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IMPACT NEWSLETTER

November 2022

President's Message

Check out the video below from the PPS Foundation President, Cindy Morris!

We are excited for our 8th Annual 365 Breakfast!

This year's event will be similar to last year with a drive-through breakfast pickup and a live streamed program on our Facebook page.

NEW THIS YEAR!

With a donation of $1,000, receive 2 VIP tickets to attend the Breakfast Program in-person plus a box lunch prepared by PPS culinary students, Starbucks coffee bar, and a tour of Woodruff Career & Technical Center. PPS Alum and community activist, Kouri Marshall, will be our featured speaker.

WHY IS THIS EVENT IMPORTANT?

The funds raised at this event go directly back to help PPS students in many ways! We use these funds for food for our Little Free Pantries, new uniforms and clothing, to fulfill requests for basic needs support, and so much more! In order to make the most impact, we ask for you to pledge just $1 per day for 1 year and become a 365 Annual Giving Member.

Ready to RSVP and donate today? CLICK HERE!

Classroom Grant Program

This year we were able to provide $31,266 to fund 37 projects between our Classroom, STEM and Field Experience grant awards! Our Classroom and STEM grant programs are also made possible by funding from the Yeomans Fund and the Peoria NEXT Foster Fund at the Community Foundation of Central Illinois. We are so excited to see these grant projects in action!

Click here for a full list of recipients and their projects

Congrats to our Classroom Grant Program Recipients!

See it Be it Goes LIVE: Bringing Career Speakers into Classrooms Across the District

Pictured R-L: Jaleesha Allen with Kim McGhee on laptop, speaking to all 2nd graders in the district about health care careers. Fire Chief Shawn Sollberger speaking to all 3rd grade classes about a career in government services as a fire fighter.

Professionals from diverse careers shared their stories across the district with our youngest students as part of the See It Be It career exploration program!

Broadcasting LIVE in classrooms on SmartBoard technology with students in 1st - 5th grades, See It Be It functions as an introduction to the world of work by exposing students to a wide variety of possibilities including, but not limited to, careers in healthcare, manufacturing, government, and communication. The children are able to virtually interact with professionals living right here in Peoria, as well as people living all over the world.

In addition, after a hiatus due to Covid, we are thrilled that career field trips will again be offered to the students next semester. Be on the lookout for pictures in future newsletters!

Thank you to all our career speaker volunteers. More opportunities to speak with the students will be available during the spring semester. If you would like to share your career story with our students, please reach out to Trish O'Shaughnessy at patricia.oshaughnessy@psd150.org.

Adopt-A-School Program Partner Highlight:

A BIG thank you to the following partners!

Peoria Nazarene Church adopted Dr. Maude A. Sanders Primary School last month and has supported their school in so many amazing ways. They just purchased a new washer and dryer for the school and will be providing Snack Packs for the entire school of 384 students.

Southside Community Center has adopted every staff member at Annie Jo Gordon Community Learning Center, from teacher to janitor, by providing encouragement and treats that are personal to each person.

Glen Oak Christian Church has added another ~300 Snack Packs to Trewyn School, to begin in December. This will bring Glen Oak’s Snack Pack Program to over 1,800 Snack Packs each week!

First Federated Church is adding another ~50 Snack Packs to Trewyn School, to begin in December. First Federated will now be providing over 250 packs each week!

Sue Weber with Ameren Illinois will be providing the entire school with Snack Packs for Trewyn School on Friday, November 18th as part of a team service activity.

Tafi Brown is a master gardener who has adopted Mrs. Baker’s 1st grade class at Whittier Primary and provided a vermicompost demonstration for them. This class plans to keep this compost in their classroom and learn about the science of decomposition and the importance of having healthy soil. Tafi will continue to work with Mrs. Baker’s class throughout the year to make sure things are working as expected.

Please feel free to contact our Adopt-A-School Coordinator, Janet Ham, if you are interested in partnering with a school to sponsor a Little Free Pantry, provide Snack Packs, mentor students, or explore other opportunities to get involved. Janet can be emailed at janet.ham@psd150.org.

