1. Yoga Enrichment
Pre-School | $2,825 |
| Brings yoga exercise instruction to the integrated pre-school classrooms to help children with body/mind strength and balance through gentle exercises, movements and breathing. Teachers will also receive in-service training in yoga techniques. |
2. Diversity Book Bags
Broadmeadow | $3,500
(Roche Brothers Grant in perpetuity recipient) |
| "Diversity Book Bags" containing books and other materials including games, activities, music and recipes, that highlight themes of diversity, will go home with students to help them to become familiar with the many aspects of the rich and diverse world they live in by exploring the materials at home with their families. |
3. Art Quest
Mitchell | $2,800 |
| A unique educational program designed to develop thinking skills through observation of visual works of art. Art Quest integrates art history and art appreciation into class curriculum, and will provide all Mitchell students with the opportunity to acquire knowledge visually. Grant includes cost of art reproductions for Mitchell instructors to continue aspects of this program in future art curriculum. |
4. Book It - Mitchell School Publishing Center
Mitchell | $3,425 |
| Complementing the Writer's Workshop program, "Book It" will establish a publishing center at Mitchell, in order to enable students to bind a book of their work. At the end of the school year, there will be an Author's Tea, where students will share their publications. |
5. Dan Gutman Author Visit
Mitchell | $3,500 |
| Children's author Dan Gutman will work with students in grades 3 - 5 in writing their own historical fiction/sports fantasy novel. Mr. Gutman is the author of 48 children's novels including Honus and Me, The Million Dollar Shot, and The Kid Who Ran for President. |
6. Newman Children's Community Theatre Project
Newman | $3,500 |
| Drama program for students in classrooms in grades 1, 2 and 4 in which they will explore improvisation, character development, physical movement and public speaking. Teachers will receive a drama tool set to enable them to duplicate a similar program with future classes. |
7. Problem Solved - Greg Tang's Math Techniques
Newman | $2,400 |
| Newman school third and fourth graders will be enlightened and entertained by math educator and author Greg Tang, who puts on a dynamic presentation incorporating visuals, language and art to teach his own method of grouping numbers in order to quickly and confidently solve math problems. The content of Mr. Tang's presentations will be coordinated with the curriculum in each grade level. |
8. Reducing Conflict at Lunch and Recess
Elementary | $2,625 |
| Conflict between and among elementary school children occurs frequently during unstructured parts of the day such as recess and lunch. This grant will fund training for recess and office aide staff at all five elementary schools in the Responsive Classroom behavioral techniques that are currently being used in classrooms, to help build consistency of expectations and practices throughout the school day and reduce conflicts. |
9. Bringing the Internet and CD/DVD Software into the Science Classroom
Pollard | $2,649 |
| Grant funds a LCD projector/laptop and software for science classrooms at the Pollard Middle School, to give teachers the ability to effectively use technology to improve the quality of teaching and learning. Some applications will include the JASON Project, Web Quests, virtual field trips and making Power Point presentations. |
10. Yoga: It's For Everyone!
Pollard | $3,260 |
| One of the primary goals of Experiential Education curriculum at Pollard is to expose and instruct students in social, emotional and physical wellness skills and activities that they may participate in throughout their lifetime. This grant will fund the purchase of yoga equipment that will enable students to be instructed in and participate in yoga classes as a 6-week Experiential Education teaching unit. |
11. Safe Surf: Internet Safety for Middle School Youth and Their Parents
Pollard | $2,550 |
| Sponsored by the Needham Youth Commission, this grant will provide middle school students and parents with information on appropriate ways to use the Internet. The Safe Surf program will include presentations to middle school students addressing good ways to use the Internet, what is inappropriate on the Internet, and what to do if they experience something dangerous on line. A Parent Night will address the benefits and dangers of the Internet, and inform parents on ways to safeguard their children from the dangers of the Internet. |
12. Weight Room Machinery
Pollard | $1,500 |
| Purchase of Smith Machine with linear bearing and counter balance plus weight storage for the weight room at Pollard. Weight machine has flexibility and safe design for use by middle school age students. The equipment will be incorporated into the fitness curriculum, the Presidential Fitness assessments, and after school fitness program. |
13. Promoting Intellectual Integrity at NHS
High School | $1,120 |
| Purchase of a site license for NHS at a web-based anti-plagiarism service, to provide instructional and technical support for the school's plagiarism and cheating policies. With this license, every teacher will have unlimited submissions capability for one year beginning in September 2005. |
14. Foreign Language Fluency for All Students
System-wide | $3,100 |
| One-week specialized professional development offering for Needham foreign language teachers, with an emphasis on shifting from the traditional grammar-based instruction to "functionality" - what you can say and do in the target language. |
|
Total | $38,754 |
