Goddard Education Foundation -

Goddard Public Schools Nonresident Student Application Now Open, June 1 - June 30, 2024. The number of open seats available to nonresident students in the USD 265 Goddard Public School District for the 2024-25 school year is as follows: Kindergarten = 24 1st Grade = 42 2nd Grade = 12 4th Grade = 4 7th Grade = 20 2024-25 Nonresident Student Application Form: https://forms.gle/M5t78Lo2RnK2b6q8A Please complete the above application and have all requested information submitted in its entirety by 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 30, 2024, to the USD 265 Administration Center, 201 S. Main St., Goddard, KS, or electronically by emailing enrollment@goddardusd.com for the application to be considered complete. Families who have completed a nonresident student application will receive communication about acceptance or non-acceptance on or before Monday, July 15, 2024. For questions, please call 316-794-4000, or email enrollment@goddardusd.com

Pickleball is a sport that has rapidly gained popularity both nationally and locally in our community. At Discovery Intermediate, Madeline Cole, the PE teacher, has implemented teaching Pickleball to her 5th and 6th-grade students. With the help of an Innovative Teacher Grant provided by the Goddard Education Foundation, Mrs. Cole was able to purchase new Pickleball equipment, growing her ability to utilize class time and allow every student in class to participate together. “Pickleball is a lifetime sport. My goal is to develop life-long students of fitness and health. Pickleball is not just for athletes; it's a sport for all ages and at different fitness levels,” shared Cole. The Pickleball unit enhances a student's level of physical activity and fitness, all while having fun. As students “play,” the goal is that students will begin to recognize the value of physical activity for health. For the 500 students at Discovery Intermediate, having new equipment only increases their excitement for learning the sport of Pickleball, and many practice what they learn outside of school at local Pickleball facilities. The Goddard Education Foundation is grateful for the support that helps fund Innovative Teacher Grants across USD 265. Innovative Teacher Grants provide opportunities for educators to ‘dream big’ for their classrooms, providing unique learning experiences that inspire minds and expand possibilities for our #265 Family.

Innovation looks a little different in Mr. Archer’s Mixed Abilities class at Eisenhower High School. The Mixed Abilities Special Education Program prepares its students for life after high school, including, but not limited to, employment and independent living. With the help of an Innovative Teacher Grant, Mr. Archer was able to purchase tools that will teach his students how to use tools appropriately in a variety of real-life situations. “At EHS, we have a designated space for students to work on functional tasks but are looking to expand the activities that students are able to perform and work on during the school day. Students of all ability levels benefit from learning independent living skills. The addition of household tools helps students with fine motor skills, executive functioning, and motor planning skills, and also provides opportunities for Mixed Abilities teachers to demonstrate how functional skills and academics come together in real life,” shared Mr. Archer. For the 32 current students of Mr. Archer's mixed abilities class and future incoming students, success comes in the form of gaining knowledge, conquering a new skill, and growing independence that will help contribute to life after high school. Supporting the Goddard Education Foundation helps provide innovative opportunities to implement real-life skills for Goddard Public Schools students, like those in Mr. Archer’s Mixed Abilities class. Thank you, USD 265 educators, for inspiring minds and expanding possibilities for our #265 Family.

Now is your chance to get your Sports Physicals completed for the 2024 - 2025 school year! Vrana Chiropractic and Lighthouse Chiropractic are teaming up to offer $25 Sports and School Physicals May 1 - 31, 2024, and July 15 - August 9, 2024. All proceeds will be donated to the Goddard Education Foundation! Thank you, Vrana Chiropractic and Light House Chiropractic, for ensuring our USD 265 athletes are ready for another school year and partnering with the GEF to help expand opportunities for our #265 Family!

