INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS FUNDED AND SUPPORTED BY WEF
Teacher Wish Lists & Grants
Teacher Wish List Grants are made available to Teachers, Administrators and Staff of the Whitefish School District to support innovative programs or projects that enhance the student experience beyond what school funding provides.
Also, grants can be requested to take advantage of unique opportunities outside other funding cycles.
Over $19,000 in various grant requests funding FIT, STEM and Literacy programs were awarded last fall. Special thanks to the Whitefish Community Foundation’s Great Fish Challenge which helps support the WEF mission for our public schools.
Check out some of our previous Teacher Wish List/Grant stories!
Extended Learning
WEF supports staff development, student activities, and enrichment that could not be funded from the school district budget. Here are some examples of what WEF supports:
Students
- Montana History Trip for 8th-grade students (Offsetting cost and supplementing meals)
- DECA club travel for WHS
- Speech and Debate team travel for WHS
- Choir/Orchestra/Band travel for WHS
- Day-long ski trips for grades 3-6 to Big Mountain
- The University of Montana Thespian Conference
- Hooked on Fishing 4th-grade field trip
Staff
- Seven staff members attended the Big Sky Literacy Conference in Big Sky, MT, on September 8-11
- Darren Schlepp, an independent consultant, was hired to train our K-6 teachers on The Science of Reading
- Gifted and Talented professional development for interested teachers was provided with the NW Education Coop for the 2022-23 school year
- National School Psychologist Conference in Denver, CO, February 6-9 for three WHS staff
- MT AGATE membership fees and annual conference in Great Falls March 3-4 for two gifted and talented teachers
- Project Based Learning training in Napa Valley, CA, June 26-29 for six WHS staff
- State Indian Ed Conference in Helena March 17-18 for three staff
- National Math, Science, and Literacy Conferences for middle school teachers in the summer of 2023
- High Ropes Challenge Course training for one staff member, Estes Park, CO.
When we help our educators get training and enrich our student’s extracurricular and field trip opportunities, we improve our school district through increased staff retention and the sense of possibility that our students experience.
Writing Coaches
Writing coaches work one-on-one with students during class time on their writing assignments, coaching them through first and second drafts. Coaching sessions are typically 20–30 minutes.
Coaches take a hands-off approach, guiding students toward better writing by asking questions that result in students discovering what he or she might do to improve their writing. The goal of the program is to help students think critically about their writing, so they can become more competent and confident writers.
Coaches come from all backgrounds. Their qualifications are to believe that confident and competent writing is a critically important skill, along with having the ability to engage youth and work with them in a positive manner.
- We coached 951 sessions with 951 students;
- 44 local volunteers offered 317 hours of service.
- Here is some of the feedback we received from students:
- "She was super helpful and gave me great advice to add to my paper based on ideas that I already had! I loved her personal insight that she added to my research and how she seemed super passionate along with me about my research paper!"
- "The most hopeful thing was when I read my essay out loud, and she pointed out where I had assumed that readers would possess knowledge that they may not, therefore I needed to add more explanation about terms that I utilized."
- [It was helpful that my coach] listened to my ideas and developed them instead of just writing how they would really help me. It made me feel proud and improved my writing capabilities."
- "I felt like just being able to comfortably go through my writing with someone was very empowering. I don't share my writing with many so it was nice to hear some feedback."
- "It was most helpful to receive, from a different point of view, how my writing is seen and how it can be perceived. It was helpful also to get suggestions on introducing a work of writing boldly, or whatever the mood of the piece requires."
- "It was nice to share a story with someone else and not be judged."
Math Mentors
How the Math Mentors Program Works
Math mentoring sessions are once a week for 30-40 minutes: Wednesdays from 1:30-2:10 (sometimes we go over because the time goes quickly) in Mr. Snipes's and Mrs. Akey's 3rd-grade classrooms at Muldown Elementary School.
Mentors engage with and expand students' mathematical thinking using games, projects, and hands-on manipulatives.
Coordinators choose the weekly games and help volunteer Mentors know the rules and procedures. Most of these games are fairly straightforward and involve cards, dice, or imaginative challenges using arithmetic, measurement, etc. We aim to have fun!
We are looking for volunteer mentors: working professionals, retired teachers, and community members.
Please email one of our coordinators
Antonia Malchik (amalchik@gmail.com) Lizzy English (english.lizzy@gmail.com) Rachelle Grant (grantrachelleg@gmail.com)
Parent Education Series
Parent Education Series events are opportunities for parents and families to learn ways to support their children both in and out of school, covering topics such as online safety, use of screen time, understanding gender differences, and more. Often these events include a film or speaker, along with an opportunity for discussion and getting answers to parent questions.
