Faculty Grants
Innovative Teaching Grants 2008
Two Orff Instruments
Aubrey Elementary Music: Jan Newberry $1,090
The Orff Instruments were named for composer Carl Orff who developed a hands on method of teaching children using high quality wooden or metal instruments which provide a high quality of sound for the untrained ear. This method of teaching music uses deeper thinking skills and gives ownership to the child.
Library Books for Elementary School
Aubrey Elementary Library – Ericka Hamilton $2,000
Books to benefit the elementary age students in the new elementary school.
Science Lab Equipment
6th, 7th. 8th Grade Science teachers: Vicky Howard, Robyn Leslie, Ashley Rosar – $5,417
Lab equipment for new Aubrey Middle School. Lab equipment for two new science labs.
Aubrey Intermediate Interactive White Board
Aubrey Intermediate: Edgar Jackson – $1,000
One Mimio Interactive White Board, Capture Kit and Carrying Case. Together these products will assist our classrooms bridge the gap that is sometimes present between effective teaching and technology use. Mimio allows the teachers to record whiteboard activity and integrate this visual method of teaching with computer applications
CPS Interactive Chalkboard and 24 Pad Student Remote System
5th Grade Math, History and Science teachers: Audra Johnson, Ron Gregory, Michael Shovlin – $3,500
CPS Interactive Chalkboard and 24 Pad Student Remote System. This computerized system allows for intermediate teacher intervention into areas that are difficult for each individual student. Allows the instructor to be proactive in identyfying and remediateing areas of educational deficiency.
African Musical Instruments
Intermediate School Music: Rosemary Cummings – $425
African Musical Instruments (a djembe, a talking drum, and a gourd shakere) along with music and books, to create a series of lessons on Aftica. Give the students a hands on opportunity to learn and experience another culture.
Rigby PM Readers
Intermediate School Reading: Darlene Filar and Jennifer Crisp – $900
Rigby PM Readers with software. Students will be able to read leveled books and practive activities related to literature on students’ individual reading levels. The resources will promote growth in reading, comprehension, and spelling.
Inspector Gadget Video Field Trip Series
5th Grade History: Ron Gregory – $1,122.95
Inspector Gadget Video Field Trip Series. This 25 tape series contains 43 field trips to various locations throughout the USA, as well as major sites of interest in other parts of the world. It provides students with an opportunity to see and hear more detailed descriptions of the topics they are learning about in history,
Innovative Teaching Grants 2007
The Life Cycle of Ladybugs
Kindergarten Teachers: Melanie Brown, Lecia Crowder, Tracey Kolb, Vicki Saxon, Marcia Torres
Purchase live ladybug larvae and food supplies for the larvae. Students will be able to assist in the feeding of the larvae and see the metamorphosis of the larvae into pupae and finally ladybugs.
Newsroom Technology
High School: Jodee Heimdal
Lighting kit and anchor desk for the new
Science COW
Middle School: 7th Grade Science: Robyn Perdue
Ignite Learning Science COW (Curriculum on Wheels). The Science COW is a system that includes a built in computer, projector and speakers that is preloaded with science content.
Oral and Video History
Camcorders to record interviews with students’ older family members to document how history has affected families.
Classroom Jeopardy II
Allows students to review class content materials in an interactive, exciting way. Allows for class interaction during test preparation.
Guided Readers for 3rd Grade Social Studies
A set of leveled guided reading books that correspond with the social studies textbooks. They will be beneficial for the students by providing extra reading instruction integrated through the curriculum.
Write and Be Published
K-5: Ericka Hamilton
Binding machine to publish student’s works under publishing company titled, Chaparral Publishing. It will give every student K-5 the opportunity to publish one of their writings in the school year.
Innovative Teaching Grants – 2006
Concrete Tricycle Track
Sharon Purcell and Angela Hellman were awarded $1,000 towards the cost of construction for a concrete tricycle tack that will be located on the campus playground along with two tricycles. The new track will establish a safe environment for students to develop their gross motor, social and safety skills.
Aquatic Habitat
Jennifer Gipe was awarded $500 to establish a 5th grade inquiry based aquatic habitat science program. The program allows students to learn many life science objectives in a hands-on situation.
Marilyn Burns Math Classroom Libraries
Ashley Dill was awarded $1,300 to purchase five Marilyn Burns Math Classroom Libraries. The Libraries consist of 25 books each that will help 3rd grade students connect literature and mathematics.
Center State Classroom Science Kit
Tina Milacek was awarded $655 to purchase the Center Stage Classroom Science Kit which includes54 activities for Physical, Earth, and life Science. The program provides hands-on participation and exploration of Science objectives.
Classroom Performance System
Suzanne Thetford and Dana Reding were awarded $4,000 to purchase the Classroom Performance System that will engage all students in a fast-paced society of action movies, video games, and internet access through question and answer sessions.
Calculators in the Classroom
Suzanne Thetford was awarded $3,500 to purchase calculators for the 6th-8th grade classes. One of AISD goals is to help students increase their critical thinking skills and to become better problem solvers. In the 2006/2007 school year calculator technology will be included in the math TEKS for grades 6th and beyond.
Thinking Maps
Aubrey High School English classrooms were awarded $1,450 to purchase “Inspiration” a software product that will facilitate Thinking Maps in a fun and innovative way. With the integration of Thinking Maps into the curriculum students will become more aware of and become more comfortable with both new and traditional forms of organizing materials.
Carnegie Learning Cognitive Tutor
Marissa Cabrales was awarded $2,500 to purchase the Carnegie Learning Cognitive Tutor math curriculum for the Algebra I, TAKS, and Resource Math classes to provide students with real life applications and increase TAKS scores.
Audio Books
Ericka Hamilton was awarded $500 to purchase audio books for the High School Library. The audio books will help students who are struggling with reading and comprehension.
