...

ELEMENTARYSCHOOL
......

PROPOSAL
tothe

A.MONTGOMERYWARDFOUNDATION

APRIL2013


TABLEOFCONTENTS

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TABLEOFCONTENTS
CONTACTINFORMATION
GRANTAPPLICATIONCOVERSHEET
ORGANIZATIONSUMMARY
DESCRIPTIONOFSPECIFICREQUEST
StatementofNeed
Beneficiaries
PlanandTimeline
ExpectedOutcomes
MeetingChallenges
CostDeterminationandApplication
MONITORINGANDEVALUATION
ATTACHMENTS
A.)OrganizationalBudget
B.)ProjectBudget
C.)SourcesofFunding
D.)ListofBoardMembers
E.)CopyofTaxStatusLetter
F.)FinancialStatements


CONTACTINFORMATION

OurLadyofTepeyacElementarySchool
2235SouthAlbanyAvenue
Chicago,Illinois60623

..

Submittedby:
JeffZimmerman,
HighSchoolDirectorofTechnolog
y

..
,
ElementarySchoolInterimPrincipal
..
,
HighSchoolPresident

Preparedby:
JeffZimmerman,
HighSchoolDirectorofTechnology


GRANTAPPLICATIONCOVERSHEET


ORGANIZATIONSUMMARY

Mission

OurLadyofTepeyacElementarySchooldevelopseverychildtotheirfullestpotential:by
buildingapersonalrelationshipwithGod,byprovidingastrongfoundationaslifelonglearners,
andbyfosteringasenseofcommunitywithinourschoolandneighborhood.

History

OurLadyofTepeyacbeganasaparochialschoolin1893underthenameSt.Casimir.The
southwestChicagocommunityinthattimeconsistedofPolishandLithuanianimmigrants.
PolishfamiliesbelongedtoSt.CasimirParish,andLithuanianfamiliesbelongedtoSt.Ludmila
Parish,whichhaditsownelementaryschool.St.CasimirElementarySchooloperatedoutof
whatisnowthehighschoolbuilding,builtin1904.TheSistersoftheResurrectionadministered
theschoolthroughitshistory,andlivedonthefourthflooruntilmostofthefloorwasdestroyed
byfirein1933.

In1927,thecurrentelementaryschoolbuildingfinishedconstruction.StCasimirElementary
SchoolandHighSchoolcontinuedtoservetheneedsofChicagosPolishcommunitythrougha
rapiddemographicshiftbeginninginthe1970s,whichsawaninfluxofMexicanimmigrants
seekingopportunity.

In1990,St.LudmilaandSt.CasimirparishesmergedandadoptedthenewnameofOurLadyof
Tepeyac,reflectingthenowdominantLatinoAmericanpresenceintheLittleVillage
neighborhood.Alsoatthattime,Catholicschoolswerenolongerrequiredtoservefamiliesonly
withintheirparishboundaries,apolicychangewhichbroughtstudentstoOurLadyofTepeyac
fromalloverChicago.ThelastoftheSistersoftheResurrectionwhoworkedinthebuildingwas
principaloftheschooluntil1996,buttheSisterscontinuetosupportOurLadyofTepeyactoday.

The21stcenturyhasbroughtbothopportunityanddifficulty.Globalizationandthelossof
manufacturingjobshasdepressedthelocaleconomy,causingfamiliestodependon
predominantlyservicesectorjobs.Theparishandschoolseachbecameindependent,withOur
LadyofTepeyacElementarySchoolacquiringitsownboardofdirectors,development
coordinator,andseparatefinancesonlywithinthelastyear.Forthefirsttimeinitshistory,
OLTESisindependentlyrallyingthesupportoffoundationstosupportitsmissiontoliftup
Chicagochildren,manyofwhombecomethefirstintheirfamiliestoattendcollege.

OurLadyofTepeyacElementarySchooleducatesthechildrenofanyfamilywithoutregardto
race,religionorresidence.Tuitionis$1,775,andwespend$5,480annuallytoeducateeach
student.


