2025-2026 Teacher Grants

🍎From Creek to Classroom - $1,169.41

This project will give ninth-grade students hands-on opportunities to explore and study our local school ecosystem. Using nets, sieves, wading boots, and other tools, students will work in teams to investigate the plants and animals in our nearby forest and stream. A large native fish tank in the classroom will extend this learning by allowing students to observe and care for local aquatic species up close, deepening their understanding of Virginia’s natural environment.

🍎Silent Stories: A Reading Experience in ASL - $306.60

ASL 3 students read a novel with a Deaf main character and have silent book talks in ASL.

🍎Sharing our Voice - $924.65

Students will explore the power of choice by analyzing character choices in fiction and non-fiction texts. The analysis of these choices will be voiced by producing podcast episodes at the conclusion of each learning module.

🍎Evergreen Enterprise - $997.47

Horticulture students will work in pairs to design and create a holiday wreath collection using a classroom wreath maker, fresh evergreens, and locally purchased Christmas trees. In addition to hands-on floral design, students will develop a business plan and construct miniature storefront displays using shoeboxes to showcase their brand and marketing ideas.

🍎Coding Beyond the Screen - $966.30

Micro:bits allow students to take coding beyond the screen and connect to the physical world. I plan to incorporate them into my classroom so that students can take their coding or mathematics skills and apply them to real world physical scenarios.

🍎Literacy in French & German - $696

Look, I Can Talk is a digital curriculum including slides, assessments, readings, and reading comprehension activities. It is a literacy-based curriculum designed to have students acquire language as quickly as possible by using high frequency vocabulary and structures (verbs). Students are able to read simple stories together and then retell the stories based on picture queues.

🍎The Culinary Graphics Initiative - $1,001.63

This initiative centers on fostering a mutually beneficial client-artist relationship to support the food truck race. The collaboration is structured to deliver dual value to the client and to the artist. The client will receive branded material for their food truck and the artist will gain essential professional experience in addition to experience with industry tools.

🍎Hooves of Knowledge - $1,850

The equine hoof, muscle, and skeletal models will provide students with hands-on opportunities to explore the structure and function of the equine body, reinforcing key anatomy and health concepts. These models will be used in Equine Science, Veterinary Science, and FFA Hippology classes to support interactive labs, problem-solving activities, and team-based learning.

🍎Meaning through Music - $578.75

Music is a powerful educational tool as it encompasses history and life lessons, providing students with valuable learning opportunities.

🍎Discover, Learn, Grow - $910

Through integrations of Social and Emotional learning, students will learn skills to understand and manage emotions, help build relationships, and make responsible decisions that will help in everyday life. And by working together, they will be able to solve simple group activities.

🍎All Abilities Kitchen - $1,000

All Abilities Kitchen will continue to develop students’ functional academics and life skills through integration of reading, mathematics, and science, which promotes a greater level of independence. These activities provide hands-on opportunities for developing fine motor skills, sensory exploration, cognitive processing, communication, and socialization skills. Cooking also creates a collaborative and inclusive social environment, building confidence and teamwork skills among peers.

🍎VEX IQ Robotics - $703.94

Students will use snap-together plastic pieces to design and build a functional robot. Each Educational Kit comes with the basic pieces; and collaboration with VEX IQ club will provide access to advanced robot builders.

🍎Aquatic Life in Front of You - $322.71

Students will navigate an aquarium environment in the classroom. They will make observations, care for animals and plants, and perform maintenance on the unit.

🍎Write, Create, Reflect: 5Cs Storytelling Journey - $1,118.60

This initiative designed to deepen 8th grade students’ literacy skills through creative expression, reflection, and digital publishing. Throughout the project, students will write and illustrate original short stories and create a reflective “Letter to My Graduated Self.” Using Book Creator, students will publish both digital and hard copy versions of their work. The culminating showcase at graduation will celebrate each student’s voice, growth, and achievement in literacy and communication.

🍎Amplify Learning: Empowering the 5Cs in Science - $1,999.98

Purchase class set of a wireless tour guide system to transform communication, engagement, and learning during field trips and outdoor activities. This system will allow students to hear clearly in noisy environments while empowering teachers to deliver real-time insights and facilitate interactive, collaborative, and inquiry-based experiences. By investing in this technology, we ensure every student can both hear the learning and be heard.

🍎Bobcat Swag - $1,000

Functional Academics at LCMS will custom-make items to resell to help fund activities and field trips.

🍎Jouett Trailblazers for Hope - Rocks of Courage - $807.07

Students will participate in a kindness and awareness initiative called Rocks of Courage. In this project, students will design, paint, and send inspirational rocks and cards to children receiving treatment at the ASK Childhood Cancer Foundation at VCU. This project combines art, writing, and citizenship, allowing students to use creativity to make a real-world impact and connect compassionately with others.

🍎JES - Lemonade Stand - E-LEMON-ATING Childhood Cancers - $177.50

This is a community service project allowing our student population to aid in funding research to help end childhood cancers. The lemonade stands are run by students in grades 3 - 5, and the sales take place during Spring Fling and after our 5th grade graduation. We utilize the 5C's throughout the planning and hosting of the events.

🍎Solar System Room Transformation & Project- $506.06

During solar system unit, our classroom be transformed into an outer space simulation for students. students will create a model of the planets.