Innovative Teaching Grants – 2005
Middle School Microscopes
Robyn Perdue was awarded a $1,824 grant to purchase six microscopes for the Middle School Science lab. This brings the total purchase to 14 microscopes by AEF.
Elementary School Digital Microscopes
Tina Milacek, TammyGibbs, Lisa Hardy, Ashley Dill, and Jody Dickson were awarded a $795 grant to purchase five digital microscopes. This will allow all students to view specimens on the Avery Key television monitor.
Read Write and Be Published
Ericka Hamilton and Leslie Beauchamp were awarded a $1,000 grant so each student would have the opportunity to bring a book home published by them.
7th Grade History Field Trip
Richard Garner, Shawna McClure, Dana Reding, Gena Brenner and Jay Beck were awarded $1,086 grant which will be combined with approximately $20,000 from other sources. The purpose of this field trip is to allow the 7th grade to get a hands on learning experience of Texas history by visiting historical sites through Austin and San Antonio. The students will be keeping a journal of the visited place and information they have learned from these places.
Middle School Science Lab
Vicky Howard was awarded $2,218 to purchase six student magnetic stirrer hot plates and one teacher hot plate. The lab presently does not have a heat source.
Elementary School Grades 3, 4 & 5
Ericka Hamilton was awarded $487 to take 33 students to the Renaissance Festival in Waxahacie, Texas where the students will enter the realm of England’s legendary King Henry VIII and Queen Anne Bolyn and experience first hand intellectual, cultural and artistic splendor of the Renaissance era.
Elementary School Grades K-4
Rosemary Cummings was awarded $350 to take music class to a Dallas Symphony Youth Concert. This exposes our children to music of great worth and beauty.
Technology Department
Robert Hancock was awarded $1,200 to purchase two computers that will be awarded to two teachers that submit the best ideas in expanding the use of technology in the class room. Teachers must stay with AISD for three years or return the computer to AISD.
New Aubrey Intermediate School
Ericka Hamilton and Phylls Tucker representing the AISD for the new school were awarded $5,000 to purchase new library books for the new Intermediate School. Students will have access to library books to support the district and campus goals for a successful language arts program.
Innovative Teaching Grants – 2004
Theme Boxes and Theme Book Libraries
Sharon Purcell was awarded a $520 grant to purchase Theme Boxes and Theme Book Libraries.The curriculum for the pre-kindergarten program is based on thematic units throughout the year. The Theme Boxes and Theme Book Libraries to accompany the boxes will be enriching to the curriculum in all subject areas. Each box contains a guide with tips on how to use the props and activities webbing eight different curriculum areas – from math and music to cooking and dramatic play.
Earth and Physical Science Activities and Experiments for Kindergarten
Lisa Hardy, Karen Wright, Vicki Saxon, Lecia Crowder, and Billie Law were awarded $593 to purchase Earth and Physical Science Activities and Experiments for Kindergarten. Aubrey Elementary is in need for more hands-on equipment and activities in the areas of earth and physical science. Equipment to be purchased will be Rock and Study Kit, Stream Table Kit, Simple Machines Construction Kit, and Teachers’ Guide.
Read, Write and Be Published
Ericka Hamilton was awarded $675 which will allow two students from each Elementary class to have their own book published. The students will write an essay explaining why he/she should be chosen to have their book published. A committee will choose two students from each class to have the opportunity to be published.
Between the Lions Educational Video Series
Lisa Hardy, Karen Wright, Vicki Saxon, Lecia Crowder, and Billie Law were awarded $340 to purchase the Between the Lions Educational Video Series. It is a video series which consists of a set of 30 30-minute videos which explore such phonological awareness elements as phonics, blending of onsets and rimes, word families, concepts of print and sound-and-letter relationships.
7th Grade History Field Trip
Jay Beck, Gena Brenner, Richard Garner, and Dawn Little were awarded a $750 grant which will be combined with other funds for this trip. The purpose of this field trip is to allow the 7th grade to get a hands on learning experience of Texas history by visiting historical sites through Austin and San Antonio. The students will be keeping a journal of the visited places and information they have learned from these places.
Holes Novel Study
Dusty Wright was awarded a $250 grant to purchase 25 copies of the novel Holes. The purpose of the novel study will be a fun way to reinforce Reading TEKS. It will provide the opportunity to write a compare/contrast paper, and will have the students leaving 5th grade with a love or interest in reading.
Middle School Microscopes
Dawn Little was awarded a $3,233 grant to purchase 8 microscopes for the Middle School Science Lab. The AMS is in extreme need of an updated science lab. There are only three working very old microscopes in the science lab.
Digital Portfolio and Tri-Fold Color Pamphlet
Sharlotte Owens was awarded $1,550 the production of a tri-fold color pamphlet and a CD power point presentation of each student’s artwork. This benefits all Drawing classes at AHS.
Probeware for Science
Staci Saner was awarded $1,200 to purchase probeware for the science labs. This will provide enough lab probeware to work with a full class and to begin a loan program to the other campuses.
Innovative Teaching Grants for 2003
Sharon Purcell was awarded $1,000 for backpack and instructional materials to make alphabet and phonics materials for home use.
Ericka Hamilton was awarded $1,000 for Read, Write and Be Published.
Dawn Little, Jay Beck, Dana Reding, Richard Garner were awarded $750 for 7th Grade History Field Trip to Austin and San Antonio.
Jay Beck and Suzanne Thetford were awarded$1,250 and $750 Boeing Technology Grant to purchase calculators.
Jessica Embry was awarded $950 for MTA Program.
Debra Drake, Kathy Hays, and Julie Brown were awarded $950 for calculators for all.
Sharlotte Owens was awarded $450 for Raqu Reduction Firing