Grants Awarded 2017-18
Westborough Education Foundation 2017-18 Grants Awarded
Total $21,171
Moving and Learning
Hastings PreSchool: Cheryl Goodale, Kimberly Weldon $381
Physical development, social development and communication are cornerstones of the preschool curriculum, and the playground is the perfect place to facilitate learning through play. This grant will provide additional play choices for children who are mobility impaired and will facilitate a more complex play schema and promote exploration, creativity and problem solving.
Best Buddies Leadership Conference
WHS: Thomas Jacob, Angelina Corazzini $1400
This grant will allow 4 people from WHS’s Best Buddies Chapter to attend the 2017 Leadership Conference this summer. Through participation at this conference, WHS will bring back fresh ideas and improved leadership skills to expand and invigorate the Best Buddies club, which is one of the most active clubs.
Glockenspiels, Sound Shapes and Fun for All!
Fales: Pam Yanco $283.1
Sound shape drums are unique hand drums that allow students to add movement while they play. These instruments will be used for rhythm work and will complement the collection of unpitched percussion instruments for the Fales music program.
Prepare, Practice, Present!
Mill Pond: Anne DiBona $1110
The purpose of this project is to promote student’s confidence during oral presentations across the curriculum. This grant will fund the purchase of Smart Cart Lecterns with Sound for each fourth grade team. These lecterns will help students nurture their communication and presentation skills by preparing, practicing and presenting to their peers in their classrooms.
Narrative Writing Residency for Third Graders
Armstrong: Kelly White $1650
Mr. Green of Potato Hill Poetry will work with students at Armstrong School teaching how to write a narrative essay. The purpose of this project is to enhance the existing 3rd grade narrative writing unit. Mr. Green’s love of words, detail, imagination and unique teaching are an inspiration. The goal is to get students more interested in writing and to try new strategies.
Equal Voices: Promoting Gender Equality at WHS
WHS Cheryl Tucker, Julie Matson, Elizabeth Hopkinson $1800
This grant will enable a group of students (members of Equal Voices) to attend the annual MA Conference for Women. Equal Voices is a club dedicated to promoting gender equality.
Ukulele Musicians Visit K-3 Schools
Fales: Karin Puffer, Jessica Matthews, Pam Yanco $900
Playing the ukulele is part of music education in K-3. This grant will fund visits from two professional ukulele players, Heidi Swedberg and Daniel Ward, who will work with the second and third grade students. There will be a concert by these two talented musicians at each school, so all the students can be exposed to these artists.
You’ve Got a Friend in Me
Armstrong: Michelle Casciano $725
Armstrong students will partner with senior residents at the Highlands Retirement Independent Living Center, providing an opportunity for WPS and the Westborough community to collaborate, part of the district’s strategic plan. They will engage in activities that will foster intergenerational relationships, a sense of community and service to those in need. These activities, such as reading and playing games will promote literacy and interpersonal skills.
WiSE @Gibbons
Gibbons: Lisa Greenwald, Shreya Chowdhary $1320
WiSE@Gibbons is a STEM club created to foster interest in STEM in middle school girls. This club aims to provide girls who may have lost interest in STEM an accepting and supportive community that extends to HS and beyond. Engaging the girls in interactive education activities will expose them to STEM in different ways.
Mill Pond School Makerspace
Mill Pond: Dee Kohler, Alison DiFiore $1500
The Mill Pond Library and Technology Department will build a cross disciplinary community workspace. This Makerspace program will incorporate cross-disciplinary elements of STEM and Project-Based Learning, the use of technology and innovation into the schools. This will provide tools and equipment for coding, robotics, science experiments, digital storytelling and more.
The Mission Style Grandfather Clock
WHS: Bill Parsons $2025
This grant will support a class project in the Wood Tech II/III classes where students will engage in a service learning project. They will collectively build a Mission Style grandfather clock for the WHS Library. Wood Tech is a project based curriculum with a service learning component where students will create a functional artifact for the school community.
