The Winfield school district has recently been awarded two grants that will help provide additional academic services to local students.
Title VII of the Indian Education Act provides funding for academic support for Native American students. Winfield has more than 65 students who may qualify for these services. The $15,850 grant funds are available for the 2008-2009 school year and can be applied for annually.
The funds will be used for after school tutoring and remediation services at all grade levels as well as to provide some academic support during the school day. These funds are intended to supplement the regular school program and help Native American students improve their academic skills in the core content areas of reading and math.
A second grant was also recently awarded to the district. This one ? in the amount of $15,000 ? is from the Kansas Optometric Association and is to be used for vision examinations, vision therapy and other vision-related services.
The Kansas Optometric Association provides the funds primarily to give families without insurance access to vision care. They encourage the district to partner with other organizations such as the Lions Club to help support good vision care in the community to help make funds reach as many students as possible.
Some signs that might indicate a vision problem are:
Losing place when reading
Short attention span or daydreaming when reading.
Re-reading or skipping lines
Using finger as a guide
Avoiding close work
Frequent headaches
Covering one eye while reading
Tilting the head or squinting while reading
Poor eye-hand coordination
More information about either of these grants is available from director of curriculum KayLynn Smith at 221-5100.