DESCRIPTIONOFSPECIFICREQUEST

StatementofNeed

OurLadyofTepeyacElementarySchool(OLTES)needsafortificationofitsfailingtechnology
infrastructureinordertocontinuecriticalservicesforchildrenandtofacilitateadministrative
applicationsamongfacultyandstaff.Thisneedexistsonfourlevels:(1)personnel,(2)
computers,(3)network,and(4)contentdelivery.Withoutremediationofanyoneofthese
pillars,significantportionsoftheschoolmissionwillfalter,andevenexistingequipmentinthe
buildingwillnotseeitsinstructionalpotentialrealized.

(1)Personnel.
Wehavenodedicatedpersonneltoassistinimplementingortrainingforcurrentornew
technology.Todate,threepersonshavesteppedoutsideoftheircontractualrolestooffersupport
onavolunteerbasis:NorbertoRamos,the8thgradeteacherCecilLecour,theplantmanager
andJeffZimmerman,thehighschooltechnologydirector.Intheirpresentcircumstances,they
cannotprovideOLTEStheconcentratedattentionrequiredtosuccessfullydevelopitstechnology
infrastructure.Thisrepresentsanobstacletoensuringthattechnologyisimplemented
effectively.Beforegoalscanbemet,aqualifiedprofessionalshouldbeinplace(atleastona
parttimebasis)tocoordinatethemostcriticalelementsofourtechnologystrategy,toprovide
professionaldevelopmenttofacultyandstaff,andtosupporttheschoolwithmaintenanceand
troubleshootingservice.

(2)Computers.
Untilnow,OLTEShasdependeduponcomputersdonatedfromlocaloffices.Thesedonations
havebeenawindfallhowever,computerequipmentfallsbehindstandardsasaresult.Currently,
classroomsstilldependupon9yearoldeMacdesktopcomputersforstudentapplications.Their
PowerPCG3processorshavenotbeensupportedbysoftwaredevelopmentforseveralyears,and
theysufferfromlackofcompatibilitywiththebuildingspredominantlyPCstyledesktops.
Also,OLTESwasrecentlygiftedamobilecomputerlabstockedwithLenovoThinkpad
laptopsthemajorityofwhichlackpowercables.ThemostefficientwaytophaseouttheeMacs
istoreplacethemwiththePCscurrentlydeployedinthecomputerlab,andtoreplacethe
computerlabwithnew,inexpensivePCsthatwillserveforthelongterm.Allmachinesshould
beimagedwithsoftwaretoreducemaintenanceandsupportlearning.

(3)Network.
OneofthebestaspectsofOLTESexistinginfrastructureisitsprofessionallyinstalledelectrical,
communicationsandnetworkcabling.However,itemssuchasrouters,switches,andaccess
pointsaresensitivetofailurescausedbyelectricalsurgesanddegradation.Ourpatchwork,
donatednetworkhubscauseroutinedowntimeandseveresecurityflaws.Inaddition,thefaculty
lackameanstoconnectmorethanonedevicetothesinglenetworkdropmountedineach
classroom.Thelackofreliabilityandthescarcityofconnectionstranslatestoseverely
underutilizednetworkresources.Tofortifythenetwork,wirelessaccessshouldbeexpandedvia
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threehighpower,wirelessnaccesspoints,andeachclassroomshouldbeequippedwitha5port
switchandethernetcablestoconnectalldevices.

