Issaquah Schools Foundation

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 - January, 2010

National Board Certification Video

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 2009 class of National Board Certified teachers. We applaud their commitment to educational excellence.  

  • Vale Baxter, math and physical education, Issaquah High School
  • Laura Berry, librarian, Sunny Hills Elementary School
  • Jodi Carter, math, Pacific Cascade Freshman Campus
  • Marla Crouch, science, Maywood Middle School
  • Keri Dean, language arts and SAIL, Issaquah High School
  • Chelsea Dziedzic, fourth grade, Grand Ridge Elementary School
  • Eric Ensey, technology, humanities, electives; Pine Lake Middle School
  • Caroline Friesen, world studies, Pacific Cascade Freshman Campus
  • Dawn Harper, third grade, Issaquah Valley Elementary
  • Shannon Henderson, language arts, Pacific Cascade Freshman Campus
  • Julie Howard, fourth grade, Maple Hills Elementary School
  • Tia Kleinkopf, fifth grade, Sunny Hills Elementary School
  • Leslie Lederman, technology specialist, Administration
  • Gayle Melton, third grade, Challenger Elementary School
  • Eric Nelson, fourth-grade MERLIN, Apollo Elementary School
  • Kimberly Ralph, fifth-grade MERLIN, Endeavour Elementary School
  • Rebecca Rappin, fourth grade, Grand Ridge Elementary
  • Michelle Ruth Frindell, humanities, Skyline High School
  • Karen Sunmark, band, Maywood Middle School
  • Cristina Uramis, Spanish, Issaquah High School
  • Reyna Yamamoto, first grade, Discovery Elementary School

This group brings the District’s total number of NBC teachers to 49.

To read the District's December, 2009 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 2010 – 2011 school year beginning in January of 2010. 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.

 

Last updated: January 5, 2010

Copyright 2010
Issaquah Schools Foundation

P.O. Box 835, Issaquah, WA 98027
(425) 416-2045
Find us on Facebook