Author: mandobaby

Hanover Hills Elementary School (HHES), located in Howard County, Maryland received a $1,500 CACEASF Emergency Reading Response Grant to support their Diverse Library Project. The CACEASF is proud to support this project which establishes a school culture that fosters inclusion and eliminates barriers to literacy that are deepening during the pandemic.

HHES serves a very diverse population of students, Pre-K-Grade 5. Twenty-six languages are spoken within the families of the 726 students enrolled. The school includes an early childhood center, has an academic life skills program for students who are non-diploma bound, and a regional emotional disabilities program.  21% receive Special Education services and 20% of the student body is reading below grade level.

The diverse libraries project offers students the opportunity to see, hear, and read stories about diverse characters that reflect a spectrum of social, emotional and physical capacities, ethnicities, socioeconomic levels, family composition, skills, and goals.

This initiative has power “beyond words” to increase the social-emotional health for minority students and students with disabilities, expand pathways for all students, foster cultural engagement and understanding, and improve literacy.

During unprecedented times of student learning regression in America, every barrier to learning must be considered and every opportunity taken to break those barriers down. Let’s go back to school better than ever in 2021!

Learn more about diverse libraries at Scholastic’s On Our Mind Blog here: https://oomscholasticblog.com/post/14-readers-tell-us-why-diverse-books-are-so-important

Prague Middle School (PMS), located in Prague, Oklahoma received a $1,500 CACEASF Emergency Response Grant to address emerging school needs due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

One of the most unexpected consequences of the COVID-19 fallout has been the world’s reliance on technology as a lifeline to everyday and essential activities during these isolating times. Access to technology has become a critical bridge to “tomorrow” for all to stay employed, remain healthy, connect socially and spiritually, and to receive an education. While the popularity of using online learning platforms was already growing and online courses well-underway prior to the pandemic, “virtual” education was never mandated until now in many school districts. For numerous K-12 students in America, their platform for education changed over a matter of days and public-school administrators have had to figure out how to meet the diverse educational needs of every child in their district using technology.

Although many public schools remain open during the pandemic, like Prague Public Schools, they also offer an online learning option to teach students. This option is needed to address periods of isolation or quarantine as well as family preference for the online educational environment during the pandemic.

The necessary components for the provision of an online education include access to the Internet and a computer.  While these tools cannot replace the traditional face to face educational model or an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for special education students, they are essential to delivering educational services.  The standards for which are still evolving to meet the needs of every child, but no one can deny that the crisis has not exposed more vividly that access to technology and the Internet is either completely or partially essential to receive a free and equal public education.  

For this reason, PMS was provided funding from the CACEASF to equip the school resource room with six computers to support student access to online learning. These computers are available for all students and support students enrolled in the remedial reading program who use online reading and typing programs to address their special needs to increase their competencies in reading and writing.

While the pandemic has devastated many lives, it has also presented an opportunity for public schools to innovate and improve upon their systems. The Celia Ann Card Educational Assistance Scholarship Fund is proud to support Prague Middle School’s efforts to improve access to technology for its students during this time.  

Reading Recovery

CACEASF Emergency Response Grants

 The COVID-19 pandemic has presented new challenges and opportunities in America in Education. For students with reading disabilities, the challenge for educators and administrators to address their unique needs through thoughtful innovation and ideas is needed now more than ever. In order to ensure their access to education and assure their progress in meeting their objectives and goals outlined in their Individual Education Plans or 504 Plans, public school systems should respond proactively and with the highest sense of accountability. In honor of Celia, who was a reading teacher and individual with progressive ideas about the system of education and the possibilities for student learning, the Celia Ann Card Educational Assistance Scholarship Fund (CACEASF) will provide emergency response grants to support public schools.

Grants up to $1,500 to public schools in Oklahoma and in Maryland proposing an innovative reading recovery program for students with reading disabilities will be awarded. Schools located in the CACEASF’s Focus Communities for Giving are eligible to apply. Visit https://caceasf.org/about/ for the complete list.

Funding is unrestricted and must be used to support innovative programs where the beneficiaries are students identified as at risk for or having reading disabilities.

To apply, please use the Nomination Form located here at www.caceasf.org;  https://caceasf.org/nomination-form-2/. Deadline to apply is December 6, 2020 at 11:59pm.

Contact aknott@caceasf.org with questions.

Writing Scholarships for Eighth Grade Students

In the spirit of honoring Celia’s commitment to equality and equity, the Celia Ann Card Educational Assistance Scholarship Fund (CACEASF) will grant scholarships to eighth-grade students attending Oklahoma and Maryland Public Schools on the topic of systemic racism in each state.