🍎Outdoor Learning and Social Emotional Play Space for Students- $658.26

Counselors will collaborate with one of the High School CTE classes to construct 2 outdoor "play kitchens" that would provide additional spaces for students to experience positive outdoor social-emotional experiences while at school. Outdoor play spaces provide opportunities for students to experience emotional regulation and practice positive social engagement with their peers while in a natural setting.

🍎The Expression Hub- $1,890

The Expression Hub is a shared outdoor communication hub where students, peers, and teachers can express themselves and connect with others.

🍎Cooking, Caring, and Connecting- $1,244

Provide K–5 self-contained students meaningful opportunities to explore the 5 Cs through monthly community experiences. Students will plan and participate in outings such as grocery shopping, volunteering, and cooking meals together to practice real-life skills. These experiences will build independence, social-emotional growth, and community awareness while connecting classroom learning to the world around them.

🍎Every Student can be a Published Author- $458.15

Students in the collaborative third grade will become published authors through the company Student Treasures.

🍎Coding bit by Micro:bit- $628

Students work in teams to design and program simple Micro:bit devices to record, measure, create patterns, and program robots to complete different tasks. Once they master the basics students will be encouraged to create their own code.

🍎Bringing Fifth Grade CKLA to Life - $810.89

Curate and purchase high-interest supplemental text sets for each unit to extend students’ exposure to diverse voices, genres, and perspectives. Provide support materials that allow for immersive classroom transformations, interactive props, and student-created projects that bring each unit to life. These materials will provide authentic opportunities for students to apply what they learn by creating and producing something meaningful, such as digital presentations, art and writing showcases, dramatic reenactments, or collaborative research exhibits.

🍎Makey Me a littleBit Happy - $1,998.82

Purchase eight Makey Makey kits and three littleBits sets that will ignite curiosity and inspire creativity in our third through fifth-grade students, giving them the tools to explore electronics, invent new creations, and see themselves as engineers and problem solvers through hands-on, collaborative learning experiences.

🍎CKLA Engagement - $1,186.29

Develop an engaging, hands-on student activity and offer more books for students to read for each 4th grade CKLA unit. Each activity will allow students to apply what they’re learning in creative, collaborative, and meaningful ways — deepening comprehension, encouraging curiosity, and strengthening real-world connections to literacy.

🍎Math in Motion: The Outdoor Math Lab - $1,980.12

Transform our school parking lot into an engaging, hands-on math space where students can explore key concepts through movement and play. Painted math tools will make learning visible, interactive, and fun. This space will help students build confidence in math while connecting classroom learning to the real world.

🍎Derby Design: Racing into Writing and STEAM - $1,635.31

Cross-curricular 5th-grade project integrating science, engineering, reading, and writing. Students will design and build their own pinewood derby cars while exploring the science of force and motion, reading related literary and informational texts, and crafting persuasive and expository writing using the RACE strategy. The project will culminate in a collaborative derby event in partnership with a local Scout troop and community members/volunteers.

🍎We Will Write - Making Writing Fun - $540

Purchase yearlong subscriptions for ELA teachers in grades 3-5 to We Will Write.

🍎TJES Outdoor Counseling Center - $1,999.83

Finish transforming a section of the school's courtyard into a semi-private, dedicated outdoor counseling space that promotes students’ emotional well-being. This space will help students manage stress, regulate emotions, and return to class better prepared to learn.

🍎Foundations: A Reading and Writing Revolution - $1,069.73

Develop the foundation of an informed citizenry through literacy, science, and citizenship activities as we honor America's 250th birthday. Student awe observed during our visit to Monticello inspired these plans to extend and enhance their arts, science, reading, writing, and history skills and appreciation.

🍎Thinking Strategies Read Alouds - $648.19

Curate texts that align with critical and creative thinking strategies and can be used to enhance talent development lessons. By integrating purposeful read-alouds, students will have more opportunities to practice higher-level thinking, make meaningful connections, and engage deeply with complex ideas.

🍎Marvelous Math Kits - $960.68

Reinforce math goals by creating individualized take-home practice kits. These practice kits will be fluency/math games that reinforce the state standards and will be catered to the individual needs of the students based on their ongoing fluency and math needs.

🍎TJES Winter Read-a-Thon- $1,769.53

Build and foster a love of literature across our school community by connecting teachers, students, and families through stories, sharing them together, and enjoying books for leisure. Reading a variety of books in leisure time helps develop an understanding of places and perspectives apart from day-to-day life, inspiring creativity and strengthening citizens and critical thinkers.

🍎Red, White, and Roost- $1,924.86

Bring agriculture to Patriot Point through an engaging chicken coop experience that fosters collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking, and citizenship in all students.

🍎Trevilians Natural Playscape Mud Kitchens- $1,000

Create an outdoor Mud Kitchen as part of Trevilians Elementary’s Nature Playscape. The kitchen will provide students with open-ended opportunities for imaginative, sensory, and cooperative play. Through nature-based play, students will develop social-emotional skills, creativity, and readiness to learn.

🍎24 Game Challenge & Tournament - $1,090.43

The purpose of this project is to provide students in second through eighth grade opportunities to improve their computation and mental math skills using the 24 Game. The 24 Game is a unique mathematics teaching tool designed to sharpen students' mental math, number sense, critical thinking, problem-solving and pattern sensing. The object of the game is to make the number 24 using all four numbers on the card. Players can add, subtract, multiply and divide, but they can only use each number once. The game goes beyond classroom use through tournament play, both at the school and division level.