“Spartan Pride Dollars” a.k.a. “Pass the Hat”

Putting Your Donation to Work at Skyline!

Statewide, education is underfunded and the Issaquah School District is no exception. The Skyline PTSA enhances academic opportunities with mindful fundraising to directly benefit students.  Spartan Pride Dollars is our primary fundraiser supporting grants, staff appreciation, and student-oriented programs.

This year our budget will go towards:

· Student Assistance $4,800

· Staff Grants $7,200

· Staff Appreciation $2,225

· Curriculum Support $10,000

· Programs $3,550

· Emergency Supplies $5,000

Our 2010-2011 Curriculum Support grant provides $10,000 to help fund a new PE program which will support all students especially incoming freshmen.

PTSA Approves Spartan Grants for Six Departments

The Skyline PTSA Spartan Grants Committee has recently approved Spartan Grants totaling $5,100. Spartan Grants are grants from the PTSA to staff who apply for money to purchase materials and equipment that support Skyline’s academic program but are not funded by more traditional sources. The grants directly benefit both staff and students and are funded through our Pass the Hat fundraiser. This year PTSA will be granting a total of $10,000 to staff, in two grant periods. The second grant period will be in January.

The $5,100 granted this month funded items for six departments at Skyline, from PE to IB Biology. Here is a recap:

PE – Orienteering Kits. “Orienteering is a lifetime activity that encompasses physical activity and both mathematical and survival skills. In this unit, students will plot points on maps, find declinations and azimuths, as well as navigate around several different adventure courses that will be set up on campus. Not only are fitness and math concepts being learned, but team building is also a major learning component of orienteering.” (Source: Tracy McKenzie, PE Instructor, Spartan Grant application.)

 DECA – Practice Tests. “Each year, our [DECA] students compete at the Area, State and National level, which include a 100 question exam in any of the 21 events they choose to participate in. These practice tests are invaluable resources for our students to study from to prepare for competition, of which the first one is in January 2009. The Skyline [DECA] program serves 225 students.” (Source: BJ Sherman, DECA instructor, Spartan Grant application.)

IB Biology – 12 Magnetic Water Model Kits. “The models would be used as a way of illustrating the unique properties of water. Using magnetism as a model for electric charge, students see and feel the attraction between opposite ‘charges’ and repulsion between like ‘charges that occurs within and between molecules. Students will be able to touch and manipulate the models and use their knowledge of atomic interactions to explain the properties of water.” (Source: Gretel von Bargen, IB Biology Instructor, Spartan Grant application.)

Administration – 1,000 Smarty Sparty Postcards and postage. “One of our efforts as part of Skyline’s Continuous Improvement Plan has included promoting positive behaviors and good study habits among students. During the spring of last year, Skyline staff sent approximately 500 postcards to students complimenting them on a variety of positive attributes. The feedback from students and parents was compelling.” (Source: Heidi Fedore, Assistant Principal, Spartan Grant application.) Skyline staff plan to continue this program.

IB Environmental Systems – High Volume Air Sampler. “The air sampler sucks air into the machine where a filter is housed. The filter picks up air particulates. The students find the difference in mass of the filter and make inferences about air quality based on the results. The high volume air sampler is an excellent piece of equipment that would bring technology in to the classroom which is one of the expectations of the IB curriculum as well as studying local air quality.” (Source: Joelle Nelson, IB Environmental Systems instructor, Spartan Grant application.)

Math Department – 20 TI-84+ Graphing Calculators. “The graphing calculator is a valuable tool to demonstrate mathematical ideas and explore concepts. They can be used in Algebra 1, Geometry and Algebra 2 classes. Purchasing these graphing calculators [for in-school use only] truly would benefit a lot of students because they would open doors for graphing calculators to be used by more students in math earlier.” (Source: Amie Karkainen, Math Instructor, Spartan Grant application.)