Innovative Teacher Grants help Goddard Public Schools educators think outside the box, or in this case, outside the school, to inspire minds for our #265 Family. The Roaring Reading Mentor Program is an innovative collaboration between two Goddard schools, Goddard Middle School and Amelia Earhart Elementary. Mr. Zoglmann and Ms. Aragon, both reading teachers from Goddard Middle School, wanted a fun way to promote fluent reading in their students as well as create positive academic role models for elementary students. With the help of an Innovative Teacher Grant, the Roaring Reading Mentor Program was born. The program targets students K-4 at Amelia Earhart Elementary, as well as 7th-grade reading students and 7th/8th IS reading classes at GMS. Each semester the middle school students visit Amelia Earhart classrooms equipped with picture books to read to their younger peers. Each elementary student is paired with a GMS buddy. The buddy starts by reading the collaborative story out loud and then helps “coach” the younger peer as they read it back to them, creating an authentic experience. Traxtyn, a 7th-grader at GMS, shared, “I get a little nervous before going to read with our buddies. I want to be a good role model for them and know they look up to us.” Not only does the Roaring Reading Mentor Program impact students academically, but it also helps provide Social-Emotional skills for both buddies as they navigate reading together. “The Roaring Reading program gives students an opportunity to develop empathy for working with other age groups and develop an interest in reading based on authentic reading experiences,” shared Mr. Zoglmann. Supporting the Goddard Education Foundation creates innovative opportunities for both students and staff of Goddard Public Schools. Thank you, Mr. Zoglmann and Ms. Aragon, for all you do to inspire minds and expand possibilities for GMS students.

Have you ever had a problem and needed someone to solve it? At Explorer Elementary, “The Fixers” are at your service! With the help of an innovative teacher grant, Mrs. Haney, Project Lead the Way teacher at Explorer, created the Fix It Club. “Whether it is a simple problem of needing batteries for your remote or computer mouse, needing a better way to organize cords in your classroom, or building classroom furniture, the Fix It Club is at your service. If there is building or engineering involved, then the Fix It Club will investigate and research ways to solve the problem together. My hope is that students never stop with the answer we can’t solve it, but rather it might be ‘we can’t solve it yet’,” shared Haney. Following suit with Project Lead The Way Curriculum, which encourages students to work together to solve real-world problems, the Fix It Club gives students hands-on experience with solving everyday issues that arise in their own school. Students are able to work together to troubleshoot the problem, research ways to solve the problem, and create solutions. Trindon, a 4th-grade student at Explorer, said this about the Fix-It Club, “There are always opportunities to learn and challenges to overcome and face. I have always liked fixing things, now I get to learn and help fix things for others at school.” Problem solvers with a sense of community involvement. The Fix It Club not only empowers students to learn, grow, and utilize hands-on experience with troubleshooting, but it also allows students an opportunity to give back and to feel the pride and ownership of being able to help their teachers and school. “Everything we do in Project Lead The Way is about connecting to the world and helping students solve real-world problems; Fix It Club helps provide a project where students can use those skills to solve real problems in their world,” shared Mrs. Haney. The Goddard Education Foundation is proud to fund Innovative Teacher Grants like Mrs. Haney’s Fix It Club, which expand opportunities for our #265 Family. Thank you to our generous donors and partners who give to the GEF each year. Your support provides endless opportunities and resources for the students and staff of Goddard Public Schools.

“Art is a hands-on activity that helps students gain motor skills and learn how to follow directions,” Mrs. Conner, an Innovative Teacher Grant winner, states. The Goddard Education Foundation provides opportunities for connection across the elementary and high school levels to foster student creativity. Mrs. Conner, the art teacher, and National Art Honors Society (NAHS) sponsor at Eisenhower High School, saw the need for art projects across all levels of education. With her Innovative Teacher Grant, her NAHS students create art kits for elementary students at Explorer and Apollo Elementary. Mrs. Conner explains: “This activity will impact 450 elementary students and 30 students in the National Art Honor Society.” These students will get to share their love of art with the younger generation and learn how to express themselves creatively. High school students can share their love for art, and these students ignite a passion for creativity in young minds at the elementary level. The lessons created by NAHS students are designed to benefit elementary students and teachers. The NAHS students create PowerPoints for elementary teachers to use in their classrooms to help younger students learn how to follow instructions and use creativity to create their own unique art projects. Implementing these art kits in elementary classrooms helps students build motor skills and learn how to think outside the box. The kits created by high school students also drive student’s passion for artistic expression and creative thinking. The Goddard Education Foundation is excited to support budding artists across the Goddard Public School District through Mrs. Conner’s art kit initiative.

