Teacher Appreciation Week, May 1-7

Don't tell Mr. Montes at Hanover Countryside Elementary School, but a surprise greeting is heading his way for Teacher Appreciation Week.  The Vargas family wanted him to know what a difference he makes in the lives of his dual-language kindergarten students, especially their daughter, Cora. They selected a custom card for him with this message: 

Thank you so much for being such an amazing, caring, encouraging teacher for Cora!  She has really enjoyed being in your class and comes home singing Spanish jingles and asking about how to make cards for you and visit you at home.  Thank you for being patient with her and showing her that learning in Spanish is fun and not scary.  She loves you, and we are so grateful for you! 

This week, with a donation to the U-46 Educational Foundation, you can create your own custom card for a U-46 teacher or staff member.   We will print your custom card and send it to your honoree.  With just the click of a few keys, you can send an easy and thoughtful greeting for Teacher Appreciation Week. However, the best part is that proceeds from the Teacher Appreciation cards benefit teacher and staff grants to fund their innovative classroom ideas and projects next school year! 

Keep reading to learn about how a U-46 Educational Foundation grant brought a sensory path to Sycamore Trail Elementary School this fall. 

Hop, Hop, Ribbit!

Mary Slowinski, a teacher at Sycamore Trails Elementary School, had two great improvement ideas for her school this past fall.  First, she wanted to install a sensory path to give students a playful way to burn off excess energy while developing gross motor skills.   The path is comprised of stickers on the floor of the hallways that instruct students to hop like a frog, crawl like a bear, or waddle like a duck. 

While this may sound like all fun and games, the teachers at Sycamore Trails are raving about how effective these quick movement breaks can be when it comes to students self-regulating their behavior and developing gross motor skills.   

One teacher said, "I have been able to use the sensory path with six different students when they had extra energy.   They were able to return to class without any incidents of behavior happening the next hour."  Other teachers noted how the sensory paths help the students calm down after recess so they are ready to settle down for classroom learning.  

Ms. Slowinski's other idea was to install math facts on the stair risers at Sycamore Trails.  

The math fact stair risers provide students with an opportunity to build mind-body connections which positively impact math fact acquisition. 

Ms. Slowinski told us, "I am so grateful for the Foundation and its generosity." 

Your generous support of the Teacher Appreciation Campaign and other U-46 Educational Foundation fundraisers fund projects like Ms. Slowinski's and scholarships for deserving students.   Thank you for your ongoing generosity!  Your support makes a difference!

Thanks EHS Class of '55!

The U-46 Educational Foundation would like to send out a big 'thank you' to the Elgin High School Class of 1955 for their recent donation!

Special thanks goes to the EHS Class of '55 Committee: Judi Difulvio, Sharon Kilgore, Tootie Hulke, Gordy Schultz, and Bill Pate.

Your donation cements a legacy for the EHS Class of '55 as a group that, long after graduation, never forgot their roots. Their high school experience served as a foundation for personal and professional success. Through Elgin High School, they built lifelong friendships, not only with their classmates but often with their teachers as well. They went on to flourish in their families, communities, and their careers, never forgetting their start at Elgin High School. With this donation, they hope to build the same strong foundations for current and future U-46 students.

Thank you Elgin High School Class of 1955! You truly are a class act!

EHS Class of 1972 Reunion - contact Mary Pytko with questions - mpytko@hotmail.com.

Congratulations to our Scholarship Recipients!

The U-46 Educational Foundation is thrilled to be giving out more than $55,000 in scholarships to U-46 seniors to help them pursue post-secondary education.    

Among our Superintendent's Scholarship recipients is Daniel Plewa from South Elgin High School, pictured above with SEHS Principal Dr. Kurt Johansen and Superintendent Dr. Tony Sanders.   Daniel was a standout student at South Elgin's BEACON Broadcasting Academy where he served as the Director of South Elgin Sports Broadcasting.  This summer Daniel has an internship with the Chicago White Sox, and this fall he will be a student at DePaul University.  

Samantha Elizalde from Elgin High School was a recipient of the first-ever Lisa Mercado Scholarship for Bilingual Students.  Her essay for the Mercado scholarship beautifully showcased what bilingualism means to her.  She wrote, "behind every word I speak in Spanish is the culture I carry with me wherever I go. I am proud to be bilingual because it has morphed me into the person I am today."  Samantha will be a student at the University of Chicago this fall. 

Nina Istomina was Bartlett High School's Douglas Hoeft Scholarship winner.   This scholarship looks for a student who has overcome a major obstacle.  Nina came to the United States three years ago from Ukraine and with this move came a new country, new school, and new language.  However, she was determined not to let these barriers stop her from getting her education. Today she is fluent in English and excelling in school.  As a high school student, she passed the state Certified Nursing Assitant exam to become a CNA, and she will be going to college this fall to become a Registered Nurse. 

These are just three of the amazing, impressive, and inspiring students who won scholarships from the U-46 Educational Foundation this year.  

Celebrating 15 years!

The U-46 Educational Foundation is proud to mark our 15-year anniversary and continued commitment to U-46 this year.  All year we will be reflecting on how the Foundation has grown, changed, and impacted our students since 2007, and, of course, it makes sense that we use this opportunity to look at how scholarships managed by the Foundation have evolved over the years. 

The Foundation gave out its first scholarships, the David and Edith Cole Scholarships, in 2009, two years after the Foundation began, to four Elgin High School students.   

Since 2009, thanks to our generous donors, the U-46 Educational Foundation has awarded nearly half a million dollars in scholarships to more than 400 U-46 seniors.  

However, beyond just giving out more scholarships, the Foundation has also drastically upped our involvement in the scholarship process for most of our awards - from start to finish.   Formerly, the Foundation’s only role in scholarships was to collect funds and write a check.  Now, the Foundation is excited to manage the entire scholarship process including the creation of the application, the communication of opportunities, and the selection of winners, for many of our scholarships.   

These new changes not only alleviated several overwhelmed U-46 employees from the extraneous and burdensome tasks associated with scholarships, but they also ensured that the processes used to create and process scholarships were compliant with all IRS regulations and guidelines in regards to: 

• Donor participation in scholarship distribution
• Objective and nondiscriminatory selection of scholarship winners
• Student privacy

By keeping with these best practices, the Foundation ensures that any financial earnings gained by our student winners remain tax-free income and that the Foundation is not violating our status as a 501c3 organization.   

As a result of the new practices this year, 104 students submitted 282 scholarship applications for the over 50 scholarships available.

These changes would not have been possible without the 32 volunteers, comprised of U-46 staff, parents, and community members, who read applications and essays and submitted more than 700 score sheets.   And our scholarships would not be possible without the many generous donors who fund all of our scholarships. As the leading provider of scholarships for deserving U-46 students, we are proud to offer so many opportunities for our seniors, and we thank our scholarship providers for thinking of us as good stewards of your investment. 

EHS Class of 1982 Reunion.   Questions?   Email ElginHS82@gmail.com

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Bartlett Alumni - Elgin Alumni - Larkin Alumni - South Elgin Alumni - Streamwood Alumni

Thank you to KCT Credit Union for their ongoing support of the U-46 Educational Foundation through their Affinity Card program!