Foundation For Allen Schools Funded Classroom Grants at

Chandler Elementary

2022-2023 Classroom Grants

"Building Better Buddies & SEL - One Brick at a Time"

This grant under Counseling Curriculum was awarded to Dawn Horton and will benefit 400 students at Chandler Elementary.

"Building Better Buddies & SEL - One Brick at a Time" is a LEGO-based school counseling approach to Social Emotional Learning, incorporating play and art strategies for elementary students. A variety of hands-on LEGO activities supports student sharing and discussion following creative expression in classroom guidance lessons, small group counseling, and individual students visiting the school counseling office. Topics such as friendship, collaboration, growth mindset, self-esteem, emotions, mindfulness, life changes, and positive character values are all represented in LEGO project activities to offer a more tangible way to express and cope with feelings as we "build better buddies" for the future.

 Helping Readers Soar!

This grant under English Language Arts (Elementary) & Dyslexia Curriculum was awarded to Carrie Rios and Amy Light and will benefit 600 students at Chandler Elementary & Story Elementary.

Large print novels lead to increases in reading comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, and more while building confidence and growing a love of learning. The addition of these books to our school library will be beneficial to our students.

Nonfiction Book Club

This grant under English Language Arts (Elementary) & Dyslexia Curriculum was awarded to Elizabeth Bogir and Stephanie Gardner and will benefit 120 students at Chandler Elementary.

Book Clubs are a great way for students to be able to discuss thoughts about a text with other students. Having their own copies of the book allows students the freedom to explore independently and have the text readily available to be able to support their ideas. It also brings a sense of community amongst their peers as they make connections within the texts and each other.

Let's Get The Scoop And Read All About It!

This grant under English Language Arts (Elementary) & Dyslexia Curriculum was awarded to Lisa Crabtree and will benefit 84 students at Chandler Elementary.  This grant was made possible by individuals who gave in Memory of David Noll.

Receiving this grant for weekly non-fiction magazines will improve students' rigor and open the door to new learning.  Students will be excited and engaged to learn about things they have never experienced.

Make Way for Book Clubs (Building Literacy and Empowering Students)

This grant under English Language Arts (Elementary) & Dyslexia Curriculum was awarded to Gilbert Garza and will benefit 100 students at Chandler Elementary.

Book Clubs are a great way for students to express their ideas and extend their thinking with their peers around a common text. Having their own copies of the book allows students to deepen their thinking independently and have the text readily available to be able to support their opinions and perspectives.

Someone Named Eva

This grant under English Language Arts (Secondary) Curriculum was awarded to Jennifer Trevino and Jennifer Spriggs and will benefit 115 students at Chandler Elementary.

The novel, Someone Named Eva by Joan Wolf, will give students an opportunity to have a better insight into World War II.  The novel will also allow students to practice plot development, character changes, theme, point of view/perspective and help deepen the understanding of topics presented in the story. The experience will encourage confidence and prepare students for entering seventh grade and the STAAR test.

5th Grade Math Versatiles

This grant under Math - Elementary Curriculum was awarded to Daphne Fox and will benefit students at Chandler Elementary.

VersaTiles is an engaging hands on activity for students to practice a variety of math concepts throughout the year. It is a self-checking answer system activity that can be used in a small group setting that increases student confidence. In addition, the math workbook that comes with this kit is aligned to our TEKS.

6th Grade Math GPS

This grant under Math - Secondary Curriculum was awarded to Jenna McGrath and Lisa Jeanblanc and will benefit 100 students at Chandler Elementary.

The Math GPS workbook gives students consistent exposure and weekly practice of sixth grade math concepts. This will lead to success on the STAAR test and allow students to feel prepared and confident entering seventh grade.

Scootin' around in PE

This grant under Physical Education Curriculum was awarded to Lisa Bingham and will benefit 600 students at Chandler Elementary.  This grant was made possible by individuals who gave in Memory of David Noll.

Scootin' on scooters in PE is for kids of all ages!  The use of scooters focuses on safety awareness, core and upper body strengthening, and spatial awareness along with fun!

The Possibilities are STEMless

This grant under Science / STEAM Curriculum was awarded to Abigail Dickerson, Taylore Glade and Emily Blasko and will benefit 96 students at Chandler Elementary.

