Park City parents and community,
As PCEF gets ready for May, its annual month-long celebration of Park City’s educators (which includes the Excellent Educator Program, funded by the Lois and Doilney Families; the Sarah and Stephen Doilney Award; and Running with Ed), our educators are still hard at work in their classrooms.
As they keep the pace for a strong finish this year, most are already preparing for next year. In fact, there have already been dozens of applications for PCEF Classroom Grants for 2023/24!
Thanks to PCEF donors, teachers had $460,000 in Classroom Grants to work with this school year - the most ever awarded.
Witnessing Classroom Grants come to life in the hands of PCSD’s expert educators is one of the most joyful parts of the job for the PCEF team, and we wanted to share that with you this month.
Below are just a few of the ways our innovative educators are preparing our students to enter a world we can’t even imagine.
With your help, whether it's making a donation or creating a team for Running with Ed, we can ensure our educators are able to fully prepare our students with skills to become tomorrow’s innovators, problem solvers, and leaders.
When you fund a grant, you empower a teacher. Thank you for your support - we can’t do this without you.
Sincerely,
Abby McNulty
President & CEO, PCEF
P.S. Rain, shine, or snow -- I’ll see you on the #RWE23 starting line on Saturday, May 20!
P.P.S. Be sure to check out the featured Classroom Grant from each school below!
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"I have students from varying backgrounds making post-secondary plans to pursue aviation full-time, and I've had a few students already pass their drone licensing test.
It's been unreal to see these motivated students take their dreams to the next level."
--Trip Marshall, PCHS Teacher
Trip Marshall's Drone Aviation course was supported by a PCEF Classroom Grant. It's part of the new Aviation Pathway in PCSD's exceptional Career & Technical Education (CTE) program.
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📸 PCHS → MIRRORLESS CAMERAS
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"Mirrorless cameras are the newest technology in photography & film. With a full classroom set, students have access to new technology.
The cameras have been amazing and allowed so many more students to be creative!”
-- Natalie Star, PCHS Teacher
Natalie Star, who teaches a photography program that has nearly tripled in size, bought 20 mirrorless cameras with her Classroom Grant.
Before, there were 8 DSLR cameras to share. Now, students get to work with equipment that meets current industry standards, and more kids have access to hands-on practice during class.
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🛠️ TMJH → CONSTRUCTION TECH
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"This is an innovative approach to construction technology, exposing students to many principles of home construction through real build-outs in our school."
-- Caleb Fine, Treasure Mountain Jr. High Principal
Students in TMJH's Construction Technology, taught by Brad Gannon, are designing and building an actual small-scale living space!
This hands-on, applicable learning provides tangible construction skills - and sets students up for future success in PCHS' CTE pathways.
The Construction Tech course was made possible through
Classroom Grants & a PCEF donor-directed gift.
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🚀 EHMS → ROCKET LAUNCH KITS
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"Students very rarely get to build something like a model rocket. They feel an amazing sense of accomplishment
when they build and successfully launch it.
We also connect it to what NASA and Space X do, which helps students have a greater appreciation for scientists & engineers."
-- Gina Mason, EHMS Teacher
Rocket kits, purchased with a Classroom Grant, saved 7th grade science students hours of work (usually spent building rockets from scratch).
The streamlined process allowed them to meet the state and district standard to "design an engineering solution to demonstrate Newton’s third law of motion" in less time.
The savings made it possible for 400 students to spend more time on Newton's Laws - and deepen overall science learning.
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"My kids have absolutely loved using Boom Cards; not only are they easy to use, they are a fun way to build student confidence and fluency in whatever academic area is targeted.
I have seen an improvement in math scores because
they're used to practicing every day!"
-- Natalie Martinez, JRES Teacher
1st Grade DLI teacher Natalie Martinez purchased Boom Cards with a Classroom Grant.
They were so effective that she expanded the program with a PCEF Express Grant just a couple of months into the school year!
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🧘🏽 MPES → MINDFUL CHILD PROJECT
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"When I hear my students share what they are thankful for, or that they are strong, brave, confident, and kind, it inspires me... It gives me hope and for this generation and the amazing things I know they will accomplish.
What a wonderful foundation PCEF has provided!"
--Julie Wrathall Alvarez, MPES Preschool Teacher
Current preschoolers, born shortly before COVID, spent a lot of time at home as families tried to keep them safe. Now, teachers help students learn to play and be social with each other.
Julie Alvarez's Classroom Grant brings trained mindfulness expert Carrie Kushner to her classroom each week.
Student feedback:
- "My favorite part about Ms. Carrie is she helps us feel strong." -Addie (5)
- "Mindfulness makes me feel calm and I learn about my feelings." -Rylan (4)
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📚 PPES → BOOK VENDING MACHINE
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"The vending machine is filled with literature in English and Spanish as chosen by the students [from an approved book list] to reward them for following our 3 rules:
responsibility, respect and safety."
-- Parley's Park Elementary School
PPES students earn tokens and tickets for great behavior. They use tokens to get books out of the machine, and tickets are entered into a weekly drawing. Each week's drawing winner gets to pick a book, too - to keep!
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"Coffee Cart fosters a positive inclusive culture at Trailside. It allows students with disabilities to practice social skills, communication, functional money skills,
independent work, and math.
Coffee Cart has been proven to be an effective project-based learning opportunity."
-- Laura Glass, TSES Teacher
Laura Glass and McKenzie Moore's TSES Classroom Grant funds the Coffee Cart, which creates an opportunity for students with disabilities to provide a service for their school community.
Students check order forms, set up the coffee cart, interact with staff, and collect data to graph it. These elements incorporate embedded ELA, math, and independent work practice.
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Congratulations to Kathy Anderson, Director of PCSD's Preschool Program (one of PCEF's 8 Signature Initiatives), who will retire in June!
We could never accurately capture the width, depth, and breadth of Kathy's contributions to and impact on the children, families, and community - but we will try!
Please click through to see a few words of love and gratitude for Kathy.
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⛄ #RWE23 is happening next month, despite the eleventy feet of snow on the ground.
Too busy (still) skiing to train?
No problem: you can walk, run, crawl (UOP stairs, anyone?) skip, hop, or dance your way through your leg.
When you register & fundraise, you:
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help your school win a $ Park City Mountain Grant $!
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put $350,000 directly into Park City classrooms.
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can win cool fundraising prizes from #RWE23 sponsors.
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(pssst... did you see? Pit Viper is a prize sponsor this year!)
PCEF’s Running with Ed is presented by
Event Network, Park City Mountain, & Vail Resorts EPIC Promise.
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Feeling inspired?
Please help us change the equation for every student by
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Want to Know More About PCEF?
Be sure to check out the PCEF website for information, resources, and stories about the students and teachers you inspire and the programs you provide.
Keep up with the latest PCEF news on social media too!
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