News from the NEF

The Needham Education (NEF) has awarded $26,550 in grant funding for eight enrichment programs that will be implemented across the Needham Public School district starting in fall 2011. Collectively, the grants benefit Needham public school students from kindergarten through high school and enrich learning, social/emotional growth and cultural awareness in a variety of innovative ways.

“Innovation is at the core of the NEF mission,” says NEF co-president, Pamela Rosin. “It’s what makes our programs so effective, because they support educators in their efforts to achieve district learning objectives in ways that make a lasting impact on students.”

Grants Support School District Values
Two of the grants awarded this spring address the district’s focus on science and technology. The first provides funding for an experiential outdoor science and discovery center that Newman Elementary School KASE and Early Childhood Center students will use while at their temporary space at Pollard Middle School. Approximately 225 students will benefit from the program, which includes a plan to transfer the materials to Newman after it’s renovated.

Another science-focused grant funds the building of greenhouses by Eliot Elementary School fifth graders, who will draw on their knowledge of simple machines. The greenhouses will be used by Eliot first graders to plant seedlings, reinforcing their education in plant growth and scientific observation. To support district-wide objectives in social responsibility, the students will donate the crops they harvest to the Needham Food Pantry and offer them for use in the Eliot cafeteria.

Other grants tie into the schools’ efforts to promote disability awareness including a grant funding performances at four elementary schools of a band of musicians with intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities. A second provides funding to help students with disabilities in the undergraduate STRIVE program and post-graduate Transition program use technology to aid their transition from high school to the broader community. Piloted during the 2010-2011 academic year with 5 students, the program will be extended to 15 students during the 2011-2012 school year.

In addition, art as a form of self-expression will all be explored at Mitchell Elementary School with funds to support art instructors from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Another grant funds a digital document camera at Hillside School, giving teachers the flexibility to simultaneously display work from different students in real time such as multiple approaches to a math program or varying writing techniques.

Making Community Connections
As Needham continues its 300th anniversary celebrations, a grant targeting all Needham third graders takes students through the history of Needham with a book written from the perspective of a 10-year-old. Funds for professional development and teacher guides are included, in addition to an author event at the Needham Public Library for all third grade students. Following the huge success of a fall 2010 pilot to help youth behave safely and more responsibly, the “Fifth Quarter” grant will fund social opportunities that enable Needham High School students to have fun in a safe, positive environment. A community-wide partnership driven by concerned adults, the program will provide free food, music and games at post-athletic-event gatherings.

Hundreds of Grants Awarded Since 1990
During the 2010-2011 academic year, the NEF has awarded 28 grants totaling $115,253. The NEF funds programs that fall outside expected public funding and promote innovation and excellence for Needham public school students from pre-kindergarten through high school. Since 1990, the NEF has funded more than 385 grants worth more than $1.34 million.

In honor of its 100th birthday, Wellesley Bank gave the Needham Education Foundation (NEF) a gift of $2,000 to support its mission of encouraging innovation in public schools. Pictured from left to right: John W. Wescott, Vice President of Information Technology, Wellesley Bank, Steve Mock, NEF Co-President; Pamela Rosin, NEF Co-President; Alice C. Lee, Assistant Vice President & Branch Manager, Wellesley Bank.

The Needham Education Foundation (NEF) announced today that it has issued $73,409.68 in grants for 22 projects throughout the Needham Public Schools.

Needham’s upcoming tercentennial celebration is featured in the grants as are student achievement gaps, disability awareness and service learning. All Needham Public Schools from kindergarten to high school are beneficiaries of NEF spring grants. “In almost every grant cycle, what’s at the forefront of education is often apparent in the various grant applications submitted to the NEF,” said Frank Fortin, co-president of the NEF.

As Needham prepares to celebrate the 300th anniversary of its founding, all of the town’s public schools will enjoy tercentennial programs as a result of NEF grants. One such grant is a play portraying Needham’s history, acted by Needham High School students and performed at all of the Needham public schools. The Tercentennial Committee also submitted a grant for all Needham third graders to learn how to make historical maps of Needham that will be displayed around town as part of the celebration.