Every student should have the opportunity to know that their learning possibilities are STEMless! We strive to make sure that ALL Chandler kindergartener's have the opportunity to engage more thoroughly in STEM exploration. The STEM kits will spark excitement as well as build confidence in the areas of science, engineering, writing, and math.

Generation Genius

This grant under Science / STEAM Curriculum was awarded to Rebecca Berry and will benefit 700 students at Chandler Elementary.

Generation Genius will allow all students at Chandler Elementary to bring science to life through fun and educational videos paired with lesson plans, activities, quizzes and reading materials.

Can You Hear Me Talk?

This grant under Special Education Curriculum was awarded to Shayne Williams, Erica Ahedo and Meghan Ayers and will benefit 90 students at Chandler Elementary.

Thank you Allen Foundation for the new headsets. These have made a world of difference for our students! You are amazing!

Empowered Leaders

This grant under Counseling Curriculum was awarded to Jennifer Armentrout, Jennifer Springgs, Samantha Fields, Meredith Martin, Austin White, Solomn Boatfield, Harold Allen, Dylan Martin, Todd Fornadel and Tara Cassetty and will benefit 300 students at Chandler Elementary, Marion Elementary, Olson Elementary, Preston Elementary, Rountree Elementary, Vaughan Elementary, Curtis Middle School, Ereckson Middle School and Ford Middle School.

Empowered Leaders takes place in six elementary schools and all three middle schools in Allen ISD who participate in this unique after-school leadership program which focuses on building leaders in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. Students participate in field trips, leadership skills training, and serving through volunteer efforts.

Kodaly Training for Elementary Music Teachers

This grant under Fine Arts Curriculum was awarded to Jeff Turner and will benefit 10,000 students across all AISD Elementary Schools.

Two Allen ISD elementary music teachers will attend 3 weeks of intensive Kodaly training at SMU. The strategies, techniques, and resources from this training will be an incredible asset to the teacher to better deliver the elementary music curriculum and will be shared with all our elementary educators across AISD.

ALLen Reads 2022

This grant under Library / Makerspace Curriculum was awarded to Kelly Clewell and will benefit 20,000 students across AISD and benefits every campus in Allen. 

ALLen Reads encourages the entire Allen community to read the same book or the grade-level appropriate companion book. The grant provides copies of the selected books to all campuses in Allen ISD, and the students have access to community events related to the books, such as author and illustrator speakers, writing presentations, and musical performances.

Math by the Book

This grant under Math - Elementary Curriculum was awarded to Michelle Stewart and Katie Snider and will benefit 2,898 students in Kindergarten and 1^st grade at EVERY Allen ISD elementary campus.

This grant will provide read aloud sets of books that link literary and math skills.   We know many students love stories but may have a fear of math or even math anxiety.  Students are able to connect concepts to context providing an increased level of engagement and retention. Stories bring math to life!   House Bill 3 puts a focus on early literacy and math skills. This resource would be helpful in integrating math and literacy in the early grade levels. An integrated experience creates deeper learning connections for students. Science and Social Studies have already embedded read alouds for K- 3 curriculum documents and this grant will support integration in math as well.

BRAINball

This grant under Physical Education Curriculum was awarded to Geoben Johnson and Katie Snider and will benefit 16,500 students across Allen ISD in grades K – 9^th.

BRAINball is an innovative and unique physical education learning system that merges physical activity and academic learning through play. In addition to the physical benefits, significant improvement will be seen in gross and fine motor skills, cooperative and cognitive learning.  Brainball has proven to produce positive changes in letter recognition,  students read better, improve mathematical skills, movement and writing skills. Research also shows positive changes in graphomotor skills, eye-hand coordination, and temporal-spatial orientation improvement when used on a consistent basis. The Brainball set includes 100 premade games/activities for K-6 that can be adapted for grades 7-9. Training will be provided to allow easy integration into district curriculum and to academic classroom teachers that want to use it for enhancing learning in their class. The brainball set is appropriate for Kindergarten through High School and can be adapted for students with special needs and learning deficits.

I Can See Clearly Now!

This grant under Special Education Curriculum was awarded to Patricia Reyna, Sherri Idbeis, Karen McCrary and Colleen Dunphy and will benefit 45 students across Allen ISD who have a visual impairment.

Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments serve students throughout the district and provide consult and direct instruction for teachers and students with blindness or visual impairments. An iPad Pro is a tool that makes accessing learning material possible for students that struggle with seeing on a regular iPad screen. An iPad Pro also serves as an evaluation tool for TSVI's and our Orientation and Mobility instructor in the district.

ByrdseedTV

This grant under Advanced Academics - AP/IB/GT Curriculum was awarded to Kari Lockhart and will benefit 1,474 students that are in our GT programs in years K-6.

ByrdseedTV provides gifted and talented teachers and learners with resources that foster deep and complex learning. Activities from Byrdseed are designed and used by a teacher of gifted students, and facilitate critical and creative thinking, inductive and deductive thinking skills, as well as encourage creative individual investigations.

2021-2022 Classroom Grants

Building Literacy Through Book Clubs

This grant under English Language Arts (Elementary) & Dyslexia Curriculum was awarded to Stephanie Gardner and will benefit 100 students.

Book Clubs are a great way for students to be able to discuss thoughts about a text with other students. Having their own copies of the book allows students the freedom to explore independently and have the text readily available to be able to support their ideas.

 Pioneer Reading

This grant under English Language Arts (Elementary) & Dyslexia Curriculum was awarded to Lindsay McClain and will benefit 70 students.

Students will read age appropriate books based in pioneer times and have experiences to simulate the hard work. We believe that giving each child an opportunity to hold a copy of the book will increase engagement.

Inviting Students to the World of Math Through Books and Games

This grant under Math Curriculum was awarded to Carrie Rios and will benefit 651 students.

Literature and games are perfect vehicles to help students see numbers in everyday life. Facilitating classroom lessons and Makerspace opportunities that allow all students to interact with games and books will draw our Chandler Cheetahs into a world of math that builds mathematical, spatial, and logical reasoning.

Building STEAM

This grant under Science/STEAM Curriculum was awarded to Shelby Caraway and will benefit 150 students.

Full STEAM ahead! Chandler Elementary is excited to have Engineering Design Challenge materials available for STEAM club and available for teachers to check out for use in their own classroom. We enjoy promoting communication, collaboration, critical thinking skills, and creativity and engineering design challenges incorporate all of these!

Squishy Circuits

This grant under Science/STEAM Curriculum was awarded to Stephanie Gardner and will benefit 100 students.

Students will build circuits and explore conductivity with Squishy Circuits. These kits will help the kids get hand-on experience with complicated circuits building their knowledge of this difficult skill.

Concrete to Abstract: Learning with Manipulatives

This grant under Special Education Curriculum was awarded to Shayne Williams and will benefit 70 students.

Thank you Foundation for Allen Schools for providing manipulatives to support our students learning!

Ready, Set, Cook!

This grant under Special Education Curriculum was awarded to Blake Pi and will benefit 16 students.

Life skills education is an essential component to helping students with disabilities to be able to function as independently as possible in the home and community. Our students learn best through hands-on real life experiences. The Ready, Set, Cook! Project would allow students to learn valuable skills such as cooking, meal preparation, clean-up, and overcoming sensory difficulties with certain types of food. This project would allow students to learn the important skills needed for living as independently as possible in our community as well as help with their Sensory Processing Disorders.

DT - Leveled Readers

This grant under English Language Arts (Elementary) & Dyslexia Curriculum awarded to Ella Jones along with Jill Jaska, Susie Barlow, Deb Scott, Carli Burke, Dena Goddard, Amber Arnold, Candice Frazier, Janice Harrop, Maria Burnes, Julieta Henderson, Angela Lunde, Shia Valdovino, Janell Cook, Tami Everett.  The grant will benefit 900 students at the following campuses: Anderson, Bolin, Boyd, Chandler, Cheatham, Evans, Green Kerr, Lindsey and Ford Middle School.

Connected texts are decodable books that use predictable words and word patterns through engaging stories. The Dyslexia Therapist can use these books, in combination with other materials, to address the student?s fluency and comprehension skills. The Allen ISD Dyslexia Department wants to enhance its program by giving its students the opportunity to read these books so they can become stronger readers.