We are excited to announce Mobility Quotient as the title sponsor for Education Matters’ Loonies for Literacy!

Mobility Quotient has donated $25,000 in support of Calgary schools, students, and teachers who will benefit from this initiative. Loonies for Literacy launched April 23, 2022 on Canada Book Day.

Why Loonies for Literacy is so important to Mobility Quotient:

Literacy is the foundation for all learning. When children learn to read, it opens a whole new world of information, imagination, and communication. It’s essential to developing self-esteem, an understanding of the world, and one’s place in it. Sadly, literacy is not equitable, and there are many factors that contribute to students falling behind their peers in literacy and reading comprehension. Those factors include learning differences, language barriers, and socioeconomic factors.

Loonies for Literacy aims to make literacy more equitable across Calgary. For every dollar raised by a school during the campaign, another dollar will be provided to a school in need through contributions from community partners. All funds raised through the initiative will go towards literacy programs.

“Loonies for Literacy supports a cause that is close to my heart,” says Nikhil Sonpal, CEO. “As a parent of two children, it was painful to learn there are students in our community who lack accessibility to books. My children are avid readers, and every child should be afforded the same accessibility to literacy.”

As a community, it is vital that we foster the interest and passion for literacy at a young age and build the foundation to be successful in adulthood.

“It is essential for individuals to possess excellent reading comprehension skills especially in our industry. Continuous learning is paramount to remain relevant in the tech sector and without basic comprehension skills, one cannot survive” says Sonpal. “Focusing on literacy at the grassroots level, in our elementary and secondary schools, is imperative in teaching the importance of learning through reading and comprehension. That’s what makes this initiative so important and why Mobility Quotient is supporting EducationMatters in their drive to create more literacy learning opportunities for all students.”

Mobility Quotient is a boutique digital agency based in Calgary, Alberta. Since their inception in 2009, the tech company has been dedicated to supporting organizations that contribute to the growth and empowerment of the Calgary community. Supporting education and arts in Calgary has been a large focus for Mobility Quotient’s charitable contributions. They’ve provided internships for aspiring developers and designers from nearby universities and colleges, sponsored productions of local up-and-coming talent through Alberta Theatre Projects, donated computer equipment to the Calgary Board of Education, provided financial assistance to music programs for students in Calgary schools, and assisted teachers with workshops surrounding Computational Thinking. Mobility Quotient aims to use the power of technology and community spirit to strengthen and give back to the place it calls home.

The post Literacy support is “close to the heart” for Mobility Quotient appeared first on EducationMatters.

Loonies for Literacy presented by Mobility Quotient is EducationMatters’ system-wide fundraising event to help schools purchase the resources their students need the most. For every dollar a school raises for its own initiative, a dollar will also go to a school in need through the generosity of community sponsors and contributions. You can donate online - either to the gift match portion or to a specific school - or via your mobile device using Text to Donate.

The initiative kicks off on World Book Day - April 23rd. The campaign will run through the month of May until June 3^rd.

The funds raised by Loonies for Literacy will be used towards literacy programs, like:

• - Books for school libraries
• - Library diversification
• - E-books or e-learning resources
• - Early learning resources, and so much more!

Learning to read opens a new world of information, imagination, and communication; literacy is essential to developing self-esteem, an understanding of the world, and one’s place in it. Please join us in ensuring that no student falls behind.

Loonies for Literacy is proudly sponsored by:

The post Introducing… Loonies for Literacy!!! appeared first on EducationMatters.

Launching today, Tuesday April 5, supporters can text LITERACY to 30333 and donate $5 to Loonies for Literacy!

If you want to direct your $5 to a specific school, simply text LITERACY followed by your school shortcode (e.g. 'LITERACY 12MILE/LITERACY12MILE' would direct your donation to Twelve Mile Coulee School, 'LITERACY ABBEY/LITERACYABBEY' to Abbeydale, and so on). It's a simple, speedy way to support literacy needs for students across the Calgary Board of Education with the donation showing up on your next cell bill under the Mobile Giving Foundation.

Text to give not for you? You can donate online using your school's Loonies for Literacy page - if they're not showing up under the search reach out to your Principal to see when their page will be launched. Your school may also be accepting cash and cheque donations, reach out to your school office to check.

