Although the TCSD Foundation is merely three years old, our efforts to date have resulted in tangible benefits in the form of grant awards exceeding $23,500 that have directly benefited Trumansburg Central School District students. As described further below, the TCSD Foundation has been working hard to make a difference in the education and individual development of the students in the Trumansburg Central School District and we thank our many generous supporters, including parents, our Business Partners, the Trumansburg Central School District, and community partners.
Although the focus of our efforts is grassroots fund raising to fund important projects throughout the Trumansburg community, the TCSD Foundation is now working to bring the Trumansburg Kids Explore & Discover program to the Trumansburg Central School District.
The Trumansburg Kids Explore & Discover Program is an extension of The Kids Discover the Trail Program (KDT Program) to Trumansburg. The KDT Program is a joint effort of the Discovery Trail Partnership, Ithaca Central School District and the Ithaca Public Education Initiative to provide curriculum-based learning experiences for Pre-K through 5th grade students at Discovery Trail member sites.
The Discovery Trail is a collaboration of the Cayuga Nature Center, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell Plantations, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Museum of the Earth at PRI, Sciencenter, The History Center of Tompkins County, and Tompkins County Public Library. This Partnership maintains and promotes the Discovery Trail, a public linkage and co-marketing effort among Partnership members.
As part of the KDT Program, each Discovery Trail site provides an educator that visits the school and works with teachers to develop a lesson plan relating the Discovery Trail site to the school curriculum. After the site visit, students work on a project relating to their visit and receive a follow up visit by the site educator. In addition to enhancing the school experience of every elementary school student with these activities, the program also expands the community awareness of the wonderful education opportunities available in the area.
Before this year, the Ithaca City School District was the only school district operating the KDT Program. As a result of the generous support of it donors, the TKED Program was launched on March 1, 2010, as the Trumansburg Kindergarten class visited the Tompkins County Public Library to enjoy a top notch program including instruction on the resources and functioning of the library. To date TCSD Foundation has generated sufficient support for participation of Kindergarten through 5th grades. Full participation of grades Pre-K through 5 is anticipated once adequate funding is obtained. In the future, and subject to additional funding, the TCSD Foundation would like to extend the TKED Program to 6th - 8th grades.
The Discovery Trail
The Discovery Trail Partnership (the Partnership), established in 1999,grew out of years of informal collaborations among museums and the public library in Tompkins County, NY to provide a structure for ongoing collaboration. To date, the Partnership has pursued its goals through collaborative programming, a website (www.DiscoveryTrail.net), development and distribution of more than 30,000 brochures annually in Tompkins County,Southern Tier, Syracuse and Rochester, participation in community-wide events, editorial pieces, press releases, public service announcements,and advertising. The Partnership also carries out joint events,programs, and exhibitions. Examples include "A Special Place:Landscapes of Tompkins County" (2000), "Frankenstein" with community read (2002), "Discovery Month" (2003, 2004), and "Light in Winter2004". The Partnership coordinator works closely with the Tompkins County Convention & Visitors' Bureau in all aspects of regional marketing.
The Partnership's currently funded through Discovery Trail member contributions,Tompkins County Strategic Tourism Board, and the Triad Foundation (for Discovery Month-May, 2004). The Partnership's funds are held and distributed in partnership through the Community Foundation of Tompkins County.
Kids Discover the Trail
The Kids Discover the Trail Program (KDT Program) is a program developed by a joint effort of the Discovery Trail Partnership, Ithaca Central School District and the Ithaca Public Education Initiative(IPEI) that provides curriculum-based learning experiences for Pre-K through 5th grade students at Discovery Trail member sites. The Ithaca City School District is currently the only school district participating in the KDT Program. As part of the KDT Program, each Discovery Trail site provides an educator that visits the school and works with teachers to develop a lesson plan relating the Discovery Trail site to the school curriculum. The school provides transportationto and from each Discovery Trail site. After the site visit, students work on a project relating to their visit and receive a follow up visit by the site educator. In addition to enhancing the school experience of every elementary school student with these activities, the program also expands the community awareness of the wonderful education opportunities available in the area.
Trumansburg Kids Explore & Discover
In our efforts to bring the KDT Program to Trumansburg, in May of this year directors of the TCSD Foundation met representatives of theDiscovery Trail, Ithaca Public Education Initiative (IPEI), and Trumansburg Central School District for preliminary discussions regarding extending the KDT Program to Trumansburg. These efforts and the tremendous support we have received for this program, allowed our Board to commit to funding the launch of our KDT Program – the Trumansburg Kids Explore & Discover program for the Kindergarten,1st and 3rd grades in 2010. Full participation of grades Pre-K through5 in the Trumansburg Kids Explore & Discover is anticipated although subject to adequate funding. The TCSD Foundation's priority is to provide opportunities for teachers to enhance student education by having curriculum based lessons and experiences at the Discovery Trail sites. On a long term basis the TCSD Foundation expects the relationships we establish through participation in the Trumansburg Kids Explore & Discover to enhance educational opportunities for Trumansburg students and to foster personal growth and encourage excellence in students and educators in the Trumansburg Central School District.
The TCSD Foundation’s priority is to provide opportunities for teachers to enhance student education by having curriculum based lessons and experiences at the Discovery Trail sites. On a long term basis the TCSD Foundation expects the relationships we establish through participation in the TKED Program to enhance educational opportunities for Trumansburg students and to foster personal growth and encourage excellence in students and educators in the Trumansburg Central School District. Students will be exposed to a wonderful educational resource while they study their standard lesson plans. Standard lessons are enhanced by providing students with real world examples, application of lessons and materials, and an alternative learning environment. Once the students have been exposed to the Discovery Trail sites, teachers can encourage them to use resources from these sites, including Discovery Trail member websites as additional learning tools. Coordination of the TKED Program year after year will also provide teachers with an opportunity to continually develop a range of curriculum based tools and initiatives to bring the standard curriculum to students in our district.
The success of the program is determined largely from the administration, teachers, students and community feedback. We have received overwhelming support from school administration, teachers and students based on their first trip. The children seemed to enjoy the initial trip to the Library as well as the Library Lion, the book they were given to keep, provided by the Family Reading Partnership and the Trumansburg Elementary PTO. The initial implementation of the program has been a success. Future success will be determined by our ability to fully fund the program, to expand the program to grades 6 through 8, and to assist other school districts to join this program.
