Award Granted to Edmond Public Schools for STEM Instruction

Installing a passion for discovering science and math in children at a young age is formative in their educational development. Taking steps to ensure the immersion of elementary level children in the universe of the scientific arts will open them up to endless learning opportunities.

Recently, the Oklahoma State Department of Education granted Edmond Public Schools with additional fund for a new program that will aid in improving the knowledge of elementary school students in the realms of science and math. The Department of Education awarded the district $200,000 for STEM learning, or science, technology, engineering and math instructions.

The “Every Day Elementary STEM for All” program is a professional development undertaking that will enable teachers to undergo more intensive training on the subjects of science, technology, engineering and math. A two-week summer institute and three follow-up sessions will be held to give instructors a wider perspective of influence in these topics. A student achievement data report will be submitted by the faculty to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the lessons taught after the two-week summit.

The STEM program aims to improve education provided at the elementary level when it comes to science and math most especially in English Language Learners (ELL) and on Individualized Education Plan (IEP).

Jennifer Fields
Oklahoma City & Edmond Real Estate Agent
405.330.0031

New OKC Housing Center to Provide Shelter to the Homeless

In this time of economic unrest, many people have found themselves without a roof over their head, or even a bed to sleep in. In some worst cases, these unfortunates suffer from mental, physical, or emotional sickness with absolutely no access to treatment.

The Homeless Alliance is hoping to provide for medically vulnerable homeless people through a housing development set to open this year. The complex will be able to offer shelter to the homeless and care to those who are suffering from untreated medical conditions.

The proposed facility for the homeless will be located within the organization’s WestTown Resource Center. It will have 20 dormitory-style rooms and will help keep residents near social services and medical care.

According to the organization, the new facility is built with a goal of providing the utmost care to homeless people who are medically vulnerable. There will be various benefits available including medical care, case management and legal assistance.

The new homeless center is said to cost around $1.35 million. $670,000 of the $1.35 million comes from a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant.

Jennifer Fields
Oklahoma City & Edmond Real Estate Agent
405.330.0031

Choosing Granite Countertops to Increase Home Value

Granite countertop are highly desirable among homeowners and home buyers because they are durable, scratched resistant, and have a beautiful aesthetic due to the variations of the natural rock. Granite countertops are so popular, in fact, that they are one of the smartest updates you can make to your home if you are wanting to increase its resale value on the market.

There are many different variations of granite countertops that cover a wide range of colors, patterns, and structural installation. Here are the most common types of granite installation options:

1. Slab Granite Countertops – This type of granite countertop is considered high end because it is manufactured, fabricated, and installed as onepiece of block that is usually custom-made for a specific area. The average size of slab granite is 4 to 6 feet deep and 7 to 9 feet wide. Slab granite installation is not a DIY project – you must call in experienced professionals to properly handle the task. The cost of installing slab granite countertops can vary a lot depending on what type of granite you purchase and how easy it is to obtain that type of granite near your home, but a common cost is around $50 per square foot.
2. Modular Granite Countertops – This type of granite countertop is made of smaller slabs cut into pieces that fit your area. You can create any style of surface distribution as you want, and they are about 3 to 4 times cheaper than natural slab stone. Modular granite countertops may have zero or several seams, depending on where you’re installing it. However, since modular granite pieces are quite big, they can still cover many areas without creating seams from multiple pieces.
3. Granite Tile Countertops – This is the most inexpensive way to install granite. In fact, you can install it yourself, which lowers the cost even more.You can purchase granite tiles any home remodelling store for as low as $4 per square foot if you use ¾ inch granite sheets.

Once you’ve installed your granite countertops, maintain and clean them properly, so they will stay in good condition for years to come. Use granite-friendly cleaning products that do not contain lemon, acids, or vinegar, which will corrodethe surface. Also avoid scrubbing powders or abrasive products, as they can leave scratches on the surface.