(4)Contentdelivery.
OLTESclassroomsexistinaparadoxoftechnologywhenitcomestodeliveringrichmultimedia
contenttostudentsandprovidingopportunitiesforinteraction.Ononehand,sixclassroomsare
equippedwithadvancedinteractivewhiteboardswithoverheadmountedprojectors(although
twoofthesesufferfromdefectiveparts,andteachersrequiremoreprofessionaldevelopmentto
enacttheirpotential).Ontheother,therestoftheschoolisrelegatedtousinganalogue,overhead
projectorswithprintedtransparenciestoprovideinstruction.Moreover,printingisseverely
limited:nofacultyorstudentshaveaccesstosharedprintinganywherebutinthecomputerlab.
Facultyarelimitedtoprintingmaterialsonconsumergradeinkjetprintersrequiringfrequentand
expensiverefills.Completemaintenanceoftheinteractivewhiteboards(andcontinuing
installations)liesbeyondthescopeofthisgrantrequest.Instead,weseekamiddleground
solutionbysupplyingfacultywithportabledigitalprojectorsandinexpensivePCspeakers.The
scienceandmathlabswouldbenefitmostfromtheadditionoftwoELMOdocumentcameras,
whichsolvearangeofinstructionalproblemsandgivechildrenunprecedentedaccesstovisual
modelsandexploration.Also,foursharedlaserprinterswouldreplaceallofthebuildings
highmaintenanceinkjetprinters.

Beneficiaries

BygrantingassistancetoOurLadyofTepeyacElementarytoprovidechildrenastrong
foundationaslifelonglearners,theA.MontgomeryWardFoundationfulfillsitsmissionto
providequalityeducationalandculturalprogrammingforthecurrentandfutureresidentsof
Chicago.Wardhasalreadysparkedgainsinstudentachievementbyservingtheirnutritionand
healthvialastyearscapitalprojectforanewkitchen.Now,anopportunitypresentsitselfto
impactstudentlearninginanimmediateandlastingway:byexpandingaccesstodigital
resourcesforstudentsandteachers,andensurethatlowerincomefamiliesdonotfallbehind
theirpeersinpreparationformoderneducationandindustry.

Thesestudentsdoneedyourhelp.OurLadyofTepeyacElementaryservesacommunitythathas
sufferedfromrapidchangesinindustryandeconomy.TheLittleVillageneighborhoodhoused
thechildrenofHispanicimmigrantswho,fromthe1970sonward,foundgainfulworkin
manufacturing.Inthe21stcentury,globalizationandeconomicstresshaswitnessedatransition
fromthosehighpayingjobstowardservicesectorlabor,wherepayhasfailedtokeeppacewith
thecostsofliving.

Atitsheight,OurLadyofTepeyacElementaryservedapproximately300students.Itnowhasan
enrollmentof160boysandgirlsfrompreschoolto8thgrade.98%areHispanicand2%are
AfricanAmerican.90%ofstudentsqualifyforfreeandreducedlunchunderfederalguidelines,
and85%ofstudentsreceivedfinancialaidforthe20122013schoolyear.

PlanandTimeline

WiththehelpoftheA.MontgomeryWardFoundation,wewillenactaplantoaddressall
currentareasofneed:personnel,computers,networkandcontentdelivery.Thisplanwillensure
thatOurLadyofTepeyacElementaryreceivescriticalrelieffrompresentobstaclesandsees
materialgainsinstudentlearning.

PhaseI:PersonnelContractPriortoJuly1,2013
ContractwithDirectorofTechnologyfromOurLadyofTepeyacHighSchoolfor100
hoursofparttimelabor
ContractwithDirectorofTechnologyfromOurLadyofTepeyacHighSchoolforfour
facultyinservicedaysforITsupport,trainingandprofessionaldevelopment.

PhaseII:FacilitiesupgradesPriortoAugust19,2013
Receive,install,configureandtestnewcomputerlab:22xDellallinonePCsDaLite
screenEpsonprojectorandHewlettPackardLaserJetcolorprinter.
RepurposeolderDellPCs(acquired2012)aspermanentclassroomworkstationswith
free,educationfriendly,opensourcesoftwareWebaccess,wordprocessingand
multimedia.
Receive,install,configureandtestnetworkequipment:3xASUSwirelessrouters,12x
Netgear5portswitches.
Receive,install,configureandtestnewHewlettPackardprinters(oneperfloor).
Receive,install,configureandtestotherequipment:projectors,documentcamerasand
speakers.
Recycleagingandunusableequipment,includingcomputersexceeding12yearsin
service,inaccordancewithILregulation.

