I absolutely appreciate LEEF and the support it gives to our teachers and staff in Leander ISD. I got to go to an amazing training to better understand our boys. After the training, I was able to share my learning with our school staff. With this opportunity, I was able to not only enhance my learning but share my knowledge with other people, so we could better serve our students. I will definitely apply for more grants in the future, so I can go to more training and make an impact in our community. i
I'm a school Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) with Leander ISD. I love my job and the kids I get to work with everyday! I want to be the best SLP I can be, which means learning new things that can really make a different for my students. Of course, materials, courses, maintaining licensure, and continuing education come with a cost that comes out of my pocket. The LEEF grant program has enabled me to take an important evidence-based course that I can immediately apply to the kids on my caseload and see differences in their lives. I try to share what I learn with other SLPs and teachers I work with so we can all learn and grow together. Thank you LEEF for helping me do my best and give these kids the intervention they deserve!
I appreciate LEEF and all that they do for the Leander ISD community! They truly stick to their mission to meet the needs of students and teachers in the entire school district! Their grants, scholarships, book drives, etc. provide ways to enhance educational experiences across the district. 2 thumbs up for LEEF!
LEEF is a great Partner to LISD. By awarding teacher and campus grants, LEEF is that EXTRA needed in these budget tight times. As a Partner, LEEF listens to needs of the district, LISD, and does it’s part to assist.
The joy on the principals’, teachers’ and students’ faces when the needs are made reality through these ‘grants’ is overwhelming!
Why do I love LEEF? Because LEEF’s dollars truly go back to the students and teachers. Have a teacher that needs to fill the room with additional books? Have students that are looking for additional opportunities for learning? LEEF has grants for all of that and more to help teachers continue to expand those brilliant minds
There are so, so many ways this organization contributes to help students, teachers, parents, and the community as a whole! From teaching grants and scholarships to help support learning in the classroom to textbook scholarships for students enrolled in dual credit college courses, donating free children’s books to families, AP exam fee support, mental health and college counseling, expanded reading initiatives, and programs like INCubatoredu – a high school program providing entrepreneurship experience as students develop their own product or service startup business. LEEF helps both teachers and students lives by enriching the classroom experience in real-world, meaningful ways! The district is lucky to have such an amazing partner.
LEEF is one of those non profits that give all the 'feel goods'. Not only does LEEF provide exponential support to teachers to continue their passionate journey of educating students, but LEEF also focuses on the student themselves. From providing subsidized AP exam for students in need to textbook credit and INcubator programs, the goal is to support and enrich the educational experience for ALL students and staff. I'm in awe of the amount LEEF is able to fundraise to give grants to teachers and students. Having a program like this in the district is an absolute treasure!
This is a fantastic organization that does so much for our community in Leander/Cedar Park. A very worthy cause.
Last year LEEF funded the purchase of scripts for ELA and Theatre classroom libraries to promote literacy across class lines and we are so grateful! This allowed the 6th ELA teachers and I to work together, support each others' concepts, and engage students with unique literature. Scripts are pricey and I've struggled to purchase class sets in the past, but thanks to LEEF we were able to get class sets of THREE show! Thank you, LEEF!!
LEEF has funded several grants for our library! We were able to add wonderful makerspace materials and technology to the library. Items such as Bloxels, Osmos, Cubelets, Legos, Snap Circuits and more are a BIG hit with students. LEEF also funded a professional development opportunity so that I can attend a leadership institute. Without their help I wouldn't have had the funds to attend! I am thankful for LEEF and all they do to make our schools the best they can be!
LEEF helped me with a one year purchase of Padlet Premium, an educational platform that allowed my students to collaborate while learning during the COVID chaos. Grants from LEEF, no matter how big or small, have made dreams come true for many of our teachers, enhancing the educational experience for both the teachers and the students. Thank you, LEEF!
- Vincent Nguyen (Go VRHS Rangers!!)
LEEF has provided my classroom with so many beautiful read aloud books celebrating diversity and innovation which allow me to easily connect STEM learning to reading and writing. LEEF has also given me the chance to create a learning environment that encourages student voice and choice (STEM kits) as well as problem solving and risk taking (various building materials). It’s hard to express the level of gratitude I have for this amazing and generous foundation. LEEF cares about the teachers of LISD and wants only the best for our students!
-Joanna Minardi (QUEST teacher at Knowles Elementary)
As an elementary school teacher, the LEEF Foundation has done wonders for my classroom environment and the morale of my students. from adding student choice to my classroom library all the way to creating maker spaces for my grade level, LEEF has changed my classroom and teaching experience.
LEEF has funded several of my projects as a district support specialist and, as a result, have directly impacted the the quality of services we are able to provide for students with disabilities. We have been able to provide specialized training opportunities for teachers that would have otherwise been unavailable to us. LEEF empowers teachers and staff to do our best for our students!
LEEF is an amazing asset to the Leander ISD community. They support all Leander ISD students and staff with everything from books to grants. I am especially proud of the work done to support the needs of LISD families and staff that have arisen throughout the pandemic. LEEF works to build relationships with community and district leaders to build a better future for all.
I'm so thankful for the LEEF team and their partnership with Hill Country Community Ministries to support LISD families during the pandemic. It's important to be able to rally the community to walk with you, and they do that by showing their passion for others.
As a staff member, it seems like the only way for me to participate is by first giving money. At my previous school district, I participated in events and writing grants for programs through our education foundation without having to do so. My family earns considerably less than the average family income here. I would like to participate in events as a way of participating in the community and have the opportunity to write grants without donating myself. I would also like to see a clear focus on equity in the programs that are supported by LEEF in our district.
Thank you LEEF for the amazing mentor texts. Our Patterns of Power program is now complete and our students are loving the engaging texts that bring the mentor sentences to life!!!
