Thanks to the continued generosity of the Austin Community, including the Hirsch Foundation and Alumni of Austin Public Schools, the APE Foundation was able to fund 43 instructional staff grants at $40,127.79 and 7 building grants at $44,453.45 for a combined total of 50 grants and $84,581.24!
We at Austin Public Education Foundation are very excited to continue to see our vision of enhancing education for the students of Austin Public Schools be successful!
PACKER CLASSIC!
Our biggest fundraiser of the year, the Packer Classic, will be held on Monday, July 18th, 2022 at the Austin Country Club. After having a modified classic the last two years, we are very excited to be back with a day full of golf, contests, awards, food and fun! If your are interested in being a sponsor or putting a 4 person team together, you can click on the link above or contact Jennifer Boysen at apef.director@austin.k12.mn.us.
Austin Public Education Foundation Grant Process Information
Eligibility
The APE Foundation is pleased to consider applications that benefit the students of the Austin Public Schools. Please review the attached district goals when submitting your grant.
The foundation does not provide grants for the following:
Salary or fringe benefits for school district employees
Continuing education
Student fees and/or rentals normally paid by parents or guardians
Curriculum
Clothing
Field trips
Smartboards
iPads
Batteries
Food or snacks
If you are requesting an item that will require the district’s support, please talk to your principal to see if it can be supported.
Timelines
Applications are due March21st, 2022 for projects to be funded for the 2022-2023 school year.
The grant committee will notify you if your grant was selected, by March 31st, 2022. If your grant is accepted, give your purchase order to your principal stating it is for the APE Foundation, prior to the last day of school. For building administrators, submit purchase orders as normal with a notation that funding is provided by the APEF grant. Your order will be made after July 1st, 2022 and you should have your items in time for the 2022-2023 school year.
Access a Word document version of Instructional Staff Grantshere.
Access a Word document version of Building Administrator Grantshere.
Two Grants, One Submission Process
As of the 2021 grants are available to both instructional staff and building administrators. Instructional Staff grants will continue to be funded through the Huntting and Packer Endowments. Building Administrator grants will be funded through APEF grants from the Hirsh Foundation.
Application Guidelines
Your grant should not be more than 1-2 word processed pages. Refer to the sample grants below for guidance.
Submit FOUR PAPER COPIES of your grant to Jennifer Boysen, Executive Director, at the APEF Office located in the High School. Emailed grants will not be considered.
Your grant needs to contain the following information:
Date, project title, school, applicant name(s), signature(s) and contact phone and e-mail information.
A brief description of the objectives or purpose of the grant request, including the number and description of the people who will be served by the grant.
A detailed description of item(s requested with estimated costs.
List each item separately; it is beneficial to prioritize your items and attach pictures.
We at the Austin Public Education Foundation would like to officially welcome Lindsay Bires a new Director on the APE Foundation Board.
Lindsay is originally from Windom, MN. She moved to Austin in 2009. Her husband Toren works at Hormel, she has an American Family Insurance agency on Oakland, and they have three children. Ashlyn is in 1st grade (7), Brielle is in Kindergarten (5) and Brayden is in daycare (2). I enjoy shopping, cooking/baking, and hanging out with family and friends.
It is an annual tradition for the Austin Public Education Foundation to provide grants to instructional staff within Austin Public School District support and enhance learning. Since 1992, the Huntting and Packer Endowments have made these grants possible, growing from a single $500 grant that first year to 55 grants totaling $45,588.20 in 2021!
Austin Public Education Foundation Grant Process Information
Eligibility
The APE Foundation is pleased to consider applications that benefit the students of the Austin Public Schools. Please review the attached district goals when submitting your grant.
The foundation does not provide grants for the following:
Salary or fringe benefits for school district employees
Continuing education
Student fees and/or rentals normally paid by parents or guardians
Curriculum
Clothing
Field trips
Smartboards
iPads
Batteries
Food or snacks
If you are requesting an item that will require the district’s support, please talk to your principal to see if it can be supported.
Two Grants, One Submission Process
As of the 2021 grants are available to both instructional staff and building administrators. Instructional Staff grants will continue to be funded through the Huntting and Packer Endowments. Building Administrator grants will be funded through APEF grants from the Hirsh Foundation.
Application Guidelines
Your grant should not be more than 1-2 word processed pages. Refer to the sample grants below for guidance.
