“School of Fish” Student Mosaic Mural, Part 2

This award by the TCSD Foundation finished the installation of a K-12 collaborative mosaic mural with the help of local artist, Denise Milito. Engaging and actively involving the entire school in its design and creation, this 9’ x 15’ mosaic mural was permanently installed on the exterior wall of the high school gym foyer. All K-12th grade students made their own individual tile for the mosaic at various times throughout the 2015-2016 school year.

Thank you for your support of our varied educational programs: http://tcsdfoundation.org/donate/

Continue your support for nutrition education in Trumansburg Schools

Do you remember last year’s nutrition programs?  The Foundation is pleased to have been able to support Localvore Club:   where middle school students learned about nutrition, local food sources, and food preparation, sampling and sharing!   Recently, the Foundation supported Classroots:  a campus-wide event that connected local farmers, chefs, small-scale food producers, and researchers with the school community to promote nutrition, an awareness of local food production & culture, and to begin to establish relationships that could lead to internship & employment opportunities for high school students and graduates.

 We need your support to be able to continue such programs.  Are you able to help us raise $10,000 in honor of our 10-year Anniversary?  In only ten years, the foundation has distributed over $150,000 of community donations to teacher-inspired projects that serve students pre-K through high school; and our goal is to continue that tradition.

 Please donate now to support educational enrichment for students across the district: http://tcsdfoundation.org/donate/

June 2016 TCSD Foundation Grant Awards

Classroots: A Farm-to-School Experience

Melissa Bryant, Hope Lewis. Gail Brisson, $1,500 Classroots plans to connect local farmers, chefs, small-scale food producers, and researchers with the school community to promote nutrition, an awareness of local food production & culture, and to begin to establish relationships that could lead to internship & employment opportunities for high school students and graduates. Classroots will be a campus-wide celebration Friday, October 7, and will include art and music students. Chefs, farmers, and local food producers (including students who are beekeepers or who garden, raise animals, and cook) will lead demonstrations and activities.

Hoophouse Fiesta: Growing Salsa & Sustainability

Melissa Bryant, Gail Brisson, Alan Vogel, $750 Hoophouse Fiesta plans to establish an on-campus garden and hoop house so that TCSD Middle School students can grow greens, tomatoes, hot peppers, and herbs. Students will then use these ingredients to make salsa and other products that can be sold to staff. This project will invite local experts to share their knowledge with students about plant science, hydroponic gardens, sustainable agriculture, plant-breeding, and the basics of planting and growing. TCSD STEM students will be mentored through the design and construction of the hoop house.

Active Afterschool

Ulysses Philomathic Library, $250 Active Afterschool will support the library’s very active afternoons at the library program with the addition of new games for students. Many students hang out at the library between three and five in the afternoon, more resources are needed to help them occupy those two hours in a way that engages them in recreation and learning, and allows other library patrons to continue working in an environment that meets their expectations. Upper elementary and middle School students are the primary target for these resources.

“School of Fish” Student Mosaic Mural, Part 2

$1,200 This award will finish the installation of a K-12 collaborative mosaic mural with the help of local artist, Denise Milito. Engaging and actively involving the entire school in its design and creation, this 9’ x 15’ mosaic mural will be permanently installed on the exterior wall of the high school gym foyer. All k-12th grade students made their own individual tile for the mosaic at various times throughout the 2015-2016 school year.

2015-16 Grants in Action: Grants awarded in December 2015

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 10^th, 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.

Makerspace for Teens at the Ulysses Philomathic Library

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.

Though our our teacher grants TCSDF was able to provided financial support of this program, which went directly to consumable supplies for the program.  You can check out the new makerspace and learn more about the program at “Makers Night” on November 24th from 6-8 pm at the library. This program for middle school, high school, and home school students will provice a time to make and create using the Makerspace. This great toolkit  includes materials for crafting, electronics, building, and more!

Check out the Monthly Maker's Night Facebook event for more details!

TCSDF Teacher Grant in Action!

This middle school class is the hotspot for a student-prepared and publicized gourmet, nutritious, locally-sourced lunch weekly — if you are lucky enough to get a spot! Melissa Bryant designed the project. With contributions from local farmers, beekeepers, etc. and a 'start-up' teacher grant from the TCSD Foundation, she has worked with students to develop enthusiasm for interesting, nutritious foods. We hear that the program is being enthusiastically received by students!

One popular offering: Cupcakes with a mystery vegetable ingredient were offered to any students who came into the library, and students voted on what the ingredient was. Everyone voted the cupcakes were delicious.  Who would have known that they contained kale!

