2015 - 2016 Grants
WEEF funded $22,798 to 14 different initiatives for the 2015-2016 school year. Congratulations to the following grant recipients:
1.) Sensory Items Promoting Student Success - Tower Street School Community Center will be purchasing sensory stimulation and motor development aides for the students in their Before and After School Enrichment (BASE) Program. The sensory equipment will allow them to better support and stimulate these students who range between Kindergarten to 6th grade. Leslie Dunn & Angela Nobile - Tower Street School Community Center
2.) Business Department Grant - The Westerly High School Business Department will purchase an iPad point of sale system which will aide in re-branding the school store and support the business program. Ed Hathaway - Westerly High School
3.) Generator & Tent for Culinary Arts - The Westerly High School's Culinary Arts Program has been servicing functions off site. They will be purchasing a generator and tent to be more self sufficient. Chef Finkelstein - Westerly High School
4.) Science Education Initiative - Tower Street School Community Center will purchase scientific tools to allow for a deeper learning in chemistry, weather, ecosystems, physics and biology which will benefit students from Kindergarten to Grade 6 and other Tower Street participants.
Jennifer Gautam & Donna Nabb - Tower Street School Community Center
5.) Grow & Go Seek Bench Swing - Tower Street School Community Center will purchase a bench swing to add to their outdoor classroom to serve as a sensory piece, provide rhythmic movement and help develop coordination, balance, core strength, body awareness and problem solving skills.
Laura Elson - Tower Street School Community Center
6.) Meeting English Language Arts Common Core Standards Through Social Studies - This proposal is for a large set of books about Native Americans at various levels that will be an enhancement to the social studies curriculum for 3rd graders at Dunn's Corners Elementary School. Instructional materials will include non-fiction texts, read aloud and narratives. Additionally, there will be a presentation which involves the community.
Theresa Watson - Dunn's Corners Elementary School
7.) WHS Construction Proposal -. This proposal seeks construction equipment that will provide a more efficient way of manufacturing items. The manufacturing technologies program at Westerly High School provides a lot of construction to benefit the town (e.g. builds sets for theater productions, town beach lifeguard stands, picnic tables for Westerly Town, etc.). Additionally, some funds will go towards building a shed behind the WHS shop which will be used to store equipment and will provide more classroom space for the manufacturing technologies program.
Dan McKenna - Westerly High School
8.) Leveled Books for Reading Workshop - WEEF will be providing a 3 year subscription to "Reading A to Z," an online leveled reading program, for all 3 Kindergarten classes at Springbrook Elementary School. The online component allows students to go on a computer in school while teachers have the ability to print out high interest books at various reading levels to be used during reading workshop which will lead to greater success in literacy.
Maria Raimondo - Springbrook Elementary School
9.) Stability Balls - Brooke Arnold's 2nd grade classroom at Bradford Elementary School will receive 5 stability balls to be used in place of chairs. Research shows students who are given the opportunity to use stability balls have increased focus, attention, posture, handwriting and stamina inside the classroom. Increased focus leads to increases in students' academic achievement. Ms. Arnold's vision is that other classrooms throughout the district will utilize stability balls using her classroom as a model. Brooke Arnold - Bradford Elementary School
10.) Hands On Electronics - Susan Wood wrote a proposal for a new program at Westerly High School that will expose students to the most current technology. The Maker Movement for independent inventors has many students creating their own computer electronic devices. In Ms. Wood's Hands On Electronics class, students will use different platforms to learn about the technology supporting iphones, ipads, etc. This program will allow WHS students to follow the Engineering Design Process through use of emerging technology and digital electronics. Susan Wood - Westerly High School
11.) Home Literacy Connection - The Next Step - Last year WEEF funded materials for Springbrook Elementary School that supported literacy through workshops for parents. Due to its success, Chrystine Byrne and Beth Gunning would like to expand the program to address the needs of general ed students and English as a Second Language (ESL) students. The home/school literacy connection program will invite parents and their children to six one and one-half hour training sessions where they will receive the tools and strategies that help them support their child's learning at home. Parents will learn how to apply the activities shared by their teachers through technology and hands-on experiences which will aide in the development of pre-literacy skills. Chrystine Byrne & Beth Gunning - Springbrook Elementary School
12.) WHS Physical Education Grant - The Westerly High School's gym facility will be enhanced with the purchase of TRX training equipment. All students are able to use the gym after school whil being supervised by Physical Education teachers. The TRX training system will provide innovative fitness activities being offered to WHS students both in and after school. Steve Scott - Westerly High School
13.) Hands On Robotics - Sharon Ficcara's proposal to purchase KIBO robotics will engage students (K-8) through the use of robotics and excite them about technology and its applications by allowing them to program with their hands. KIBO robotics will provide interactive design opportunities to help students’ use computational thinking to problem solve and create utilizing a multi-sensory approach to teaching computer science. The program will prepare Westerly students starting at a very young age to be problem solvers and know the language of technology.