Submit FOUR PAPER COPIES of your grant to Jennifer Boysen, Executive Director, at the APEF Office located in the High School. Emailed grants will not be considered.
Your grant needs to contain the following information:
Date, project title, school, applicant name(s), signature(s) and contact phone and e-mail information.
A brief description of the objectives or purpose of the grant request, including the number and description of the people who will be served by the grant.
A detailed description of item(s requested with estimated costs.
List each item separately; it is beneficial to prioritize your items and attach pictures.
Reward Instructions
If a grant is awarded, approval is given only for item(s) and dollar amount described.
The foundation board must approve any changes prior to purchase.
For Instructional Staff grants, email your administrator detailing your grant request. This will keep principals informed of the number and objectives of grant requests generated by their staff.
Timelines
Applications are due March4th, 2022 for projects to be funded for the 2022-2023 school year.
The grant committee will notify you if your grant was selected, by March 31st, 2022. If your grant is accepted, give your purchase order to your principal stating it is for the APE Foundation, prior to the last day of school. For building administrators, submit purchase orders as normal with a notation that funding is provided by the APEF grant. Your order will be made after July 1st, 2022 and you should have your items in time for the 2022-2023 school year.
Access a Word document version of Instructional Staff Grantshere.
Access a Word document version of Building Administrator Grantshere.
Instructional Staff Grant Sample:
2/2/22 3rd Grade Listening Center Materials
Dear Austin Public Education Foundation,
I am writing to request a grant for the 3rd grade at Wood Creek Elementary School. We currently have 125 children in the 3rd grade at Wood Creek. This number does fluctuate each year.
Our district started a new reading series this year called Happy Readers. With Happy Readers, everything that the children do during reading time is leveled. One of the activities, that Happy Readers suggests, is a listening center. Because of this, we would like to have listening materials at a variety of reading levels. We have very little resources for listening center materials in our building. There are 10 books with CD’s available to check out in the library. All of the 3rd grade teachers have CD players in their classrooms. We are lacking books and CD’s to play on our players.
We would appreciate it if you were able to fund listening center materials from Lakeshore Learning. Although there are 4 classrooms, we feel we would be able to share the materials. We would like to have 2 of each set that is available.
2- Read along Grades 2-4 $179.00 ($358.00 for 2 sets)
2- Read along Grades 4-6 $179.00 ($358.00 for 2 sets)
Total purchase $716.00
Thank you for taking the time to read my request,
Suzie Smith
3rd Grade Teacher
Wood Creek Elementary School
# 555-5555 / s.smith@wces.mn.us
Signed: Suzie Smith_________
Thank you, Hirsch Foundation – Building Level Grants
We are excited to still offer grants for building administrators funded through the Hirsch Foundation. The last few years, we have taken advantage of our new funding from the Hirsch Foundation to dream big and provide grants that impacted students at a broader level – benefitting all students within a building vs. a classroom or grade level. We will be able to continue on this year, with building administrators submitting their grant requests that enhance learning at their building.
In the midst of the ongoing pandemic, it is rewarding to be able to give back to the teachers and administrators of Austin Public Schools. They have worked tirelessly this year to continue providing high quality education to our students. We can’t wait to see your grant requests for this year.
The executive committee of the Austin Public Education Foundation would like to announce that Jennifer Boysen has been hired as the new Executive Director effective September, 2021.
Jennifer is originally from St. Paul, MN. She met her husband, Bryan (an Austin native and AHS Class of 1997 Grad), in Winona and made Austin her home in 2003. Together they have three children, all of whom are currently Austin Packers.
Jennifer is excited to serve as Executive Director by bringing her organizational skills and her appreciation for education and educators to the foundation. She looks forward to working with the APEF board to build upon the current success of the organization by expanding the opportunities for enhancing education at Austin Public Schools.
“Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours.”
The 2021 Packer Classic was a rousing success this past Monday at the Austin Country Club. 25 teams came together for a beautiful afternoon of golfing in support of education and Austin Public Schools. When planning this event, many of the COVID restrictions were still in place, so we needed to forego our usual dinner and presentation where we typically announce the winners of our games and raffle prizes. So, instead, we are announcing those winners here.
