Date: Tue, 1 Oct 2002 07:19:08 -0500 From: Donna Fernandez <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: SCHOOLGRANTS SUMMARY NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2002 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
SchoolGrants Summary Newsletter<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Vol. 3, No. 1 October 2002 NEWS AND MORE SCHOOLGRANTS NEWS I haven't had an opportunity to do many updates to the SchoolGrants Web site in the last month or two. I hope my life will slow down enough soon that I will be able to add and update information on the site. Out of consideration to those who purchase subscriptions to the SchoolGrants Biweekly Newsletter ($35/year/subscriber) - to give them true value for their investment - much grant related information is purposefully not posted to the site or featured in this newsletter until several months after it has been published in the Biweekly Newsletter. Since grant deadlines are often swift, this means that many opportunities are never featured in the free Summary Newsletter or on the SchoolGrants Web site. After several attempts at finding a format that will work well for all subscribers, I believe we've finally found a format that allows all email programs and both Mac and PC operating systems to read an HTML-formatted Biweekly Newsletter. This means that those subscribers now have the additional benefit of an easy to read, easy to use grant-related newsletter every two weeks. Here's a comment I received last night from a subscriber who is renewing for another year, "I certainly wish to continue subscribing to SchoolGrants. You are a big part of why this beginning grant writter mangaged to land a Middle School Coordinators grant in 2000 and Alabama'a only Teaching American History grant in 2001." I will make a sample of the newly formatted SchoolGrants Biweekly Newsletter available as a sample in a month or so to those of you who would like to see the changes that have been made. I haven't made a final decision yet on the publishing schedule of the SchoolGrants Summary Newsletter, but I am considering changing it to a bimonthly format. This will allow me more time to concentrate on the Web site and on information for the Biweekly Newsletter. Stay tuned. I'll try to have a decision made by next month. **** STATE CONSOLIDATED APPLICATIONS Have you taken a look at the consolidated application your state submitted for funding under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001(NCLB)? Every state filed timely applications and all but six chose to submit a consolidated application. One state applied separately for two programs. Particularly if your state is one of the 43 that filed consolidated applications, you should obtain a copy to review. Information that states were required to include in their applications to the U.S. Department of Education includes: ** What the state is going to do to help its local education agencies (LEAs) ensure that teachers and paraprofessionals are "highly qualified" as required by NCLB; ** How the state will determine which schools are meeting or exceeding performance standards; and ** The process the state will use to distribute formula (entitlement) and some discretionary grants to its LEAs. You will also see how your state intends to coordinate all the various funding sources to reach common goals. Contact your State Education Agency for a copy of its consolidated application. **** BRICK BY BRICK WEB SITES FOR TEACHERS (http://eduscapes.com/sessions/brick/index.htm) Eduscapes provides free online workshops for teachers who want to build Web pages to introduce visitors to classroom activities, link to online resources, publish student work, or share curriculum and other classroom information. The workshops feature many links to model school Web pages, free Web hosting services, and more. **** SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION FUNDS A new federal law may be of interest to public, private and nonprofit schools. In the past, for-profit organizations have been unable to issue federal tax-exempt bonds to finance construction. However, the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act changes that. Under the act, private developers are now eligible to issue tax-exempt bonds if the proceeds are used for projects that alleviate classroom shortages or that help replace or renovate deteriorating and/or obsolete schools. Schools can form partnerships with private enterprises where the developer funds construction costs through the tax-exempt bonds and the school leases back the facility. At the end of the lease term, the facility becomes the property of the school district. **** PROPOSED RULES FOR FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH PROGRAM The U.S. Department of Agriculture is considering changing the reporting and recordkeeping requirements under the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program and Special Milk Program. The purpose of the change is to more carefully monitor the children deemed eligible for the program, as the government believes the number of children certified to receive services is overstated based on other poverty indicators. Comments are requested by October 8, 2002 and may be sent electronically to [EMAIL PROTECTED] This is a very important proposed change as it affects even more than the number of students who will receive breakfast and lunch at little or no charge. The number of free or reduced price lunch children served by a school also determines the amount of many of the federal grants awarded to it most significantly, Title I, Part A. Particularly if your school has a high number of students receiving free or reduced-price lunches, I strongly suggest that you review the proposed notice and share it with your district officials. *************** UPCOMING EVENTS White House: Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Regional Conference Thursday, October 10, 2002 8:30 am -5:45 pm at the Hilton Atlanta 255 Courtland, NE Atlanta, GA 30303 The White House