Princeton Education Foundation

Mini-Grant Awards

2009-2010 PRINCETON EDUCATION FOUNDATION MINI GRANT AWARDS
Total Amount = $9,884.32 ($3,500 from BMS for STEM money & $6,384.32 from PEF funds)

The Princeton Education Foundation received 15 mini-grant applications this fall; 5 of which were eligible for STEM money. Each school in the district has at least one grant with a total of 21 teachers involved.

* Community Park Breakfast Book Club. Pam Gentile and Deb Schulterbrandt (Accelerated Intervention Services/Resource Room) at Community Park. The purpose of this project is to encourage struggling 4^th and 5^th grade struggling readers to read more on their own by nurturing a love of reading in a non-threatening atmosphere. This develops expressive language, listening skills, vocabulary, comprehension self-confidence and social skills. The grant requests money for books and breakfast food.

* PEN PALS. Carolyne Lederman (Spanish) at Community Park. The teacher would like to pilot a learning activity with 2^nd grade students at Community Park that will motivate them to learn Spanish and help them test their beginning communication skills in this area with a real life activity. The funds will be used to purchase a DVD camera and tapes, a portable microphone and postage stamps and envelopes so that CP students can use Spanish in written and oral communication with new pen pals at a bilingual school in Columbia via the internet and regular mail.

* Johnson Park Lunch Cafe. Carolyn Bailey (Media Specialist) and teachers - Diane Lefenfeld (5^th) and Emily Moorman (5^th). The purpose of this grant is to create an additional opportunity during the school day to encourage, by interaction, the pure enjoyment of reading by sharing the experience with others in a monthly lunch hour reading club. The project will focus on fifth graders and prepare them to read and discuss literature as part of a group. This application requests materials to help teachers facilitate these monthly reading groups including: purchase of a paperback novel, books on tape and health snacks/dessert (to supplement the school lunch – and make the session “special”).

* Summer Books for English Language Learners. Ted Holsten (ESL) at Littlebrook. It is essential for English language learners to maintain and even improve their reading skills over the summer. Research has shown that students who read during the summer do not los academic skills and suffer a “summer setback”. This grant asks for funds to buy books for 22 ESL students for summer reading.

* KBC for the 21^st Century. Janet Zondag (Special Education) at Riverside. The teacher is requesting funds to bring the KBC-TV studio up-to-date and, thus, enhance the learning experience for students. The KBC-TV news program gives students an opportunity for practical, hands-on application of skills and learning processes associated with many curricular areas. Riverside’s news program served as a model for the district for in-house news at the elementary school.

* How Do I Learn? Evelyn Counts and John Cronin (Guidance), Jacques Bazile (Science) and Justin Matthews (Social Studies) at John Witherspoon Middle School. The purpose of this application is to pilot the use of a learning style inventory called “Let Me Learn”. The inventory is a research-based computerized program that helps students and teachers understand more about how each student learns. The application requests grant funds to help cover a portion of the pilot program.

* Documenting the Congolese Power Struggle. Courtney Crane (English), Rick Miller (Social Studies Supervisor) and Arlene Sinding (Librarian) at PHS. The Princeton Public Library is sponsoring an evening program featuring Eric Daniel Metzgar, filmmaker, and Nicholas Kristof, NY Times columnist . Their film documenting the atrocities in the Congo will be shown and they will speak about their experience in the Congo. This grant requests funds to sponsor a daytime program at PHS in tandem with Mr. Metgar’s appearance at the Princeton Public Library. The film will be screened at PHS and Mr. Metzgar will speak with journalism, film and social studies students about his experiences while filming.

STEM MINI GRANTS
SUPPORTED BY BRISTOL MYERS SQUIBB - $3,500

* Imagination Stations: Toys that Teach. Alysia Battista (Science and Technology) at Riverside School. The teacher would like to purchase science and technology kits (called Super Marbleworks sets) and supplies that will be used in hands-on engineering lessons and units to study energy and motion. All grade levels will benefit from this project and the materials will be used to create new and enhance existing lessons and units in the curriculum. (STEM)

* NJ ASK Workbooks. Karen Indyk (7th Grade Math) at John Witherspoon Middle School. The teacher would like to purchase a review workbook for every seventh grade student at JWMS to better prepare them for the NJ ASK math assessment. (STEM)