PhaseIII:InitialprofessionaldevelopmentinserviceFriday,September6,2013
Equipmenttraining
Lessonplanningexercises
Resourcesharingprotocols

PhaseIV:FollowupContinuous,throughJune6,2014
ITsupportandtrainingusingparttimehours.
Continuingprofessionaldevelopmentinservicedays
Measuringresultsviainterviewsandpolls.
DatacollectedintoreportforA.MontgomeryWardFoundation.

ExpectedOutcomes

Personnel
1. Effectivefromthestartoftheschoolyear,availabilityofoncallITsupportandtraining
reducesoreliminatesdisruptionoflessonplansduetotechnologyfailureorinadequacy.
2. Asmeasuredfromsecondsemesteronward,professionaldevelopmentinservices
producemeasurablechangesinfacultylessonplanningingreaterfidelitywiththeISTE
NETSforStudentsnationaltechnologystandards.
3. Effectivefromthestartoftheschoolyear,equipmentismanaged,repaired,or
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disposedofappropriately,inaccordwithtechnologybestpractices.

Computers
1. Effectivefromthestartoftheschoolyear,allcomputerscapableofrunningmodern,
uptodatesoftwaretoleverageeducationalandadministrativeapplications,includingthe
Web,email,wordprocessing,aswellasonlinecollaborationandmultimediawhere
appropriate.
2. Effectivefromthestartoftheschoolyear,computermaintenanceandtroubleshooting
burdenonfulltimestaffmeasurablyreducedoreliminatedthroughparttimeITlabor
andviatheuseofparentalcontrolandautomatedmaintenancesoftware.
3. Asmeasuredfromthesecondsemesteronward,opportunitiesforcomputeruseby
studentsthroughoutthedaydoubledwithintheyear.

Network
1. Effectivefromthestartoftheschoolyear,networkmaintenanceandtroubleshooting
burdenonfulltimestaffmeasurablyreducedoreliminatedthroughparttimeITlabor.
2. Effectivefromthestartoftheschoolyear,networkissecuredfromoutsideintrusionand
inappropriateuseaccordingtobestpractices.
3. Asmeasuredfromthesecondsemesteronward,teachersleveragenetworkresources
morefrequentlyandeffectivelyduetoprofessionaldevelopment,introducingstudentsto
collaborationandcommunicationapplicationswhichaidinmeetingILstatestandards
andISTENETSforStudentsstandards.

Contentdelivery
1. Asmeasuredfromthesecondsemesteronward,portableprojectorsandspeakersserve
multimediainstructionalneedsinallclassroomsatleasttwiceeachmonth.
2. Asmeasuredfromthesecondsemesteronward,mathandscienceclassesmakeextensive
useofdocumentcamerasforclassroomproblemsolving,instructionandobserving
naturalphenomena.
3. Effectivefromthestartoftheschoolyear,computerinstructionfacilitatedbynewdigital
projectorandretractablescreentoequipstudentswithconfidenceandexperiencein
educationalapplications.

MeetingChallenges

(1)Recruitinganewprincipal.
MaryLouYoung,whoretiredasprincipalofOLTESfiveyearsago,nowservesintheinterim
aftertheresignationofprincipalPeterTrumblayinJanuary.Transitioningtonewleadershipis
alwaysanupheavalforschools,butOLTESholdsanumberofadvantagesinitsfavor.First,it
hasthesupportofitsnewboardofdirectors.Second,thepresidentofOurLadyofTepeyacHigh
School,JoniThompson,hastakenanactiveroleinsharingresourcesandexpertisebetweenthe
twoschools.Third,OLTESispositioningitselfbetterthanevertomanageitsgovernanceand
finances,thankstoitsnewdevelopmentcoordinatoranditsnewindependenceandstatusasan
AIM(ArchdiocesanInitiativeModel)school.OLTEShasanopportunitytorecruittalentedand
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ambitiousleadershipwhowilloverseetheprogressofthisplan,withthehelpandguidanceof
thehighschoolspresidentandtechnologydirector.

