GEF is pleased to announce our recent Educator Grant recipients. Thanks to our generous Lemon Run sponsors, participants, and community support, we are excited to continue this essential program for GUSD educators.
Graciela Romero Martinez, a Learning Center teacher at El Camino Elementary School, received a Professional Development Scholarship to participate in a year-long program on biliteracy and dual language immersion. In addition to her work with the science of reading for all students, she can bring a deeper understanding to the specific needs of the Dual Language Immersion program. She says, “I have tremendous pride in our program and am committed to seeing its continued development and success. Our DLI program has offered the GUSD community the opportunity have their children learn and achieve at high levels while focusing on the three pillars of DLI education: bilingualism & biliteracy, high academic achievement, and sociocultural competence.”
Nancy Abrams, Victoria Mesa, and Stefanie Williams, preschool teachers at three school sites, received an Innovation Grant to purchase literature books for their inclusion preschool classrooms. These classrooms serve neurodivergent and neurotypical students, aged 3-TK. Abby Vasquez, Director of Pupil Services, says, “We know that ALL of our children benefit though shared experiences with a diverse group of peers. We are trying to develop a curriculum that meets our children, regardless of their entry point, and helps them to develop knowledge and skills though books that mirror their diverse backgrounds, interests and abilities, and that will then lead to a variety of learning opportunities across the preschool day.”
Isla Vista Elementary School’s English Learner Task Force received a Professional Development Scholarship to send two educators to the CABE conference to learn key strategies for improving English language development. These educators are excited to learn as a team and share their new knowledge with the rest of their staff, “providing equitable outcomes for all students and closing the equity gap for our Latinx and Multi-Language Learners.”
Juri Holmes, a third-grade teacher, received an Innovation Grant for books to support the social-emotional learning of her students. Juri is exploring the question “How do you raise children with good character that will positively impact our future world?” She plans to integrate the read-aloud literature with a word of the week that ties in with a quote of the week, discussing the importance and implications of these words. They will practice empathy and learn character-building, and students write “weekly character goals,” reflecting on their week and making a goal for the following week. Juri says, “I always tell my students to be a better version of themselves than they were the day before. I teach them that academic knowledge can often be found on the internet; however, learning to be a good person is a craft that they need to hone in on every day.”
Congratulations to all of our Educator Grant recipients!