Programs

Program Areas

Schools

I am requesting this funding for a six part classroom program with ResolveNM. The “Change the Course” program provides training to school community members to support a caring and inclusive school culture. Participants increase empathy and learn to speak up and take action against bias, social cruelty, bullying, and exclusion.

Program will be offered in my remote classroom over a six week period. This curricula is intended to assist students in navigating: 1) Self-Awareness and the cultivation of a positive self-concept and group identity, 2) Critical Thinking about bias and stereotypes and their impact on relationships and communities, 3) Skills to set boundaries and communicate powerfully and respectfully, and 4) Courage to address social cruelty and exclusion and to advocate for each other as allies in creating a caring and inclusive school culture.

Virtual Wild Bird Presentations

On a Wing & A Prayer, run by Mikal Deese, wild bird educator, is a non-profit wild bird rescue program which offers virtual presentations for Santa Fe Public School students.

We are hoping for support for 10 remote presentations this semester, primarily for our southside school students. We piloted a remote presentation in April 2020, and the response was overwhelmingly positive.
Students learn about the wonders of bird migration, local birds and our state bird - the roadrunner, threats to species, specifics about three types of education birds (raptors who cannot return to the wild), bird diet and range, how we can help, etc. The majority of each hour's presentation has a live bird on display, typically three, and the interface between Mikal and her birds is transformative.

Mikal fields student questions and gives students an opportunity to see a peregrine falcon, barn owl, Swainson's hawk, American kestrel, Great-Horned owl, etc. up close and personal.

10 sessions for $1,000 this semester, with the SFPS Sustainability Office acting as classroom teacher liaison.

Music Masterclasses, Guest Musician, and Student Opportunity Support Project

Schools: New Mexico School for the Arts and Mandela International Magnet School

Music departments at both NMSA and MIMS request funding to support bringing master musicians to campus for visits and masterclasses (virtual and eventually in person) and also will help fund student participation in workshops, summer music festivals, and other opportunities to deepen and enrich their musical studies.

Pre-AP English 1

School: Capital High School

The AP English vertical team at Capital High School believes the next step in improving our student enrollment and performance in AP English courses is to implement Pre-AP curriculum in 9th grade English classes.

The majority of students at CHS speak and write in English as a second language. As a result, when they enter high school, their English language arts skill levels are below that of an average high schooler nation-wide. They are beyond capable of narrowing and even closing this gap with the use of a well-research, well-tested, and well-implemented English curriculum. College Board Pre-AP offers all three of these.

Through Pre-AP English courses CHS students will gain strategies to assist their burgeoning English language arts skills. Offering these classes to students in the 9th grade will allow more students to possess the confidence to continue into AP courses in the 11th and 12th grades and will allow more students to earn competitive scores on SAT and ACT tests.

Purchasing the materials and professional development opportunities for each Pre-AP course costs $3000 annually. The AP English team at CHS secured funding for one course, Pre-AP English 2, grade 10. Now the team wishes to secure funding for Pre-AP English 1, grade 9.

For this College Board developed course, CHS will receive the following curriculum components:
(a) A week-long training for any teacher who will be offering a Pre-AP course,
(b) Online professional learning modules,
(c) A full-year course framework,
(d) Digital instructional resources for units that cover skills such as close reading, evidence-based writing, vocabulary in context, precise language, and collaborative communication,
(e) Curriculum-embedded assessments in a variety of tasks (short writing, online multiple-choice with automated scoring, and essay writing),
(f) One set of teacher print materials, and
(g) An optional final exam.

The focus of Pre-AP English 1 on close reading, analytical writing, and language skills has immediate relevance for students and is essential for their future AP and college-level coursework.

She Who Shaped New Mexico

The International Women's Forum of New Mexico is asking for support in the amount of $2,000 to help New Mexico Historic Women Marker initiative with educational outreach for grades Kindergarten through twelfth grade in Santa Fe Public Schools.

We map the stories of the courageous women who shaped New Mexico and its culture. Through our historical markers, we educate, inspire and empower new generations of women who travel our roads. The website is an easily accessible learning tool and available to anyone free of charge. These funds will help expand our audience and share curriculums which we are developing. Our goal is to share inspiring stories of women who have helped shape New Mexico to inspire future generations to make a positive impact in our communities.

Therapeutic Horseback Riding for High Needs Students at El Camino Real Academy

School: El Camino Real Academy

We got a grant to bring our 24 students to Therapeutic Horseback Riding, but we need your help with $500 for transportation as we can only fit 4 wheelchairs in a Special Education bus.

Therapeutic Horseback Riding offer lots of benefits for our students:
- Improves fine and gross motor skills
- Improves motor coordination and balance
- Improves core strengthening
- Develops and improves social skills
- Positive sensory stimulation

Support the Balance Bike Program at ECRA

School: El Camino Real Academy

El Camino Real Academy is seeking $500 for a fleet of 25 bikes, helmets, kickstands and curriculum.

The purpose of this request is to provide the opportunity for our Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd grade Physical Education classes to learn how to ride a bike. Which will increase their physical and brain development to aid in their academic achievement in the classroom.

There will be 36 preschoolers, 75-80 kindergartens, 75-80 1st graders and 75-80 2nd graders served through this program. Approximately 260 + students, each year for the next ten years (potentially longer with good maintenance of bikes) will be given the opportunity to learn how to ride a bike and/or increase their skills on a bike. Each balance bike can easily be converted into a standard pedal bike which allows us to serve more students with your donation.

Volunteer Background Check Assistance

School: Multiple Santa Fe Public Schools

As the SFPS Volunteer Coordinator, and in an effort to encourage a more diverse volunteer population, I would like to offer paid background fees for up to 50 volunteer applicants to distributed throughout 5 different schools within the Santa Fe Public School District. Certain demographic criteria, including a residence radius of applicants who live within 6 blocks of the schools' attendance area will be required to be eligible for usage of the background check funds.