FSN-ENC presents three Education Grants for 2011-2012
| Jayne Fisher – K-3 Resource Teacher Creekside Elementary Scholastic Magazine subscription with Digital media |
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Scholastic News Magazines are now updated to include Common Core Standards and have technology support available. A subscription includes Digital Editions, Videos, Whiteboard Ready Sheets, Audio Read Aloud, Graph and Map Pop Ups and finally interactive student activities. Creekside has made gains in Math EOG scores but this grant should help improve Reading EOG scores. They are asking for two subscription levels to divide them among students according to their reading abilities not just their grade in school. They plan to use the Magazine along with the reading kit that was acquired last year from FSN-ENC. Teaching with the Scholastic Magazine will allow a real-world application to reading and learning that is meaningful and relevant to the students. The school has a mobile Smart Board to use with the Whiteboard Ready skill sheets. Audio read alouds and videos make the magazine come to life. This will help students make vocabulary much more meaningful. I believe the longer articles will help develop the ability to read long passages prepare students the EOG tests. The students can take the magazines home to reread with their family. |
| Tricia Carter – Speech-Language Pathologist Pitt County Exceptional Children “More Than Words” program materials |
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“More Than Words” program helps young children with language delays to communicate to the best of their ability. It provides education to parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, enabling them to facilitate language development at home, in the community, and in the daily routine of their environment. The It also provides early language intervention, and social support for parents. A More Than Words program lasts approximately 3 months. Class size is limited to 8 families, so that each family is able to get the specialized attention that is needed. It is estimated that this applicant will teach 2-3 sessions per calendar year. Materials are current, and would be re-used for each class session. Necessary resources include a Parent Guidebook that shows parents how to turn everyday activities with their child into opportunities for interaction and communication and is a wonderful resource for Speech-Language Pathologists and other professionals. Funds are requested for a set of books (the class size is limited to 8 families at a time) to serve as a reusable “lending library,” so families are able to sign-out a guidebook for the duration of the class (three months), and return at the completion of the class for future families to borrow as well at no cost. DVDs will show examples and interviews completed with families who have participated previously. The DVDs are kept by the instructor, and will also be a reusable resource for the class. Finally, posters will present key strategies that parents and professionals can use to learn and reinforce the social and communication skills of children with ASD. Student volunteers will provide childcare for families who attend. The goal is to require little to no cost from the families who wish to participate. |
| Heather Halsall – EC Teacher – DH Conley High School Text to Speech Device |
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Help with reading comprehension and visual impairment using a text to speech device in English and for other academic classes. They currently run at least one Curriculum Assistance class per period and would love to have a device for each class period that would allow for check out and return throughout the year between students. The equipment will be used at home, at school and can be reused each year with new students attending this high school. The students will be able to get any book they are currently reading and enlarge the print for our visually impaired students or be able to follow along with the book while it reads the book through text to speech. This will assist them in understanding the text better, thus motivating our students to read. It will also give our visual impaired students an equal playing field without a special order for materials. In addition, some of our parents also struggle with comprehension problems and these devices can assist them in understanding what their child is reading. |
Dr. Kaye McGinty recognizes Kaitlin Bunch as the 2011-2012 Angel Boberg Webb Memorial Scholarship Recipient. Read more about Kaitlyn’s story 
The Family Support Network of Eastern NC recognized Greg Robison, local disc jockey, as one of the 2011 Volunteers of the Year. Greg has volunteered his time and equipment to provide music at our Festival of Trees Preview Party for the last several years. Greg has provided a relaxing, invigorating, and entertaining evening for our guest. The music has adds a very positive dimension to our evening and is one of the highlights of the program.
Family Support Network of Eastern NC recognizes Amanda Cannon as the 2011 Volunteer of the Year. Amanda Cannon, a junior at Parrot Academy, excels academically and is involved in athletics and volunteers at many organizations. Amanda has volunteered with the Family Support Network of Eastern NC since she was a child of 4 or 5 decorating trees with her parents. Amanda has continued to follow in the steps of her parents as she gives continuously to the community to make it a better place to live. She now volunteers, on her own, as she assist the FSN-ENC staff in all aspects of the annual FSN-ENC Festival of Trees. She has worked in our office, preparing mailings, packets of information, putting decorations together and then loading and unloading the artificial trees and then setting them up and helping with the decorating of the trees, enabling the Family Support Network of Eastern NC to have a successful fundraiser. Congratulations to Amanda Cannon.
The Family Support Network of Eastern NC (FSN-ENC) gave the Family Support Network Heart Award in Memory of Riley Philpot at the 16th Annual Festival of Trees on Friday, Dec 2, 2011. 
Story Time with Santa is sponsored this year by the Homer Tyre Real Estate team.
Brenda Boberg has been named the recipient of the National Perinatal Association’s 2011 Becky Hatfield Family Support Award for her work in providing support to families in eastern North Carolina. This award is given to honor an individual who has provided substantial support to families dealing with the emotional aspects of high-risk maternal and child health. The award was presented to Brenda on October 22, 2011, at the National Perinatal Association Annual Conference in Louisville, KY. 
The 2011-2012, Family Support Network of Eastern NC Pitt Community College Scholarship recipient Brandon Bynum loves computers and computer games. His ambition is to obtain a degree in computer science and become a computer game developer. This interest began for Brandon in ninth grade when he took his first course in computer applications. For his senior project he did research on cyberspace.