Washington Township Education Foundation Awards 30 Mini-Grants
for 2008-09 School Year
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP – The Washington Township Education Foundation (WTEF) has agreed to award 30 mini-grants that will finance a number of supplemental programs throughout the Washington Township Public Schools in 2008-09. The grants of varying amounts between $200 and $1,200 total over $17,000 and were awarded based on a committee recommendation following a review of all applications.
WTEF is an independent, community-based, non-profit organization which seeks to set an example of community involvement in and support for the Washington Township Public Schools. The Foundation seeks to assist the school district by securing private sector resources and community supports for (1) enhancing the educational experiences of students; (2) preparing students for higher education and the world of work; and (3) other purposes for which public funding is not available.
In its four years of awarding mini-grants, the WTEF has contributed over $60,000 toward enhancing the educational experiences of the District’s students.
“Our District is very fortunate to have the support of a Foundation that routinely sponsors programs that cannot be funded through our budget,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Cheryl Simone said. “Because of the WTEF’s efforts, our students are exposed to unique programming that reinforces and extends their classroom instruction.”
The following schools and programs are the grant recipients:
Grenloch Terrace Early Childhood Center
Distance Learning with the MOTE Marine Laboratory of Sarasota, Florida
(Teacher/Facilitator: Denise Centanzo)
The students will participate in a 30 minute video conference with the MOTE Marine Laboratory. The MOTE Marine Lab will present a media rich, interactive distance learning program on crabs. This program will include a video conference lesson on the types of crabs, reading "The Story of Clumsy Crab" by Ruth Galloway, learn about invertebrate diversity and play the game, "Fishy Thoughts," followed by a question and answer period. Students will develop reading comprehension and other literacy skills as they are learning marine science.
Home and School Link (3 grants)
(Teachers/Facilitators: Cathy Snyder, Kelly Chapman, Maria Rygalski, Dana Crenny)
This grant will allow early childhood educators to develop their mission of a strong home and school connection that extends far beyond kindergarten. The grant will provide materials for use at home to enhance development in the area of literacy and mathematics and to support differentiated and individualized instruction.
Kids Are Authors (7 grants)
(Teachers/Facilitators: Laurie Chranowski, Jayne Lightfoot, Pat Blome, Margot D’Amico, Nancy Black, Debra Melroy, Anita Bucci, JoAnn Lerch)
Focusing on the individual child and their own development, students will be immersed in literature, developing skills and creating their own different genre books. After a specific genre book is studied, the children will be encouraged to use their knowledge to write a book. Teachers will conference with the students during writers' workshops and will assist the children in selecting their best work for publication. The ultimate goal with the success of this initiative will be to develop life-long readers and writers by instilling an appreciation of literature and seeding the vision that a kindergarten child's work is valuable.
Bells Elementary School
Colonial Time Travel
(Teacher/Facilitator: Michael Hennessy)
Students will interactively experience life in Colonial America using board games.
Kids As Sleuths
(Teacher/Facilitator: Michael Hennessy)
Using hands-on materials, students will interactively solve mysteries ranging from whodunits to courtroom dramas. Students will use text prompts to act out the solving of mysteries. Some clues will involve testimonies from expert witnesses, others will require a careful attention to diagrams and other evidence. Students must use their reasoning skills to discover the culprit and solve the mystery.
Magnet Architecture
(Teacher/Facilitator: Michael Hennessy)
Students will design three-dimensional architecture using magnetic joints and rods. Students must first plan and build their architectural designs, then calculate the volume and areas of the structures.
Percents in Art
(Teacher/Facilitator: Michael Hennessy)
Students will create mosaic artwork using 100-500 magnetic mosaic tiles. The tile colors will be expressed as a percentage of the entire piece. Students will be helped to appreciate the relevance of percentages in creative, day-to day activities.
Using (Not Losing) Your Marbles
(Teacher/Facilitator: Michael Hennessy)
Students will construct 3-dimensional marble structures made of wood through which gravity-controlled marbles must find their way. Students must use decimals represented on a stopwatch to time the speed at which their marbles travel through their 3-D mazes. The structures also will inform students on the effects of gravity versus air pressure when an oscillating fan sends atmosphere to compete with the descending marble.
Birches Elementary School
Exploring Brazil
(Teachers/Facilitators: Ruth Pelphrey, Carrie Greco, Lori Mazzeo, Ale Maciunas, Lisa Campiglia)
Exploring Brazil will be a week-long inter-disciplinary project that will expose the third-grade students to this diverse country through increasing aesthetic awareness in each of their special areas classes. All third graders will actively participate in hands-on learning while they experience various aspects of Brazilian culture through different learning styles and modalities. Students will experience the culture of this South American country through participation in the performance of ethnic rhythms and dance, researching information on the web, creating a multimedia presentation, drawing and designing creatures from the Rain Forest and reading literature about the culture and traditions of Brazil. Students will be invited to culminate these experiences by taking an electronic field trip to the Brazilian Rain Forest. Students will understand the importance of the Rain Forest in our lives and will learn about how humans have changed the delicate balance of this area.
Write On!
(Teacher/Facilitator: Bettiann Young)
This language arts project will allow students to become authors of their very own original children's stories. This grant will allow for the purchase of hardcover blank books that the students will turn into a published storybook containing an original story and illustrations.
Hurffville Elementary School
Budding Journalists
(Teacher/Facilitator: Kathleen Kersznowski)
Second-grade students will each have a week-long turn as "classroom photographer". They will use a digital camera to photograph classroom learning activities they deem interesting. The student will be allowed to take unlimited photos, however, at the end of the week they will select only three photos to print. All students will be taught how to use the camera, the computer, and the printer properly. The three photos will each be printed on a standard piece of white paper. Students will be taught to write a caption. These will be placed in a "scrapbook" of our class memories for all the students to read and enjoy. As a culmination for this project, the teacher will create a photo slideshow of ALL photos selected from the year, as a chronicle of the memories made, learning experiences shared, and fond recollections of a school year.
