The Second First Week
Above: Jim Quade of Kerr 3 Architects / Red Sky Constructors, Hefner Middle School Instructional Coach Katie Kinder, Foundation President Jennifer Seal, Hefner Principal Holly McNutt.
Students in Putnam City returned to class four days a week on Monday and the adults – and many of the kids – are pretty excited. I have heard a couple stories about students being apprehensive. I don’t think they are afraid of getting COVID; I just think they’re tired of all the change. I expect that within a few days they will all be glad to see their friends and be with their teachers.
Amidst the whirlwind that has been the second first week of school, we’ve still had the typical challenges that come with a large district, but we’ve had a lot of fun this week too. Our friends at Red Sky Constructors and Kerr 3 Architects made a generous donation to the YES! Grant program, and then took the time to join us in surprising the grantee Katie Kinder. Katie is an instructional coach in our district, which means she helps the teachers in her building find ways to improve their skills. She wrote a grant on behalf of the science team so they could get hands-on materials.
We all know that having had school almost exclusively online for the better part of a year has taken a toll on our students. Providing enriching hands-on activities for science students will get them back in the grove of in-person instruction, making the learning more meaningful to the students.
We are grateful to our friends at Red Sky and Kerr 3 for making this grant possible for our students!
If you’d like to donate to the YES! Grant program, and then see your gifts in action, you can DONATE here, then leave a memo about YES! Grants. We’d love to have more people meet these amazing teachers and learn about their innovative projects.
April 8, 2021