Saint Agnes School

Teacher Treasures Program

The Grant Research Committee has been exploring different avenues for obtaining additional funding for St. Agnes School programs and equipment. In order to focus our energies, we needed to define exactly what the needs of our school are. To accomplish this task, we asked each teacher at St. Agnes for a "wish list." Many items, some big, some small - all beneficial to our students - have been identified. By knowing what those needs are, we all can work to achieve our goal.

As a first step in obtaining items on our teacher "wish lists," we have developed the "Teacher Treasures" program. Some examples of ways that the program can work are:

• In your own home, you have an item that you no longer use that is on a "wish list." For example, a CD player/radio or VCR. You could donate that item through the "Teacher Treasures" program as a tax-deductible donation to St. Agnes School. Items do not have to be new.
• You like to go to rummage sales and you see posters of famous artwork. You could purchase these items and donate them to our Art History Education Program.
• As an end of year gift for an outstanding teacher, you wish to donate to that teacher's "Teacher Treasures" program. Any monetary donations are tax-deductible and could be donated for a specific item or placed into that teacher's fund toward the purchase of a larger item. Or several parents could join together to purchase a larger item. What a wonderful way to recognize the role that a teacher has played in your child's life.

Below are "wish lists" for each grade level. It is our hope that by providing these "wish lists" we all will be aware of those materials that would assist our teachers and enhance the already outstanding education that our children receive at St. Agnes School. For more information about the "Teacher Treasures" program, please contact St. Agnes School Principal Jayme Hartmann at 262-781-4996.

In addition to the specific items listed above, there are several school program that could be improved with grant money. If you wish to contribute toward a particular program, or know of an alternative funding source that could benefit these programs, please contact the school office. These programs include:

Classroom Art Program
At the present time, each teacher has chosen two renowned artists from a specific list to teach the students about. The teachers have the students learn about the artist's life and interesting facts about each artist. The students are then instructed how to create their own replication of a piece of the artist's work.

For example, the fifth grade students learned about Claude Monet. They read books about him, researched his life, and viewed a variety of his pieces of art work in books, etc. The class then was divided into groups of 3 to 4 students. Each group created a 6 X 6 version of his watercolor piece "Water Lily Pond."

Rainbows Program (At-Risk Students)
This program is a peer support group with caring trained adults to guide the students. The Rainbows Program is a support group curriculum for children who have suffered a significant loss in their lives either by death, divorce, or any other painful transition. The aim of Rainbows is to implant in the children a belief in their own goodness and the value of their own family. The curriculum instills a feeling that each change in life can be an occasion for a new building.

At the present time, Mrs. Forncrook and Mrs. Sarcia, the facilitators, solicit names from teachers and families of children who may benefit from this program. The children are invited to participate, and the families are informed of the program and asked for consent for their children. The students attend two six-week sessions, and meet once a week after school for approximately 40 minutes. The children come together in small groups to discuss topics related to their situations such as Self, Trust, Anger and Family. At the end of the sessions, there is a "Celebrate Me Day," where all the children come together and participate in a closing celebration.

Overall, this program has been wonderfully received by all the students, teachers and families involved. Without a program such as this, many of our students would not be afforded an opportunity to make loss and grief a positive experience which will eventually provide a foundation for personal growth and strength.

Resource Room (At-Risk Students)
The Resource Room is staffed with a part-time teacher and volunteers who help students with academic modifications and those modifications based on individual education plans, such as read-aloud tests, modifying assignments to meet student needs, daily checks on classroom work for students, modifying projects and activities, pull-out reading sessions, supplying opportunities for students with challenges to get tutoring, pull-out programs for gifted/talented students and administering programs for higher level thinking, such as academic challenges and writing contests.