Game Winners
First Place: Team of Tom Wuertz, Jason Riles, John Riles, and Ron Bormaster
Second Place: Team Ameriprise Financial – Taylor Maxfield, Allison Bates, Mel Soderlund, and Amanda Sayles
Closest to the Cooler, Mens: Tom Wuertz
Closest to the Cooler, Womens: Katie Larson
Par 3 Challenge: Matt Ball
Putting Contest: 1st place – Tom Dunlop, 2nd place – Jeff Carney
Raffle Prize Winners
Basket
Winner
1 – Get Fit Together
Amy Mayers
2 – Par for the Course
Nick Wangen
3 – Through the Grapevine
Tom Wuertz
4 – Back on the Road
Todd Dube
5 – DELIcious
Cory Goetz
6 – Main Street Treats
Beth Hasley
7 – Downtown Delight
Brenda Landherr
8 – Sweet Reads
David Krenz
9 – Dog Spahhhhhh
Andrea Malo
10 – Remember to Hydrate
Morgan Schmitz
Each year, the APE Foundation is able to give out grants that positively impact teaching and learning in Austin. Hear from one of our grant recipients, Nikky Tolde – music and advanced academic teacher at Sumner Elementary.
The Austin Public Education Foundation would like to thank everyone for coming out and enjoying a day on the links. We’ll see you at next year’s 24th Annual Packer Classic!
It’s time! The Austin Public Education Foundation is excited to announce that registration is open for this year’s Packer Classic. This golf tournament, held annually at the Austin Country Club raises funds that support classrooms and schools within Austin Public Schools District #492.
Austin Public Education Foundation PO Box 878 Austin, MN 55912
This is a fun event that puts funding back into the hands of our teachers and administrators to directly enhance the learning experience our kids have in their classrooms. If you have any questions, please reach out to APEF Executive Director Amanda Hulne at 507-460-1938.
It is with great pleasure that we share this year’s APEF grant recipients. Once again, we found ourselves wondering what the next school year would look like. Thankfully, the health of the Huntting and Packer Endowments and the generosity of the Hirsch Family Foundation allow the Austin Public Education Foundation to continue providing grant funding to teachers and administrators within Austin Public Schools District 492.
Building Level Grants
These grants are funded thanks in part to the Hirsch Family Foundation.
Requestor & School
Request
Amount
Andrea Malo, Austin High School
Hallway Seating Options – ALC
$2,416.55
Dewey Schara, IJ Holton Intermediate
Laptop Charging Hub
$566.00
Jason Boe, Southgate Elementary
TumblePro Foam Tumbling Mats
$4,011.96
Sandra Fadness, Ellis Middle School
7th Grade Life Science Microscopes
$3,120.00
Total
$10,114.51
Teacher Grants
These grants are funded by the Huntting and Packer Endowments. Annual interest earned through these endowments determine the amount that can be distributed to teachers each year.
Community Learning Center
Judi Needham
15 TI-30XS Multiview Calculators for Adult Learners
$300.00
Woodson Kindergarten Center
Katie Keller
Hands-on Phonics Learning Activities
$3,823.31
Crystal Pepper
Phonics Instruction Resources
$672.76
Banfield Elementary
Nicole Edwards
1st Grade Phonemic awareness & Centers
$681.09
Nicole Edwards
1st Grade Enrichment Supplemental Books
$383.70
Neveln Elementary
PBIS Team
Self-Regulation Tools
$1,255.06
Lauren Phan
1st Grade Center Materials
$1,019.97
Holly Thomas
Sensory Pathway
$585.00
Gerilyn Vesel
1st Grade Phonics and Mathematics Materials
$453.50
Amber Rochat & Gina Williams
1st Grade Small Group Center Materials
$1,242.06
Maria Mickelson, Janene Lunning, & Brenda Hackensmith
Mathematics Resources
$767.52
Sumner Elementary
English Language Teachers
English Language Tools
$1,514.69
System 44 Teachers
Classroom Library and Tools
$2,000.00
Elizabeth Harder
Science and Social Studies Materials
$475.41
Elizabeth Harder
Reading and Math Small Group Materials
$687.92
Nikky Tolde
Advanced Academic and Talent Development Manipulatives
$160.46
Nikky Tolde
Books Sets
$1,761.00
Southgate Elementary
Jason Boe
EZSet Lightweight Portable Volleyball Standards
$508.50
Jer Osgood
16 pack of Board Games for Classroom Checkout
$180.00
Jer Osgood
Childcraft Classic Board Game Set of 4 Games
$60.00
Jer Osgood
2 Picnic Tables for Outdoor Learning
$1,475.00
Traci Braaten