Thomas Jefferson Elementary School
Fairy Tales, Folklore & Fables
(Teacher/Facilitator: Lisa Sebastiani)
A professional composer, violinist, cellist and narrator will perform stories for the students. The professional musicians will discuss their instruments, describing their history, capabilities and techniques. The musicians will talk to the students about making audience-induced improvisations of everyday sounds for the musicians to imitate on their instruments. The students will learn about different compositional techniques, such as "Sprechspiel", the German word for the "speech of instrument." The students will be shown they have their own instrument, the human voice. Audience participation is required, since the children will choose one of several endings to the stories.
Wedgwood Elementary School
Blast Off!
(Teachers/Facilitators: Kim Amendt, Elizabeth Smith, Barbara Finocchiaro)
Blast Off! Is a unique, hands-on science, mathematics and technology project that will allow 5th grade students to culminate a unit of study on aerodynamics and space by constructing, launching and evaluating a water bottle rocket.
Math is Family Fun!
(Teachers/Facilitators: Jan Sanders, Barbara Finocchiaro)
Math is Family Fun is an evening activity for parents and their children to explore "fun" ways to practice math. Participants will create and play games related to a variety of math skills and concepts that are critical to developing number sense. After a general introduction, each family would be given the materials to create an Everything Math Deck (deck of playing cards and pre-printed labels). After a short demonstration of games to play with the newly-created deck, families will begin to rotate through several stations. Participants will select a station, follow directions to create the game, and then play the game together. After a designated period of time (15-20 minutes), families will then rotate to another station. Underlying mathematical concepts will be addressed as part of each station.
Whitman Elementary School
Climb Into Fitness
(Teacher/Facilitator: Adam Clark)
A Climbing Cargo Net will be purchased and installed in the Whitman Gymnasium to be used by all students in grades 1-5. Cargo rope nets make it possible for teachers to climb with students who require assistance, which is not possible on straight ropes. Rope angles change as kids climb, building balance, coordination and full-body strength. Rope climbing promotes social interaction. Play elements that focus on physical development can assist children to develop and enhance fine and gross motor skills, hand and eye coordination, balance and sense of movement through space.
Score Some More!
(Teacher/Facilitator: Cathy Cooper)
This unique project will allow 4th grade students to learn the New Jersey state open-ended and Holistic scoring rubrics for math, language arts literacy, and science. The project will score student responses and provide feedback to improve student performance on NJASK4 open-ended questions.
SEW Much Learning About the Civil War
(Teachers/Facilitators: Virginia Sandberg, Lori McEntee)
The story of Civil War quilting is a mixture of fact and myth. Students will explore the history of quilting and the various techniques used in Civil War Quilting. Topics will include how quilts were an essential part of the Underground Railroad, how blocks were designed and the important role women and quilting played for both the North and South during the Civil War. Students will learn how all the Civil War quilts tell an emotional story in themselves about pain and suffering of all people, slavery, and patriotism. Students will use patterns indicative of the Civil War Period to create replica Civil War Quilts.
The Write Stuff
(Teachers/Facilitators: Janet Nowakowski, Lori McEntee)
Fourth-grade students will have the opportunity to develop their writing skills with the direction of child prodigy and author, Adora Svitak in a three-part video conference. Students will also have the opportunity to share their work with the author. Writing Samples will be displayed for classroom viewing via a document camera. The document camera can also be used to project pictures or poetry to be used as writing prompts. For the purpose of this project, student work will be edited by the class and author as it is projected. Additionally, all Whitman Students will benefit from the expertise of the author by viewing the videoconference sessions through the school-wide broadcasting system.
Chestnut Ridge Middle School
Literature Circle Books
(Teacher/Facilitator: Nancy Benninger)
Novels will be purchased for 8th grade classroom literature circles. A greater novel selection increases the chance of matching students with a novel that satisfies their individual interest. Students informally discuss the different novels with each other as they read. More current titles will heighten student interest in reading.
Literature Circle Novels
(Teacher/Facilitator: Suzanne Balliet)
Novels will be purchased for 8th grade classroom literature circles. Students have the opportunity to choose a book to read and groups would be formed based on book choice. By providing them with a variety of choices, it will in turn motivate the students to want to read more and learn to enjoy reading. The novels would be used as a springboard to expand on students' decoding skills, vocabulary skills, and comprehension skills through independent reading, group reading, and lively group discussions. Working in literature circle groups will allow students the opportunity to discuss text and enjoy literature in a cooperative learning setting. The students will also learn the importance of interacting with fellow peers and learn how to give and accept feedback in an appropriate way.
Personalized Quilt Pillows
(Teacher/Facilitator: Susan Stinson)
The creation of memory quilt pillows will have students using family and personal photographs printed onto fabric. This project integrates a variety of technologies into the Sewing Technology classroom. Students will have the opportunity to create a special quilt using photographs that are scanned, downloaded or created through the use of digital cameras and then printed onto fabric. The created fabric will be used in the creation of a quilt that will be used in a pillow. One purpose of this project is to lead the student to conclude that the process of sewing is an act of construction that integrates various disciplines, including math, social studies, art, technology and career exploration.
Orchard Valley Middle School
Ready to Rumble
(Teachers/Facilitatosr: Kristen Eichinger, Connie Bishop, Linda Wienckoski, Kelly Evans)
Ready to Rumble is an interdisciplinary unit involving science, reading and English classes. The students will study various topics in science (hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanoes, tsunamis, and earthquakes), create a PowerPoint presentation, and read a related novel in Literature Circles.
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