York Education Foundation Supported Projects

Supported Projects for the 2007-08 School Year

In it's third year of providing funds directly to York educators, the York Education Foundation was able to award over $21,000 for six teacher grants. Here is a summary of these initiatives.

Downloadable Audio Books - $2,700 to Michele Adams, YHS Librarian.
This grant will enable the entire student and staff community at YHS to have access to downloadable audio books by purchasing the download subscription and a limited number of MP3 players. It is the intention of the applicant to promote increased literature experiences for students who may not otherwise read complete texts. It will be used during instructional time and used for pleasure reading opportunities.
Living Language Lab - $1,200 to Stephanie Carbonneau,
YMS French teacher. This grant will enable the World Language Department to purchase a class set of recording headsets to be used in conjunction with interactive language software. This equipment allows for the recording component of the software to be more effectively utilized in a classroom setting.
Understanding the Community Around Us: Protecting the Natural Resources of the York River - $7,883 to Charlotte Pierce, CRES 4th grade teacher. This grant will support the work to develop an interdisciplinary curriculum that introduces 4th grade to the historical, ecological, and scientific

importance of the York River. Students will participate in units of study on the history, geology, and aesthetic qualities of the river, watershed dynamics, estuarine ecology, environmental pollution, and local, state and federal regulations developed to protect the environment. This project uses a wide variety of materials and provides for both in-class and on-site learning opportunities.
Future Tradesmen of York - $6,400 to Mike Little, YHS Custodian. This grant will support the development of an after-school program focused on exposing students to the fundamentals of basic home repair, manual
craftsmanship, and machine safety. Through community-based projects, students will gain the skills necessary to enjoy a successful business operation, including bookkeeping, billing, advertising, and project planning. Critical elements of this proposed program are a student-mentor partnership as the program grows and a community network of resources for information and referrals.
Improving Literacy through the Reading Workshop - $1,600.00 to Margot Simonds, YMS 5th grade teacher. This grant allows for the purchase of trade books central to the newly adopted reading instruction model in Grade 5. Professional development workshops and educational texts have lead the Grade 5 teams to implement The Reading Workshop program.
Literacy Team Recording Projects - $1889 to Paula Dickinson, VES Reading Recovery specialist. This grant allows for the purchase of a computer and recording equipment to support the assessment of reading recovery literacy students. Individual student recordings will be used to develop reading fluency, comprehension, and additional reading strategies through self-assessing with a reading instructor. A second component to this proposal includes a professional development element where Reading Recovery instructors, as part of their program, share recorded lessons for peer-observation feedback.

Supported Projects for the 2006-07 School Year

In it's second year of providing funds directly to York educators, the York Education Foundation was able to award over $20,000 for seven teacher grants. Here is a summary of these initiatives.

History in our Hands - $3,500 to Lisa Graziano,
8th-grade Social Studies. Granted to create a classroom/school museum of American Material Culture from the Civil War era to the present day. Funds will be used to acquire a collection of cultural artifacts and to construct secure display cabinets in the alcoves of the middle school library entrance. A representative from each of the five 8th-grade classes will serve on a decision-making team called the "Artifact Acquisition Team" that will, with teacher guidance, make final decisions about the acquisitions and write purchase orders. Artifacts will be purchased from various sources, and additional donations from the community will be solicited. Link to newspaper article, Grant helps teacher make history tangible for kids.
"SMART" Boards for Smart Kids - $5,359 to Deb Bradburn and Michael Harris, 4th grade. Granted for the purchase of two SMART Board interactive whiteboards.

