| |  | Florida Agriculture in the Classroom is funded by sales of the specialty agricultural license plate known as the Ag Tag. Add $35 to the standard license plate renewal fee. This amount includes a one-time $10 charge for your new metal plate. Subsequent annual renewals are an additional $25, $20 of which goes to Florida Agriculture in the Classroom and $5 of which goes to the state for administrative fees. Purchase one today!
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FAITC
Board of Directors |  | |
Jennifer W. Sills, Chair
Florida Dairy Farmers
Ken Barton, Vice Chair
Florida Peanut Producers
Joan Kyle, Treasurer
Florida Fertilizer & Agrichemical Association
Carole McKenzie, Secretary
Polk County Farm Bureau
Gary Albarell
USF Polytechnic Florida Industrial & Phosphate Research
Vina Jean Banks
Florida Beef Council
David Boozer
Florida Aquaculture Association
Lyn Cacella-DuBois
Farm Credit Association of Florida
Erica Der
FDACS
Cheryl Fulford Flood
Kissimmee Island Cattle Co.
Sue Harrell
Florida Strawberry Growers Association
Dr. Bob McMillan
Kerry's Nursery
Jennifer Nelis
Florida Nursery, Growers & Landscape Association
Dr. Edward Osborne
UF/IFAS Extension
Carol R. Roe
Wm. G. Roe & Sons, Inc.
Michael Rogalsky
Florida Farm Bureau Federation
Tracy Tesdall
UF/IFAS 4-H
Tamara Wood
Florida Citrus Mutual
Barbara Wunder
Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association
Lisa Gaskalla
Executive Director
Holiday Noel Hogg
Marketing Program Manager |
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Fall Teacher Grant Opportunities Announced
Three teacher grant opportunities are available this fall, the deadlines of which are fast approaching. Educating Florida students about where their food, clothing and fuel comes from is the mission of the organizations providing these grant funds.
Details about these grant opportunities are as follows: Community Garden/School Garden Grants - The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam are offering grants for Community Gardens and School Gardens. The deadline is Sept. 14 and eligible applicants are local governments, school districts, food banks, and public or private non-profit organizations. For a copy of the application and guidelines, Click here
Teacher Grants - Florida Agriculture in the Classroom is once again offering its Teacher Grant program. The deadline is Oct. 1, and eligible applicants are general education teachers in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade and agri-science teachers in Florida. For a copy of the application and guidelines, Click here
Mosaic Company Foundation School Garden Grants - Florida Agriculture in the Classroom and the Mosaic Company Foundation are offering $500 school garden mini grants to teachers in the five Florida counties where Mosaic operations are located, namely DeSoto, Hardee, Hillsborough, Manatee and Polk counties. The online application process will begin Sept. 4, and funds will distributed only to teachers in those five counties until the grant funds run out. To submit a grant application beginning Sept. 4, Click here
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Ag Avengers Teacher Grant
Okeechobee County |
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FAITC Offers Grant Writing Tips
Writing winning grant proposals takes time and effort, and FAITC offers the following suggestions to teachers who are interested in submitting a grant application:
- Read the guidelines. Even if you've submitted a grant application before, reread the guidelines because they change.
- Include a timeline, budget and in-kind contributions. Applications are automatically denied when they don't include these items.
- FAITC Teacher Grant applications must include six copies.
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Teachers Wanted!
Florida Agriculture in the Classroom is looking for teachers to pilot test lessons in the classroom, serve on its Educator Advisory Panel and become facilitators for the organization.
- Pilot Test Lessons - FAITC has developed more than a dozen language arts, science, math and social studies lessons for grades ranging from kindergarten through 12th grade and it needs two teachers for each of the following grade ranges, kindergarten - 1st grade, 2nd-4th grade, 5th-8th grade and 9th-12th grade to present the lessons in class and provide feedback. Restaurant gift certificates will be offered in return. For more information, email Lisa Gaskalla at gaskalla@ufl.edu
- Educator Advisory Panel - FAITC relies on guidance from its Educator Advisory Panel to improve its curricula, materials and educational programs. The panel meets twice a year. FAITC covers the cost of travel and a substitute for panel members. FAITC needs representation from all over the state, and for all grade ranges and subject areas. For more information, email Lisa Gaskalla at gaskalla@ufl.edu
- Facilitators - FAITC will hold a facilitator workshop in early 2013 to train existing facilitators and new facilitators on how to hold teacher workshops in their regions using FAITC's curricula - Project Food, Land & People, Keeping Florida Green and Gardening for Grades. We are in particular need of facilitators in North Florida, Northeast Florida and Southwest Florida. FAITC facilitators earn $150 for workshops of five hours or less and $250 for workshops of six hours or more plus travel and workshop material expenses. For more information, email Lisa Gaskalla at gaskalla@ufl.edu
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Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture Award Nominations Sought
Do you know a general education teacher who uses innovative ways to bring agriculture into his or her classroom? We are looking for teachers who involve students in hands on lessons that teach the importance of where food, clothing and fuel comes from.
The deadline for nominations is Dec. 14, 2012, and one winner each will be chosen from the elementary, middle school, middle school agri-science and high school levels. Winners receive cash honorariums and all expenses paid trips to the 2013 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in Minneapolis June 25-28.
Please click here for a copy of an application.
In addition, American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture sponsors teachers to attend the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference each year through its White-Reinhardt scholarship program. The deadline to apply is Nov. 1. Please Click here for a copy of the application. |
Agriculture Literacy Day set for April 30
Florida Agriculture Literacy Day is scheduled for Tuesday April 30, 2013, and the children's book being developed for the event will commemorate the 500th year anniversary of Ponce de Leon's discovery of Florida.
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and Florida Agriculture in the Classroom invite farmers, growers, ranchers, FFA teachers and students and agriculture industry representatives to read in kindergarten through fifth grade classrooms. The book being developed is about Florida history and the role agriculture has played in it. The book and materials provided to volunteer readers are free of charge.
Teachers and agriculture industry representatives interested in particiapting in the event, please check Florida Agriculture in the Classroom's website in early 2013 to register.
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Gardening for Grades Curriculum available to Florida Teachers
Gardening for Grades School Garden Curriculum is available to
Florida teachers free of charge.
Please click here to download an electronic version or order a hard copy of the book.
Gardening for Grades instructs teachers on how to plant a school garden and provides lessons to help teachers use the garden to teach language arts, science, math and social studies. It's correlated to Florida's Next Generation Sunshine State Standards. |
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Nearly 170 Teachers Attend Workshops
Teachers and agriculture industry educators attended Florida Agriculture in the Classroom's four regional workshops around the state earlier this year. Lessons featuring early elementary, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and school garden applications were demonstrated to show teachers how they can incorporate agricultural applications into their classrooms.
Thank you to our friends at Florida Farm Bureau and Florida Cattlemen and Cattlewomen who conducted lessons, fielded farmer panel questions and hosted lunch. We really appreciate your support.
If you're interested in holding a Florida Agriculture in the Classroom workshop at your school or in your community, please email Lisa Gaskalla at gaskalla@ufl.edu The workshops are free of charge, and can be tailored to be short or long. Teachers who attend are eligible for professional development points. In addition, regional workshops were so successful this summer, FAITC plans to schedule them again next summer. Please visit the FAITC website in the spring of 2013 for more details. |
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Teachers in 5th-12th grade use sun and photovoltaic cells to power small
mechanical device at South Florida workshop in Homestead. |
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Educate Students about Florida Agriculture
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