This nonprofit it's very responsive when you reach out and they offer a lot of opportunities to partner with Leander ISD.
LEEF is a clear example of a nonprofit truly in the trenches with faculty/staff.
As a Kindergarten teacher, we have many goals and needs throughout the year. One of our major goals is to get kiddos reading! This is one of my favorite things about this grade...the growth you see from beginning to end. Leander ISD Educational Excellence Foundation (LEEF) granted us money to buy amazing readers that we can get into the hands of our kiddos in order to reach our major goal. I cannot wait to get these books and share them with our Kinder babies! Thank you to LEEF for helping us with this very important goal!
My colleagues and I are helping to lead our entire English department into a venture with new curriculum and a new workshop structure. To do this, we wanted to be as versed as possible in workshop structure and how to use it to most equitably serve our students. We applied for a LEEF grant to attend the wonderful annual conference held by the National Council for Teachers of English and the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE. We were able to get funding to attend this conference to learn about how to implement new best practices, how to promote and sustain equitable workshop teaching, and how to support students with high-interest and complex young adult literature. We are so grateful for this opportunity to become better teachers, help our colleagues develop their practices, and benefit our students with more rigorous and relevant teaching!
I have been a College Coach in LISD for seven years thanks to a grant from LEEF. Before that, I spent 37 years as high school counselor and English teacher. I loved the work I did as a full-time educator, but the most rewarding years have been the last seven where I’ve been able to work with motivated, hard-working, smart teenagers helping them achieve their post high school goals of attending college. I tell people I had to retire to do the job I was meant to do. I would not have that opportunity without LEEF. Thanks to them I have made a significant difference in many students’ lives. I am beyond grateful to LEEF for all the great work they do on behalf of all the students of Leander ISD!
LEEF gave me training and materials that I needed to give my students some targeted interventions on phonological awareness. I wouldn't have been able to make that purchase out of my pocket, and it really helped my students.
LEEF made my dream came true to set up a classroom library with books by multi-cultural authors to motivate my ELL students to read more. I wanted books that they can identified with and Will encourage them to read more. Thank you LEEF. My voice was heard and I am so grateful for such a beautiful memories and my ELL Vipers love their classroom library.
The Leander ISD Educational Excellence Foundation is amazing! My LEEF grant was used to pay for tuition so I could attend additional teacher training. Additional funds were allocated so I could purchase the supplies needed to put my learning into action with my students. I felt like I had just won the lottery when the Prize Patrol came around with my GIANT check. I'm so grateful for the funding so I could better myself for my students! Thank you, LEEF!
LEEF works hard to support all of Leander ISD's 43 campuses and 41,000 students. They provide teaching grants, scholarships for AP tests and dual-credit text books, thousands of free books, college coaches and more. I love seeing the passion and hard work this non-profit and all their supporters give back to support students thrive and achieve their goals. Each student has a different journey and LEEF is there to make it happen.
LEEF is one of the best organizations I've worked with and now for. Any organization that is focused on students and teachers is a true winner in my book. LEEF goes above and beyond to provide resources for teachers that want to transform teaching and learning, or dive deeper into a new technology tool for instruction, or want to get kids learning outside their comfort-zone with some collaborative work spaces.
If you have a passion for education, while continuing to foster and support teachers and students; this is the organization for you!!
LEEF connects caring partners with our talented teachers. Through its donations, LEEF empowers teachers and schools to support students. It impacts culture to see teacher rewarded for their passions and innovations. LEEF also funds a college counselor position at all of high schools, giving every student the option of college.
As a science and social studies teacher, there are many nonfiction books that supplement my instruction. Getting multiple copies of a title is the challenge, however. I applied with LEEF (pretty simple application) and won the money that paid for 7 sets of 8 books that I began using right away this year. Hurray!
LEEF is the only source of money to support the students of this district. It serves a great purpose in raising the needed funds the the budget doesn’t support.
LEEF is a great organization and is fully committed to all the students and staff of Leander ISD. So many exciting things happening with this organization and within LISD!
LEEF is a true difference-maker in our school district and community! They know how to not only encourage teachers and staff to get excited about a "what if", but they help to make that possibility a reality by providing the resources to bring it to life. We are truly grateful that LEEF was willing to stand behind our campus' vision for getting high-quality, in-demand books into the hands of our students as it has given us the ability to influence our community far beyond what we could have done without their support. Thanks to LEEF, we're able to not only encourage students to read for pleasure but who will be readers for life!
Leander ISD LEEF is so supportive of teachers and students! This year I was able to attend a professional learning conference on instructional practice and improving classroom and school culture. It was amazing and I brought so much back to my team and campus!
LEEF helped grow our new school's social and emotional resources.They awarded our school enough to provide sensory materials in each grade level, as well as additional stories and resources to help teachers cover social and emotional learning! We now have a great start to a resource that can be used by every teacher for every student.
LEEF is truly a cheerleader for classroom teachers. Their support for literacy is evident in the services they provide for our district (grants for teachers and provider of K-12 books). Attached is a photo of the LEEF team who came to Rutledge with a huge check (literally) to provide funding for We Both Read: Engagement, Enjoyment, and Achievement, which will equip our literacy partners with 41 hard-covered books to read with our K-3 students.
leefstrong 10/07/2020
Thank you for your feedback. All Leander ISD staff are welcome to submit a grant application. We're currently accepting applications through Dec 3rd at https://leeftx.org/innovative-grant. Grant applications are reviewed by two separate committees who score them based on their alignment to LISD curriculum and LEEF's mission. The applications with the highest scores are awarded based on available funding for that cycle. Our community members, LISD staff, local businesses and corporations all make this program possible. Please feel free to reach out to our team at info@leeftx.org to ask any questions or address any further concerns.