and the Departments of Justice, Labor, Health & Human Services, Housing & Urban Development, and Education are hosting this conference to help faith-based and community organizations learn more about President Bush's Faith-Based and Community Initiative. The conference is free, but pre-registration is required. If you are interested in attending, please print out the form found on the Web site and fax the completed form to 202-205-0676 or 202-208-1689 by October 4, 2002. These conferences will equip participants with information about Federal programs that are suited to their needs, the Federal funding process, and the legal requirements that may apply to recipients of Federal funds. It will also give them practical information on the grant-writing process and cutting-edge practices from other organizations, as well as an opportunity to network with Federal officials. For more information, you can call 202-219-1746, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED], or visit www.fbci.gov/. **** Protecting Your Child At Home and at School", October 15, 8:00 - 9:00 P.M. (eastern) (http://registerevent.ed.gov) The October broadcast of Education News Parents Can Use will explore a range of child safety issues that concern parents and school officials. Although recent highly publicized school shootings and abductions have alarmed parents around the country, the reality is that crimes against children in schools are decreasing and our nation s schools are among the safest places for children to be. To ease parents concerns, the program will offer tools and resources for families, schools and communities to help keep students safe. During the hour, experts, school officials and parents will discuss the real risks to children in and out of school. Topics to be explored include: ** protecting children from abduction and exploitation; **bullying and the steps that can be taken to remove the climate of fear and intimidation in schools created by bullying; **identifying what a safe learning environment looks like at schools; and **establishing a crisis plan to help parents and schools during times of emergency. The program is free but you must register before receiving satellite coordinates. It will also be available via Webcast. **** Upcoming PTO Today Shows for Parents (http://ptotoday.com/shows/) The PTO Shows are two-day regional conferences with 40 workshops, seminars, and general sessions, along with a tradeshow featuring the leading products and services for parent groups. **February 14-15, Dallas/Fort Worth; **March 7-8, Los Angeles; **March 21-22, Boston; **April 4-5, Philadelphia; and **April 11-12, Chicago I am scheduled to give a brief introduction to grant writing at the show in Dallas on both Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. *************** SERVICES AVAILABLE FROM SCHOOLGRANTS.ORG If you find the SchoolGrants Summary Newsletter helpful, you will absolutely love the SchoolGrants Biweekly Newsletter that is available for only $35/year. The grant opportunities are described in greater detail and there are more of them twice a month. There are pages of resources and information valuable to grant seekers and managers in every edition. Grant seeking tips help keep you on the right track when writing your proposals. In today s tight economy, you really can t afford to ignore this opportunity! Check out a copy of it by sending a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or learn more about it by visiting http://www.schoolgrants.org/newsletter2.htm. If you need a consultant to perform specialized grant opportunities searches, provide assistance with grant writing (from review and critique to full proposal development), or to teach your staff the art of grant writing through hands-on workshops, SchoolGrants.org is the place to turn! At the current time, all workshops are given on a consultant basis only. For more information, email me at [EMAIL PROTECTED] A large number of you have responded to my request for feedback on the idea of offering grant writing workshops. That feedback has been most appreciated and we are still working toward setting up workshops. There will be online workshops available as well. More details will be sent as soon as they are available. *************** GRANT OPPORTUNITIES **** COMPUTERS FOR LEARNING (http://www.computers.fed.gov/School/user.asp) Computers for Learning is not a grant program but it does offer a potential way for schools to acquire needed technology. This program transfers excess Federal computer equipment to U.S. PK-12 public, private, parochial, or home schools. Those schools that have the greatest need those in empowerment zones and enterprise communities - are given special consideration. Schools log their needs on the Computers for Learning Web site. Federal agencies then match their surplus equipment to schools with those needs. The Defense Department, for example, donated nearly $60 million in computers and other technological equipment to schools during fiscal year 2000. **** LYSOL/NSTA SCIENCE AND YOUR HEALTH CHALLENGE http://www.nsta.org/lysol This program funded by Lysol, and administered by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), is dedicated to certified K-6 classroom teachers who have developed a classroom project that helps students learn science while engaging in issues related to health. Eligible teachers must be U.S. citizens who teach in a public or private school. Forty awards of $1,000 will be made for professional development that includes support for registration, travel and housing for the NSTA National Convention. Funds may also be used to attend an NSTA Area Convention or an NSTA Institute course/workshop. Awards include an additional $500 that can be used to purchase materials necessary to teach science.