Grants to give Fulton schools new books, technology

McIntire, from left:  Steve McCormick, VP Supply Chain; Melissa Milius, Kindergarten teacher; Sandee Poss, Kindergarten teacher; Shauna Smith, Kindergarten teacher; Steve Gibson, Fulton Dollar General Distribution Center Director; and Diane Spieker, Human Resources Manager.
The Kindergarten teachers at McIntire Elementary received a $3,000 Literacy Grant from Dollar General to purchase devices such as iPads and document cameras to incorporate into the classroom in order to provide more engaging and motivating learning opportunities.
McIntire, from left:  Steve McCormick, VP Supply Chain; Melissa Milius, Kindergarten teacher; Sandee Poss, Kindergarten teacher; Shauna Smith, Kindergarten teacher; Steve Gibson, Fulton Dollar General Distribution Center Director; and Diane Spieker, Human Resources Manager. The Kindergarten teachers at McIntire Elementary received a $3,000 Literacy Grant from Dollar General to purchase devices such as iPads and document cameras to incorporate into the classroom in order to provide more engaging and motivating learning opportunities.

Fulton preschoolers and kindergartners will have new books and high-tech learning equipment, thanks to two grants from Dollar General.

McIntire Elementary's kindergarten teachers received a $3,000 literacy grant from the retail chain, which they will use to purchase four iPads and two document cameras. The Fulton Education Center will acquire approximately 3,000 books to distribute to families in their Parents as Teachers program with their $4,000 grant.

McIntire teacher Melissa Milius said the technology would be incorporated in McIntire's kindergarten classrooms to create a more engaging learning environment.

"We feel it's important to find creative ways to keep kids engaged," said Milius. "With the standards the state has come out with being a little harder and our kids being so young, we thought we need to be creative here. Putting iPads and document cameras in kids' hands and giving them the opportunity to use them every day adds a little more engagement to the class, and provides kids who don't have access to technology at home the opportunity to use it at school."

To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.