Another grant offers fifth graders the opportunity to experience Town Meeting as it would have been in 1775 using actual town records from that period.

Disability awareness is another current area of focus in Needham schools. Broadmeadow Elementary is implementing two grants to help kick off the school’s disability awareness program; one to develop curriculum and the other to bring the professional integrated wheel chair dance troupe, Dancing Wheels, to the school. Eliot Elementary is also enhancing its already established disability awareness program by incorporating a wheel chair accessible garden as part of a spring grant to build and grow a 19th century kitchen garden.

Three more grants in this last cycle address the achievement gaps in student population. At Needham High, students of color as well as their parents and teachers will be offered additional academic support. Another group of NHS students will receive a grant empowering them to use art to creatively engage in their education. A third grant submitted by the Needham Housing Authority will provide tutoring and mentoring for residents of Captain Cook Drive with help from teacher volunteers.

“Another theme in this year’s cycles has been the growing interest in grants with an emphasis on service learning either in their entirety or as a component,” said Pamela Rosin, co-president of the NEF.

One spring grant will support Eliot Elementary’s efforts to conduct a summer read-a-thon with proceeds going to UNICEF’s Haitian Earthquake Relief program. Eliot is also donating the harvests of the aforementioned 19th century kitchen garden to the Needham Food Pantry.

A grant written by Needham High School students from Rockets Against Destructive Decisions (RADD), the local chapter of the national Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), will enable the students to mentor fourth through sixth graders concerning smart decisions about substance abuse.

“And, remember those Needham High School students who are receiving a grant to use art in their education,” said Rosin, “they will be donating their work to a local women’s shelter. This is the NEF coming full circle. It is so rewarding to see these grants give to the students and then give to the community after the community has given to the NEF.”

The remaining grants in the 2010 NEF spring small grant cycle cover a myriad of subjects from science to social studies, from a cappella to archaeology. The following is a complete list of all 22 grants:

Grant #1 Dancing Wheels – Broadmeadow – $1,050 — “Dancing Wheels” is a professional modern dance company integrating dancers in wheelchairs with traditional dancers. This presentation of dance and lecture ties into the Broadmeadow disability awareness program.

Grant #2 Reading and Drumming for Haiti at Eliot – $1,095 — Students will participate in a summer read-a-thon to benefit UNICEF (Haitian Earthquake Relief). The fundraising effort will culminate in a November dance group performance by Bamidele Dancers & Drummers, a group which is dedicated to the preservation of African and Caribbean culture.

Grant #3 TEC Online Opportunities at Needham High School – $5,000 — This online program developed with TEC (The Education Cooperative) enables students to take advantage of online learning while providing expanded curriculum. If successful, subsequent online courses would be offered to students at $300 per course.

Grant #4 19th Century Kitchen Garden at Eliot – $4,692 — Developed in conjunction with The Needham Community Farm, this garden project consists of seven raised beds, one of which is handicap accessible. Harvested items will be donated to the Needham Food Pantry.

Grant #5 Art Quest at Hillside – $3,800 — Second graders will pilot the use of Art Quest to enhance the social studies curriculum by using art as a vehicle for learning about other cultures.

Grant #6 Bubblemania at Hillside and Mitchell – $2,413 — Integrating art and science, this “edutainment” program offers separate presentations for grades K-2 and 3-5.

Grant #7 Town Meeting circa 1775 at All elementary schools – $5,000 — Based on the successful third grade Little Schoolhouse experience, all fifth graders will experience Town Meeting as it would have been in 1775 using actual town records from that period.

Grant #8 Circus Smirkus at Mitchell – $4,943 — The current physical education program will be supplemented with less traditional activities.

Grant #9 Between the Lines at Newman – $2,410 — Approximately 15 to 20 parents from both Needham and Boston will create a multicultural parent book group. The goal is to build relationships within the group which can trickle down to the students and the Newman community as a whole.

