Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1036712
X X WEA at Work 21 Grants What would you do, where would you go if you could receive a $2,000 grant to enhance your professional skills and knowledge? Would you go to a national conference in an interesting place? Attend a training or seminar? Design your own fi eld learning experience? Michelle Anderson, WEA member and social studies teacher in Riverton chose to travel to France for the 100-year anniversary of the fi rst battle fought by American soldiers in World War I and to visit sites related to the Great War. What would you do, what great learning experiences would your students have, if you received a $5,000 grant to promote student achievement? Perhaps you would create an aquaponic garden in your school with cross- curricular applications for science, agriculture, and life skills – that's what WEA member Wendy Smith at Powell High School did. Watch her video at http://bit.ly/CoolGrant. If you received this grant, maybe you would bring in speakers or implement a school-wide program to foster critical thinking, promote cultural understanding, or prevent bullying. As a WEA/NEA member, all these ideas and more are possible through the NEA Foundation Grants for Educators. Every year, there are three grant deadlines: October 15, February 1, and June 1. All WEA members who have student instructional roles – teachers, paraprofessionals, counselors, librarians – may apply. For more information, visit www.neafoundation.org and ask your regional UniServ Director for assistance. ESSA Announcements In the Nortwest Region, members can learn about ESSA initiatives in sessions during the NW Region Fall Retreat at Riverton High School on Saturday, October 13 from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm. There will be training later in October for local association leaders in ESSA organizing for districts that serve students from the Wind River Reservation. On November 1, there will be a community outreach meeting led by local leaders to bring ESSA information to parents, community leaders, and educators. For more information about ESSA opportunities in the NW Region, members should contact Elise Robillard, WEA NW Region UniServ Director at erobillard@wyoea.org. The Green River Education Association (GREA) was recently awarded a 50/50 Grant from the National Education Association to help educators and the community understand the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). This grant, that was awarded directly to GREA and will be administered by GREA, will provide ESSA training in all the Sweetwater County School District #2 school buildings. All community members will be invited to the school that resides in their district for ESSA training on a date and time to be announced on various media outlets. GREA will be providing food and babysitting services on site at each training location. ESSA mandates that all educators, including Education Support Professionals, parents, students, and community stakeholders have a voice at the table whendecisions are made regarding their schools. For more information about this opportunity, members should contact their GREA President, Lisa Robison. Evanston leaders organize on the Every Student Succeeds Act. Michelle Anderson and Julie Her Many Horses journey through France with students from the Wind River Reservation thanks to a grant from the NEA.