The Best Deal Around - Free Membership in the National Alternative Education Association

The National Alternative Education Association is an all-volunteer organization with members nation wide. With a focus on providing tools, standards, support and professional development to its membership and beyond, membership in NAEA is free! Simply go to the NAEA website and sign up.

You'll join a growing group of professionals who are committed to providing high-quality, standards based education to vulnerable, at-risk and disengaged children and youth.

In conjunction with University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, the NAEA hosts an annual conference. Now in its 15th year, the conference, "Alternatives to Expulsion, Suspension and Dropping Out of School" features a tract for administrators, gang issues and immigration. The conference is being held in San Antonio, TX January 28-31, 2009.

Connect with educators, curriculum coordinators, school resource officers, and administrators from across the US. Join today.

Project Adventure Workshop Listing 2008-2009

Project Adventure's 2008-2009 Workshop catalog including workshop descriptions and dates is now available on line.

For assistance in selecting a workshop, call 1-978-524-4554 or info@pa.org. And remember, any of these workshops can be customized and delivered at your site for your staff.

Lockport High School Starts the Year with Climbing Wall Training!

Lockport High School was one of the many schools around the country that used their Carol White PEP Grant funds to infuse adventure into their physical education program.

Project Adventure's PEP Grant Implementation Specialists, Bill Bates and Wayne Berger worked closely with grant coordinator Pat Seidel to develop a challenge course installation that meets Lockport's goals for improving PE in the district.

This week, Darryl Essensa, a PA trainer and former Physical Educator, is working with physical educators from Lockport in an intensive training which combines our Adventure Programming and Technical Skills Intensive - customized to meet their specific goals.

The educators are learning practical skills for using the challenge course equipment effectively including:

• Standard operating procedures and safety guidelines.
• Understand the applications for equipment including harnesses, helmets, carabiners, and belay devices and belay set-ups.
• And knot-tying skills, belay team skills
• Challenge course take up and set down procedures and equipment retrieval.

The educators are also learning the soft skills required for effectively using adventure in-line with curriculum standards for Physical Education including:

• The core concepts of effective PA programming including Challenge by Choice (c), Full Value Contract and the Experiential Learning Cycle.
• How to use sequencing, debriefing and facilitation skills to achieve desired outcomes.
• They will experience the activities that they will be expecting students to participate in.
• They will learn to infuse fun, positive and appropriate risk taking and trust into their classes and teaching methods.

At the end of the five day training, educators will be able to effectively implement Project Adventure into their Physical Education curriculum. The result will be students who are more engaged in physical activity and have learned tools for goal setting, appropriate risk taking and have a better idea of what they are capable of - not only physically, but mentally, academically and socially.

Interesting in bringing an adventure program to your school, agency or organization? Interested in learning more about how to apply for Carol White PEP Grant funding? Contact PA today!

http://www.pa.org/ bbates@pa.org 1-800-468-8898 x 4554

Lowe's Toolbox for Education Funding Program - for use for permanent facilities, playgrounds etc.

It appears that challenge and ropes courses would be a good fit for this funding source. Schools and/or affliated parent groups can apply. They are interested in projects that have a facilities based focus and bring the community together.

Read on:


Lowe's Toolbox for Education K-12 Grant Program Opens Fall
2008 Cycle
Deadline: October 17, 2008
The Lowe's Toolbox for Education grant program, an initiative of the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation ( http://lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=pg&p=AboutLowes/Community ), is dedicated to supporting parent-teacher groups at schools across the United States.
Any individual nonprofit public K-12 school or parent group associated with a nonprofit public K-12 school is eligible to apply.
Parent groups that are applying (PTO, PTA, etc.) must have an independent tax ID number and official 501(c)(3) status from the IRS. Groups without this status should apply through their school.
Pre-schools are not eligible at this time. Applicant schools must be more than two years old.
The grant program gives preference for funding requests that have a permanent impact such as facility enhancement (both indoor and
outdoor) as well as landscaping/clean-up projects. Projects that encourage parent involvement and build stronger community spirit are encouraged.
Up to $5,000 per school is available. In order to apply, the requested grant amount must be between $2,000 and $5,000. Lowe's will donate $5 million to schools and school parent teacher groups at more than 1,000 different schools during the school year.
The Fall 2008 deadline for submitting applications is October 17, 2008. However, if 1,500 applications are received before the application deadline, the application process will close.
See the Toolbox for Education Web site for application procedures and sample projects.
RFP Link:
http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15014675/toolboxfored