A Million Dreams - Parent's Area

Dreams usually fall into 4 categories:

Dream to be -a certain profession e.g dancer, zookeeper, scientist
Dream to meet/learn from - an expert, a hero, someone who shares a passion or talent
Dream to have- certain equipment needed to learn a skill e.g. DJ equipment, a green screen for making films, cameras
Dream to go- to a concert, to a place, to a competition, to an event

Who is eligible to apply?

Any child from Year 1- 6 is eligible to apply for a grant regardless of the length of time they have been at our school.

Grant Request Process

A big part of this initiative is to encourage children to be proactive in seeking out opportunities to develop their talents. We will actively advertise and promote A Million Dreams at all levels of our schools termly so it remains fresh in the minds of the children.

Children can submit requests through this website using the kid-friendly form. Younger children may need some help from an adult.

Where a funding submission is unsuccessful in being granted, it will be passed forward for consideration in the next term's round of selection. Each submission can pass through 2 terms of consideration before being retired. If retired, it will be accompanied by a note from the Dream Weavers selection panel giving encouragement and suggestions for ways to strengthen their future applications for greater success.

If a child's funding application passes the first round of shortlisting, parent permission and an agreement of support will need to be granted before the grant is awarded. In some cases there may be a requirement for parental participation should the experience take place outside school grounds or out of school hours, or involve travel of any kind beyond the immediate area.

The time from a grant being given and the completion of the dream will depend on the nature of the application and what is involved in making it happen.

Roles

The role of the child is to initiate the application based on what they think will help them reach for their dreams

The role of the parents is to support the child in their application, share important information about their child's talents and dreams with the Dreamweaver team through the Parent Information Form

The role of the classroom teacher is to encourage the children to go after their dreams. They may also submit important information about a child or children in their classes who demonstrate particular talents, ambitions or skills in the classroom setting that may merit further development.

The role of the Dreamweavers is to fairly judge the applications based on a set criteria including

how likely the request is to further develop the talents of the child
how realistic the request will be to carried out in a timely way
how financially viable the request is within the limits of the funds available (which will vary termly due to the fundraising nature of the fund)

The Dreamweavers are also responsible for communicating with successful and unsuccessful applicants in a timely way.

Where necessary, the Dreamweavers will work with children to coordinate the logistics seeing through an experience, purchasing equipment or timetabling in expert visitors.

Expectations for Successful Applicants

When a child is successful in securing a grant, or experience there is an expectation that they will document their experience in some way for promotional purposes and to ignite a passion in others to strive for their dreams.

How they do this can be negotiated with the Dreamweavers, but may include one or more of these suggested ways:

Photos or photo diary
Vlogging
Writing a report
Sharing a completed product
Performing at assembly

Tell us About Your Child

At times, children can be shy in putting themselves forward. If your child participates, excels in, or is passionate about something outside of school, it is not always known to those who see them in the classroom context day to day. You are welcome to share information about your child using the below form. Your information may be used in the following ways