* Odyssey: Matter in Motion. Molecular Software for Teachers and Students. Janine Mikulca (Chemistry) at Princeton High School. The purpose of this project is to “help students explain the macroscopic phenomenon that they observe in the lab with molecular theory.” The grant requests funds to purchase ten students licenses and two teacher licenses for user-friendly chemistry software package called “Odyessy Chemistry Live.” It is a molecular modeling software program that allows students to see “the intricate concepts that they are learning in an electronic, interactive format to which the students have become accustomed to by playing video games.” For example, Odyessy allows students to build a virtual water molecule, view it, turn it and change its environment (change temperature) which is useful in a lab setting. (STEM)

* Tower of Hanoi. Lisa Krueger and Gay Hunter Blair (Math) at Princeton High School. This grant seeks funds to purchase 20 Tower of Hanoi puzzles. The puzzle consists of 9 disks of increasing size, stacked on 3 pegs. The object is to move the stack of disks from the first peg to the last peg, one at a time, and never put a smaller one on top of a larger one. This activity relates to the discrete math standard of pattern and to the algebra standard of discovering formulas. The patterns can be discussed at an elementary level or on a more advanced level where the students can actually discover the formula. (STEM)

* Flip Cams for US History. Juanda Gikanndi, Kim Groome (US History) and Beth Brasor (Special Ed.) at Princeton High School. This application requests funds to purchase flip cams, which are mini video cameras that have a USB that allows for a file transfer to laptops and/or teacher website for presentation to the entire class, for use by students. The flip cams present the opportunity to provide differentiated learning activities within the classroom and beyond. They can be used for recording oral history interviews, research, and recording a presentation. (STEM)

2008-09 Mini-Grant Awards - PAST AWARDS

2008-09 MINI-GRANT APPLICATION AWARD SUMMARY Total Amount = $7,791

The Princeton Education Foundation received 18 grant applications for the 2008-09 school year. Twelve applications were from the elementary schools. Four applications came from the middle school and two from the high school.

Look What You Can Find On-Line. Media Specialists. Carolyn Bailey (JP Library) and Nina Lowe (RS Library) and Carolyn Gishlick (Media Specialist/Librarian) at Community Park School.. The media specialists/librarians at three elementary schools would like to purchase an on-line subscription for four encyclopedia programs from Grolier Multimedia (the same program used at the middle school). The encyclopedias would be available to students not only at school but at home. The encyclopedias are written for K-5 students and have some sections developed especially for Spanish speakers and English language learners.

“Just the facts, kids. Just the facts.” Emily Moorman and Sharon Ryon (5^th) at Johnson Park School. The purpose is to help 5^th grade students improve their computational fluency in math using games and hands-on materials to help students “see” and learn basic math facts. Teachers will purchase instructional materials (e.g., math games, math cards, manipulatives, cds) to create a math lending library. Based on students’ needs and learning styles, teachers will introduce and recommend games during in-class activities. Teachers will also encourage students to check out games and take them home on the weekend.

Type to Learn. Michael Rodos (4^th), Deb Schulterbrandt (Special Education) and Liz Lien (Instructional Technology Coordinator) for Community Park School. These teachers are aware that elementary students need to rely on computer technology to communicate and will be required to use their keyboarding skills extensively during middle and high school. Their goal is to help elementary students prepare for this challenge and learn to type 15 words per minute with an accuracy rate of 90%. The application requests a software license that will cover the entire school although the project will focus on 4^th grade classes this year.

Where I’m From: Community Quilts. Sarah Schwimmer, Nancy Livingston and Martha Kirby (5^th) at Littlebrook School. The purpose is to explore with students how community, history and family influence who we are and how we view the world. Students will visit the Princeton Art Council and see the quilt on display there and then write poems and create images that can be used to create their own mini-quilt. The application requests materials from fabric stores, a stipend for a guest quilter and a bus for a field trip.

Building Peace by Celebrating Diversity. Sharon A. Pagliere, Guidance Counselor, at Community Park School. The purpose of this project is to support, enhance and expand the school-wide character education program’s activities with a field trip to the KidsBridge Children’s Museum at the College of New Jersey. The field trip provides a hands-on opportunity to look at the topics of anti-bullying, respecting differences, building cooperation and peace building skills. The counselor would like to focus on third grade students. The application requests funds for bus rental for a field trip and admission tickets for students.

Finding Common Ground: Helping Students Learn Empathy. Jennifer Walters, Guidance Counselor, at Littlebrook School. The purpose of this project is to support, enhance and expand the school-wide anti-bullying initiative which is part of the character education program. The guidance counselor would like to focus on activities that educate students about prejudice, discrimination and intolerance. She believes that a field trip to the KidsBridge Children’s Museum at the College of New Jersey will be a non-threatening way to expose young children to these concepts and create age-appropriate ways to understand these concepts. The application requests funds for bus rental for a field trip and admission tickets for students.

