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  • March 16, 2020

The goal of this project is to increase staff and peers to feel comfortable communicating and engaging with a student who utilizes an Augmentative Assistive Communication (AAC) device.

a.) Grant funds will be used to purchase 3 IPads and an iPod. Proloquo2Go will be placed on the devices. The iPod will also have music on it so that students can practice commenting about music and youtube videos.
b)Monthly mini-presentations (10-15 minutes) will be held in 6th-grade homerooms/7th/8th-grade science/social studies room with AAC users to provide staff/students strategies/visuals/activities to engage. The IPads will be used to provide general education students to practice using the communication devices prior to engaging with the AAC students so that communication interactions will be more natural and engaging. Afterschool, monthly mini-presentation (10-15 minutes)will also be held for interested staff. Mini-presentations will contain information about strategies/activities including modeling, aided language stimulation, extension/expansion, utilizing visual supports, and recasts which are evidence-based strategies that facilitate learning for AAC learners.

  • March 16, 2020

Historically, the room, Jake Fosdick’s office, has been used for in-school suspension and small group testing. Now, the room is also used for lunch groups and individual student reflection. We want to extend the use of the space for restorative justice sessions and as a calming center for students experiencing anxiety. Updating the decor of the room creates a more calming, welcoming, and safe space and re-frames the use of the space for students and staff.

  • March 16, 2020

Students will play “To the Beat of the Drum” during music therapy sessions. Exploring their imagination through song, rhythm, and tune while building communication through verbal and nonverbal expressions. “To the Beat of the Drum” will allow students to express their creative and communicative sides in a diverse environment for all. The rhythmic component of music is organizing to students with sensory processing differences which enables them to feel calm and open for learning and communication.

  • March 16, 2020

This design challenge will require students to collaborate, research and think critically to solve a problem. The hovercraft will serve as the control in this scientific challenge. Students must research, design, and build a way to steer the hovercraft. They will be able to test out and improve their design to, in the end, steer their craft through an obstacle course.

  • March 16, 2020

The Fresh Air Learning Space project aims to expand 7th grade learning spaces outdoors by furnishing outdoor seating and work areas for students in the shared 7th grade courtyard. Currently, the courtyard is accessible by all teachers in the 7th grade, but there a limited number of broken plastic chairs, causing the courtyard to be basically unused.

  • March 16, 2020

It has been many years since the physical plant of Saline Middle School has had a radio station type program where students from the various aspects of school life could be interviewed and share their backgrounds, ideas, and accomplishments with their classmates specifically and the larger school community (parents, surrounding community, other school buildings within the district) in general. The proposed SMS Podcast/Radio Center would serve as a creative outlet for students at Saline Middle School interested pursuing activities and careers in the areas of radio and digital entertainment. The students would engage in the space and use the equipment and resources provided by the Foundation for Saline Area Schools Building Grant to create digital and shared content that would support a wide range of the Saline Area Schools Vision Compass and Learner Profile. Initially, the experience would take place before and after school and during student lunches, with the hope of the class expanding into an elective course at our school.

  • March 16, 2020

Between the years of 2005 and 2007, a successful series of FSAS Grants came together to create a complete set of classroom Speed Stacking supplies. Speed Stacking is cup stacking, where an individual attempts to create different blends of pyramids with cups while being timed.

We are very proud to say that roughly 13 years later, our Speed Stacking supplies are still used on a daily basis! With constant use comes the need for new supplies to keep this worthwhile program moving.

  • November 17, 2019

In order to create a second collaboration space for classrooms, SMS is seeking to expand the use of their Auditorium to provide a 3 monitor-synced presentation board (along with media players). Many classrooms want to use the Auditorium for student-led projects and presentations, but the space is actually too large for that to work. They want to use the stage area as a classroom and create an audio-visual center off of it.

  • November 17, 2019

I am looking to conduct a book study with 40 or more 6th grade students from our team. The book is, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, by Sean Covey (son of Daniel Covey – Habits of Highly Effective Leaders). This is a handbook to self-esteem and success for the middle school student.

“This classic book applies the timeless principles of the 7 Habits to the tough issues and life-changing decisions teens face. In an entertaining style, Covey provides a simple approach to help teens improve self-image, build friendships, resist peer pressure, achieve their goals, and get along with their parents, as well as tackle the new challenges of our time, like cyberbullying and social media. In addition, this book is stuffed with cartoons, clever ideas, great quotes, and incredible stories about real teens from all over the world.”

  • November 17, 2019

Self-regulation is the ability to adjust or regulate the level of alertness depending on the time of the day and the stimuli presented. When students have a difficult time with self regulation, we observe maladaptive behavior or responses to the environment and sensory stimuli. WeÛªd like to provide students with the equipment necessary to enable them to self-regulate in order to increase abilities in all areas of learning and in all learning spaces. Improved self-regulation will increase the opportunities for special education students to collaborate in and participate with the general education setting through all eight Saline Area Schools Compass Attributes.