The CACEASF believes it is critical on our collective journeys as human beings to never stop learning.  We deeply believe that sharing untold histories of systemic racism in the states that the CACEASF calls home is a step forward toward ending racism in America. By acknowledging our past, we can grow as individuals and communities empathetic to all.

The CACEASF OK Writing Scholarship is open to eighth-grade students attending Shawnee, Prague, Oklahoma City, Norman, Perry, or Ponca City, and Oklahoma City Public Middle Schools.  There are 3 awards in all. One first-place winner receives $500, one second-place winner receives $250, and one third-place winner receives $100.

The CACEASF MD Writing Scholarship is open to eight grade students attending Carroll and Howard County Public Schools in Maryland. There are 3 awards in all. One first-place winner receives $500, one-second place winner receives $250, and one third-place winner receives $100.

Here are the details on how to apply:

Write a paper no less than 1,000 words on the topic of systemic racism in your state. Deadline date to apply is December 6, 2020 at 11:59pm.

• What is systemic racism?
• What are examples of past or present systemic racism in your state?
• Who are the unsung heroes in your story?
• How can you educate others in your state about systemic racism?
• What can you do as an individual to overcome racism?
• Use 12-point type, Times New Roman Font, Double-space, and 1.5-inch margins
• Provide a timeline for historical events
• Include up to two images (remember to credit the source)
• Use at least 2 sources: use in-text citations and provide a reference list

Please submit your essay to aknott@caceasf.org in .pdf format. Use CACEASF (your state) Paper in the subject line. Example:  CACEASF (OK) Paper.

Make sure to follow the guidelines above.

***Note: Eighth-grade teachers whose students apply to this opportunity will receive a $25.00 check from the CACEASF. Please message aknott@caceasf.org.

CACEASF 2019 Financial Statement

This year, the CACEASF again supported Shawnee Middle School sixth grade special education students in Shawnee, Oklahoma with the purchase of computers. These computers will specifically support children living with conditions such as Cerebral Palsy, who have limited muscle control, causing them difficulty when using, gripping, and manipulating pencils.  This technology will improve their ability to express themselves and help them to gain an essential life skill for success in the workforce. 

According to the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation, “Cerebral palsy is the most common physical disability in childhood and is an umbrella term that refers to a group of disorders affecting a person’s ability to move. While the cause is unknown, 1 in 323 babies is diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy in the United States. Cerebral palsy damages the developing brain either during pregnancy or shortly after birth. A person’s body movement, muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture and balance can be affected; while visual, learning, hearing, speech, epilepsy, and intellectual impairments may also occur.”  https://cparf.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/07/WCPD_16_WhatisCP_Infographic_WORLD.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

The Celia Ann Card Educational Assistance Scholarship Fund, Inc. (CACEASF) is seeking students with reading and writing disabilities and/or reading below grade level to participate in its FREE Carroll Kids Connect Dyslexia Summer Reading Program. During the Summer of 2019, students will use the OgStar Reading Complete Software learning application for 5 days a week for one hour daily. “OgStar Reading™ provides students in grades pre-K through 8 with an enjoyable and comprehensive 106-lesson literacy game, based on the well-respected Orton-Gillingham approach.” www.ogstarreading.com. The goal of the CACEASF program is for each student to maintain or improve their reading level over the summer. If interested, please contact the CACEASF Board President, Amanda Knott, at aknott@caceasf.org to find out if your student is eligible to participate. Funding for this program was made possible through a generous Dollar General Literacy Foundation grant. Funding is limited so those that contact the CACEASF first will be served. Click the following link to download enrollment forms Carroll Kids Connect Dyslexia Summer Reading Program.

2018 CACEASF Financial Statement

The CACEASF donated funding to Human Services Programs of Carroll County, Inc’s Family Support Center and Family Shelter Programs, located in Westminster, Maryland. Funding was used to purchase costumes for children with financial need and for staff to help bring reading alive during Family Support Center program activities. Costumes are used by staff in the center program to make reading experiences exciting for young learners. Teachers use costumes, voices, and expression while reading aloud to little ones, which helps to spark their imagination and teach different elements of a story. Children also learn from their teacher how to reenact a story through dramatic play.  This creative approach to teaching literacy skills helps fill the gap for students that may have attention or reading differences, making it easier for them to stay engaged and love reading in spite of their challenges.

Our mom would have loved this project, as every child deserves to dress up; and she loved the theater, which was definitely a creative outlet for her as an individual, mentor, and teacher! The project provided the financial means for these students to have not just a costume and fun like their peers, but an opportunity to use their imagination during critical years in their development.