Application for First Round of Red and Gold Grants Due Oct. 21st

Though the school year has just started, we know that Ithaca teachers already have lots of great ideas for their classes! If you are an ICSD teacher, administrator, librarian, or other staff member and you have an idea for a field trip, activity, or set of materials that needs funding, consider applying for an IPEI Red and Gold grant.

IPEI's Red and Gold grants are grants up to $500, and are designed to provide modest assistance for one-time classroom needs. For funding for ongoing projects, please consider applying for an IPEI Teacher Grant.

For more information on Red and Gold Grants, visit our website. To download the application for a Red and Gold grant, click here. For questions about the Red and Gold grants, email us at red&goldgrants@ipei.org.

Jenny Emerson, Fall Creek Teacher, Wins Loehr Award

Jenny Emerson, a fourth-grade science teacher at Fall Creek Elementary, is the 2013 of the Loehr Innovative Science Teaching Award. Emerson and her colleagues won the award for their work on the "Kids at the Creek" project, which is based on the Cayuga Lake Floating Classroom. "Kids at the Creek" has received an IPEI Red and Gold Grant three years in a row.

Ms. Emerson may only be in her fourth year of teaching, but she is already making a big impact. We at IPEI can't wait to see what this great teacher does next!

Fall Creek Elementary Principal Michael Simons and Loehr Award recipient Jenny Emerson

Learn more about Jenny Emerson and the Loehr award here!

Welcome Back!

Last week was the first week that Ithaca City School students returned to their classrooms. We at IPEI wish everyone the best in this new school year.

We're here to help teachers make the 2013-14 school year great! If you're interested in any of our grants for your classroom, please keep these dates in mind:

• Teacher Grants (up to $1500) - applications due November 1st
• Red and Gold Grants (up to $500) - applications due October 1st (Round 1), December 2nd (Round 2), February 24th (Round 3), April 21st (Round 4)
• Fine Arts Booster Group Mini-Grants - fall deadline October 30th, spring deadline February 1st

For more information on applying to our grants, please visit our website. Together, we can make this school year great!

Tonight We Toast to IPEI!

The air is getting a little bit colder and a lot less humid - fall is on the way! But before we become ensconced in apples, pumpkin spice lattes, and the other essentials of fall in Ithaca, the M&T Bank Summer Concert Series is having a double-header tomorrow night in front of the State Theater.

From 6pm to 9pm, you can hear local bands Second Dam and the Sim Redmond Band for free. In addition to all of that great music, our very own Jennifer Engel - not just Vice President of our board, but also a founding member of IPEI - will be serving drinks! All tips will go to IPEI.

So grab your sunglasses for an end of summer hurrah, and don't forget to tip your bartender!