(2)Facultyadoption.
Diffusionofnewtechnologyandnewinstructionalstrategiescanbedifficult,especiallyfor
experiencedteacherswhohavereliedontimetestedpedagogies.Facultyattitudesplayarolein
augmenting,andsometimesinhibitingtheprogressoftechnologyinitiatives.Thechallengeof
thisinitiativeisnottoimposeunwantedoresotericideasonteachers,buttomeettheir
preexistingdemands,supplyassistancewhereitisrequested,andrefreshinteachers
consciousnessthelinkbetweenavailabletechnologyandvitaleducationalobjectives.This
proposalwascraftedinresponsetoacarefulneedsanalysisthatincorporatesfeedbackfrom
OLTESfacultyandstaff.Adoptionwillbefacilitatedthroughprofessionaldevelopment,
continuingsupport,andongoingformativeassessment:teacherswillberoutinelysolicitedfor
inputandmadeactivepartnersinthetransitionprocess.

(3)Personneltimeallocation.
Thisgrantproposalallocates100hoursofpaid,parttimeworkfromaqualifiedprofessional
whohasbeenmadeavailablewiththeblessingofOurLadyofTepeyacHighSchool,withwhom
OLTESsometimessharesresources.Thisindividualwillbechargedwiththeinstallationand
upkeepofequipment,aswellasongoingITsupport,maintenance,andtraining.Themodestyof
ourcircumstancedoesnotpermitustoseekafulltimetechnologycoordinatoryet.Therefore,
OLTESwillneedtobudgettheiravailabletimewisely.Afterfacilitiesupgrades,theIT
professionalmaybepresentonlyafewhourseachweektoaddressfacultyqueries,replacefaulty
components,andmakenecessaryadjustments.Inspiteofthatlimitation,itremainsasubstantial
improvementoverthestrictlyvolunteerlaborthattheschoolhasheretoreliedupon.Moreover,
thepresenceofapaidservicemanneednotnegatethecontinuingavailabilityofcompetent
volunteerworkincasesofneed.

(4)Unexpectedcosts.
Technologyisinherentlyunpredictable.Risksmultiplyinthecaseofequipmentthatexceeds
eightyearsofservice,someofwhichourtechnologyinterventioncontinuestodeploy.The
projectbudgetforthisproposalsetsaside$500forunexpectedcosts,whichmayincludecables,
tools,computercomponentsorsoftware.However,$500.00isnotenoughforthereplacementof
evenonecompletecomputer.Fortunately,withthisplan,OLTEShastheresourcefulnessandthe
expertiseneededtominimizeandmanagelosseseffectively.Warrantieswillbeutilizedforall
newequipment.Througheffectivediagnosis,costallocation,andpricenegotiationweare
confidentthatolderequipmentwillfunctionat95%capacitythroughthenextyear.

CostDeterminationandApplication

Severalfactorsdeterminedthebreadthandamountofthisgrantproposal.First,weconducteda
needsassessmentconsistingofacompleteinventory,facultyfeedback,andexpertanalysis.
Fromthatassessment,issuesemergedandwereassignedprioritybasedondegreeofurgencyand
affordability.Aswecraftedourbudgetforthisintervention,certainissuesweresetasidefor
futureprojectsorotherfoundations(e.g.,interactivewhiteboardrepairandinstallation).
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OneconsiderationforthisgrantproposalisthepreexistingrelationshiptheA.Montgomery
WardFoundationholdswithOurLadyofTepeyacschools.Thenewkitchen,whichserves
studentsfrombothOLTESandthehighschool,isawatersheddevelopmentinourhistory.By
maximizingourinvestmentsandcontrollingcosts,weareabletocontinuethatrelationshipby
keepingthepresentproposalunder$25,000.

