YORK EDUCATION FOUNDATION FUNDS GRANTS FOR THE 2010 – 2011 SCHOOL YEAR

The York Education Foundation funded four grants totaling $21,700 for the 2010-2011 school year, with two grants at Coastal Ridge Elementary School, one at Village Elementary School, and one at York Middle School.

Hands-On Science, Julie Twomey, VES on behalf of K-4 Science Committee, VES/CRES:

The purpose of this grant is to support the development of units of interactive demonstrations and hands-on experiments to enrich and supplement the current K-4 science curriculum.  Ultimately, all students, K-4, will benefit from the program (approx. 660), but during the first phase, funding for which is being requested from YEF, development and piloting of the experiments will occur in the classrooms of the science curriculum committee representatives for each grade (approx. 110 students).

From Wigglers to Wigglers, Sean Murphy, CRES:

The purpose of this grant is to purchase a greenhouse structure and related supplies which would enable all students at CRES to participate in planting, growing, harvesting and eating various types of produce.  In addition, depending on the amount harvested, they would share their crops with the community by donating them to the York Community Food Pantry.

YMS Inservice Day at the Browne Center for Innovative Learning, Wendy Porelle, YMS, School Counselor, YMS:

The purpose of this grant is to support a one-day off-site program for all YMS teachers and staff, which would have an emphasis on applying York Middle School’s six Guiding Principles and would support teachers and staff in working cooperatively as a team to develop and achieve personal goals.  In addition, the “train the teacher” model provides participants the opportunity to learn community-building activities to promote a positive classroom climate.  All students in every grade at YMS would be impacted by this project, through activities and exercises that all teachers will bring back from their experience at the Browne Center. The project supports York’s Professional Development Plan in the areas of Positive Behavioral Supports, Mentoring/Peer Coaching and Professional Learning Communities.  It would help strengthen relationships among the staff and provide tools for teachers to achieve goals they establish both for themselves and for the school.  One outcome of this project will the establishment of school-wide Advisor/Advisee time into the 2010-11 schedule, similar to “Team” time/meetings at York High School.  This new structure will enhance collaboration and learning among staff.

Laying the Foundation for Successful Readers of Nonfiction Texts, Tony Beaumier, YMS:

The purpose of this grant is to purchase 30 copies of a common nonfiction book, Palenque, Unearthing Ancient Worlds, to be read by all sixth grade students (150 – 160 students) through guided reading exercises.  The chosen text, about the Maya, supports a topic covered within the Social Studies curriculum. The intent of this project is to provide students with the skills needed to comprehend informational texts, including understanding the various parts of the nonfiction book (e.g., table of contents, index, subheadings, etc.) and distinguishing between main ideas, subtopics and supporting details.  Ultimately, they will be more prepared for a major research project on the Amazon Basis region of Brazil.