Redding Elementary PTA Raises Funds for iPads

parents Karen and Leon Weaver started the school year off like most parents, visiting their daughters’ classrooms and teachers during back-to-school night nine months ago. 

What they did not anticipate was the impression that evening would leave, and the enthusiasm and energy that exuded from teachers Brian Dayton and Donna Eggloff, and every teacher they met, as they spoke about their lesson plans and the possibility of expanding the use of technology in new ways to support learning. The establishment of an iPad initiative later in the fall supported this goal.

This new RES initiative, created through a collaborative effort between library media, classroom teachers, specialists and special education, has a goal to foster innovation in teaching and learning using iPads’ interactive technology.  The program enables teachers to take the lead role to trial applications and collaborate with one another daily to share experiences, which will result in new learning formats and techniques.

“My wife and I left the school that night thinking how hard these teachers work, and how deserving they all are of the best technology,” said Leon Weaver, vice president, communications and co-chair, teacher grants program, Redding Elementary School PTA. “We thought that, with the help of the PTA, the pilot program could be expanded giving more teachers and students the opportunity to engage in new and creative learning activities.”

Through the RES PTA Teacher Grants program, the PTA is able to award limited grants to teachers who make requests for their classrooms outside of their normal budget. Previous teacher grants have funded items such as Lego computer-aided design software, poetry books and a zipline for the gym. This year, in response to the iPad pilot program, the RES PTA encouraged teachers to apply for technology grants, such as iPads. The response exceeded expectations, launching a more comprehensive fundraising effort.

Working in conjunction with the Redding Elementary School, the RES PTA introduced a dedicated fundraising campaign in March - Tech Fund - with a limited goal of five iPads and one application to be distributed among the 4^th grade teachers for small group instruction. This effort immediately met with a promise from the Weavers to match donations, from Lisa Rivera, as president of the RES Special Education PTA (SEPTA), with a donation of $1,600 from SEPTA, and the Redding Education Foundation (REF) with a donation of $500. 

“The Redding Education Foundation enthusiastically partnered with the Redding Elementary School PTA to help them achieve a vision we all share,” said Alice Smith, president, Redding Education Foundation.  “That vision is to provide innovative tools to teachers so they may promote and enhance educational excellence in the classroom.”

In addition to the donations, Karen Weaver and Linda Meyer-Mitchell, co-chairs of the Spiritwear committee, created an exclusive line of Redding tie-dye T-shirts, which are currently for sale, with proceeds going directly to the Tech Fund. The “Redding” logo shirts, sold via fundraising efforts, have already added an additional $2,700 to the Tech Fund. 

To date, the RES PTA has raised approximately $7,850, far exceeding original expectations and making it possible to purchase twenty-one iPads for use throughout the school in ways that will reach hundreds of students. These iPads will allow for instruction that is interactive, creative and infinitely customizable to a student’s needs and pace.

“Our goal has always been to enrich our students’ learning experiences with this more personalized, interactive technology,” said Stephanie Pierson-Ugol, principal, Redding Elementary School. “With the amazing support we’ve received from our PTA and the community we’re able to achieve our goal much faster, allowing our students to have a much more active role in their learning.”

“The success of the RES PTA Tech Fund is due to the enthusiasm of our teachers, the commitment of our volunteers like Karen and Leon Weaver, and the unwavering support of the Redding community,” said Allyson Florkowski, co-president, Redding Elementary School PTA. “With over 1.5 million iPads currently used in schools across the US, the growth of technology as a learning tool is an area that will continue to interest parent, teachers and students, making the PTA an important conduit for information.”

For more information on the RES PTA Tech Fund, to download a T-shirt order form, or review any of the 25 PTA-sponsored activities, please visit the new RES PTA website and “like” the Redding Elementary School PTA on Facebook.