In celebration of Mapleton Elementary's theme of the "Amazing Race" this year, the PTO is offering an "Adventures in Learning" mini grant program.

All Mapleton Elementary teachers, or groups of teachers, are eligible to apply for one of the PTO's seven $300 mini grants!

Proposals can be written for any educational activity for any classroom or groups of classrooms; however, an effort will be made to balance the grants by grade or activity level. In addition, all teachers who submit proposals or who are joint applicants will be entered into a drawing for iPad app cards and other prizes.

We are the "parent and teacher" organization, and the PTO hopes this program will boost that partnership as well as forge ties with the community by appointing local businesspeople, area leaders and others to an awards committee that will review all proposals. (Names of teachers will be omitted from application for purposes of the review - we want to focus solely on your ideas!)

Each applicant must fill out a brief form naming their grant proposal, the curriculum involved and the learning outcomes expected. Forms will be available in teachers' mailboxes, or can be downloaded at:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ccdjvduninu87mi/PTO%20MiniGrants%202013.pdf

Find your inspiration, then get your application!

In a separate attachment not to exceed four pages, we want to see your creativity!

Specifically, state your purpose and need for the grant, include a narrative that details what you will do with the grant, step by step, and answer this question: "Why will my students be talking about this next year?"

We will look favorably upon all proposals that promote new ways of learning or those that build upon the traditional classroom experience.

All applications must be signed by a primary applicant, which will be responsible for the funding, placed in a manila envelope and placed in the PTO's mailbox. Deadline is Sept. 20.

Afterward, the committee will meet and review proposals, school officials will check curriculum requirements, and the PTO will announce awards at the Fall Festival, Oct. 5.

For more information, see the application form or contact Allen Blair at MrAllenBlair@Gmail.com.

It's our sincere desire to not just help our school and our teachers, but also to keep working together to ensure our children have a great future learning environment!

In addition to direct classroom assistance, we will use the grant program to cache ideas as all proposals will be made public for future use by teachers and PTO members. And, by involving local leaders on the awards committee, the program will help the school continue its community partnerships.