Rooted in Reading Book Sets
$1,444.00
First Grade Teachers
1st Grade HOT DOT Independent Working Stations
$1,787.24
Jayme Lamers
3rd Grade Classroom Library- Diverse Books
$567.61
Third Grade Teachers
Social Studies Small Group Books
$1,154.00
Christy Halsey
Decodable Readers for Guided Reading Library
$636.00
Morgan Dickman
4th Grade Bee Bot Robot and Mat Resources
$319.80
IJ Holton Intermediate
Angela Thoen
Newcomer Phonics Beginning Readers
$176.00
Marianne Davidson
Exercise Opportunities While Learning
$410.14
Drue Sponheim
Osmo Starter Kits for Ipad
$538.00
5th Grade Social Studies Teachers
5th Grade Flexible Seating – Surf Chairs
$1,079.70
5th Grade Social Studies Teachers
Little People, Big Dreams Series
$401.31
5th Grade Social Studies Teachers
Black History Heroes Book Series
$432.00
5th Grade Math Teachers
5th Grade Student Manipulatives Kits
$2,000.00
Leah Motl
Orchestra Organizational Materials
$600.00
6th Grade Science Teachers
Weather Station with LCD Concole
$424.95
Michelle Swank
Special Education Osmo Genius Kit
$351.61
Ellis Middle School
Arik Anderson -7th & 8th grade Football
Jr. High Football Equipment
$975.00
Austin High School
Kathy Ewing & the ELL Team
Who Is/Who Was EL Leveled Reading Library
$700.00
Jacy Bodi
Weight Room Equipment Expansion
$1,335.27
Kristen Frana
Horizon Program Art and Creativity Supplies
$1,039.38
Darla Bernard
Horizon Program Mind and Body Management Materials
$372.94
Alexa Dolan Peterson
AHS Packer Pantry Storage Request
$135.00
Lisa Peters & Jordan Reim
Classroom Sets – Essentials of Language Arts
$1,078.80
Carlene Pline
Readers Workshop Library – AP Lit
$2,000.00
Leslie Leffers
16 Cube Storage Organizer
$140.52
Oakland Education Center
Troy Deikman
PE/DAPE – Gagaball Pit
$2,129.00
Area Learning Center
Eliza Kelly
Easel Boards for STARS
$139.98
Eliza Kelly & Nicole Fuller
Hands-On Equations and Calculators
$519.00
Eliza Kelly & Gabe Nelson
Table Tennis Supplies for Hand/Eye Coordination
$972.95
District Wide Support
Ryan Mayers, Communications Coordinator
Video Microphone for District Videos
$321.05
David Hovland, Katie Tharp, Nikky Tolde, & Kim Zerke, Elementary Music
Diverse Children’s Books for Music Class
$1,400.00
Total: $45,588.20
Between the Hirsch Foundation and the Huntting and Packer Endowments, the Austin Public Education Foundation was able to provide 56 grants totaling $55,702.71! Congratulations to this year’s recipients. We look forward to seeing your grants in action during the 2021 – 2022 school year.
It is an annual tradition for the Austin Public Education Foundation to provide grants to instructional staff within Austin Public Schools to support and enhance learning. Since 1992, the Huntting and Packer Endowments have made these grants possible, growing from a single $500 grant that first year to 55 grants totaling $45,588.20 in 2021!
Thank you, Hirsch Foundation – Building Level Grants
We are excited to still offer grants for building administrators funded through the Hirsch Foundation. The last few years, we have taken advantage of our new funding from the Hirsch Foundation to dream big and provide grants that impacted students at a broader level – benefitting all students within a building vs. a classroom or grade level. We will be able to continue on this year, with building administrators submitting their grant requests that enhance learning at their building.
In the midst of Theon going pandemic, it is rewarding to be able to give back to the teachers and administrators of Austin Public Schools. They have worked tirelessly this year to continue providing high quality education to our students. We can’t wait to see your grant requests for this year.
The 2020 Eberhart Night of Poetry was not able to be held in a face-to-face setting this year, but a virtual celebration has been made. All 22 finalists made clips of themselves reading their poems and these were put together into a video celebration.
2020 Virtual Eberhart Night of Poetry
All 22 finalists receive a book of poetry courtesy of The Friends of the Library. One winner from each building will also receive a cash prize from an endowment the children of Richard Eberhart have established. This year’s building winners were: