New academic standards in Louisiana schools have teachers around the state looking for new ways to get the job done efficiently.
When students in Tanya Head’s kindergarten class split up into centers, they are using new hands-on tools thanks to money received earlier this year from by the Supriya Jindal Foundation for Louisiana’s Children.
All four kindergarten teachers at W.T. Lewis Elementary School received $1,000 to purchase classroom tools and resources thanks to a new effort by Supriya Jindal. The First Lady of Louisiana stopped by the school Thursday morning to see that money in action.
The School Surprise program was founded by the Supriya Jindal Foundation for Louisiana’s Children with charter member partner AT&T to provide kindergarten classrooms around the state with “center” related tools to aid education efforts. For Head, the money was a true gift for her classroom.
Among the items she purchased were a microscope for the science center, CD players for the listening center and a game called “Hot Dots,” an educational flash card game that uses a power pen to choose the correct answer. Head said her new classroom tools will benefit students with learning math, science and reading skills.
“I was able to purchase things that would meet every student’s needs and education goals,” she said.
The School Surprise program was created based on input from teachers about way to enhance the classroom environment. The program seeks to provide hands-on, interactive tools that teachers identify as integral to their kindergarten classrooms and their students’ success.
Jindal said a good education begins in the earliest years of life.
“Building a strong foundation for our students to build upon is so very important – we all want to ensure our kindergarteners master the basics of reading, writing and math,” Jindal said. “Our children are the key to our future. With hard work, we believe we have the opportunity to make a lasting and positive difference in education.”
The Supriya Jindal Foundation for Louisiana’s Children is a non-profit organization that seeks to aid Louisiana’s children in all aspects of education, emphasizing mathematics and science, while also giving teachers new tools to foster an innovative and enriched learning environment. For more information, visit www.jindalfoundation.org
