Spring Branch Education Foundation Grants $108,387 for District Students $10,000 for Spring Branch Council of PTA's

At its November Board meeting, Spring Branch Education Foundation approved $108,387 in grants that will be used for diverse education-enhancing projects throughout Spring Branch Independent School District.
           
The Foundation awarded $10,000 to the Spring Branch Council of PTAs. The funds will be used for scholarships: $7,000 for Spring Branch ISD college-bound students (one scholarship for each SBISD high school) and $3,000 for teacher professional development scholarships.
           
The balance of the money, $98,387, was designated for district-wide and SBISD campuses. Twice a year, the Foundation calls for grant applications, up to $5,000 each, from any of its 47 school campuses and district departments. Both faculty members and volunteers are encouraged to apply.
           
“Financial pressures on public education prohibit the district from funding many worthy and innovative projects. The Education Foundation provides students with educational opportunities they might not otherwise have,” said Donnie Roseman, a member of the SBEF Board of Directors and chair of the Program and Assessment Committee. “All grants are evaluated on their potential impact on students.
           
“These funds are available to our faculty and students because of the generosity of community members in supporting SBEF fund-raisers and making donations to the Foundation.”
           
Grants that will benefit students on a district-wide basis are:

• Arts Partners – Field trips for all SBISD fourth graders to the Altharetta Yeargin Art Museum
• Collegiate Challenge – A mentoring program to assist first-generation or disadvantaged college-bound students achieve higher education
• Girl Power Conference – A program addressing positive alternatives to challenging issues for all 1,175 district seventh-grade girls and their mothers; date to be determined
• SBEF Character Without Question Award – Recognition for a student from each SBISD campus who demonstrates that trustworthiness, respect and honesty are accepted values

Grants for individual campuses include:

• Bendwood Elementary – A program to help increase verbalization skills in autistic children
• Cedar Brook Elementary – A document camera and projector will project students’ work and guided readers
• Edgewood Elementary, Terrace Elementary, Treasure Forest Elementary, and Woodview Elementary  – A cross-age tutoring program to improve reading skills in younger students and leadership skills in their older mentors
• Landrum Middle – Field trips to Houston Museum of Natural Science and hands-on labs for eighth-grade students
• Lion Lane School – Field trips for pre-kindergarten students to the Houston Zoo, Houston Museum of Natural Science and more
• Meadow Wood Elementary and Memorial Drive Elementary – A field trip to Austin to culminate a year-long study of Texas for fourth-graders
• Northbrook High – Calculator-based laboratories for advanced placement and dual credit chemistry students
• Nottingham Elementary – Fourth-grade field trip to Washington-on-the-Brazos to study Texas history
• Ridgecrest Elementary – An after-school world music program for fourth- and fifth-graders
• Rummel Creek Elementary – An interactive learning program to incorporate art, music, and health fitness
• School of Choice – Web-enhanced learning programs that students can access any time, any place
• Spring Oaks Middle – Spring Oaks Middle School Girls Ensemble will perform in Washington, DC and tour the nation’s Capitol
• Thornwood Elementary – Instructional activities and manipulatives to encourage creative and innovative thinking
• Valley Oaks Elementary – After-school mentoring for at-risk students
• Westwood Elementary – Students Offering Academic Relationships (SOAR), an after-school enrichment program with middle-school mentor interaction

“We encourage PTAs, principals, and teachers to apply for these grants,” says Cece Thompson, SBEF executive director. “We will have another call for grants in February, and the recipients will be announced in May.”
           
Community members who wish to support a specific program at a designated campus can make a tax-deductible donation to the Foundation and earmark it for it for that school. Call 713-365-4781 or visit sbef@springbranchisd.com for more information.
           

Spring Branch Education Foundation Video

Spring Branch Education Foundation Online Donation Options