher at Guadalupe Elementary.  “Technology is an important daily teaching tool that catches and keeps the attention of students as well as boost students’ information retention.”

The VISD Education Foundation plans to offer additional grants for the 2009-2010 school year.  Grants for Great Ideas Awards presented during the 2008-2009 school year were awarded to the following projects and educators. 

Picture Gallery – Spring 2009 Grant Patrol

Partners After-School Program Pilot Project, $990.00
Fernando Mesa and Becca Garcia
Profit High School and O’Connor Elementary School

Fifteen students at Profit High School and ten students from O’Connor Elementary School will participate in an after-school pilot program in partnership with University of Houston – Victoria and Victoria ISD.  Three tutoring formats to be utilized across three groups include: peer-to-peer tutoring, cross-age tutoring, UHV pre-certification teachers as tutors with PHS tutees.  Using research-based instructional strategies (e.g., graphic organizers, questioning) during tutoring, it is anticipated that targeted students will improve performance on Release TAKS tests for reading.

MHS Leo Club/Keep Victoria Beautiful, $1,000.00
James B. Wisdom
Memorial High School Senior and Stoman High Schools

The MHS Leo Club has been granted permission by the Keep Victoria Beautiful project to refurbish, and maintain the vacant lot at Sam Houston Drive and Houston Highway.  This is a high profile project and our school and club name will be featured on a sign greeting travelers.  Successful maintenance of the lot will provide students with practical knowledge, teamwork skills, a sense of worthiness, a sense of accomplishment, and at same time be fun.  A positive image of our school will be projected to the citizens of Victoria.

Drama for Schools, $913.00
Lynne Kutach
Drama for Schools Program – Crain, Howell, and Patti Welder Middle Schools; Profit, Memorial Senior and Stroman High Schools

Drama for Schools uses drama-based instructional strategies to make sustainable differences in the learning culture of classrooms, schools, and the district. Drama-based instruction is an umbrella term for a collection of teaching tools (including interactive games, improvisation, and role-playing) used in conjunction with classroom curriculum. These techniques support a variety of learning styles that keep students actively engaged in the learning process.

Sensory Motor Laboratory, $962.71
Lanell Mantey and Eileen Stanley
Chandler Elementary

7-10% of the student population is indicating the need for special project-based interventions to facilitate their required educational need in order to be successful. These students demonstrate sensory motor concerns indicating motor lab intervention. Sensory motor lab intervention is needed to increase the ability to focus and attend to a task in a more meaningful way and to reach goals set by educational standards. Sensory motor lab can be done in a semi structured practical environment. This informal project has been carried out earlier showing success in student’s ability to perform.

“imentor”, $984.52
Trey Edwards, Becca Garcia, and Rodney Plunkett
Mitchell Guidance Center

Mitchell Guidance Center will implement a bi-monthly “Breakfast Club” to promote daily school attendance within a core group of 21 chronically truant students.  The program will target attendance and behavior problems.  These students typically lack personal support systems, social skills, investment in education, and are frequently involved in crisis situation.  Students will learn independent decision making and social strengths to enhance personal investment in their education.  Hence, the program title “imentor” will promote self-reliance or self-mentoring thus “imentor.”

Lights! Camera! Action!, $656.08
Debbie Wells
Dudley GT Magnet Elementary School

Home and Garden TV, Food Network, Travel Channel, FitTV, Do It Yourself, and many more television programs are available to explain or educate our children without our actually being there!  The same can be true in our classrooms.  There are times math teachers would find it beneficial to take an entire class on a field trip to set the stage for a new concept, teach a skill, or give a visual for new vocabulary.  I want to offer all of our students on campus a “virtual trip” experience to real places, real people, by making movies to help support math. 

Strategy Stars!, $898.22
Susan Lofland, Dana Gabbert, Shelly Olguin, Sherry Ocker, and Debbie Wells
Dudley GT Magnet Elementary School

Third graders are introduced to the multiplication facts and are to recall them by the end of the year.  Recalling these facts efficiently and accurately will have an impact on their math for the rest of their education and in real life situations. The traditional emphasis has been to have students memorize through repetitive drill and practice.  Students believe there are “hundreds” of facts to be memorized and fail to see the relationships  We also know that children don’t learn in the same ways.  We want to use different methodologies, exercises and activities to reach all students.  This will be done with activities that support a variety of multiple intelligences such as bodily movement, interaction with others, verbal, logical/numbers, intrapersonal, visual and musical activities.

Exercising the Mind thru Mathematizing, $891.00
Karen S. Johnson
Rowland Medical Magnet Elementary School

Targeted students at Rowland Medical Magnet School will have an opportunity to Exercise their Mind thru Mathematizing.  Targeted students will attend math sessions after school to increase their proficiency in math.  Success in the 21st Century is dependent on students not only passing the state math test but also moving into the commended performance group.  Our district has sought out innovative and research based math practices to foster this goal.  Parents need to learn these new math strategies alongside their children.  Parents will be welcome to join their children during these math sessions.

Utilizing Technology to Teach Techno-Savvy Students, $999.00
Michelle A. Yates
Guadalupe Elementary

Teachers today compete with technology to hold the attention of their students more than ever. However, most of us still use traditional overhead projectors to present information in black and white, and only when on a transparency.  When I’ve been able to borrow technology, such as a document camera/projector (ELMO) in my teaching, my students are more focused, thus positively impacting their behavior and academic success.  The ELMO would be an important teaching tool that I would use daily in all subjects to catch and keep the attention of students, as well as boost students’ information retention.

VISD Elementary Orchestra Technology Grant, $990.00
Jay Lester
Victoria ISD Fine Arts Department

Korg instrument tuner/metronomes are needed for our newly developed elementary orchestra program in VISD.  Each tuner/metronome unit makes it possible for students to visually see how well they are playing in tune.  These devices also provide a metronome (something that keeps time) allowing students to hear and see the tempo for practice purposes. 

For more information about Grant for Great Ideas, please contact the VISD Education Foundation Office at 361-788-9271.