2015 Award for Community Service

The TCSD Foundation was organized in 2006 with a mission to enhance the education of students in our school district. The Foundation pursues its mission through programs including grants to teachers for innovative projects outside the school budget:

• Kids Discover the Trail, a program coordinating educational field trips to sites on the Discovery Trail for every Trumansburg student grades preK-6
• The Trumansburg Troubadour newsletter on issues facing our school district produced in collaboration with talented students, and ...
• An Award for Community Service, to be made tonight to a graduating senior.

In the words of one of her recommenders:

This year’s recipient of the $500 TCSD Foundation Award for Community Service  “takes her work seriously, implements her beliefs in her daily interactions with her peers, and stands up for those in need of support, sometimes at her own personal cost. She is talented in so many areas. Her contributions to our theater program are unprecedented. She is a true scholar and artist. I am so proud of her ability to stand up for what she believes in and to create change.”

This year, the TCSD Foundation Community Service Award goes to Kelsey Broadfield.

Fall Grant Awards Announced; Spring Grant Cycle Underway

This past Fall we received some great grant applications for the Fall Grant cycle:  Thanks to our donors and fund raising supporters, we are pleased to have offered funds to support the following projects: 

Trumansburg Middle School Spring Community Read will center on Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai’s  2012 speech to the United Nations.  $200 will support this exciting project for students in grades 5-8 and the entire middle school community.

Trumansburg High School Band, under the direction of Hope Lewis, has commissioned a piece composed specifically for the band.  Students will meet with Greg Rudgers, the composer, for input and to enhance their learning about composing, performing and publishing. The special piece will premiere at the spring band concert!  $1,000 has been awarded in support of this project.  Watch our Facebook page for details on when the concert is taking place.

Functioning with Holcomb! Middle School mathematics teacher, Michael Holcomb, will coordinate with Black Locust Initiative to provide hands on experiences to facilitate and apply understanding of math concepts for 8^th graders.  $250 has be given to support this project. 

2015 Youth Art Month:  Trumansburg students, k-12^th grades, will be involved with in class activities and special workshops by area artists for this year’s Youth Art Month.   This year’s theme is ‘Puppets.’  This annual event ends with an Art Show and auction of student and local artist works. Stay tuned for the culminating event on Thursday, March 26^th from 6 to 8pm.  $1,000 has been granted in support of this project.

Trumansburg  After School Program will purchase a multi-use stereo speaker system to use for their sound/movement program. $190 has been awarded in support of this program.

Ulysses Philomathic  Library offers a Story Arts program for preschoolers with a variety of good quality art materials.  $200 has been granted in support of this program.

We award grants twice a year. The coming Spring Grant Cycle gives another opportunity for teachers and others offering youth programs in our community which enhance the education and experiences of our young people.  If you and your colleagues have ideas to implement in summer or fall be sure to submit your grant request!

Fall Grant Cycle deadline is November 30th

Our Fall Grant Cycle deadline is coming up fast!  We've made the grant application process simple and streamlined, and this is a great opportunity for educators to help fund projects for students in the Trumansburg School District.

Proposals are due November 30 and will be awarded in December. The Foundation will consider proposals for funds supporting innovative programming or projects directly involving and benefiting students in the Trumansburg School District.  Proposals may come from teachers in the district as well as from other not for profit organizations serving the children of the district, such as the library, museum, etc.  Our aim is to make possible projects which cannot be supported by the school budget or by the budgets of other organizations. See examples of past grant awards: grants generally range from $200 to $1,000.

How to Apply

You may download the grant application, or pick one up in the Trumansburg School building offices. Foundation information and news is also on Facebook .

Spring 2014 Grant Recipients Announced

The TCSD Foundation Board approved the following awards for the Fall 2014 Grant cycle:

$199 to the Trumansburg Afterschool Program for the purchase of durable science  (plant and animal) specimens to promote the powers of observation for 30-35 K-2 children.

$500 to the Trumansburg ES/MS Robotics Team to purchase an FLL Robot EV3 kit, the basic, primary component needed to compete in the coming year’s FIRST Lego League Challenge, and will also be reused in future competitions.

Up to $350 to the Middle School Library to purchase paint and supplies for a student-designed mural outside the MS library, in a collaborative project with the Art Department. Approximately 30- students (grades 5-8) are anticipated to participate in the mural painting.

$1,500 to the Library to support the creation of a MakerSpace in the library. MakerSpaces feature collections of materials that enable students to take on projects that foster individual learning and experimentation. Funds will be  used to purchase materials that would allow students to explore basic electronics, as well as a collection of tools and supplies for basic crafting and woodworking.

$1,000 to the Trumansburg High School to support the Floating Classroom, a longtime ecology field trip.

$2,000 to the Trumansburg High School Robotics Team, the Robot Raiders. Funds will be used to build a training robot to prepare the team for the 2014-2015 competitive season.

Help Needed: Seeds of Change Grant Proposal

We need to gather daily votes for this grant proposal from April 1 - April 21 to qualify for this grant. Our proposal needs to receive enough votes to be in the top 50 in terms of total number of votes to be considered. We applied yesterday and if we can get hundreds to vote daily we may make it to the second round. There will be 15 award recipients of $10,000 and 2 of $20,000. This would be a tremendous boost to FIE and our garden program. Go Here to Vote: http://goo.gl/uLyiZc Vote every day until April 21!

More Info See http://www.seedsofchangegrant.com/ for more information

Spring 2014 Grant Cycle

Our Spring 2014 Grant Cycle is underway. We will be accepting grant requests for our Teacher Grant Program until May 31, 2014. All grant requests will be reviewed by our Program Committee and select members of the our community. In preparing your grant application please focus your request by reviewing this web site, reviewing past grants we have made and our mission.

Please contact us with any questions about the grant process, or if you are interested in participating or learning more about the TCSD Foundation.

Apply Now: Download the grant application

You'll also want to review the educator grant checklist. If you're awarded a grant, you'll complete this form during project preparation and return it when the TCSD Foundation funded project is accomplished.

Review: Educator Grant Checklist

2013 Fall Grant Recipients Announced

Youth Art Month

A Youth Art Month will be celebrated in March 2014 across the Trumansburg Central School District to engage all students K-12 in activities and workshops. Artist workshops will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school.  High school students will create short informational movies using iPads about famous artists and their work. March ART Madness will involve students actively listening to and seeing artwork by famous artists, including via informational movies, and voting on their favorite, with a single artist winning and advancing until a single artist remains, representing the district winner. TCSD Foundation funds will be used to support activities and workshop for the month of March.

TASP Labyrinth Challenge

The Trumansburg Afterschool Program (Middle School) will receive funds to purchase two Labyrinth Balance boards to support an ongoing Labyrinth Challenge. Balance Boards encourage students to improve their balance and coordination, and increase their ability to concentrate when competing with each other.

Trumansburg Robot Raiders

The brand new High School Robotics Team will receive funds from the TCSD Foundation to support its rookie year, including registration for the season’s regional competition and materials and tools required to build a competitive robot. The competition – the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is “The Varsity Sport for the Mind.” FRC combines the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology. It’s as close to “real-world engineering” as a student can get.

Ulysses Philomathic Library Afterschool Activities

Funds will support What Teens Want, a series of afterschool activities to be hosted at the Ulysses Philomathic Library. Based on a survey of local teens, the library will provide the supervision, space, and promotion for activities such as movie making, knitting, writing, book discussions, community service, cooking, photography, drawing and anime. The series will be launched with a Dungeons and Dragons program.

Adopt-a-Band

TCSD Foundation funds will support a collaboration between the Russell Doig Middle School and the Ithaca Concert Band. Middle school students will sit side-by-side with Ithaca Concert Band members, enhancing their music education and inspiring them to continue with their instruments after graduation. The mentorship project will culminate in a concert on March 2, 2014 at 4:00 p.m.

Matching Contribution for Food Is Elementary Campaign

The TCSD Foundation is excited to announce that we have committed to a matching contribution of $3,000 to the Food Is Elementary campaign, which will be added once funds raised reaches $5,000. Please help us reach our campaign goal of $25,000 and support our effort to make this important program a permanent part of Trumansburg education.  For more information visit http://tcsdfoundationspring2013.peaksmaker.com

Fall 2013 Grant Cycle

Our Fall 2013 Grant Cycle is underway. We will be accepting grant requests for our Teacher Grant Program until November 30, 2013. All grant requests will be reviewed by our Program Committee and select members of the our community. In preparing your grant application please focus your request by reviewing this web site, reviewing past grants we have made and our mission.

Please contact us with any questions about the grant process, or if you are interested in participating or learning more about the TCSD Foundation.

Apply Now: Download the grant application

You'll also want to review the educator grant checklist. If you're awarded a grant, you'll complete this form during project preparation and return it when the TCSD Foundation funded project is accomplished.

Review: Educator Grant Checklist