Grant To Give Hackett Students A Helping Hand (IL)
July 18, 2014
Hackett Elementary School is receiving a community needs grant for $8,608 from the Stateline Community Foundation for an after-school program to help students develop social skills and instruct parenting classes through the University of Wisconsin-Extension.
At Hackett Elementary School, 93 percent of all students receive free or reduced price lunch; 35 percent of students are in the English Language Learner program and 11 percent of students are classified as homeless — without fixed or adequate housing, according to Executive Director of Business Services Janelle Marotz.
Some students in the school have factors inhibiting them from learning, such as having incarcerated or divorced parents, violence at home, homelessness, hunger, abuse or chronic stress. Because chronic stress can be debilitating, students don’t always have the skills to put into words what they are feeling and don’t know how to cope with situations in a healthy way.
Thanks to the grant these students will learn curriculum pro-social skills, classroom survival, friendship-making skills and how to deal with feelings, like alternatives to aggression and how to manage stress.
Marotz said many students require additional instruction practice and support beyond the 30 minutes provided within the classroom setting each week.
There also will be parent classes facilitated by a UW-Extension offering a conflict resolution program to use with young children. The curriculum teaches parents not to tell their children what to think, but to develop skills to think through problems for themselves. The eight- week class will be offered twice a year to a group of 10 parents. The class will culminate in a graduation ceremony and certificate of excellence to empower parents to continue taking an active role in their child’s education.
A family resource liaison would plan and organize parent events at Hackett to get more community involvement. There will also be sensory tools such as weighted blankets, wiggle cushions and noise canceling headphones to help students deal with aggression or attention challenges. The sensory integration tools will also be used throughout the school day when in the best interest of students.
Use of proposed budget for the grant funds is as follows: $6,336 for a 16-hour a week family resource liaison; $600 in sensory materials; $450 in books and materials; $400 in parent workbooks; $150 for a healthy snack for parents and students and $400 for the graduation ceremony.
The new curriculum will include group sessions on how to deal with feelings, alternatives to aggression and how to listen, ask for help, contribute to discussions and set goals. Friendship making skills, for example, will include how to introduce oneself, begin and end a conversation and deal with stress. The school will also incorporate conflict resolution strategies into lunch bunch groups on an as-needed basis.
There also will be parent classes facilitated by a UW-Extension offering a conflict resolution program to use with young children. The curriculum teaches parents not to tell their children what to think, but to develop skills to think through problems for themselves. The eight- week class will be offered twice a year to a group of 10 parents. The class will culminate in a graduation ceremony and certificate of excellence to empower parents to continue taking an active role in their child’s education.
A family resource liaison would plan and organize parent events at Hackett to get more community involvement. There will also be sensory tools such as weighted blankets, wiggle cushions and noise canceling headphones to help students deal with aggression or attention challenges. The sensory integration tools will also be used throughout the school day when in the best interest of students.
Use of proposed budget for the grant funds is as follows: $6,336 for a 16-hour a week family resource liaison; $600 in sensory materials; $450 in books and materials; $400 in parent workbooks; $150 for a healthy snack for parents and students and $400 for the graduation ceremony.