Jennifer Fields
Oklahoma City & Edmond Real Estate Agent
405.330.0031

OKC Opening Night to Celebrate the New Year

2015 is just a few days away and everyone is excited to welcome the New Year with open arms and cheerful hearts. This coming Wednesday, the Arts Council of Oklahoma City will be hosting its Annual “Opening Night” in downtown OKC, featuring live musical entertainment as well as dances and other performances.

If you wish to make your New Year celebration the most memorable event of the year, then this year’s “Opening Night” is for you! There will be sixteen stages in eight venues around the downtown area, from 4^th to Reno and E K Gaylord to Shartel.

The Opening Night will begin at 7pm and run until 12am Wednesday, December 31st. Musical performances include the Flying Okie, Sam Kahre, Paseo Street Walkers, The Wurly Birds, Nicnos, Vinace and Honey and Callen Clarke. Returning acts include Wayne McEvilly, OKC Improv, Edgar Cruz, Ambassador’s Concert Choir and David Thomas.

The Cox Convention Center will have attractions and activities for children of all ages. There are wristbands available for the event which can be purchased at the price of $8 before Wednesday and $10 on the night of the event.At midnight, countdown will start and end with a beautiful backdrop of firework show in Bicentennial Park. Don’t miss the chance to ring in the new year in the most memorable way possible!

Jennifer Fields
Oklahoma City & Edmond Real Estate Agent
405.330.0031

Science Matters Mobile Museum to Visit Oklahoma

Even though school is out and the holidays have arrived, kids can still have the opportunity flex their mental muscles by visiting the interactive mobile museum. Coming to Oklahoma City and Tulsa this holiday season, the Science Matters Mobile Museum offers scientific exhibits and presentations for children of all ages.

The Science Matters Mobile Museum is a 40-foot mobile exhibit which features various scientific explorations and fascinations. The exhibits are for elementary students, focused on exploring different experiments and teaching children the process of scientific investigations.

On the truck, kids will be able to interact with other students as well as the teachers. They will have plenty of opportunities to ask questions, try experiments for themselves and get a first-hand look at the wonders of natural science at work. Ultimately, these experiences will help children to further develop their understanding of not only science itself, but the thought behind scientific reasoning and experimentation.

On December 29th, the Science Matters Mobile Museum will be stopping at the Science Museum of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City. On December 30th, it will stop at the Children’s Museum Discovery Lab in Tulsa.  Don’t miss this chance to enable your children to experience the wonder and excitement of science, with the Science Matters Mobile Museum!

Jennifer Fields
Oklahoma City & Edmond Real Estate Agent
405.330.0031

Oklahoma College Prep Workshops Offered in Oklahoma City

Preparing for college can be a challenging task. First, you need to choose the university you would like to attend, and the city you would you like to live in. Then, there is the college admission essay to write as well as forms to prepare for your admission. As these may be the most time-consuming factors of the process, financing your education is definitely the hardest. No matter how challenging college is, it will all be worthwhile after you have earned your diploma.

For future students who need help preparing for college, the Oklahoma Metropolitan Library System is offering several workshops. This program is in partnership with the Southern Oaks, Belle Isle, Edmond and Almonte libraries.

The Oklahoma College Assistance Program is a series of workshops that will serve as a guideline to students who plan on entering college. There will be guidance on the application process as well as on the topics of funding sources and finances. These workshops will be conducted in selected dates and locations starting on December 20th.

Jennifer Fields
Oklahoma City & Edmond Real Estate Agent
405.330.0031

OKC Dentists Fight to Reduce Candy Consumption this Halloween

It may be toys during Christmas that makes kids scream with excitement, but for Halloween, it’s all about candy! Halloween’s trick-or-treat is a tradition that everyone loves, most especially children. However, right after all the house-hopping fun, it’s toothaches and stomachaches for these little ones. Eating all the candy you can put your hands on is not practical or healthy, especially given that children can easily empty their goodie bags in one night.

If you want your kids to only eat a reasonable amount of candy,but not totally dispose the remaining sweets in the garbage, then you can simply sell them to local dentists and orthodontists in Oklahoma City who may be buying them.