Supporting literacy needs has never been so easy - please give today and help students all over the city close the COVID learning gap.

The post Text to Donate for Loonies for Literacy! appeared first on EducationMatters.

Loonies for Literacy presented by Mobility Quotient is EducationMatters’ system-wide fundraising event to help schools purchase the resources their students need the most. For every dollar a school raises for its own initiative, a dollar will also go to a school in need through the generosity of community sponsors and contributions. You can donate online - either to the gift match portion or to a specific school - or via your mobile device using Text to Donate.

The initiative kicks off on Canada Book Day - April 23rd. The campaign will run through the month of May until June 30^th.

The funds raised by Loonies for Literacy will be used towards literacy programs, like:

• - Books for school libraries
• - Library diversification
• - E-books or e-learning resources
• - Early learning resources, and so much more!

Learning to read opens a new world of information, imagination, and communication; literacy is essential to developing self-esteem, an understanding of the world, and one’s place in it. Please join us in ensuring that no student falls behind.

Loonies for Literacy is proudly sponsored by:

The post Introducing… Loonies for Literacy!!! appeared first on EducationMatters.

There may be snow on the ground and holiday jingles playing over the loudspeaker at the grocery store, but for some Calgary schools it’s beginning to look like a lot like Christmas for a different reason.

Each fall, educators in the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) apply for funding through EducationMatters to create projects and initiatives that support student success and to enhance the educational opportunities available to our students.

We are excited to announce that the recipient schools for this year’s grants have been selected and many schools are unwrapping an early Christmas gift this year thanks to generous donors in our city. Here are just a few of the innovative projects that received funding in 2018: we can't wait to see their donors' investments in action in 2019.

Forest Lawn High School: Family Literacy Nights

The most powerful learning happens when students and families learn together. To encourage family learning, Forest Lawn High School is launching a monthly literacy night for students and their families. Each night will be themed and will offer a light dinner and a presentation, as well as games and activities to develop literacy skills. The program aims to increase family and community involvement with the school and to help families build their literacy skills together. Funds from EducationMatters donors will help to cover the costs of: bus passes to get families to the school, food, and literacy resources, as well as games and craft supplies.

Deer Run Elementary School: Deer Run Bot Builders

The Deer Run Bot Builders program is aiming to ‘crack the code’ and encourage girls to engage with technology-based projects and learning at a young age. Girls in grades 1-6 will use coding languages and robotics tools to build their skills in construction and programming to design robots that will complete a variety of tasks. The program will work to engage girls in science, technology, engineering, and math projects with the aim of starting them on a path of lifelong learning and curiosity in these fields. Funds provided by EducationMatters donors will help to purchase coding tools, robotics, Lego, and iPads for girls to explore.

Cedarbrae School: Cedarbrae Connects Land Based Learning

In an effort to be a leader on recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Cedarbrae School is getting its students out for lessons on the land this year. The program will help students build connections with the land and their communities through visits to outdoor locations around Calgary. The visits will be guided by Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers, which will help embed Indigenous ways of knowing into the curriculum. As a school with a large population of Indigenous students, the program will serve as an opportunity to recognize and celebrate Indigenous culture, as well as an opportunity to foster stronger relationships between Indigenous and non-indigenous students.

Falconridge School: Windows to our World

The Windows to Our World project at Falconridge School is about giving students from all backgrounds a voice, while creating opportunities to build connections and understanding between different cultures. Funding from EducationMatters donors will help to purchase cameras, iPads, and photo printing supplies. During the school year, students will be sent home with a camera for a week to capture an image that best highlights what their culture is to them. Photographs will be printed and posted alongside a write up, written in English and other languages, in a central location in the school. Students in the school will be encouraged to use iPad translation apps to read and understand exactly why the student felt their image provided a glimpse into their culture.

