Tag Archives: mini grant

Books, Check it Out:, Guest Blogger

Fieldstone and St. Michael Elementary CMLE Extended Mini Grant Report

This is a guest post from Kristina Kampa, Media Specialist at Fieldstone Elementary and St. Michael Elementary.

I have seen this grant application before, but never thought to apply. My thoughts were it would be too much work since I have never applied for a grant before, I don’t have time, I would never get it, the list goes on. 

I saw the information in the CMLE Newsletter this fall and I figured I would apply this year because we were not given any funds to purchase books other than the money we raised from our book fairs.

So this was the year I was going to sit down and fill this application out for the two elementary media centers I work in. The Google Form for the grant was very simple to fill out.  When I received the email back saying that both of my schools I work in were awarded the grant, I was beyond excited.

I work at two different elementary schools in my district and they both have areas in the collection that need updating, but funds have kept the updating limited. 

I started weeding the non fiction section in one of my schools last year, but realized I couldn’t weed all of the books my report suggested because I didn’t have funds to order new ones.

Our sports team section was in desperate need of more current updated books and I was able to purchase a whole new collection of football books from this grant. I was also able to purchase a few new graphic novels as well which we never can keep on the shelves! 

My other school desperately needed updated picture books for the students and teachers to have for read alouds. With this grant, I was able to place an order for over 50 new picture books. 

The students have been eagerly waiting for these books to arrive and to read them. I am very thankful for this grant and how it allowed me to purchase new and current books for my students and staff at both schools. Thank you CMLE for helping me update our collections this year! 

Check it Out:, Guest Blogger

Deanna Euteneuer Extended Mini Grant Report

This is a guest post from Deanna Euteneuer, Instructional Coach-Tech Integrationist at Pleasantview Elementary. Read more about our Extended Mini Grant Program or fill out one of our applications. This program is only available during the FY21 school year.

Pleasantview Elementary would like to thank CMLE for this wonderful grant. This past year has been filled with several transitions between in-person and distance learning.

As we navigated the different environments we strived to keep our students reading by allowing them to borrow books from our media center. Some of the students loved the books so much, they have not been returned.

Thanks to the grant from CMLE, we’ve been able to replace the books that were lost and purchase several new titles! Your generosity continues to foster the love of reading!

Guest Blogger

CMLE Mini Grant: Purchasing Inclusive Books for Rockford Middle School Center for Environmental Studies

CMLE mini grant logo

Note from CMLE: We are currently in the process of updating our mini grant policies and procedures. We will make an announcement on our site and newsletter when we are ready to begin reviewing applications again!

This is a guest post from Beth Russell, Digital Skills Teacher and Curriculum Integration Coordinator at Rockford Middle School Center for Environmental Studies.

This summer saw a call for social justice that was shouted from the rooftops, marched down the streets, and written on signs, blogs, and across the hearts and minds of people in Minnesota and across the globe. We heard people demanding the right to exist, to succeed, and to matter. At RMS-CES, we heard this call and are responding in part by recognizing that our school library did not reflect the voices, faces, and stories of many of our students. 

We searched for book lists that featured writers of color, showcased diverse characters, and told stories and experiences from the past and from the present. We looked for books about everyday life and ones about traumatic experiences in history. We read blogs, followed authors on social media, and vowed to do better when purchasing books in the future, that our students will see themselves on the cover and in the pages of the books that are on our shelves. 

After the books came in, teachers who were in the building during workshop week had the chance to browse and borrow books for class read alouds. It was great to see so many teachers excited about starting to share our new collection right away, and we can’t wait to get our books into the hands of our students at the start of this very unprecedented year.

Check it Out:, Guest Blogger

CMLE Mini Grant: Stearns History Museum Family History Conference

CMLE mini grant logo

Note from CMLE: We are currently in the process of updating our mini grant policies and procedures. We will make an announcement on our site and newsletter when we are ready to begin reviewing applications again!

This is a guest post from Steve Penick, archivist at Stearns History Museum.

Family History Conference Mini Grant; Stearns History Museum, St. Cloud, Minnesota

The Family History Conference:  Growing for Generations was held on September 19, 2020 cohosted by the Stearns History Museum and the St. Cloud Area Genealogists.  Originally scheduled for last April, the arrival of Covid-19 postponed our program that lead to the decision in holding a virtual conference.

Thanks to the Central Minnesota Library Exchange, the $300 Mini Grant paid for our keynote presenter Kim Ashford and one breakout speaker.  Fifty-seven attendees enjoyed 12 different sessions on various topics.  They included:  ethnic topics, research road trips, online sources, using social media for genealogy, newspaper research, digitizing, and strategies in writing your family story.  Afterward, attendees communicated their experiences about the quality programming, and for the most part, limited technical issues throughout the day.  Yea!

An online format provided some advantages for those attending the conference.  Most sessions were recorded, offering the flexibility for attendees to view them for a limited time afterward. While an in-person conference offers opportunities for socializing and networking, participants had chances to meet and greet before sessions began or during lunchtime.  Speaking of lunch, several online exhibits rotated through the noon hour slideshow highlighting our two organizations and the work that they do.  

We look forward to our next conference whether it be virtual or in-person.  Until then, keep researching!

Guest Blogger

CMLE Mini Grant Report: Talahi Community School WeDoLego 2.0

This is a guest post from Jenny McNew, School Media Specialist at Talahi Community School. Read more reports from CMLE Mini Grants on our page.

Students at Talahi Community School love building with Legos and after a year of not being able to use a great product because of old technology we are once again able to have a great experience working with our Lego WeDo kits.

We have 30 of the old WeDo kits but they require a usb connection with a computer program downloaded to run the software. We no longer have computers that would run the program but with a mini-grant from CMLE we were able to purchase the Lego WeDo 2.0 hubs, motors and sensors.

Students are once again able to build with the Legos and make their creations move using the Lego WeDo 2.0 app on our iPads. This app uses a bluetooth connection to drive the sensors and turn the motors.

It was so much fun to watch the students’ eyes light up as they made their creations move. Through this process, students were able to see that sometimes we need to think outside the box and with some creative thinking we can take something that may no longer work and make it work in a different way.

Thank you CMLE for bringing the fun back to our Legos!