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Elementary enrichment: Rockport‑Fulton teacher describes birding, medical and engineering programs and field‑trip strategy
Summary
Martha McLeod, an RFISD instructor, updated the board on hands‑on elementary programs that include birding, junior naturalist, engineering and introductory medical/veterinary experiences and said the district spent about $4,000 on these programs this year, funded largely by grants and donors.
At the June 2 board meeting, Martha McLeod described a district elementary‑level enrichment suite that she leads — including birding, a junior naturalist course, two engineering offerings and medical‑career exploration — and explained how field trips, guest speakers and community partnerships support student engagement.
McLeod told trustees she runs weekly study sessions, multiple field trips and guest‑speaker events (wildlife biologists, hospital nutritionists, veterinarians and other local experts), and that programs are intentionally hands‑on and vocabulary‑rich. She said class sizes typically run 20–25 students for enrichment programs, that many students participate for multiple years, and that she estimated around $4,000 in program expenditures this school year covering buses, field materials and supplies; most additional funding came from grants and community donors.
McLeod described a range of activities: bird‑banding demonstrations with Gulf Coast researchers, oyster recycling volunteer work in partnership with Texas Master Naturalists, veterinary clinic visits where students observed clinical procedures, overnight camps and a KidSpark engineering curriculum that requires students to design, cost and present mechanical solutions. She said one locally produced nature documentary filmed students and will be released June 20.
Superintendent Dr. Austin and other trustees praised the programs as curriculum complements that spark student interest in STEM and outdoor careers and urged the district to continue funding field experiences through the Education Foundation and other fundraising channels.
McLeod said many students who take her courses go on to participate in other district CTE and STEM opportunities and that the goal is exposing students to career vocabulary and real‑world practice early in their schooling.
The board did not take action on the presentation; McLeod asked the district to continue supporting field‑trip budgets, grant writing and community partnerships to sustain the offerings.
