Westborough Education Foundation 2019-20 Grants Awarded
Total $16,419
GMS CANstruction, Jr.
Gibbons Middle School: Lynn Sullivan and Rebecca Burgoyne $800
This grant will fund an engaging activity that combines design, engineering and student involvement in the community. GMS CANstruction is based on CANstruction Boston which is an annual event where students and teachers work together to collect donations, organize, plan, design, test and build a 3 dimensional structure out of non-perishable food items. This will be on display at Gibbons, then the food will be donated to the Food Pantry.
Mill Pond Mallet Percussion
MP: Karin Puffer, Andrea Ehrenreich, Theresa Cleary, Paul Tomashefsky $2000
This grant will fund the purchase of 1 Bass Xylophone, 2 Soprano xylophones and 1 Soprano metallophone which will be shared in the general music classrooms at Mill Pond. These instruments will give students the ability to play in an ensemble setting within the general music classroom.
Hastings Community Garden
Hastings: Cindy Hodgdon $1000
This school/community garden will be an outdoor classroom providing experiential learning where students, parents and community members can connect, collaborate and problem solve. Students will help plan and design a sustainable garden using literacy, math, social studies and science skills.
Fostering a Culture of Avid Readers in Third Grade
K-3: Elizabeth Berry $2000
This grant will help fund the purchase of books for third grade classroom libraries to support independent reading. Research indicates that students read more, understand more, and are more likely to continue reading when they have the opportunity to choose what they read. Each team of third grade teachers will be provided with a common set of materials and books to support their classroom work.
You’ve Got a Friend in Me
Armstrong: Michelle Casciano $840
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.
Piloting a MiniMakerspace in First Grade
Hastings: Clarissa Savage, Rebecca Katish-Singer $446
The purpose of this grant is to fund a pilot program, Mini Makerspace in a first grade classroom. Makerspaces are a key component of a robust science, engineering and math program. This Mini-Makerspace hopes to engage younger students in developmentally-appropriate activities of a Makerspace.
WHS Heart Rate Monitors of Physical Education and Wellness
WHS: Carolyn Chandley and Roger Anderson $4127
This grant will fund the purchase of Polar Heart Rate Monitors equipped with the comprehensive Polar GoFit software package for WHS students to be used in PE classes. The purpose is to improve individual fitness of students. This will help measure student performance, as well as provide motivation and give students the opportunity to learn about heart rate and its relation to physical activity.
Igniting Curiosity in Grade Four Literacy Classroom
Mill Pond: Stephanie Nephew $2247
When students are curious, their minds are powered up for learning. As part of the implementation of an open inquiry unit of study, it is important to engage students and ignite curiosity through interesting non-fiction text. This grant will fund the purchase of appropriate reading level non-fiction books for use in the fourth grade classrooms for research purposes and to feed student’s curiosity.
Thinking Outside the Box with Breakout EDU Kits
Gibbons Middle School: Julie Leach $800
This grant will fund the purchase of Breakout EDU kits for Gibbons and WHS. The kits allow the facilitation of curriculum-based games based on the popular escape rooms. Students will work together using critical thinking and problem solving skills to solve a series of challenging puzzles to open a locked box.
Things That Grow Garden: An Outdoor Classroom
Early Childhood Center: Megan McNally and Deana Solomonides
This grant will help fund a new garden at the Westborough Early Childhood Learning Center. This preschool garden will provide a direct connection to the new ELA curriculum unit: Things That Grow. They will grow vegetables and flowers.
Immigration Stories
ESL K-12: Maeve Hitzenbuhler $610
The ESL department uses students art as pictures for writing. This grant will provide the supplies needed for students to paint their immigration stories. Picture writing, as a universal language, is a proven writing program for all students. The universality of pictures as a language for communicating ideas has proven successful for ELL.
Bilingual Texts
ESL K-12: Maeve Hitzenbuhler $800
Translanguaging (fluency in first language leads to greater fluency in new language) in the multi-lingual classroom allows for intermixing languages natural to bilingual speakers. When students learn in this type of environment, they are likely to develop positive identities and perform better academically. This grant will fund the purchase of bilingual texts for grades K-12.
Many Voices Diversity Books
ESL K-12: Maeve Hitzenbuhler $700
This grant will fund the purchase of books to enhance the collection of diverse picture books at the Armstrong library which will be available to all teachers and students to take out and use. This will help teachers delve into thematic approaches in diversity through picture books, so all students including English language learners can read together and delve into the theme of an instructional unit through an accessible text.