Creating a Middle School Robotics Class
Gibbons: Dr. Daniel Mayer $1804
As STEM skills and courses are a key part of our curriculum, this grant will help fund the launch of a new Robotics Class for all 7th grade students. Through this course curriculum, students will design, build, program and test robots to do a variety of tasks. This will help cultivate an interest in STEM, and help develop problem solving skills by applying STEM skills.
Mountain Dulcimers for the Elementary Classroom
Hastings: Karin Puffer $944
The mountain dulcimer program has been implemented in general music classes. This grant will provide instruments for all students to enjoy playing their own instrument. Dulcimers are easy to play, but can also allow for more advanced and multi-level learning in the music classroom. Students will learn to play an authentic folk instrument while learning American history through song.
The Artists Workshop: Picturing Writing, Immigration Stories
K-12: Maeve Hitzenbuhler $1790
This is an art and literature based approach to writing which meets the needs of diverse learning styles. It fosters literacy through art. This program will provide the ELL and general education students an opportunity to tell their stories through art and through the writing program will be able to create a book which speaks to their heritage and journey to the US to share with the school community. This project integrates reading, writing, listening and speaking as students read their pictures for meaning.
Google Summer Book Clubs
Mill Pond: Kate Roberts, Kristin Robertson $ 1000
Integrating the technology of Google Classroom with traditional summer reading, the goal of this project is to encourage students to read and help prevent the regression in reading over the summer. This book club will provide just right reading books for grades 4-6 summer reading participants.
Technology as a Second Language: Integrating Technology for English Language Learners
K-3: Melissa Vanswol, Latisha Broomfield, Anna Souza $1420
The use of technology (iPads) will be utilized as another strategy to help English Language Learners acquire English skills. Technology is a universal tool understood by children regardless of home language. iPads will support instruction, and teachers will be better equipped to support and meet the needs of each ELL student.
Summer Stories: Stopping the Sumer Slide
PK-6: Kristin Robertson $1500
The project’s purpose is to close the achievement gap for summer school students by providing a Summer Take Home book bag kit. Summer school teachers will be able to give just right books to their students. Reading will improve fluency, vocabulary and comprehension for the at-risk students.
Westborough Education Foundation 2017-18 Grants Awarded
Total $21,171
Moving and Learning
Hastings PreSchool: Cheryl Goodale, Kimberly Weldon $381
Physical development, social development and communication are cornerstones of the preschool curriculum, and the playground is the perfect place to facilitate learning through play. This grant will provide additional play choices for children who are mobility impaired and will facilitate a more complex play schema and promote exploration, creativity and problem solving.
Best Buddies Leadership Conference
WHS: Thomas Jacob, Angelina Corazzini $1400
This grant will allow 4 people from WHS’s Best Buddies Chapter to attend the 2017 Leadership Conference this summer. Through participation at this conference, WHS will bring back fresh ideas and improved leadership skills to expand and invigorate the Best Buddies club, which is one of the most active clubs.
Glockenspiels, Sound Shapes and Fun for All!
Fales: Pam Yanco $283.1
Sound shape drums are unique hand drums that allow students to add movement while they play. These instruments will be used for rhythm work and will complement the collection of unpitched percussion instruments for the Fales music program.
Prepare, Practice, Present!
Mill Pond: Anne DiBona $1110
The purpose of this project is to promote student’s confidence during oral presentations across the curriculum. This grant will fund the purchase of Smart Cart Lecterns with Sound for each fourth grade team. These lecterns will help students nurture their communication and presentation skills by preparing, practicing and presenting to their peers in their classrooms.
Narrative Writing Residency for Third Graders
Armstrong: Kelly White $1650
Mr. Green of Potato Hill Poetry will work with students at Armstrong School teaching how to write a narrative essay. The purpose of this project is to enhance the existing 3rd grade narrative writing unit. Mr. Green’s love of words, detail, imagination and unique teaching are an inspiration. The goal is to get students more interested in writing and to try new strategies.
Equal Voices: Promoting Gender Equality at WHS
WHS Cheryl Tucker, Julie Matson, Elizabeth Hopkinson $1800
This grant will enable a group of students (members of Equal Voices) to attend the annual MA Conference for Women. Equal Voices is a club dedicated to promoting gender equality.
