The Shamong Home and School Association tapped into its inner Santa Claus a little early this year and both Indian Mills Elementary and Indian Mills Memorial School are happy to receive.
The HSA presented the 16 teacher requests they were able to fill with items ranging from paints to an iPad totaling $18,979.69. HSA president Barbara Weir said the group is happy to provide the service they do.
“We’re a fundraising organization that tries to purchase the items that aren’t in the school’s budget,” Weir said. “When there have been curriculum changes in the past, we’ve been able to step in and purchase things teachers need when the budget doesn’t have room to allow it.”
This year, the HSA has funded the 3rd and 4th grade Study Island program and the purchase of classroom trade books to support guided reading and balanced literacy.
The amounts of the individual HSA grants ranged from $4,223.64 for a study group program at IMMS, to $48.33 for frames for Choice Awards. Other major grants were $2,230.15 for second-grade mentor texts, $2,126.72 for kindergarten reading and language arts and $1,794.63 for a third-grade readers’ workshop. Other awards included $696.77 for a recess equipment cart, $604.76 for a fourth-grade weekly newspaper, and $249 for “News Currents Online” and “Non-Fiction Read to Know” for students in grades four through eight.
The HSA also granted teacher Cathy Campeau $626 for an iPad, and $289.93 to an art teacher for paint. The Shamong Foundation for Educational Excellence donated $1,375 for a cart to hold Chromebooks for use in first and second grades. The fundraisers the group holds throughout the year are vital in allowing them to give back to the schools.
“We host a lot of family friendly events. We hosted a Halloween party that was open to students and their entire family. We’ll be hosting a soccer tournament in the spring that will allow people of any skill level to join and have a good time,” Weir said.
Teachers put together a list of requests for the HSA before the school year and present it to the group. The association then meets to decided what requests they will be able to grant. The relationship with the district’s teachers is one the HSA values.
“It’s a cool relationship. They thank us in person, give us thank you cards. We’re just happy to be able to help them,” Weir said.
The benefits of their generosity are felt beyond just the teachers. Students and parents also reach out the HSA and thank them for providing what they do.
“It’s a very cyclical relationship. The things we provide go to the teachers but they ultimately are helping the students, which make them happy. If the students are happy then the parents are happy and on down the line,” Weir said. “It’s great to see the money we raise and the items we purchase go right back to the kids and the support of their education.”
