New Tools Help 'Make Learning Fun:' District 58 Grant Winners
District 58 educators and social workers expressed gratitude for grants they recently received from Downers Grove Junior Woman's Club.
Lisa Marie Farver,Patch Staff
Posted Wed, Jan 24, 2024 at 9:49 am CT| Updated Wed, Jan 24, 2024 at 9:50 am CT
District 58 educators and social workers expressed gratitude for grants they recently received from Downers Grove Junior Woman's Club. (via Downers Grove Grade School District 58 )
DOWNERS GROVE, IL — After receiving grants from the Downers Grove Junior Woman's Club (DGJWC) that will help bring their ideal classrooms to life, several District 58 teachers expressed their gratitude to Patch.
In total, 18 Downers Grove Grade School District 58 educators were awarded grants from DGJWC to help fund special projects that include speech buddy tools, large print books, social emotional learning items and other accessible tools.
Claire Armbrust, who teaches second grade at Fairmount Elementary School, plans to use her grant money to buy decodable books for her classroom.
Armbrust told Patch, "I am very grateful to the DGJWC for providing these grants to our schools. It was such an exciting day to be awarded this grant, which allows me to provide additional reading materials to my students."
via Claire Armbrust
She explained that the decodable books "align directly with the science of reading, which is something our district has been incorporating more into our reading curriculum. These books will provide more opportunities for my students to build their fluency, comprehension and confidence in their reading."
Lara Marlowe, a social worker at Indian Trail Elementary School, said she was "surprised and honored" to have been chosen to win a grant after applying for her first time.
Marlowe will use the grant money to buy a social emotional learning kit, along with emotional support stuffed animals.
"The students in our program really enjoy hands-on learning, and they often find comfort in holding stuffed animals or fidgets while learning," Marlowe said. "This curriculum will teach all about feelings with an added benefit of utilizing stuffed animals to help keep our students' engagement in the lessons."
El Sierra resource teacher Kristine Marquez plans is using her grant money to purchase multisensory learning tools.
"This will benefit so many of the children I work with, from kindergarten to sixth grade," Marquez said.
"Using multisensory materials engages students on multiple levels at one time. No matter the learning strength of each individual student, multisensory tools will target those strengths. The tools help to make learning fun for all the students. "