Apple products a hit with Dist. 15 grant program

It’s a safe bet that Apple is a fan of Palatine Township Elementary District 15.

The 12,000-student school district’s educational foundation this week announced it will purchase 61 new iPads for recipients of its Mini-Grant program.

Twelve of the 15 grants — representing about $30,000 of the $33,000 awarded this year — were selected within the technology category.

In one case, Sundling Junior High teacher Erika Smith will receive iPads to support STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) efforts. Students will use them to gather, interpret and analyze data; create charts, graphs and models; and apply their learning by making connections to the real world.

And at Winston Campus Elementary in Palatine, teachers Kimberly Haas and Michele Scott will use iPod touch devices to help improve home/school communication with the families of their bilingual special-needs students. Messages about their homework and projects will be recorded in Spanish and shared with their parents, and the students will download and independently read stories in both English and Spanish.

Since the District Fifteen Educational Foundation started the program in 2004, it has awarded teachers with 130 mini grants totaling more than $200,000.

This year’s recipients were recognized at the Oct. 10 board of education meeting.