May 2023 Grant Awards and Donations Round-Up

The Steamboat Springs School District has recently been awarded several grants and donations to enhance educational opportunities across the district. We are excited to share with the details of a few of the grant awards and donations that will be utilized next school year:

• Summer Language Acquisition Programming: The Rocky Mountain Health Foundation donated $10,000 to support SSSD’s 6- week English language acquisition programming during the summer, which is geared toward Newcomers and Emerging Bilingual students. Newcomers and Emerging Bilingual students are new to the country and the Steamboat Springs community and are working on English language proficiency. The program will serve 60 students in current grades 1-5. The program encompasses not just language skills development but also academic support in reading and math, immersive experiences in the community, and access to healthcare services students might not otherwise receive. For instance, Honey Stinger donated $2,000 to cover the cost of the swim lessons at OId Town Hot Springs.
  
  SSSD plans to use these funds to team up with staff from Northwest Colorado Health and their Youth Resiliency Program Manager to deliver a curriculum that supports social-emotional health and youth resiliency. Themes that students will read about and discuss include but are not limited to: mindfulness, zones of regulation, empathy, friendships, conflict resolution, and hopes and dreams. Additionally, the Northwest Colorado Health Dental bus will be parked on the Soda Creek Campus this summer on 3 separate dates to provide dental services, which includes teeth cleaning, exams, x-ray, and fluoride treatments, to students and families in need. The school district will provide bus transportation for students coming to summer school, which will eliminate the need for families to take time away from work or travel to other locations for dental appointments.
   
• Early Literacy Professional Development: The Colorado Department of Education awarded SSSD $292,495 for one year for the Early Literacy Professional Development grant. This grant provides funds to Sleeping Giant School, Soda Creek Elementary, and Strawberry Park Elementary to improve early literacy by implementing and sustaining scientific and evidence-based reading instruction. For example, the grant will fund an Early Literacy Coach at SGS, among other professional development activities.
   
• Cross-Country Ski Equipment: An anonymous donor through the Yampa Valley Community Foundation donated $5,000 to the school district to supply Steamboat Springs Middle School and Sleeping Giant School Nordic ski teams with cross-country ski equipment. The athletes train with both classic and skate skis. The equipment expense associated with participating in this sport is significantly more than other school-sponsored sports (such as basketball or football), creating barriers to participation. SSSD will purchase a middle school set of both classic and skate skiing Nordic equipment to ensure students with financial barriers are able to participate in the Nordic ski team.