The TCSD Foundation awarded a total of $6,000 for Eight Grants in Action in December, and are as follows. Middle School Library Makers Club supported with $200.
This will help with the purchase of materials for students to explore and work with building and controlling robots.
Middle School Author Visit supported with $800.
Look for details of an author visit for middle school students, offering an opportunity to meet and talk with an author whose work students read.
Elementary School kits for developing fine motor skills for $200.
This will support the assembling of classroom kits by our elementary school occupational therapist. The kits will be fun and help students develop needed skills. These experiences should help reduce referrals for special services for motor skill development.
Middle School Localvore Club supported with $1,000.
This will help provide supplies for food experiences in the ELA special class as well as in other classes. The experiences include nutrition learning, learning about local food sources, organizing and presenting information, food preparation and sampling. Many will be integrated with ELA topics. Funds will also go toward the planning and construction of a food cart in technology classes.
Middle School Fifth Grade Music Classes workshops supported with $1,000.
Classes will participate in 4 in-class workshops led by Music for Unity. They will explore themes of unity, culture, civil rights through music. Materials related to the workshop experiences are available for the teacher to use throughout the year.
K-12 Youth Art Month and Mosaic Mural Project is supported with $1,500.
Continuing the tradition of celebration March as student art month, K-12 art teachers plan student participation throughout the year and special workshops in March to make special tiles for an outdoor mural installation. Foundation funds will help support the materials needed and the services of a local artist to work with students on final design and installation. The community is invited to a special art show on March 31.
The High School Jazz Ensemble is supported with $300.
This will provide the fee for a professional jazz musician to rehearse and play with the group to develop their skills. At this year’s Jazz Cabaret on February 10th, the ensemble (will show) their skills.
High School Robotics Club is supported with $1,000.
This will help in the purchase of a control system board and supplies to give students an opportunity to work on component parts and programming of a control system. It will provide a foundation for training on robotics control for this and future years.
Congratulations to all our recipients, and we look forward to the next grant cycle, with applications being accepted throughout the month of May.
The Youth Art Month Art Show and Auction, a fundraiser for TCSD Foundation, will take place on March 31st, and we need YOUR art!
We are seeking art donations from 4th graders, and art and craft donations from community members and TCSD employees who are ready to showcase their art and support the programs the TCSD Foundation provides for the children in our school district. We are looking for art/craft donations of any size or medium. Some examples may include (but are not limited to): paintings, drawings, photographs, ceramics, sculptures, fiber arts, collages, jewelry, woodworking, etc. Framing and matting of 2D artwork is encouraged, but not required.
Teens in our community have identified hands-on, relevant, creative programming, as one of their main interest areas. TCSDF is happy to be one of the supporters of the Trumansburg's Ulysses Philomathic Library’s response of creating a makerspace program! This program provides teens with the opportunity to create and to learn from each other. Typically, a makerspace provides tools and space in a community environment where people gather, create, build, invent and learn. The library's mobile makerspace includes a 3-D printer, a resource collection of makerspace themed books, and various electronic, mechanical, and textile tools-along with a cabinet for storing and transporting everything to the teen area or to the Melvin Community room for programming. These resources will give teens a wide range of options to explore their interests and acquire new skills under the leadership of Youth Services Librarian Ksana Broadwell.
The Trumansburg Troubadour editorial staff has made great strides in producing a Fall 2015 issue. The editorial staff is led by Amanda Livingston, a junior Writing major at Ithaca College, and advised by Molly Buck, an active leading member of the TCSD foundation. The staff of eight students, who meet weekly and contribute virtually, have been brainstorming article ideas on events occurring in the Trumansburg School District and community. They've also been talking about how best to go about writing articles, writing articles based off of these ideas, going over the editing process and the Associated Press Style (the writing style and form used primarily by news and media outlets), the different types of feature writing, and skills needed to write feature articles, among many other things. Final drafts are due December 2nd, and the first issue is expected to come out Monday, December 7th 2015. If you would like to contribute or have any questions, please send an e-mail to 