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 special opportunities that occur outside of 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 that help support the WEF mission for our public schools.
TEACHER WISH LIST STORIES
We're so pumped to have nice equipment!
Musical Instruments
We recently fulfilled a 2022 Teacher Wish List for Mr. McGrad's music classes for new musical instruments.
The tuba and euphonium players are issued two separate instruments (one for home practice, one for school use) since these instruments are so large and would be difficult to haul back and forth from home to school each day.
These instruments have a usable life span of 20-30 years, so these instruments will have a lasting impact for years to come. The instruments they replaced were 45+ years old and in desperate need of replacement.
I just wanted to share these photos of the new instruments purchased by FIT/WEF for our band program. As you can see, the kids are pretty excited! I hope these can be used on your website to promote future Wish List efforts. Know that you are making a big difference in the lives of our students!
-Mark McCrady - Music Instructor Whitefish Middle School
OSMO - Real Play & Real Learning
Marni Thomas, a first grade teacher at Muldown, requested to purchase Osmo kits for her classroom from the WEF Teacher Wish List Grants.
Osmo is a unique educational gaming accessory that works with an iPad or Kindle and actively engages the students in the learning process using tactile exploration and technology.
Osmo allows children to explore science, math, art while fostering creative thinking.
There are numbers, words, coding, tangrams, a detective agency, money and I have a monster one that the kids love because it takes their actual drawing and puts it on the iPad. At the end of each day, my kids have some 'free choice" time and that is when they get to have time using the Osmo products. Academically, it increases reading skills, spelling, math skills, money, fine motor, etc., so many things!!
- Ms. Thomas - Muldown Elementary
Sustainable Agriculture Class
My name is Libby Jenkins and I’m part of the Sustainable Agriculture class in Whitefish High School.
Our class has accomplished a ton of great things this year including participating in the fifth grade Farmers Market and the chicken house unit with the third graders at Muldown.
Before the Farmers Market, each of us chose an item to make and sell for the event. The boys made shelving, signs, and other neat objects with their woodworking skills while the girls pitched into the permaculture compost bin and various other projects. All of us got to research and create our products by hand— by hand!
There were many organic learning opportunities; such as the valuable beauty of barn wood, and puzzling over the design and scientific aspects of the compost bin. I value those independent learning experiences that are different from the average classroom. We all got to make and sell things we were passionate about; and that’s what I really love about this class.
Our class also constructed a chicken house out of a trailer right at the CSE building! We parked it next to Muldown so we could educate the kids about chickens. Not only that but the eggs we collected were sold in cartons decorated by the third graders with notes about what they learned. As for our class we got to construct and maintain that house (and also feed and hold some cute chickens) until winter set in.
As part of this class I also get to help oversee the Instagram page which outlines what we’re up to. We take pictures of our weekly happenings and share them with others. The Instagram is @sustainableagwhs .
A Moog Theramin
A Moog Theremin was purchased for Mr. Spangler’s WHS class for the sound and electricity/circuits unit.
The Theremin is one of the oldest electronic musical instruments in history and the only one you play without touching. Its sound is manipulated by moving your hands in the space around two antennas.
The distance from one antenna determines frequency (pitch), and the distance from the other controls amplitude (volume). The theremin uses the heterodyne principle to generate an audio signal.
New Books
I just wanted to let you know that I recently received a wonderful collection of new books made possible through the Whitefish Education Foundation grant. They include book sets that will enhance my Friday book club, an opportunity for students to have conversations with parent volunteers over great books. I also received several short story theme books that will act as foundational readings for the start of different units I teach during the school year.
Attached is a photo of several of my students with our new books. I wish to thank the Whitefish Education Foundation for the grant and the books that will inspire my young readers!
Sincerely,
Tim McGunagle | Whitefish Middle School
BAND & ORCHESTRA ATTIRE
With WEF help, we were able to purchase 5 concert dresses, 7 pairs of tuxedo pants, 3 tuxedo jackets, 7 men's dress shirts, 10 black bow ties, a silver vest/tie combo, and 25 garment bags.
This grant made it possible for all members of the WHS Varsity Band and WHS Orchestra to perform throughout the year in full matching uniforms.
The kids look sharp, and we know that their appearance on stage increases their level of confidence. There is a sense of pride in our Whitefish music tradition that can be felt when the students walk onto the stage looking so professional!
We want to thank you and all of the donors to the WEF grant program for making this possible.
Thanks for all you do to support and enhance educational programs in the Whitefish schools.
Sincerely,
Mark McCrady & Jenanne Solberg
Whitefish Middle School received a ball cart to help transport and secure the various game balls during recess. They also received new games such as Volleyball Spike Game and Giant Yard Dice.
Muldown teacher Emily Dugan requested a mobile teaching easel from the Whitefish Education Foundation (WEF) teacher wish list. This easel will be a great tool in her classroom for mobile teaching, storage and student creativity.
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