Extra Highlight! Making the Grade Conferences

Our "Making the Grade" conferences connect our community directly to our schools! We recently sat down with students at Lincoln K-8 School to encourage them to strive for academic success, while just listening to them talk. Special thanks to the Peoria RiverFront Museum for helping out! Contact Janet Ham for more information on when our next "Making the Grade" conference will be!.

A Big Welcome to the PPS Foundation's Board of Directors New Member, Beth Crider!

Beth Crider is a native to Central Illinois, graduating from Dunlap High School. She went on to earn a teaching degree in Early Childhood Education from Illinois State University. Upon graduating, she was hired as a first-year teacher at the brand new Valeska Hinton Early Childhood Education Center. During her tenure with the Peoria Public Schools, Beth taught PreKindergarten, Kindergarten, First Grade and Special Education for over 17 years. Beth attended Bradley University for graduate school where she earned a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction and then went on to complete additional work to earn a certificate in Educational Administration. She then joined the Peoria Regional Office of Education when Dr. Gerry Brookhart appointed her as the Assistant Regional Superintendent in 2011. With Dr. Brookhart's retirement in 2013, Beth was appointed by the Peoria County Board and has been serving as the Regional Superintendent since January of 2014. Beth lives in Peoria with her husband, Brien Dunphy, and daughter, Kate. Her daughter and son-in-law, Troy, live in Kenosha Wisconsin.

We recently chatted with Beth and asked her a few questions to get to get to know her better. Read on below!

Hi Beth, thanks for chatting with us today! Can you tell us what you like best about living in the Peoria area?

Sure! My husband and I are both runners, so I really like the trail options. The Rock Island Trail is magnificent but the hidden gem at Robinson Park is scenic, hilly and a good workout.

Yes! The running trails here are awesome! What do you like to do on weekends?

Besides sleep, SPORTS! I enjoy cheering on the Peoria High Lions where my husband is the Athletic Director. When it isn't live, we enjoy all sports on TV, especially football and March Madness!

What's something that's made you smile recently?

I stopped by our Preschool for All classroom the other morning and the children were on the playground. A small group was playing a made up game where one had her eyes closed and the others were gently holding her hands, guiding her through the equipment. They were laughing and talking with such enthusiasm!

That's wonderful! Ok, now on to some hard questions - if you could only have three apps on your smartphone, which ones would you pick?

Bank App, Venmo (my kids are in their 20's 😒) , and my camera!

How about if you could snap your fingers and immediately learn to do anything, what would it be?

To bake bread!

Thank you again, Beth, for chatting with us. We are so excited to have you as part of the PPS Foundation Board of Directors!

PPS Foundation Scholarships Now Opened!

More Ways to Support the PPS Foundation!

WE ALSO TAKE ONLINE DONATIONS!

Click the picture below to donate.

All proceeds from the sign advertisement go directly to help Peoria Public School's campaign to improve the stadium property. Feel free to reach out to Jen Adler at jennifer.adler@psd150.org for more information on pricing, artwork or any other questions!

Congratulations to Darlene Violet for being chosen as our November HERO of the month!

Darlene began getting involved with the PPS Foundation a few years ago and quickly became one of our most engaged supporters. She is passionate about children and education. She has also served on our 365 Breakfast Committee plus attends and supports our events and fundraising needs. We love working with Darlene and appreciate immensely all she does for us. Congrats and thank you so much, Darlene!

Pictured : Darlene with her son, Matt Violet

Check Out Buzz Chats: a PPS Foundation Video Series!

Check out our new Buzz Chats episode from November 10th on our Facebook page. Cindy chatted with Melissa Sierra, the new director of the Peoria PlayHouse Children's Museum!

Each month we will be connecting with different members of our community to talk about our public schools and how they interact with current events in Peoria. Watch the live chat at 6pm on the second Thursday of each month on our Facebook page! We keep old episodes up on our page so scroll through to catch any you may have missed.

Thank You to our Community Partners!

We'd like to give an especially big shout out this month to Starbucks, Hy-Vee in Sheridan Village and K2 Benefits for going above and beyond to further our mission to improve the quality of education in Peoria Public Schools!