“Be grateful. Be positive. Be true. Be kind. Friendships matter,” shares Sandra Lahar, Paraeducator at Challenger Intermediate School. The halls of Challenger Intermediate echo those statements with artwork used to help bring Capturing Kids’ Hearts themes to life. Capturing Kids’ Hearts (CKH) aims to strengthen students’ connectedness to others by enhancing healthy bonds with teachers and helping build a school culture founded on relationships. For the past several years, Mrs. Lahar has created art projects for the 5th and 6th grade students at Challenger that connect to the Capturing Kids’ Hearts theme each month. Teamwork, Respect, Kindness, Courage, and Perseverance are some traits celebrated throughout the school year. “Creating art, using your creativity, and taking time to think about the Capturing Kids’ Hearts traits helps get the spirit of the message across,” shared Lahar. Each month, Mrs. Lahar purchases, prepares, and delivers art projects with instructions to Challenger teachers so they can complete them with their class. Mrs. Lahar also partners with Challenger Librarian Elizabeth Ewing to select a book that will tie in with the project/theme each month. “I get the privilege of reading the book selection to all of my classes. This helps begin a discussion about what they will see in the hallway to make it more meaningful. I love it because it allows me the opportunity to collaborate more with the classrooms and student work,” shared Mrs. Ewing. The final artwork is then showcased in a seasonal display near the cafeteria, where all students and staff walk by daily. “Thankful leaves, snowflakes with goals, and hearts with affirmations, each CKH theme comes to life and fills our halls with color. I like to see the students walk down the hall to lunch, find their art, and read others' affirmations and goals. We all need a little encouragement and reminder to embrace some of the traits taught through Capturing Kids’ Hearts,” shared Lahar. “The Art Walls truly show Mrs. Lahar going above and beyond for our students, which is what we all strive for to create a community here at Challenger Intermediate.” Mrs. Ewing exclaimed. The Goddard Education Foundation is privileged to provide Innovative Teacher Grants that help impact educators like Mrs. Lahar, who have innovative ideas that help expand the learning experience for USD 265 students.

“Incorporating sensory integration not only has a profound effect on academic scores but also on behavior,” explains Mrs. Riggs, a 4th-grade teacher at Clark Davidson Elementary and Innovative Teacher Grant recipient. The Goddard Education Foundation strives to assist teachers in implementing creative solutions to engage and educate students across Goddard Public Schools. Mrs. Riggs states, “A simple shift in a child’s brain could change their landscape of learning for a lifetime.” In her classroom, sensory and stress relief tools are used to help student engagement, which empowers excitement for lifelong learning. Through the incorporation of flexible seating, stress relief toys, and stimulating activities, students learn the importance of managing their social-emotional well-being. This prepares students for active learning and participation in daily classwork. Mrs. Riggs explains the lifelong benefits of learning healthy stress management practices at an early age, “Students learn de-escalation strategies, how to achieve a calm and safe learning environment, and how to tackle different learning styles.” These tactics will help students engage in their schoolwork and teach them how to handle stressful situations in the future. Innovative Teacher Grants propel students to future greatness by encouraging positive learning habits. The Goddard Education Foundation strives to support academic and social success for students across the Goddard Public School District by giving opportunities to innovative teachers like Mrs. Riggs.

The Goddard Education Foundation is committed to providing opportunities for teachers to think creatively to benefit their students' academic and social-emotional skills. Oak Street Elementary counselor Mrs. Buresh, sought to implement new techniques to teach students positive self-awareness strategies. Manipulatives such as sand timers, scented markers, and stress-relieving fidgets are incorporated into a previous initiative called Calm Down Tiger Tubs. Mrs. Buresh explains, “By having these tools available for our students, they can begin their journey towards finding positive strategies that allow them to be in a ready state to learn.” Teaching students how to approach situations that may influence their emotions strengthens their social skills throughout their educational and professional lives. Joyce, a first-grade student at Oak Streek Elementary, shared “I sometimes need to take a little brain break, and my teacher helps schedule breaks so I can be ready to learn.” These materials are intentionally used in classrooms to help students understand how to manage their self-awareness and how to self-regulate their emotions. Mrs. Buresh describes, “Helping students learn social-emotional skills is the foundation for 21st-century learning skills that employers desire graduates to have.” In the preliminary stages of a child’s education journey, understanding positive approaches to handling stress will benefit them for years to come. Learning how to manage emotions with positive calming practices is essential for future success. Mrs. Buresh explains, “It equips them with the skills they need and the time to practice them so they can become caring and productive members of our community.” The Goddard Education Foundation is proud to support these initiatives to foster student success through Innovative Teacher Grants.

