Creating Possible
June 2014  
 
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During the 2013/14 school year, SEF invested nearly $550,000 in 75 innovative grants to create stimulating classroom environments in our schools.  These grants impacted all nine schools in the district.  Thank you for your support.
 
In case you missed it, click here to see the SEF year-end letter to the school community. 
 
Our fall grants deadline is October 15th. 
 
Have a wonderful summer! 
 
 
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Please join us by making a gift to SEF today!
 

Matt Block is Awarded 2nd Annual Nora Radest Award for Excellence in Education

  

Last year, SEF established the Nora Radest Award for Excellence in Education to honor Nora, our past President and board member, whose vision for and dedication to SEF spanned many years. Each year, the award is given to a teacher or administrator who has submitted grants through the SEF process and, in so doing, has greatly enriched the classroom environment and served as a role model to others in the district.  

 

The SEF board is proud to present this award to Mr. Matt Block, Principal at the Lawton C. Johnson Middle School, for his leadership on several major grants that have transformed the Summit Middle School experience. 

 

Nora Radest (Past SEF President), Matt Block, and Laura Schaffer (current SEF President) at the presentation of the Nora Radest Award to Mr. Block

 

In Spring 2010, the "Electives for 8th Grade" grant was approved to support revising the 8th grade cycle classes to allow students a choice in selecting their classes and to update the class topics to include more current content areas.  Mr. Block was the driving force behind this grant.

 

LCJSMS saw the grant "21st Century Collaborative Classrooms" approved in the Fall of 2012, again spearheaded by Mr. Block.  This grant funded the transformation of all 9 Language Arts classrooms into state-of-the-art learning environments.

 

In 2013, Mr. Block worked with the library staff to apply for the "True 21st Century Library Media Center" grant, which resulted in an updated physical space that allows for an open and flexible learning environment that incorporates problem-based learning and differentiated instruction.

 

In addition, Matt Block has been continually supportive of ongoing LCJSMS initiatives supported by SEF grants including:

  • introduction of Mandarin Chinese to the Middle School
  • multi-year support of the Writing Center to offer students individualized writing support
  • Inspire magazine, the literary and art publication, from 2010 to present
  • introduction of iPads to the 6th grade classes this past year and renewal of the grant for next year

Congratulations Mr. Block, and thank you for your initiative in leading SEF grants to continue to raise the educational bar at LCJSMS!  

Together, we can make possible a reality