Ukulele Musicians Visit K-3 Schools
Fales: Karin Puffer, Jessica Matthews, Pam Yanco $900
Playing the ukulele is part of music education in K-3. This grant will fund visits from two professional ukulele players, Heidi Swedberg and Daniel Ward, who will work with the second and third grade students. There will be a concert by these two talented musicians at each school, so all the students can be exposed to these artists.
You’ve Got a Friend in Me
Armstrong: Michelle Casciano $725
Armstrong students will partner with senior residents at the Highlands Retirement Independent Living Center, providing an opportunity for WPS and the Westborough community to collaborate, part of the district’s strategic plan. They will engage in activities that will foster intergenerational relationships, a sense of community and service to those in need. These activities, such as reading and playing games will promote literacy and interpersonal skills.
WiSE @Gibbons
Gibbons: Lisa Greenwald, Shreya Chowdhary $1320
WiSE@Gibbons is a STEM club created to foster interest in STEM in middle school girls. This club aims to provide girls who may have lost interest in STEM an accepting and supportive community that extends to HS and beyond. Engaging the girls in interactive education activities will expose them to STEM in different ways.
Mill Pond School Makerspace
Mill Pond: Dee Kohler, Alison DiFiore $1500
The Mill Pond Library and Technology Department will build a cross disciplinary community workspace. This Makerspace program will incorporate cross-disciplinary elements of STEM and Project-Based Learning, the use of technology and innovation into the schools. This will provide tools and equipment for coding, robotics, science experiments, digital storytelling and more.
The Mission Style Grandfather Clock
WHS: Bill Parsons $2025
This grant will support a class project in the Wood Tech II/III classes where students will engage in a service learning project. They will collectively build a Mission Style grandfather clock for the WHS Library. Wood Tech is a project based curriculum with a service learning component where students will create a functional artifact for the school community.
Creating a Middle School Robotics Class
Gibbons: Dr. Daniel Mayer $1804
As STEM skills and courses are a key part of our curriculum, this grant will help fund the launch of a new Robotics Class for all 7th grade students. Through this course curriculum, students will design, build, program and test robots to do a variety of tasks. This will help cultivate an interest in STEM, and help develop problem solving skills by applying STEM skills.
Mountain Dulcimers for the Elementary Classroom
Hastings: Karin Puffer $944
The mountain dulcimer program has been implemented in general music classes. This grant will provide instruments for all students to enjoy playing their own instrument. Dulcimers are easy to play, but can also allow for more advanced and multi-level learning in the music classroom. Students will learn to play an authentic folk instrument while learning American history through song.
The Artists Workshop: Picturing Writing, Immigration Stories
K-12: Maeve Hitzenbuhler $1790
This is an art and literature based approach to writing which meets the needs of diverse learning styles. It fosters literacy through art. This program will provide the ELL and general education students an opportunity to tell their stories through art and through the writing program will be able to create a book which speaks to their heritage and journey to the US to share with the school community. This project integrates reading, writing, listening and speaking as students read their pictures for meaning.
Google Summer Book Clubs
Mill Pond: Kate Roberts, Kristin Robertson $ 1000
Integrating the technology of Google Classroom with traditional summer reading, the goal of this project is to encourage students to read and help prevent the regression in reading over the summer. This book club will provide just right reading books for grades 4-6 summer reading participants.
Technology as a Second Language: Integrating Technology for English Language Learners
K-3: Melissa Vanswol, Latisha Broomfield, Anna Souza $1420
The use of technology (iPads) will be utilized as another strategy to help English Language Learners acquire English skills. Technology is a universal tool understood by children regardless of home language. iPads will support instruction, and teachers will be better equipped to support and meet the needs of each ELL student.
Summer Stories: Stopping the Sumer Slide
PK-6: Kristin Robertson $1500
The project’s purpose is to close the achievement gap for summer school students by providing a Summer Take Home book bag kit. Summer school teachers will be able to give just right books to their students. Reading will improve fluency, vocabulary and comprehension for the at-risk students.