\ Applications are due at NSTA by December 16, 2002. **** THE BROAD CENTER FOR SUPERINTENDENTS http://www.broadcenter.org/challenge/index.shtml The Center is seeking dynamic, high-achieving executives from the corporate, nonprofit, government, and education sectors who have a passion for improving public education by serving as chief executive officers in America's largest urban school systems. Those who participate in The Broad Center for Superintendent s program attend the Academy at locations across the country on weekends over a 10-month period. In addition to the weekend sessions, which include topics such as Student Achievement and Reinventing for School Success and The Politics of Urban School Leadership, superintendents are given the chance for individual skill building, are provided with mentors, and complete performance projects. Fellowships, including tuition, travel and all other program-related expenses, are fully covered by The Broad Foundation. Final deadline for nomination or application for the program is October 15. **** BOYER BEST PRACTICES AWARD http://www.boyercenter.org/resources/BP2003App.pdf The Boyer Center is a national education institute that facilitates ongoing renewal in schools and communities. The goals of the Best Practices Award are to recognize elementary schools for their accomplishments in fostering shared teacher leadership through collaborative professional community building, to invite development and evaluation of programs that promote teacher leadership through collaborative professional community building in elementary schools, and to encourage efforts to promote exemplary practices of shared teacher leadership that will benefit other schools. Three $7,500 awards will be made to elementary schools (K-6) and will be announced on or before March 1, 2003. Proposals must be postmarked no later than November 4, 2002. *************** EARN $$ FOR YOUR SCHOOL THE FUNDING FACTORY http://www.fundingfactory.com/bredirect.asp?etcepid=1247 The FundingFactory offers two ways that schools can earn leading edge technology, sports and recreation equipment (including playground equipment), or even cash by recycling empty printer cartridges and used cell phones. Schools collect empty printer cartridges and used cell phones and send them to The Funding Factory. Over 20% of US schools currently participate in the program that is "the recognized gold standard for innovative fundraising." There's more! You can solicit area businesses to send their used cartridges and cell phones to FundingFactory with credit going to your organization. FundingFactory provides free collection boxes and pays all shipping costs to schools and businesses. This program has received very positive comments on the Bring Home the Bacon listserv from participating schools. Be sure to check it out! MACINTOSH COMPUTERS Is your school looking for Macintosh related equipment? Take a look at http://www.mactreasures.com/default.tmpl?code=10094. This program matches schools to donors and also sells Apple/Macintosh software that you may not find elsewhere. **** IDEAS FOR PLAYGROUND FUNDING: Please visit http://www.schoolgrants.org/Links/playground_funding.htm for information on potential sources of funding. If you know of other resources, please let me know! Get a copy of KaBOOM's "Getting Started Kit" at http://www.kaboom.org/nooz.aspx?id=125. Your organization may benefit from the linkages KaBOOM works to create between communities, corporations and foundations that have an interest in strengthening neighborhoods and providing safe places for children to play. *************** TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES SchoolGrants receives many requests from schools needing to update their computers and other technology. For links to technology resources, including opportunities to acquire equipment, go to http://www.schoolgrants.org/Links/technology.htm There is a comprehensive list of computer recyclers listed at http://pnnonline.org/technology/computerrecycle1.cfm and http://pnnonline.org/technology/computerrecycle2.cfm *************** BRING HOME THE BACON LISTSERV The SchoolGrants "Bring Home the Bacon" listserv allows grant-writers an opportunity to collaborate and communicate with others in their community about grant-related subjects. If you would like to join the Bring Home the Bacon listserv, you may do so by sending a blank email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] The semi-moderated listserv does not accept attachments so there is no threat of virus infection via posts to the list. *************** SchoolGrants Summary Newsletter is copyrighted. You are welcome to forward the newsletter in its entirety but you may not cut and paste information out of it to forward without credit to SchoolGrants. You should also not cut and paste the information from the newsletter onto your own Web page without express permission. Write to me at [EMAIL PROTECTED] if you wish to publish the content. Did you know you can reach thousands who are vitally interested in K12 education by advertising in SchoolGrants Newsletter? Contact me at [EMAIL PROTECTED] for more information if you are interested. If this newsletter was forwarded to you and you wish to SUBSCRIBE to it, please send a blank e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thank you for subscribing to the free SchoolGrants Summary Newsletter! Suggestions and comments are always welcome. Please send them to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thanks to each of you who has helped spread the word among your friends and colleagues about the SchoolGrants site and newsletter. Happy Grant seeking! Donna Fernandez http://www.schoolgrants.org ... for the kids Copyright (c) 1999-2002 Donna Fernandez. All rights reserved. ************************************************************************* NOTE: Gleason Sackmann is the owner and host of this list. All inquiries regarding this list and its contents should be directed to Gleason Sackmann <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. If you want to unsubscribe, click and send (no body or subject: required) mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Archives for K12 Newsletters can be found at: http://www.classroom.com/community/email/archives.jhtml?A0=K12NEWSLETTERS
