The Lake Washington Schools Foundation has awarded more than $50,000 in grants to schools in the Lake Washington School District. Schools in Kirkland, Redmond, and Sammamish will use the grants to extend student learning opportunities in math, literacy and science, and to provide assistance for students with financial needs.

Thirty schools in the district received up to $1,500 for school or classroom grants that extend and enhance learning; over $40,000 was awarded. In addition, ten secondary schools also received a total of $10,500 in grants from the Foundation’s Access Fund, which provides funding for secondary students with financial needs. Schools use the grants to cover costs of individual students, such as class fees and supplies, test fees, school activity cards and fees, field trips, and musical instruments. The funding helps keep these students in school, gets them more involved in school activities, and often removes financial roadblocks to their success.

“Extending learning programs, those that give students more time in their core academic subjects with additional support, is a well-established way to improve student learning,” noted LWSD Superintendent Chip Kimball. “We are pleased that this is where the Lake Washington Schools Foundation has focused grant money this year. In addition, in these difficult economic times, programs such as the Access fund, helps individual students fully participate in all that secondary schools have to offer. Each of these programs helps us deliver on our promise to ensure that every student is future ready.”

Each year the Foundation raises funds to bridge the gap between basic education funding provided by the State of Washington and what is needed to meet the Lake Washington School District’s goals of academic excellence. This fall, each school in the district was allowed to submit one grant application for extended learning programs in literacy, math or science.

The Foundation was created more than five years ago by a group of dedicated community volunteers to raise funds and support schools in the Lake Washington School District.

For more information, visit www.lwsf.org or contact Doug Seto, Executive Director of the Lake Washington Schools Foundation at (425)-936-1414 or dseto@lwsf.org. For a complete list of grants awarded, see www.lwsf.org.