Some New Richmond Exempted Village School District students are now reaping the benefits from four mini-grants received last spring by teachers and staff members at both Locust Corner and Monroe Elementary Schools.
Locust Corner students benefited from two grants, one submitted by occupational therapy assistant Kassady Raines and the other submitted by intervention specialist Jennifer Bodeker. The monies received from the two grants enabled the purchase of equipment for the LCE motor room benefiting students who require extra movement and sensory input to help them have a successful day.
Monroe Elementary School students also benefited from two successful grants. STEM learning was the focus of a grant authored by teacher Jennifer Huelsmann. With the money, technology was purchased to expand learning opportunities in STEM for students in K-1. The second grant was awarded to art teacher Kelly Langdon, office manager Sally Wylie, health aide Mary Henderson and school aide Teresa Dufau. They jointly applied for a grant that, in addition to a lot of community support, delivered a nature playscape for students in PreK and kindergarten (but open to all grades).
About the Mini-Grants
Introduced last school year, the new mini-grants were made possible with a portion of the 0.5 mills of the 9.4 mills operating levy approved by the New Richmond Schools community in 2020. During the levy campaign, the district committed to dedicating 0.5 mills of the levy funds for use in three key areas (curriculum, safety/security, and technology) that respondents to a survey identified as very important.
A total of $10,000 was set aside for the mini-grants of which $6,500 was awarded. To be eligible, applicants had to submit an idea that was new, innovative, or that involved a better way of doing something within the district that would benefit learning or district efficiency.
“We couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome of the projects funded by the mini-grants. All placed an emphasis on improved learning opportunities for students,” Superintendent Tracey Miller said. ``We look forward to the next round of applications.”
Locust Corner
This year’s successful applicants are grateful for the grants and pleased with what’s been achieved.
“We now have several new pieces of equipment which are used daily to help students receive appropriate sensory input while increasing their body awareness and control, resulting in increased attention and self-regulation skills,” Locust Corner’s Mrs. Bodeker said. “Along with the gross motor and heavy work activities, there is also a calming space in the motor room complete with bubble tubes and large crash pads.
“This calming sensory space is very beneficial for our students with sensory processing disorders. It allows them access to a safe and low-stress environment to practice sensory experiences.”
Equipment purchases include: ball pit, river rocks, steamroller, balance beam, boat, wedge, crash pad, bubble tubes, and lighted mats.
Monroe
Much to the delight of eager students, the Monroe Nature Playscape officially opened in late October after a lot of hard work by many volunteers.
“The kids have been anxious as they have watched it being built and are very curious,” Monroe’s Mrs. Langdon said. “The goal again is not only to bring kids closer to nature but also to have them use inventive play. Although the playground is open, we are still looking for some round cross-sections of logs to create a border between the grass and the playground.”
The playscape project received a grant of $1,000. The money got things going but wasn’t enough to complete the project. That’s where community helpers fit in. Langdon and others at Monroe express their gratitude to Tim and Teresa Dufau, Zach Stock, and Thomas Levard, to name a few. Additional gratitude is extended to AJ’s Landscaping for its generous discounts.
The second mini-grant received at Monroe made possible the purchase of Plugo, an interactive Augmented Reality learning/gaming system. Plugo is being used by students in grades K-1 for one-on-one intervention.
“The technology differentiates based on the student’s academic level,” Mrs. Huelsmann explained. “The students enjoy interacting with one another to practice their letters and words.”