Mostoftheprojectbudget(46%)paysfor22newallinonedesktopPCsthatwillcomprise
thenewcomputerlab.Thenextbiggestcategoriesareequipmentforcontentdelivery(17.1%),
personnel(14%),andprinting(13.7%).Theremaindercoversmiscellaneousparts(5.5%)and
networkingequipment(3.7%).

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MONITORINGANDEVALUATION

OurLadyofTepeyacElementarySchoolwillmonitorprogressviatheuseofthreeinstruments:
(1)facultysurveys,(2)facultyinterviewsand(3)observationsbytheprincipalandtheIT
supporttechnician.Benchmarkswillbeestablishedbycollectingdataontheexistingsituationat
theendofthesecondsemesterofthe20122013schoolyear.Thefollowingvariableswillbe
tracked:

Incidencesoftechnologyfailure/technologyadequacyleadingtodisruptionoflesson
plansmeasuredatthebeginningoftheprogramandendoftheprogram..
PositiveadjustmentsbyfacultyoftheirlessonplanstowardgreaterfidelitywithNational
EducationTechnologyStandards(NETS).
Thestatusofequipmentrelativetocurrentinventoryandfunctionalassessment.
Comparativecomputersoftwarecapabilitybetweenthestatusquo,beginningofthe
programandendoftheprogram.
TroubleshootingtimespentbyfulltimeOLTESstaffatthebeginningoftheprogramand
endoftheprogram.
Numberofopportunitiesforstudentcomputerusemeasuredatthebeginningofthe
programandendoftheprogram.
Numberofbreachesofnetworksecurityandappropriateusemeasuredatthebeginning
oftheprogramandendoftheprogram.
Numberofoccasionsofteacheruseofnetworkresourcesinlessonplanningwithexplicit
referencetoNationalEducationTechnologyStandards(NETS).
Occasionsofuseofportableprojectorsandspeakerstoservemultimediainstructional
needsinallclassrooms.
Occasionsofuseofdocumentcamerasforclassroomproblemsolving,instructionand
observingnaturalphenomena.
Occasionsofuseofcomputerlabdigitalprojectorandretractablescreentoequip
studentswithconfidenceandexperienceineducationalapplications.

Shorttermsuccessisdefinedbyobjectiveincreasesinalltechnologyusemeasurements,and
objectivedecreasesofalltroubleshootingandlessoninterruptionmeasurements.Longterm
successwillbeobservedinstudentandteachercomfortwithtechnologicalapplications,greater
academicachievementasmeasuredbyIllinoisstandardizedtests,richerstudentworkoutput,and
greatereaseoftransitiontohighschool.

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ATTACHMENTS

A.)OrganizationalBudget

[Financialdocumentomitted]

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B.)ProjectBudget

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C.)SourcesofFunding

Grantssecuredoverthepasttwoyears:

Source
Amount
TimePeriod
BigShoulders
$75,000.00 FY2013
ElMilagro
$5,000.00
FY2013
KochFoundation
$10,000.00 FY2013
MattieL.Branc
$10,000.00 FY2013
Scholarship
Foundation
HeartofAmerica
$1,500.00
FY2013
Foundation
A.MontgomeryWard $30,000.00
Foudnation
(highschool)
BigShoulders
$65,000.00
Sistersofthe
$15,000
Resurrections
ElMilagro
$3,000.00
St.FrancisdeSales $4,000
Parish

DateReceived
April16
June22
June13
May20

Purpose
Scholarships
Scholarships
Scholarships
Scholarships

August10

FY2013

June12

Library

Kitchen

FY2012
FY2012

January14
December8

Scholarships
Scholarships

FY2012
FY2012

June22
May13

Scholarships
Scholarships

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D.)ListofBoardMembers

BoardMember
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ExOfficio
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ProfessionalAffiliatoin
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Title
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E.)CopyofTaxStatusLetter

[Financialdocumentomitted]

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F.)FinancialStatements

[Financialdocumentomitted]

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[Financialdocumentomitted]

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[Financialdocumentomitted]

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[Financialdocumentomitted]

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