Happy Birthday BLAST!

Project Details

BLAST (Beatrice Learning After School Time) turns 5 this year and the Beatrice Educational Foundation wants to celebrate and hopes you will join in the fun by making a donation. Each day students at the three elementary schools can stay after school and enjoy a snack, have another recess, get help with homework, and participate in enrichment activities until 6. Currently close to 200 students participate in BLAST@Paddock Lane and BLAST@Lincoln/Stoddard. The program also offers the afternoon portion of the BEST Possible Summer program. This year for the first time, the Foundation was able to provide a two-day camp experience during the summer for students at Camp Jefferson. This camp experience was made possible with the help of Gage County Extension. We also enjoy great support from other community organizations for programming including taking the third, fourth and fifth-grade students to Homestead National Historical Park several times during the year and having the Beatrice Public Library's youth director come once a month to read a book. The Beatrice Educational Foundation would like to continue to offer these experiences to students and with your help can make year six even better.

Lady Mary's Fund

Project Details

Lady Mary's Fund will provide money to principals at each of the six buildings to be used for students with needs that make it difficult to learn. For example, Principal Betty Replogle explained a situation that happened many years ago but today is happening more often. "Many years ago I had a little boy in third grade who was in desperate need of a decent pair of shoes.  The tops were not even connected to the bottoms and they were sizes too big.  I called Nick at Browns to be certain there would be a pair of Nikes that would fit; there were.  I took him to the store and bought him a pair of Nikes, Michael Jordan's no less. He was excited beyond words.  He walked around in them in the shoe store and just kept smiling.  He gave me the biggest hug and said quietly, "This is the first pair of new shoes I have ever had."  That little boy ended up in foster care and with the most wonderful family.  He graduated from high school, went into the military and life has gone well for him.  A few years ago he was back in town and we ran into each other at a funeral.  He once again gave me the biggest hug, and he told me he still remembers going to get his very first pair of new shoes with me.  Priceless experience not only for the young man, but for me as well." Students that come to school without the necessary supplies have a difficult time focusing on school work. Each student's needs are different and this fund will allow the principals the flexibility to get each student ready to learn.

Technology Needs Important

Project Details

This fall and past spring we saw just how important technology is to education when students and teachers were no longer meeting face to face and their only means of communication was through the magic of technology. While we hope this does not happen again I think we would all agree we need both students and teachers ready to learn remotely.

We are hoping you will help us continue our support of technology needs. We want to make sure that every child in Beatrice Public Schools has the necessary access to technology to continue learning especially if it becomes necessary to learn remotely. Educators stepped up and met the challenge last spring but also learned there is much that needs to be done to make sure all students continue to learn if they cannot be together in a classroom. Access to technology is a must. Access to the internet is a must. Your financial support will ensure that every child has the necessary equipment and access to the internet to allow them to continue learning during these unprecedented times. 

One of the requests from teachers and administrators is for document cameras. The cost for a good quality document camera is $300. It allows teachers to do the following:

• Read and Write Along with their students
• Bring Science Labs to Life
• Magnify Math Manipulatives
• Put the show back in "Show and Tell"
• Demonstrate how to use technology
• Review quizzes or tests

Teacher Grants

Project Details

Each year more teachers request funding and each year the Beatrice Educational Foundation is only able to fund a portion of them. The Foundation would like to grant more of these requests. Teachers are on the front line and know what works best with students. All funds collected during The Big Give will be returned to teachers in the form of grants.