Programs

Kateri Brow Big Idea and Classroom Enrichment Grants

Originally founded as a grant giving organization to provide enhancements to teaching and learning in Issaquah Schools, grants range from $500 to $10,000 and have been made to all schools across the district. Every year, the grant process begins in November and grant recipients are announced in April. Grants have covered numerous subject areas including mentoring, math, science, literature, social studies, business, special education, humanities, the arts, and technology. This tradition of grant giving continues and expands every year.

For information on how to apply for a grant, please see our Grants page.

Ruth Roy Scholarship Fund

In honor of her career in teaching gifted students in the Issaquah School District, the Ruth Roy Scholarship Fund has been established to support highly capable students in their constant curiosity and quest for knowledge. The scholarship will assist post fifth-to-seventh grade students to pursue academic or intellectual interests beyond what is currently available to him/her in the regular school program. The scholarship is designed to encourage highly capable students to seek additional challenge and find new areas to explore on their own.

For information or to apply for The Ruth Roy Scholarship Fund, click here.

Club 7

Club 7 provides critical support to middle school students at-risk of failure. The program was developed in response to community need and studies that revealed a connection between high-school dropout rates and student success during the critical transition between grade school and middle school. Club 7 provides 6th, 7th and 8th grade students with six hours of after-school support per week to address areas of academic concern and to re-connect them to school through a positive adult relationship. Club 7 is in currently in place at Beaver Lake, Issaquah and Maywood Middle Schools.

Club 7 is a collaborative effort among ISF, the Issaquah School District, PTSA's, the City of Issaquah and the City of Issaquah.

Volunteers of Issaquah Changing Education (VOICE)

VOICE is a mentoring program funded by the Issaquah Schools Foundation with the cooperation and support of the Issaquah School District. A VOICE volunteer works in an Issaquah school during the school day or after school as a one-to-one tutor and mentor, working with a student for one hour per week. Voice mentors are carefully matched with students based on the strengths and desires of the mentor and the needs of the student.

VOICE volunteers are positive and dependable role models who partner with school staff to provide academic tutoring and other enrichment activities. Initially introduced in elementary schools, the VOICE program has recently expanded into middle schools and the 9th grade campus. VOICE volunteers who come from many walks of life foster social skills and motivate students to become successful learners.

To learn more about the VOICE program or find out how you, too, can make a difference in the life of an Issaquah school student, please contact VOICE coordinator, Susan Gierke at 425-837-7139 or e-mail at VOICE@issaquah.wednet.edu.

Read the Winter 2008 VOICE newsletter.

Volunteer to be a VOICE mentor -- here is the application form.

National Board Certification Scholarship Update

Evidence from private and public research continues to emphasize that teaching quality matters most to student achievement. National Board Certification, a rigorous program designed to elevate the practice of teaching to the highest levels both, is considered the highest level of professionalism a teacher can achieve. The Issaquah Schools Foundation is proud to offer National Board Certification scholarship support to Issaquah District staff.

In the fall of 2008, the Issaquah Schools Foundation and the Issaquah School District strengthened their support of teachers seeking National Board Certification status by agreeing to underwrite zero interest loans to applicants. Together, loans from ISF and ISD will cover between $1,800 to of $3,000 of the $3,500 cost of the certification process. Upon completion of the NBC program and two years of service as a NBC teacher in the District, both the ISF and ISD loans will be forgiven. In addition, the Issaquah School District will provide from two to four release days to each applicant to allow them time to work on their certification portfolio.

Please join us in congratulating our newest class of National Board Certified teachers. We applaud their commitment to educational excellence.  

• Carol Best, Second Grade, Discovery Elementary
• Lori Fisher, First Grade, Endeavour Elementary
• Kara Heaphy, Science, Beaver Lake Middle School
• Gabrielle Herring, Kindergarten, Endeavour Elementary
• Kathryn Krueger, Music, Challenger Elementary
• Jennifer Mountford, Language Arts, Pacific Cascade Freshman Campus
• Rena Pitasky, Math, Pine Lake Middle School
• Carrie Reckling, Spanish, Beaver Lake Middle School
• Kourtney Smith, First Grade, Discovery Elementary
• Ann Swiftney, Humanities, Issaquah Middle School
• Leah Van More, Science, Pacific Cascade Freshman Campus
• Michele Van More, Humanities, Pine Lake Middle School
• Jonathan Whitney, World Studies, Pacific Cascade Freshman Campus

To read the District's news release on NBC, click here.

For more information on National Board Certification, visit the NBC website.

Info sessions and scholarships details will be announced for the 2009 – 2010 school year beginning in January of 2009. For any questions related to the NB process or District/ISF support, please contact Jessica Daley at daleyj@issaquah.wednet.edu or 425-837-4061.

• Please refer to the link at https://eds.ospi.k12.wa.us/NBScholarship/ for information on Washington Initiative Scholarship Application due dates.
• With enough candidates we can secure local in-district UW mentoring support.
• If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact Issaquah School District National Board Certified Teacher/National Board Facilitator and Mentor: Jessica Daley at Discovery Elementary School, 425-837-4100, DaleyJ@issaquah.wednet.edu

All Issaquah School District Certificated Staff meeting National Board Certification Application requirements NBPTS.org are eligible.