Grant #10 Patterns, Poems and Puzzlers – Broadmeadow – $2,300 — Using games and literature, fifth graders will enhance math competency while developing team-building skills.

Grant #11 Rockets Against Destructive Decisions at Needham High School – $4,550 — Written by Needham High School students, this grant consists of three components; substance free activities (coffee houses), mentoring of younger students (grades 4-6) and two assemblies with Improbable Players and subsequent follow up discussions.

Grant #12 Backpacking Through the Continents at Eliot – $1,360 — Third graders will take part in on-line virtual fieldtrips allowing them to experience countries on each continent. Funds will purchase backpacks and items/artifacts representing each of the continents. These materials can also be used by other third graders throughout the town.

Grant #13 Connecting with the Past through Theater at All Schools – $2,550 — A play about life in Needham 300 years ago, comparing challenges for youth now and then, will be commissioned in honor of Needham’s tercentennial. The play would be performed by the Needham High School Theater Arts Society for students in each school.

Grant #14 Disability Awareness Program Literature Resources and Lessons – Broadmeadow – $3,800 — This grant will develop a comprehensive disability curriculum for grades K-3, including books and lesson plans to be integrated into the existing curriculum.

Grant #15 Uncovering Archaeology at High Rock – $5,000 — Based on a project that has been done at Pollard but reconfigured due to the move to High Rock; this will be a month-long project archaeology unit in social studies which will incorporate science concepts. This is a pilot for one cluster which can be expanded to all of the sixth grade clusters.

Grant #16 Making Our Mark at Needham High School – $2,321.88 — Students in the Connections program, a therapeutic environment for students who are struggling to stay in high school, will create art for a women’s shelter.

Grant #17 Striving for Success at Needham High School – $4,950 — With the hope of reducing the achievement gap, this grant was designed for Needham High School students of color (both Needham and Boston residents). There are three components: for students there will be summer classes in Math and English, after school support throughout the year and College support programs; for parents there will be academic and college application support; and for teachers there will be training and follow-up throughout the year.

Grant #18 After School at Cook’s at All Schools/residents of Captain Cook Dr. – $5,000 — Written by the Needham Housing Authority, this grant is for tutoring and mentoring activities for the residents of Captain Cook Drive. The goal is to improve student performance and provide enriching programs. Many teachers have committed their time to the project on a volunteer basis. The requested funding is to pay for a tutor/director.

Grant # 19 Flashmasters at Work at Mitchell – $1,259.80 — This grant will supply electronic flash cards for third graders.

Grant #20 Celebrating Needham through the Magic of Maps at All Elementary – $3,275 — All third graders, town-wide, will learn how to make maps and then draw historical maps of Needham. These maps will be displayed around town as part of the tercentennial celebration.

Grant #21 Writing as Play at Pollard/High Rock – $2,000 — Two writing teachers from the Walnut Hill School will train the middle school teachers (6-8) in their writing techniques.

Grant # 22 The Original Instrument – the Human Voice at All schools – $5,000 — Ball in the House, a male a cappella group, will perform at all elementary schools and middle schools, provide workshops for high school students, and perform at an evening event open to the Needham community. They have obtained additional funding from the Needham Creative Arts Council and have also applied for funding from the Ernie Boch Jr. Music Fund.

For the 2009-2010 academic year, the NEF has awarded 40 grants for a total of $125,304.98. 

The Needham Education Foundation (NEF) welcomes 12 new board members and is delighted to announce the appointment of new Co-President Steve Mock. He will join Pamela Rosin to lead academic year 2010-2011.

“As a teacher in the Needham Public Schools, Steve possesses a first-hand understanding of how grants can bring innovative, practical ideas to the classroom,” said Rosin. “As a parent with children in our schools, he also offers the NEF the rare perspective of knowing both what our schools need and what our parents want for their children’s education.”

