At the Needham School Committee meeting on May 20, 2025, the Needham Education Foundation (NEF) announced the recipients of eight grants totaling $45,261 in its Spring grant cycle.
Awarded grants include:
Meeting Literacy Needs of All Learners Through Specialized Instruction – All Elementary Schools & High Rock
Professional development for K-6 special education and general education staff on innovative, evidence-based literacy practices for students with dyslexia and other reading disabilities. By building teacher capacity in a variety of instructional practices, educators can better meet the diverse needs of these students, as well as provide benefits to all students through Tier I classroom interventions.
— Awarded to Lisa Messina, Director of Literacy, and Stephanie Wyman, Director of Special Education
Bringing Design Thinking to Teachers in Needham Public Schools – District-wide
Two-day, professional development workshop for up to 30 teachers across the district to promote hands-on, design-centered learning at all grade levels in collaboration with NuVu School in Cambridge. The training will be customized for Needham and held in Needham High School’s Da Vinci Workshop.
— Awarded to Hans Batra, Da Vinci Workshop Specialist/Director and Chris Gosselin, Director of Instructional Technology and Innovation, K-12
METCO MassArt Summer Partnership – Pollard Middle School and Needham High School
Expands the scope and impact of the partnership between Needham METCO and MassArt Youth & Teen Programs by funding program fees for five Needham METCO students to fully participate in MassArt’s summer Creative Studios program. Creative Studios is an exciting and immersive two-week program for young artists of all abilities, entering grades 7–9 who want to deepen their understanding of the visual arts.
— Awarded to Joanne Allen-Willoughby, METCO Director, and Jennifer Kilson-Page, METCO Elementary Coordinator
Empowering Middle School Voices: A Podcasting Mobile Lab – High Rock Middle School
Establishes a mobile podcast lab at High Rock Middle School to foster student creativity, collaboration, communication and technological skills. Funds will support the purchase of podcasting equipment and other materials to create a mobile lab.
—Awarded to Erin Mack, Technology Integration Specialist, and Ethan Miller, ELA Teacher
Large Print Books for Inclusive Literacy – All Elementary Schools
Funds the purchase of 95 large print books that will be shared across all elementary libraries to increase accessibility and improve reading experiences. The large print format provides a larger font size and more white space on the pages, which reduces eye strain and supports better focus and comprehension while reading. While these resources are essential for students with visual impairments, all readers, including those with learning differences and attention difficulties can benefit.
— Awarded to Jennifer Guardino, Mitchell Librarian, and Jennifer Murray, Newman Librarian
Vox Books to Support Kindergarten Curriculum Units – Newman Elementary School
Collection of 18 Vox books for each of the five Kindergarten classes at Newman Elementary School. Vox books are hardcover picture books with full audio recordings, which will be available in the classrooms to support the four main Kindergarten curriculum units: animals & their needs, construction, community, and our earth. The collection will include fiction, nonfiction, and Spanish book titles.
— Awarded to Sigrid Methot, Kindergarten Teacher
Kinesthetic Learning in the Classroom – Newman Elementary School
Funds the purchase of 2 pedal desks and 2 pedal exercisers to be used by a 3rd grade classroom at Newman Elementary School. These pedal desks will allow students to incorporate movement into their learning environment. Movement has been shown to greatly improve learning in all students, but especially in elementary students.
— Awarded to Kristie Maheras, Grade 3 teacher
SPOT Social Emotional Learning Curriculum – Sunita Williams Elementary School
“A Little SPOT of Emotion” Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Educator’s starter kits for each of the intensive learning center (ILC) classrooms where students need more individualized support and modified curriculum. The kits focus on self-management, self-awareness, responsible decision making, social awareness, and relationship skills, with the use of books, stuffed animals, flashcards, and directed lesson plans.
— Awarded to Erica Spiegel, Special Educator/ BCBA