Total $16,419
GMS CANstruction, Jr.
Gibbons Middle School: Lynn Sullivan and Rebecca Burgoyne $800
This grant will fund an engaging activity that combines design, engineering and student involvement in the community. GMS CANstruction is based on CANstruction Boston which is an annual event where students and teachers work together to collect donations, organize, plan, design, test and build a 3 dimensional structure out of non-perishable food items. This will be on display at Gibbons, then the food will be donated to the Food Pantry.
Mill Pond Mallet Percussion
MP: Karin Puffer, Andrea Ehrenreich, Theresa Cleary, Paul Tomashefsky $2000
This grant will fund the purchase of 1 Bass Xylophone, 2 Soprano xylophones and 1 Soprano metallophone which will be shared in the general music classrooms at Mill Pond. These instruments will give students the ability to play in an ensemble setting within the general music classroom.
Hastings Community Garden
Hastings: Cindy Hodgdon $1000
This school/community garden will be an outdoor classroom providing experiential learning where students, parents and community members can connect, collaborate and problem solve. Students will help plan and design a sustainable garden using literacy, math, social studies and science skills.
Fostering a Culture of Avid Readers in Third Grade
K-3: Elizabeth Berry $2000
This grant will help fund the purchase of books for third grade classroom libraries to support independent reading. Research indicates that students read more, understand more, and are more likely to continue reading when they have the opportunity to choose what they read. Each team of third grade teachers will be provided with a common set of materials and books to support their classroom work.
You’ve Got a Friend in Me
Armstrong: Michelle Casciano $840
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.
Piloting a MiniMakerspace in First Grade
Hastings: Clarissa Savage, Rebecca Katish-Singer $446
The purpose of this grant is to fund a pilot program, Mini Makerspace in a first grade classroom. Makerspaces are a key component of a robust science, engineering and math program. This Mini-Makerspace hopes to engage younger students in developmentally-appropriate activities of a Makerspace.
WHS Heart Rate Monitors of Physical Education and Wellness
WHS: Carolyn Chandley and Roger Anderson $4127
This grant will fund the purchase of Polar Heart Rate Monitors equipped with the comprehensive Polar GoFit software package for WHS students to be used in PE classes. The purpose is to improve individual fitness of students. This will help measure student performance, as well as provide motivation and give students the opportunity to learn about heart rate and its relation to physical activity.
Igniting Curiosity in Grade Four Literacy Classroom
Mill Pond: Stephanie Nephew $2247
When students are curious, their minds are powered up for learning. As part of the implementation of an open inquiry unit of study, it is important to engage students and ignite curiosity through interesting non-fiction text. This grant will fund the purchase of appropriate reading level non-fiction books for use in the fourth grade classrooms for research purposes and to feed student’s curiosity.
Thinking Outside the Box with Breakout EDU Kits
Gibbons Middle School: Julie Leach $800
This grant will fund the purchase of Breakout EDU kits for Gibbons and WHS. The kits allow the facilitation of curriculum-based games based on the popular escape rooms. Students will work together using critical thinking and problem solving skills to solve a series of challenging puzzles to open a locked box.
Things That Grow Garden: An Outdoor Classroom
Early Childhood Center: Megan McNally and Deana Solomonides
This grant will help fund a new garden at the Westborough Early Childhood Learning Center. This preschool garden will provide a direct connection to the new ELA curriculum unit: Things That Grow. They will grow vegetables and flowers.
Immigration Stories
ESL K-12: Maeve Hitzenbuhler $610
The ESL department uses students art as pictures for writing. This grant will provide the supplies needed for students to paint their immigration stories. Picture writing, as a universal language, is a proven writing program for all students. The universality of pictures as a language for communicating ideas has proven successful for ELL.
Bilingual Texts
ESL K-12: Maeve Hitzenbuhler $800
Translanguaging (fluency in first language leads to greater fluency in new language) in the multi-lingual classroom allows for intermixing languages natural to bilingual speakers. When students learn in this type of environment, they are likely to develop positive identities and perform better academically. This grant will fund the purchase of bilingual texts for grades K-12.
Many Voices Diversity Books
ESL K-12: Maeve Hitzenbuhler $700
This grant will fund the purchase of books to enhance the collection of diverse picture books at the Armstrong library which will be available to all teachers and students to take out and use. This will help teachers delve into thematic approaches in diversity through picture books, so all students including English language learners can read together and delve into the theme of an instructional unit through an accessible text.