The purpose of the SMART boards is to bring hands-on learning to the 4th grade classrooms. The large, interactive whiteboards will be used to manipulate computer material and to engage students in active learning. A child's finger can become the mouse as it touches the whiteboard to select icons, navigate websites, and move images. The goal is to utilize the SMART boards in math, science, social studies, and language arts curriculums. All 4th-grade teachers will use the boards in their classrooms after training from a SMART Technologies representative
Nature's Classroom at VES - $6,000 to Pam Audet, 2nd grade. Granted to create an outdoor classroom of bushes, flowers, birdhouses, and handicap-accessible paths at VES. This space would enhance the science K-2 curriculum, creative writing and art. All second grade students and staff will be involved in creating and designing this natural habitat. Reinforcing the town's partnership mission, school employees, students, parents, and community members will work together to implement the design.
Ready, Set, Go! - $1,520 to Elizabeth Crawford Reisz and Ruth Dealy to expand a program offered to all children entering kindergarten and their parents with an emphasis on emergent literacy and school transition issues. YEF's grant covers books and supplies for this program.
Palm Handhelds -

$800 to Teri Green to purchase 8 Palm Z22 Handhelds for the kindergarten teachers. Granted to enable each teacher to record the assessment and progress of each student. The data collected can be organized by active learning data sheets. Student portfolios can be created , organized, and shared electronically for support staff and parent teacher conferences.
Lindamood Bell (LiPS)/Seeing Stars Learning Processes Workshop - $1,705 to Jean Beetz, Special Ed Director and Susan Macri, Assistant Special Ed Director.
Granted to incorporate a "multisensory phonemic awareness program" into the current literacy and special education teaching instruction. The grant allows one special ed instructor to be sent to the LiPS workshop and for the purchase of a LiPS classroom kit to be used in instruction. Additional district special ed, classroom, and speech teachers can be trained in aspects of the program to benefit all children in "phonological processing."

Math Game Kits - $1,800 to Julie Crafts, Amber Bergeron, and Julie Twomey, 1st grade. Granted to purchase Math Game supplies and storage systems so that all 1st-grade teachers can easily integrate the activities into classrooms during math lessons.

Supported Projects for the 2005-06 School Year

The York Education Foundation awarded its first round of grants, totaling more than $7,500, to fund new and innovative educational projects for the 2005-06 school year. These included:

A matinee performance for all second-graders by theater artist Leland Faulkner, combining Japanese art forms, mime, shadow theater, illusion, improvisation, and folk tales to produce an imaginative performance.

[Click for larger images.]

Faulkner also conducted workshops for teachers to help them bring concepts from the performance into their classrooms for student projects. The grant application was filed by Terry Smith, an educational technologist for second grade students. Read the complete York Weekly article.
A technology cart for the fourth grade, submitted by teacher Michael Harris.

The cart includes a laptop with wireless connection along with a LCD projector to bring all the resources available from the Internet into each fourth-grade classroom at Coastal Ridge Elementary School. Read the Portsmouth Herald article.

YORK VILLAGE - For three days at the beginning of this month, 52 York Middle School students enrolled in Stephanie Carbonneau's French classes put their studies into practice with a journey to Quebec.

"Un Voyage a Quebec," as the three-day cultural expedition was called, was funded in part by a grant from the York Education Foundation, which supports teacher initiatives that could not otherwise be funded through the regular school budgets.

Read the rest of the story, Scrapbooks help students remember trip to Quebec.

Supplemental funds for an eighth-grade cultural excursion to Quebec City, submitted by York Middle School French teacher, Stephanie Carbonneau. Most of the grant will be used for a scholarship fund for eligible students in the French class. From the York Weekly article:
A total of 36 pedometers to be purchased as part of a "Wellness Group" for third-grade students at Coastal Ridge Elementary School. Aimed at students who are not falling into the healthy fitness zones, this program was designed by physical education teacher Eileen Brault. Pedometers are only a part of the effort, which will help show students that regular physical activity can improve fitness levels in cardiovascular and muscular endurance and flexibility. Students will be assisted in healthy food selections and begin to take charge of their own fitness.

Read about related activities to improve student fitness at Coastal Ridge Elementary School.
Support for a family literacy/school readiness program targeted at children between the ages of two and five and their parents, submitted by by Beth Knight. Materials for this project include books for participating families to build an at-home library, take-home story bags filled with books, and related activities and parent resource guides. The program includes one hour a week for children and their families to improve family literacy and school readiness.
A fifth-grade program on finances, submitted by Andy Geranis. Geranis has adapted a program designed to teach his homeroom students about careers, salaries, checking accounts, the stock market, renting vs. owning a home, paying taxes, and choosing to spend, invest, or save what they have earned.

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