Cash 4 Conejo Classrooms Grant Program Supports CVUSD Teachers

Since 2011 the Conejo Schools Foundation has been helping great teachers with great ideas create lasting lessons with its Cash 4 Conejo Classroom grants program.

The 2017-2018 grant program is well underway with more than 30 teachers from 13 different CVUSD schools receiving grant awards this fall. It is estimated that an additional 40+ teachers will receive grants this spring, bringing the grand total of grant recipients to approximately 80 teachers.

All CVUSD teachers are invited to apply for this yearly grant opportunity, which awards teachers $250 of grant money to be used for student enrichment, curriculum and activities in their classrooms.

Awarded grant money is to be used on a per classroom basis, to benefit all students. Grants are awarded after teachers submit their application which details a description of a specific enrichment project or activity directly related to the materials the grant money will be used to purchase.

Grants are awarded throughout the school year, October through March, as the Cash 4 Conejo Classrooms grant committee selects winning classrooms at intervals throughout the school year.

The first round of Cash 4 Conejo Classroom recipients includes:

Kathi Byington - Aspen Elementary

Grant supports: Field trip to the SB Sea Center to connect in-class learning with real world

Michelle Eby – Banyan Elementary

Grant supports: Mystery Science supplies

Amanda Haver -Sequoia Middle School

Grant supports: STEAM – Solar Cars, Make It Bounce, engaging, creative activities around STEAM

Katie Janton - Sycamore Canyon School

Grant supports: NGSS STEM Center activities for K - Ramps and Balls Exploration Set and Design & Build materials for Engineering Centers

Kate Taillon - Sycamore Canyon School

Grant supports: NGSS STEM Center activities for K - Ramps and Balls Exploration Set and Design & Build materials for Engineering Centers

Jennifer Fry - EARTHS Magnet

Grant supports: Musical instruments to the classroom's collection, allowing more variety and access to the students. These instruments will be included in our First Grade Science Unit: Sound and Light. Students will use instruments to explore scientific concepts as well as sing, dance, and write songs to help learn about reading, math, science, and social studies.

Brynn Hutchisonn- Banyan Elementary

Grant supports: Journaling to build fluency, strengthen self-expression/creativity, and reinforce grammar and mechanics.

Kyle Scalise – Conejo Valley High School

Grant supports: Green-screen room for filming class projects for 21st Century Marketing class. Soundproofing material so students can create their “shark tank-esque” programming.

Malena Murray - Sycamore Canyon School

Grant supports: Breakout EDU games transfer the ownership of learning from the instructor to the student, making it easy to observe how learners approach problem solving and apply their knowledge. THE FOUR Cs are used with these kits. In addition to the content knowledge needed to succeed in a specific game, all Breakout EDU games require critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and communication. 

Roland Macasieb - Conejo Valley High School

Grant supports: Badminton set including a portable net for P.E. classes.

Elizabeth Carr and Lisa Anthony – Sycamore Canyon School

Grant supports: Materials for hands-on STEM projects that connect art, science and real world problems/situations.

Sonia Corlew - Sycamore Canyon School

Grant supports: Book Tasting events/materials. Love of literature and book club/socratic seminars.

Christy Herrera - Century Academy

Grant supports: Yoga equipment.

Rebecca Herbert - Banyan Elementary

Grant supports: Memory Book materials.

Kerri Yim & Cheryl Babcock – Maple Elementary

Grant supports: Stage Coach Inn Museum field trip.

Laura Pewe – EARTHS Magnet  

Grant supports: Building materials to use in MakerSpace\to connect our science units with MakerSpace.

Susan Forte – Banyan Elementary

Grant supports: Memory Book materials.

Lori Marzalek - Banyan Elementary

Grant supports: New incubators to hopefully increase success in hatching.

Erin Anderson - Westlake Hills Elementary

Grant supports: Books for guided reading groups to increase variety, choice, and exposure. To create a love of reading, where students gain confidence in themselves and their abilities.

Karen Abbitt - Sequoia Middle School

Grant supports: Tetrahedron Kite Project.

Diana Maiorca & Analise Griffith - Los Cerritos Middle School  

Grant supports: NGSS New microscopes.

Angie Ley - Wildwood Elementary

Grant supports: NGSS hands-on Force and Motion Activity Tubs.

Julia Yesionek - Wildwood Elementary

Grant supports: Ecosystem materials for NGSS

Doris Macdonald - Thousand Oaks High School

Grant supports: Rotational Inertia Demonstrators for AP Physics C classes.

Alyssa Peters - Wildwood Elementary

Grant supports: Brainpop Junior program.

Terri Johanson - Banyan Elementary

Grant supports: Clay projects.

Kira Krukowski - Westlake Elementary

Grant supports: Books for Magic Minutes program.

Kim Tetzlaff - Banyan Elementary

Grant supports: New, 13 Colonies play costumes.

Tammy Edwards - Maple Elementary

Grant supports: New headphones for students.

Karen Van Voy - Aspen Elementary

Grant supports: Expanding Expressions Tool Kit in order to support expressive language growth within the Specialized Academic Programs that are located on the Aspen campus. The Aspen Specialized Academic Program is designed for special education students that benefit from a language rich environment with multi-modal instruction. The Expanding Expressions tool provides a visual/tactile framework that promotes increased vocabulary, oral language, associations, categorization, and written language skills.

Congratulations to all Cash 4 Conejo Classroom grant recipients and thank you Conejo Schools Foundation!