Select dentists and orthodontists are creating an effort to help parents reduce their kid’s candy consumption while also benefiting the American troops abroad. By buying the candies sold to them by kids and their parents, they can send the candies to the heroes fighting for the country oversees.

The effort put on by the local dentists is part of a national campaign aiming to reduce candy consumption and promote health. Several dentists will be buying candy from trick-or-treaters for $1 per 1 pound of candy. Then these candies will be repacked and sent to troops located outside the country through Operation Gratitude in California.

Jennifer Fields
Oklahoma City & Edmond Real Estate Agent
405.330.0031

 

Oklahoma Universities Compete to Help Fight Hunger

The Fall season brings all sorts of holiday food to our tables, from delicious oven-roasted turkeys to pumpkin pies. But for some, Fall may not be the most wonderful time of the year, as many families go hungry despite the upcoming holidays.

One way to help them is by providing them with free food, courtesy of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. The Food Bank is continually supporting Oklahoma residents, especially those who are less-fortunate or homeless.

As a way to support the Food Bank, a friendly fundraising competition will be held this year between Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma. Both Universities will put on their own creative efforts to collect items for the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.

The Fall Food Drive will collect non-perishable items until October 27th to be submitted to the Food Bank and in turn, distributed to those in need. All through-out the respective campuses, there will be collection boxes that will encourage more support from the collective student bodies, school administration and faculty. Those who wish to help can simply deposit canned and bagged food items in the boxes.

There are also other fundraising programs that will solicit more help around the campus. Each university will be hosting various efforts that will make it easy to participate.

Jennifer Fields
Oklahoma City & Edmond Real Estate Agent
405.330.0031

Oklahoma City Offers New Convenient Parking Garage

With the growing number of cars traversing the downtown area, parking has become a major problem. There may not be enough spaces to accommodate all vehicles in various city blocks.

Due to increased parking issues, the City of Oklahoma City has provided a new parking garage for those who are in the downtown area. The new parking building will be a convenient way to resolve parking problems while also offering an attraction within the district. According to OKC Parking Manager Debi Holtzclaw, the new parking garage will look like an art attraction due to it’s colorful exterior lighting.

There will be reflective white walls and ceilings in the new garage and lighting will be color-variant. It will not only be a unique attraction, but the new lighting will have safety applications to those utilizing the facilities.

The bottom part of the garage will be a retail area, available for tenants to rent spaces. It will also connect Main St. to Colcord, acting as a pedestrian walkway.

The new parking building measures 22,000 square feet and has a total cost of about $21.7 million, to be paid by the Central Oklahoma Transportation & Parking Authority. It will be located on Walker and Hudson, between Main St. and Colcord Dr. Once opened, the garage will hold more than 800 vehicles at capacity.

Jennifer Fields
Oklahoma City & Edmond Real Estate Agent
405.330.0031

Chores to Doors Simplifies Shopping in Edmond

Making a run for your daily or weekly groceries can be incredibly time-consuming. Even when we do go shopping, there are times when we tend to buy of what we actually don’t need.

A new shopping concept is being introduced in Edmond that can solve this problem. This service enables residents to shop for their groceries and foods without having to do the shopping themselves.

Chores to Doors is one way of shopping for your own groceries and foods with the convenience of staying at home. Only one phone call away, you can shop for your favorite food items, house essentials and even fast food takeouts.

The new shopping concept is owned and operated by Edmond residents. The goal is to provide an easy service for residents to save precious time while effectively filling needs.

Chores to Doors offer an extensive list of groceries that consumers can choose and buy. There are more than 4,000 items listed. Consumers can simply call the hotline for their grocery list, including beverages, deli, produce, snacks and meats. An employee can then deliver their groceries right to the customer’s door.

Deliveries are available daily from 8:00am to 10:30pm for groceries and 5:00am to 2:00am for fast food. Delivery has a cost of $6.99 and is done on the same day, regardless of size and quantity of the orders placed.

Jennifer Fields
Oklahoma City & Edmond Real Estate Agent
405.330.0031