The Park Ridge-Niles District 64 Elementary Learning Foundation will host a 1970s-themed casino night Jan. 27 to raise money for “innovative and imaginative” education programs.
Casino Saturday Night Fever will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Jan. 27 at Café La Cave, 2777 S. Mannheim Road, Des Plaines.
Tickets, which are available online at district64elf.org, are $100 each until Jan. 16. After that, tickets are $125 each, organizers said.
Grants from the foundation have provided District 64 schools with collaboration stations, stand-up desks, 21st century learning centers and broadcasting rooms, district officials said.
During the 2017-18 school year, $20,000 in grants from the foundation were used to fund projects and programs at the elementary and early childhood level including:
* Renovations to Franklin Elementary School’s Learning Resource Center, including tables, chairs and shelving for the school’s pilot MakerSpace program.
* A virtual reality program at Roosevelt Elementary School, which is designed to allow students school-wide the opportunity to use Google “cardboard” viewers and devices to experience places around the world with a focus on student inquiry.
* An expanded outdoor learning environment at Jefferson School to allow students to learn about native plant species in pocket greenhouses and window boxes.
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* Fidget cubes for students at Carpenter Elementary School, which allow students to use the small, silent hand held devices to prevent distraction.
* Lego StoryStarter kits at Roosevelt Elementary School, which are being used in reading, writing, language arts, social studies, science and intervention classes.
The District 64 Elementary Learning Foundation has awarded $760,000 in grants to District 64 schools since 1994, leaders said.
Heather Cherone is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.