Calgary Board of Education: Mindfuel Career and Technology Foundations Accelerator Program

The worlds of rapid prototyping and 3D-printing are growing quickly. These exciting technologies encourage creativity and promote learning through trial and error. Teachers in grades 5-9 who are interested in learning more about designing tasks that leverage these technologies, encourage creativity, and prepare students for the careers of tomorrow are participating in a semester long program to develop competencies and explore new and innovative ways of teaching. In partnership with Mindfuel, teachers will complete the program with the supporting materials, guiding questions, and connections to the community experts they need to design effective programming to teach this exciting new way of creating and building.

These are just a few examples of the innovative projects donors are making possible this year. Schools from all quadrants of Calgary applied for grant funding to help support vulnerable students, improve literacy, create science, technology, engineering, arts, and math opportunities (STEAM), and encourage career and life skills development. With so many worthy applications, the volunteers tasked with distributing grant funds had their work cut out for them. As we move forward into 2019, we will be watching as these projects launch and are excited to see the smiles, curiosity, and learning develop.

The post 2018 Fall Grant Recipients Selected appeared first on EducationMatters.

“For the first time in many years I was excited to pick up a book. I always felt nervous to read in front of others before, but this time it was ok. It was better than ok. I felt good to talk about the book and share it in front of my friends.”

Grade 6 student, Sir John Franklin School.Educators at Sir John Franklin in Mayland Heights were faced with a challenge. As the north campus for the Calgary Board of Education’s Arts-Centered Learning program, the school accepts students in grades five to nine, from across the northwest and northeast quadrants of Calgary. After careful examination, school administration identified two primary gaps in their resources: the student reading levels and the reading materials available for them. With the support of EducationMatters, they were able to address these gaps.

In order to understand each child’s reading ability and develop plans to help each student, administration at the school needed a benchmark assessment tool to consistently and accurately determine reading comprehension levels. Funds through EducationMatters’ donors allowed them to purchase the Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System, and provided the answers they were seeking.

The second gap which the school also sought to address was their lack of fiction and non-fiction books which they needed to represent the diverse perspectives and the history of Aboriginal communities in Canada. Staff used a portion of the overall grant to enhance and improve the school’s text based resources.

The project resulted in an increased interest in literacy throughout the school. Many students and staff commented on an improved love of reading, and an improved sense of literacy.

One Grade 7 teacher stated, “I love how this initiative has given my students a sense of confidence in reading.”

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This grant was made possible by generous donors who supported the Family Literacy Program Flow Thru Fund, the Mawer Investment Management Literacy Flow Thru Fund, and the Public Education Enhancement Flow Thru Fund.

The post Literacy in North Calgary – Sir John Franklin School appeared first on EducationMatters.

Baby Tales is a unique program specifically tailored to students at Louise Dean School; the main focus is emergent literacy, with the target audience being high-risk adolescent mothers (pregnant or parenting). We recognize that children raised with literacy face fewer challenges as they enter a formal school system.

Baby Tales is a weekly, themed-based program focusing on teaching mothers how to teach and role model early literacy to their child.  Each session incorporates a song, story and finger play that can be easily replicated or expanded-on within their daily routines. This safe and caring program models a love of literacy, while mother and child bond in a relaxing environment. The success of Baby Tales attests to the desire of young mothers to build essential emergent literacy skills and a resource library for their children in their homes.  They recognize that promoting positive attitudes toward literacy have a direct and significant impact on their children’s future success.

Education Matters is proud to be able to provide granting to Louise Dean School to fund the Baby Tales program.

The post Louise Dean School: Baby Tales appeared first on EducationMatters.

Advancements, like iPads, are allowing schools to effectively integrate technology into the classroom. These tools allow students participating in the English Language Learners (ELL) program at Simon Fraser Middle School the ability to independently seek out language support at their own level. The ELL Technology Initiative program utilizes advancements in technology to create an individual learning experience, ensuring that every student gains a quality learning opportunity focused on literacy.  The objective is for students to increase their reading skills by one to two grade levels by the end of the school year.

The grant provided by EducationMatters will support technological resources including:

-iBooks/Levelled Reading Websites
-Online Picture Dictionary/Thesaurus
-Translators
-Dragon Speak / Read Write Gold
- Apps designed to support literacy skills
-Access to Calgary Public Library's - "E-Library".

The post Simon Fraser Middle School: ELL Technology Initiative appeared first on EducationMatters.