“Play-based learning creates a fair and positive environment,” says Mrs. Hummer, an Early Learning teacher at Amelia Earhart Elementary. With the support of an Innovative Teacher Grant provided by the Goddard Education Foundation, Mrs. Hummer can apply play-based learning tactics in her classroom. With Mrs. Hummer’s Innovative Teacher Grant, along with help from the USD 265 Maintenance department, she built a LEGO wall for students to utilize as a creative outlet for play-based collaborative learning. Mrs. Hummer explains, “It can accommodate the needs and abilities of all learners and eliminate any hurdles in the learning process. It is a maker space for any age and subject area.” This will create a versatile learning experience for a wide variety of subject matter and for students of all abilities. By using the LEGO wall, students experience open-ended, creative projects to further their cognitive development. Staff motivates students to overcome obstacles while using makerspace manipulatives. Mrs. Hummer expresses, “Students are encouraged to be persistent and engage in play.” The hands-on learning opportunity in Mrs. Hummer’s classroom motivates students to utilize creativity when solving problems. She states: “It creates a foundation for creative expression, collaborative learning, and a community-oriented mindset.” Students are learning how to find creative solutions to difficult problems with the help of manipulatives implemented by innovative teachers. The Goddard Education Foundation is passionate about providing these opportunities for students and staff to explore creative expression and execution. Thank you, USD 265 Maintenance Department, for building the Lego wall and helping expand possibilities for our youngest learners.

The Goddard Education Foundation helps provide innovative resources for classrooms across the Goddard School District. Goddard Academy students now have access to new PE equipment with the help of an Innovative Teacher Grant. Mr. Vang, Goddard Academy PE Teacher, expressed, “The need for my program is to encourage students to be physically active. Having new and different equipment available helps ensure there is something everybody will enjoy and give students an active break from sitting at a desk.” Mr. Vang is committed to creating positive learning environments for his students. In PE, students learn to work as a team, problem-solving skills, communication, and thinking skills, all vital for life after graduation. Physical activity is important for student’s physical health and social-emotional health. These new PE materials allow for students to learn how to communicate positively with others. Mr. Vang states, “All of these educational outcomes will help prepare students for the future.” The incorporation of new equipment such as soccer balls, soccer nets, golf balls, and putting greens allow students to experience a variety of physical activities while working as a team. Innovative teachers throughout the Goddard Public School District are leaving positive impacts on their students. With the help of Innovative Teacher Grants, teachers such as Mr. Vang, are able to assist in growing student success, connectedness, and health.

Innovative Teacher Grants, provided through the Goddard Education Foundation, maximize student success by granting opportunities for educators to incorporate new strategies to teach lifelong skills. At Clark Davidson Elementary, Mrs. Hepner, with the help of an Innovative Teacher Grant, has integrated culturally enriched dramatic play centers in two early childhood special education classrooms. Mrs. Hepner describes the play centers as “specifically designed to foster language-rich environments to help dual-language learners develop communication, social, and cognitive skills.” These play centers target a variety of student needs, but as Mrs. Hepner expressed, “Students may have different needs and self-identified learning styles, but everyone loves to play. It bridges any learning or communication gaps creating a safe, caring, and positive environment.” This opportunity to play with classmates expands beyond childhood playtime and delves into the essential skill of working cooperatively with others. CDS students using these innovative manipulatives can close the gap between learning academic and social skills. Mrs. Hepner explains, “After a full day of learning, it is important to develop social skills. While working at these intentionally designed learning stations, students enhance life skills like playing, following the rules, self-regulation, language development, and fine motor skills. All the while applying and growing their imagination and teamwork capabilities." The activities implemented in early childhood classrooms, like Mrs. Hepner's, prepare students for a successful start to Kindergarten and the rest of their educational journey through USD 265. Through the Goddard Education Foundation's support of innovative teaching grants, we can continue to enrich the skills students develop for lifelong success.

The Goddard Education Foundation supports fundamental learning strategies that aid teachers in crucial aspects of their curriculum. At Explorer Elementary, Mrs. Vermillion and Ms. Graber’s Kindergarten classrooms now have access to hands-on manipulatives for their ELA program through the incorporation of new materials provided by an Innovative Teacher Grant. These two Kindergarten teachers explained, “Having these materials will impact our entire Kindergarten population.” The incorporation of these new materials and manipulatives will not only increase reading comprehension and literacy skills but will also enhance teamwork and critical thinking for these developing minds. Mrs. Vermillion and Ms. Graber are committed to the growth of their students’ minds both academically and socially, focusing on educating the whole child starting at the beginning of their academic career. As students start their journey with Goddard Public Schools as kindergarteners, learning ELA skills is vital to growth in the subject later in their lives. Access to these innovative ways to learn only enhances their skills. Mrs. Vermillion and Ms. Graber express: “Providing hands-on activities are crucial in the development of student learning.” Kindergarten is the foundation for the rest of a child’s development in education. These two kindergarten teachers are excited to see their student’s: “enthusiasm for learning letters, letter sounds, and becoming readers!” Innovative Teacher Grants give teachers the opportunity to develop their classroom style and productivity by expanding beyond the standard curriculum. The Goddard Education Foundation is dedicated to giving teachers the opportunity to grow in their teaching style to adapt to new young minds.

Ashley Allen, a Kindergarten teacher at Amelia Earhart Elementary, saw a need for educational manipulatives that would increase her students’ fine motor skills. “Being exposed to STEM manipulatives that encourage them to think outside the box and show their creativity is a huge benefit to growing students,” shared Mrs. Allen. With the help of an Innovative Teacher Grant, Mrs. Allen was able to purchase STEM geared manipulatives, games, and creative play toys. Each day, Allen’s kindergarten class utilizes ‘Morning Bins’ as a start to their day, giving them time in the morning to adjust to being at school while warming up their brains for the day. The 20 Morning Bins are filled with different STEM activities and manipulatives, purchased with the GEF grant, giving the students a different Morning Bin to utilize daily. “Fine motor skills are very important skills to develop and help us become better writers, drawers, etc. STEM play is also important for brain development and helps encourage students to think outside the box. The best thing I can give my students first thing in the morning is time for creative play.” Shared, Mrs. Allen Thank you for supporting the GEF, and helping make innovative opportunities possible for Goddard Public Schools classrooms.

An Innovative Teacher Grant provided by The Goddard Education Foundation inspires student innovation. The grant awarded to Mrs. Osborn’s classroom encourages the incorporation of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) through LUMA Robots. Mrs. Osborn describes LUMA as “friendly, programmable robots that make coding approachable and fun.” These robots allow students to learn skills transferable for STEM careers such as coding, building, and problem-solving. Mrs. Osborn believes this project will “light up student’s enthusiasm for learning” and give students “the opportunity to explore the real-world applications of robotics and coding.” Students use LUMA to solve challenges such as building a wagon to hold LEGO pizza and cupcakes and creating an obstacle course that robots move through by coding the robot to perform. One of Mrs. Osborn’s students, Charlie Nelson, describes using LUMA: “Coding is a blast! It is so fun to see what it will do; we can even make musical notes and add in sounds or noises.” Another student, Breanne Schreiner, says, “I like the building, I like seeing how things turn out and what to do to fix it.” This wide variety of challenges stimulates the needs of a diverse array of student learning styles. With her Innovative Teacher Grant, Mrs. Osborn is building life-long problem-solving skills and preparing students for careers in STEM fields. These lessons will benefit students for the rest of their lives!

Let’s ROAR in 2024! The GEF partnered with First National Bank, Lange Real Estate, and CoFellow Coffee Parlor to show appreciation for our #265 Family! Starting in January, the Blue and White Goddard Activity Bus made its way to every school and department in USD 265. First National Bank, Lange Real Estate, and CoFellow Coffee Parlor joined the GEF on the “bus” to help provide ALL educators with FREE Chick-fil-A breakfast, hot coffee, SWAG, and raffle prizes. Each week, educators were greeted with warmth, kindness, and appreciation. Thank you, First National Bank, Lange Real Estate, and CoFellow Coffee, for jumping on the “bus” with the Goddard Education Foundation. We appreciate your willingness to serve and support the 6,300 students and 1,200 educators of Goddard Public Schools. Your support helps inspire minds and expand possibilities for our #265 Family. The GEF is grateful for YOU! “If we get the right people on the bus, the right people in the right seats, and the wrong people off the bus, then we'll figure out how to take it someplace great.” - Jim Collins Interested in jumping on the “bus” with the Goddard Education Foundation for the 2024-25 school year? Contact Dane Baxa at 316-794-4000 or danebaxa@goddardusd.com or visit www.goddardef.org to learn more.

The Goddard Education Foundation is providing opportunities for teachers to discover alternative ways to benefit their students' learning styles. Inspired by previous Goddard Education Foundation grant winner Julie Campa, Jenni Dinkel is bringing history alive at Eisenhower Middle School. Mrs. Dinkel works with students of varying abilities and recognized a need for mixed learning styles in her classroom. She requested the incorporation of a reader's theater with her history lessons. Students dress in the period costumes and reenact historical events. With her Innovative Teacher Grant, Mrs. Dinkel explains she is “able to integrate history and literacy in one lesson disguised as a costume party.” This has a huge impact on her students' understanding of their material, “reenacting history will help visual and auditory learners comprehend a time period that is so far removed from their current life.” After the class's most recent production of The Life of Andrew Jackson, 8th grade student at EMS Karlynn Keatley, explained that Mrs. Dinkel’s class is “a class where we can get our work done and have fun at the same time!” She explained that doing reader’s theater for history lessons helped her “understand the culture and perspective about how they dressed and lived.” Through Mrs. Dinkel’s Innovative Teacher Grant, she provides her 8th-grade students with historical costumes and props to recreate and visualize the events of the 1700-1800s. The students can grasp concepts and events from a different perspective, helping them understand their history. This Innovative Teacher Grant allows Eisenhower Middle School students to explore how they learn and impacts students of all levels and abilities.

Vrana Chiropractic and Lighthouse Chiropractic are teaming up to offer $25 Sports and School Physicals May 1 - 31, 2024, and July 15 - August 9, 2024. ALL proceeds will be donated to the Goddard Education Foundation! Thank you, Vrana Chiropractic and Light House Chiropractic, for ensuring our USD 265 athletes are ready for another school year and partnering with the GEF to help expand opportunities for our #265 Family!

The Goddard Education Foundation helps provide innovative opportunities and resources for classrooms across the Goddard School District. In Mrs. Lilly’s 4th-grade classroom at Explorer Elementary, her students can participate in unique learning experiences by incorporating “Morning Bins for Creative Collaboration” into daily class time. After COVID, Mrs. Lilly recognized a need to build the social skills of students in her 4th-grade classes. With the resources provided by a Goddard Education Foundation Innovative Teacher Grant, Mrs. Lilly’s students experience various educational activities while incorporating cooperative and collaborative practices. Mrs. Lilly provides 30 bins with different activities challenging students to utilize their critical thinking skills while also cooperating in groups to solve problems. Morning bins are rotated every day, giving each student the opportunity to utilize five tubs per week. “This would give them a variety of exposure to different activities without getting bored,” Mrs. Lilly explains. This initiative also provides an opportunity for teachers to help manage groups and teach them to work together while the students are “playing.” This project has had huge benefits on the way children work together, “children being able to work through conflict or disagreement calmly and kindly.” The social skills students build while utilizing these resources are essential to their future success. Mrs. Lilly understands the importance of collaboration with others and has made an innovative change in her classroom. “The goal of this project is to instill the knowledge and ability to work together and should impact the students through the rest of their academic and work lives.” The Goddard Education Foundation sees the need to support students academically and socially as they grow through the Goddard Public School system.