Dear Parents,
As you probably know, our Fun Run this year surpassed all of our expectations. We set a goal to raise $25,000 with the Fun Run, but our students, teachers, & parents blew us away by raising over $37,000. Since we ran the Fun Run ourselves, almost all of that money was able to stay at our school.
Our primary goal for this year was to purchase an outdoor track and to provide for technology needs for the school. A long term goal of Dr. Garrett’s has been to obtain enough Chromebooks to have one for every student in 3rd through 5th grade. As we migrate to online testing, this was a real need for our older students to always have the technology available rather than sharing between classes.
Well, last semester, we were able to write a check for $17,225 to begin construction of the new track!!!
But we still had plenty of money left over so yesterday, we were able to write a check for $23,597 for the purchase of 90 new Chromebooks and carts. The school is also purchasing 90 Chromebooks and carts, so together, that now means we are one-for-one for technology in 3rd through 5th.
Here is what a few of our teachers have to say about that purchase:
“Every day I spend time in class trying to get my kids ready for the new technology as they are going to have jobs that we can’t even imagine yet. They enjoy doing things on the computer and it helps them to be more engaged. They have purposeful practice online every day in my class. They can collaborate in a calm and quiet way using all the tools that we have on the iPads and computers which makes it awesome for papers, discussions, conferences, or even group projects. They are LEARNING using Achieve 3000 and Front Fow and growing leaps and bounds using those programs in my room.
The Chromebooks are awesome for differentiation. The apps we use automatically get kids to where they need to be which makes purposeful practice more appropriate for each child at their own level and more purposeful for what they need.” – Ms. Patterson – 5th grade
“We are so excited to have more chrome books to make it possible for more technology incorporated lessons to happen in our classrooms. Our students really enjoy utilizing the chrome books in every aspect of their learning. Thank-you to all parents and wonderfully motivated PTO officers for making this happen!!!!” – Ms. Carey – 4th grade
“Technology is used by the students in my classroom on a daily basis. In years past, it was sufficient to have enough laptops for small groups to work on various projects. But each day I find myself incorporating various activities into my lessons that demand the need for one to one technology. This is especially true with the increase in available apps and programs purchased through Chapman’s Retreat, and Williamson County Schools. The students in my math class are continually engaged in educational activities on programs via their Student Dashboard, such as: Front Row, Google Classroom,and other Google apps, Achieve 3000, Flocabulary, etc. Most of these programs enable students to work at their own level by differentiation their work.
My students are so much more excited to complete assignments on a Chromebook, rather than paper. Research says that the use of technology positively affects student engagement, motivation, attendance, and behavior. As a result, student achievement will increase.” – Ms. Cowan – 3rd Grade
So to all of you who support our PTO through your contributions and your time, thank you so much for helping us to reach this goal!
— Your Chapman’s Retreat PTO Board, 2018
chapmansretreatpto.com 