Mock currently teaches eighth grade social studies at Pollard Middle School where he has taught since 2004. He became a teacher after an 18-year career in sales and marketing for national technology companies. Mock has served the NEF as Co-Chair of the Small Grants Committee and as an integral member of the Strengthen the Core Committee. He co-founded the Needham Young Girls Soccer League and was a big brother with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay for over a decade. He and his wife, Dori, have made Needham their home for 17 years. They have two daughters attending Newman Elementary, where Dori serves on the Executive Board of the Newman PTC; their older daughter will attend High Rock next year.

Mock will succeed Frank Fortin, who joined the NEF in 2003 and is completing his two-year term as co-president.

“Frank’s years of dedication offered the NEF a breadth of knowledge and continuity that ensured the success of the NEF at a pivotal time in our economy,” said Rosin. “This academic year alone, the NEF awarded 40 grants for a total of $125,304.98. We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to Frank and the Needham community for their continuous and generous commitment to innovation and enrichment of our children’s education.”

Serving three year terms, the following board members join the dedicated individuals who have continued to make the NEF a success for nearly two decades:

Joanne Allen Willoughby – Needham Director of METCO (Metropolitan Council of Educational Opportunity, Inc.); Adjunct faculty Lesley University and Curry College; former Assistant Dean, Radcliff College; former Assistant Dean of Students for Multicultural Programs at Babson College; Paige Academy Board of Directors; Greater Egelston Community High School Board of Directors

Sara Berney – Former English teacher at Braintree High School; former consultant and associate at Cambridge Associates; former tutor at Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School

Sarah Carmine – Sixth grade math teacher at High Rock; master’s student of Curriculum and Instruction

Dina Creiger – Advertising Director at the Jewish Advocate Newspaper in Boston; Eliot PTC Co-President and Past Eliot PTC Treasurer; Past Eliot Co-Chair for the “Paint the Town” Auction which raised funds to create The Seven Wonders of Eliot School mural painted by Eliot students and artist Joshua Winer

Karen Dunne Dasey – Sole proprietor of DunneWrite marketing, communications, copywriting and editing business; Hillside Elementary PTC Co-President; Hillside Elementary Co-Chair of the PTC Publicity Committee

Dianne Escalante – Mathematics Intervention Specialist for the Wellesley Public Schools; Past METCO Family Friends Committee Coordinator

Casey Palmer – Personalized Learning Center teacher at Needham High School; third generation board member of NEF’s founding family

Liz Rover Bailey – In-house attorney for the Massachusetts Medical Society; incoming Chair of the Religious Education Committee at First Parish Church in Needham, Unitarian Universalist; Mitochondrial Disease Action Committee Member

Caroline Rufo – Freelance graphic designer and fine artist; former Design Manager for Houghton Mifflin Company School Division; Designer for Kidz b Kidz, a non-profit organization teaching children about giving back through visual arts

Magda Schmalz – Former school psychologist for Boston and Rockport Public Schools; former consultant for Winchester Public Schools; Vice President of Programming for the Sisterhood at Temple Beth Shalom; Chair Mitchell Elementary Fundraising Committee; Past Co-Chair Mitchell Elementary Enrichment Grants

Peggy Strakosch – Kindergarten teacher at Hillside Elementary School; Council of Women at Boston College Board Member; Boston College mentor George Varga – Art director, digital artist, and animator specializing in children’s interactive games; assistant soccer coach for the Needham Soccer Club

“The diversity and versatility of these exemplary new board members brings even more excitement to the upcoming year,” said Mock. “The NEF is about to celebrate its 20th anniversary while the Town of Needham celebrates its tercentennial. The addition of these new members to the already stellar talent of the NEF is certain to make the 2010 -2011 academic year a memorable one.”

The NEF would also like to offer a hearty thank you to those board members who have completed their last year of service.

“At any given time, the NEF board is made up of 35 to 40 members,” said Fortin. “It is a working board with every member contributing hours of their valuable time. The NEF could not achieve its mission to enrich our students with the latest and greatest in educational technology, academic and social curricula, and artistic and ethnic culture without every one of our devoted volunteers.”