News and information for staff members and the Madison community
Vol. I No. 6 - May 2, 2006
ARISTOS is a Greek word meaning excellent, optimum, the best.
The Madison Metropolitan School District is the recipient of a Rennebohm Foundation grant of $375,000 to be utilized over a five-year period. Through the use of these funds, the district created a prestigious group of Aristos Scholars who form a Think Tank of creative thinkers as well as award funding for innovative grants.
The Aristos Scholars Program received 25 grant applications this year. The judges awarded a total of $58,028 to the Project Leaders of nine grants. Listed below are the grants, project leaders, school and the amount of the awards.
East High Cultural Center — Tara Affolter — $5,448
Through this grant a student-centered space will be created at East. The Cultural Center will offer academic, emotional and cultural support as proactive measures to address some feelings of isolation and alienation often found in a large high school and the problem of students "falling through the cracks." There will be programming for students to explore their own heritage, ethnic backgrounds, and histories while also learning about experiences that differ from their own. Guest artists and community members will conduct workshops and performances with and for students.
Just Right Reading Program — Gail Borchers — $1,400
In order for students to become proficient readers, they need to read a great deal, which requires access to appropriate books. This creative reading incentive program is designed to encourage students to increase their independent reading time both in school and at home by teaching them how to select books at a "just right" reading level and by providing them with LMC books leveled by difficulty. After students read enough books to reach a personal goal, they receive a $5.00 "Book Buck" coupon that enables them to purchase books at the school's annual book fair. This program is supported by members of Lake View's Literacy Committee and will be implemented through the collaborative effort of staff.
Leopold Multiage Friday Enrichment — Sara Cutler — $4,500
This grant is intended to support the success of multiage programming for students as well as staff by creating an opportunity for students and teachers of different grade levels to work together. The Friday Enrichment Program is built upon the belief that students become more engaged in school when they have opportunities to explore and learn more about things that interest them. The program will also serve as a vehicle to raise the level of collaborative planning and teaching among the staff. Students from multiage classes across the school will engage in self-selected workshops that are co-planned and co-taught by members of the multiage team.
West High Freshmen Advisory Team: Each One Teach One — Heather Lott — $6,000
In order to help approximately 600 West 9th graders understand the school's expectations, learn how to access available supports and opportunities, and provide informal tutoring, freshmen will attend an advisory class four days each week. Each Advisory is taught by a team of successful West junior and senior students. Training for 100 members of the Advisory Team includes a background in social and intellectual development, curriculum training, and leadership/mentorship skills.
Literacy Leadership Capacity Building at East High — Sharon McPike — $10,000
An East Literacy Commission, of interdisciplinary, multi-grade teachers and administrators, has been formed to assume responsibility for guiding the total school literacy improvement effort in order to enhance student academic achievement. The Aristos grant will support the development of comprehensive knowledge of effective literacy practices so that Commission members may become literacy advocates and leaders. Dr. Judith Irvin, a nationally renowned University of Florida professor and Director of the National Literacy Project, will lead the Commission through the literacy planning process resulting in the creation of a literacy action plan. East has been invited to pilot a high school literacy planning protocol and potentially become a national model for secondary literacy development.
Simultaneous Translation Equipment for LaFollette — Kolleen Onsrud — $4,500
The use of translation equipment is intended to help develop a sense of community within LaFollette High School. It will allow students to be engaged and offered the same experiences, without the barrier of language differences. While English Language Learners make up 12.4% of LaFollette's enrollment, they are over-represented in the percent of suspensions, truancies, and low-income students. The translation equipment will allow families to feel more connected to school and will be used in classrooms, at group presentations, monthly Latino parent nights, Career/College night, Junior conferences, scheduling demo night, at school plays and musicals and at assemblies.
China & the Environment: An Integrated Curriculum — David Ropa — $6,280
This project will produce an integrated curriculum designed for teachers in grades 4-8 that explores China's history, culture, political structure and environment. The curriculum will be differentiated with reading materials at varied levels on a specific research topic, graphic organizers, check lists to support long-range writing projects, and visual materials. Assessments will be varied so that each student can show what has been learned most effectively. The curriculum will address standards in the areas of social studies, environmental education, science, and language arts. The UW East-Asian Studies Department is funding the travel of five MMSD teachers to China enabling the teachers to collect the necessary materials for creation of the curriculum.
Academic Boot Camp (ABC Club) — Jane Wyngaard-Innes — $10,000
The ABC Club is a focused attempt to address students' engagement, learning, and relationships, increase students' connections, skills, knowledge and positive relationships with adults and peers. The program targets struggling students, those struggling emotionally, behaviorally, and academically. Staff will work with students before the school day providing academic support and coping strategies. Parents are required to sign a contract giving their support and promising their participation. The grant author believes that this intervention will be a successful way to support students which "in turn may reduce the dependence on special education as one of the only interventions." A comprehensive evaluation plan will document student progress.
Creating Support Materials To Implement Standards Based Grading — Jeff Ziegler — $9,900
This project will pilot a standards based grading and reporting system for three math courses at Each High School and create support materials to expand the practice into other courses and subjects. It is intended to provide more meaningful information about students' achievement. High schools have been moving to forms of instruction that are based on state, district, and professional standards. These changes have been made with the goal of providing a better and more meaningful learning experience for students. While strides have been made in changing instruction, little has happened to change grading at the high school level. The project will include math teachers, ESL and special education teachers and will create materials teachers need in order to change the way in which grades are determined and reported.
The Aristos Scholars Academy is a prestigious MMSD Think Tank in which members explore district issues. Scholars serve three-year terms, participate in a fall retreat, monthly meetings, and select future grant recipients. These new Aristos Scholars have successfully and creatively implemented their Aristos grants.
Last Updated: Fri Sep 7 03:02:58 2007
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