A Letter from our President: Every Child Needs a Champion!

Dear School Community:

Welcome to the 2015-16 year! As a parent of two children in our School District, I am so proud to serve as President of the Greater Latrobe Partners in Education Foundation (GLPIEF). In 2012, GLPIEF was formed as an independent charitable nonprofit to enhance and enrich the educational experiences of Greater Latrobe students through community-wide participation and philanthropy.

We at GLPIEF are excited for this year’s Every Child Needs a Champion annual drive. Last year, GLPIEF’s inaugural annual fund raised over $100,000 from the generosity of parents, teachers, staff, alumni, businesses and foundations. These gifts enable GLSD to:

• Create STEM learning labs in each elementary school, equipped with 30 iPads and a 3-D printer.
• Purchase a second 3-D printer for the Junior and Senior High School.
• Provide Chromebook laptops for 6th grade Language Arts Teachers.
• Grant College-in-High-School Scholarships. Students, in financial need, registered in a GLSD dual enrollment course offered at the SHS campus, can apply to receive college credits at no cost.
• Install new swipe card security doors at Mountain View and Baggaley Elementary Schools to allow staff and students to securely enter the building during the school day.
• Offer district-wide safety and security training for all GLSD staff members.

Your philanthropy directly impacts Greater Latrobe students. We hope you will make a gift that is meaningful to you to the Every Child Needs a Champion 2015-16 Annual Fund that will support:

STEM Education: Thanks to a recent grant GLSD received to implement Project Lead the Way, the nation’s leading provider of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) curriculum, GLSD will be providing world-class K-12 curriculum and teacher professional development. GLSD was the only school district in Westmoreland County to be selected for PLTW for K-12. Last year, through gifts made to the annual fund, GLPIEF supported the needed equipment for school STEM labs. This year, your gift will support ongoing STEM teaching training. In addition to PLTW, GLSD is partnering with the Carnegie Science Center to provide STEM professional development for teachers throughout the district.

Global Classrooms: Technology constantly changes and GLPIEF is committed to ensuring teachers and students have the best classroom tools. Your gift will support laptops in 90 elementary classrooms across the district as well as support Chromebook expansion in the Junior High School.

Thank you for your consideration. Gifts of ANY size DO make a difference. We are truly grateful.

Sincerely,

Jessica S. Urbanik
President