What Does the Future Hold. Evelyn Counts and John Cronin (Guidance Counselors) at John Witherspoon Middle School. Two of the middle school guidance counselors submitted a joint application to create an activity that will bring 6^th and 7^th grade students who are struggling and unfocused in their academic life together with counselors in small groups to work on goal setting, achieving goals and linking daily educational experiences to their future career and education plans. Funds requested in this application would be used for lunches (since the project will take place during the school day), instructional supplies and bus rental for a field trip.

Connecting with Reading Enrichment Communities – A Collaborative Project Between the English and Special Education Departments. Kelley Carney (Special Education – English II), Florence Meehan (Special Education – Co-Teaching Partner in English II), Scott Cameron, Greta Muca, Doug Levandowski, Christopher Collins and Sandra Manning (English) at Princeton High School (PHS). The purpose of this department wide activity is to engage sophomores in supplemental reading, writing and discussion of texts that they have selected from a reading list. The texts that have been selected for the supplemental reading list are culturally responsive and some were recommended by New York University’s Metropolitan Center for Urban Education. The grant funds would be used to purchase copies of texts on the reading list that will be used by students in 2008-09 and in subsequent school years.

2007-08 Mini-Grant Awards

MINI-GRANT APPLICATION AWARD SUMMARY Total Amount = $4,883.45

The Princeton Education Foundation received 14 grant applications this fall. Nine applications were from the elementary schools. Two applications came from the middle school and three from the high school.

Inventions Across the Curriculum. Julie Fallas and Linda Gougoutas (4^th) at Community Park School. The purpose is to build on students’ prior knowledge of inventions and provide the materials for them to create their own unique invention. This is a multi-discipline project that includes science/technology, language arts, social studies, economics and the arts. The inventions will be evaluated on originality, usefulness, how well it is constructed, brochure design to advertise the invention, and the presentation of it to others. Materials requested include: handbooks, video tapes on inventions and general supplies (i.e. pulleys, levers, electric circuits, motors, magnets, etc.) to supplement each student’s invention design and field trip costs for a visit to Liberty Science Center.

Everyone Eats Rice. Lois Bach, K-5 ESL Program at Johnson Park School. The purpose is to “travel” to countries around the world through the use of authentic literature, art, music and dance to understand other countries. The students will also research the geography, ecology and environment of their chosen countries. The students will discover how these countries are unique and similar. The students will make presentations about the country they studied during a dinner featuring rice dishes from around the world. This application requests funding for materials including: CDs with music for folk dancing, art prints and books at various reading levels and transportation to the Princeton University Art Museum.

Supporting Handwriting Skills in Grades K-1. Martha Friedman, Occupational Therapist at Riverside School. This project is an adjunct to a school-wide handwriting initiative that will include general and special education students (including the autism program students at RS). The school has already purchased handwriting workbooks and teacher guides to implement the program school wide. This application requests supplemental non-consumable materials to help teachers adapt instruction for diverse learners, including: individual sized chalk boards and wood piece letter sets. The students’ work will be sampled three times during the school year.

Enhance Student Understanding of Area & Square Units. Jean Wernicki (6^th) Math at John Witherspoon Middle School. The purpose is to plan math lessons on the area of geometric solids and trigonometry using the educational game Blokus. This approach uses kinesthetic and tactile exploration and will enable students with different learning styles to “see” the concepts. The game has colorful, transparent pieces that allow the students to touch and trace these shapes as they explore both area and perimeter of convex and concave shapes. The game is an excellent educational tool which develops spatial reasoning power and has been lauded by MENSA.

We are the World. Cob Powlen (French), Regena Tardugno (Spanish), Bob Vivens (Social Studies), Paul Lynch (Social Studies) and John Cronin (Guidance Counselor) at John Witherspoon Middle School. The purpose is to introduce students in 7^th grade social studies classes to the United Nations as a world institution that promotes communication among nations of the world. They will also study the many agencies within the UN that assist people around the world. Students will visit the UN on a field trip and learn about the United Nations in social studies and world language classes prior to the field trip. The students will then identify related needs in the Princeton community and participate in outreach projects. The grant application requests funds to help defray the costs of student transportation to NYC and tickets for admission to the U.N.

Robotics as an Educational Tool for Programming Classes. Graciela Elia (PHS). The purpose of this activity is to help students acquire robotics and computer programming skills by using kits that will show them what their logical decisions will do and how their thought processes are interpreted by the electronic devices. The kits will allow the students to: problem solve, make connects with concepts, develop reasoning skills, and transfer their understanding and knowledge into actual representations. Each kit costs approximately $300.