Sharon Ficcara - District STEM Coordinator
14.) Camp Invention - Camp Invention is a national enrichment program where elementary school students have an opportunity to attend an enrichment based summer camp which nurtures student curiousity through an immersive curriculum that encourages creativity, innovation, problem solving, communication and collaboration. State Street School was selected to host the summer program which was the first one in RI. WEEF provided funds for materials to help offset the cost of tuition and allow children at an economic disadvantage to attend the camp.
Mary Kay Patten - State Street Elementary School
1.) Sensory Items Promoting Student Success - Tower Street School Community Center will be purchasing sensory stimulation and motor development aides for the students in their Before and After School Enrichment (BASE) Program. The sensory equipment will allow them to better support and stimulate these students who range between Kindergarten to 6th grade. Leslie Dunn & Angela Nobile - Tower Street School Community Center
2.) Business Department Grant - The Westerly High School Business Department will purchase an iPad point of sale system which will aide in re-branding the school store and support the business program. Ed Hathaway - Westerly High School
3.) Generator & Tent for Culinary Arts - The Westerly High School's Culinary Arts Program has been servicing functions off site. They will be purchasing a generator and tent to be more self sufficient. Chef Finkelstein - Westerly High School
4.) Science Education Initiative - Tower Street School Community Center will purchase scientific tools to allow for a deeper learning in chemistry, weather, ecosystems, physics and biology which will benefit students from Kindergarten to Grade 6 and other Tower Street participants.
Jennifer Gautam & Donna Nabb - Tower Street School Community Center
5.) Grow & Go Seek Bench Swing - Tower Street School Community Center will purchase a bench swing to add to their outdoor classroom to serve as a sensory piece, provide rhythmic movement and help develop coordination, balance, core strength, body awareness and problem solving skills.
Laura Elson - Tower Street School Community Center
6.) Meeting English Language Arts Common Core Standards Through Social Studies - This proposal is for a large set of books about Native Americans at various levels that will be an enhancement to the social studies curriculum for 3rd graders at Dunn's Corners Elementary School. Instructional materials will include non-fiction texts, read aloud and narratives. Additionally, there will be a presentation which involves the community.
Theresa Watson - Dunn's Corners Elementary School
7.) WHS Construction Proposal -. This proposal seeks construction equipment that will provide a more efficient way of manufacturing items. The manufacturing technologies program at Westerly High School provides a lot of construction to benefit the town (e.g. builds sets for theater productions, town beach lifeguard stands, picnic tables for Westerly Town, etc.). Additionally, some funds will go towards building a shed behind the WHS shop which will be used to store equipment and will provide more classroom space for the manufacturing technologies program.
Dan McKenna - Westerly High School
8.) Leveled Books for Reading Workshop - WEEF will be providing a 3 year subscription to "Reading A to Z," an online leveled reading program, for all 3 Kindergarten classes at Springbrook Elementary School. The online component allows students to go on a computer in school while teachers have the ability to print out high interest books at various reading levels to be used during reading workshop which will lead to greater success in literacy.
Maria Raimondo - Springbrook Elementary School
9.) Stability Balls - Brooke Arnold's 2nd grade classroom at Bradford Elementary School will receive 5 stability balls to be used in place of chairs. Research shows students who are given the opportunity to use stability balls have increased focus, attention, posture, handwriting and stamina inside the classroom. Increased focus leads to increases in students' academic achievement. Ms. Arnold's vision is that other classrooms throughout the district will utilize stability balls using her classroom as a model. Brooke Arnold - Bradford Elementary School
10.) Hands On Electronics - Susan Wood wrote a proposal for a new program at Westerly High School that will expose students to the most current technology. The Maker Movement for independent inventors has many students creating their own computer electronic devices. In Ms. Wood's Hands On Electronics class, students will use different platforms to learn about the technology supporting iphones, ipads, etc. This program will allow WHS students to follow the Engineering Design Process through use of emerging technology and digital electronics. Susan Wood - Westerly High School
11.) Home Literacy Connection - The Next Step - Last year WEEF funded materials for Springbrook Elementary School that supported literacy through workshops for parents. Due to its success, Chrystine Byrne and Beth Gunning would like to expand the program to address the needs of general ed students and English as a Second Language (ESL) students. The home/school literacy connection program will invite parents and their children to six one and one-half hour training sessions where they will receive the tools and strategies that help them support their child's learning at home. Parents will learn how to apply the activities shared by their teachers through technology and hands-on experiences which will aide in the development of pre-literacy skills. Chrystine Byrne & Beth Gunning - Springbrook Elementary School
12.) WHS Physical Education Grant - The Westerly High School's gym facility will be enhanced with the purchase of TRX training equipment. All students are able to use the gym after school whil being supervised by Physical Education teachers. The TRX training system will provide innovative fitness activities being offered to WHS students both in and after school. Steve Scott - Westerly High School
13.) Hands On Robotics - Sharon Ficcara's proposal to purchase KIBO robotics will engage students (K-8) through the use of robotics and excite them about technology and its applications by allowing them to program with their hands. KIBO robotics will provide interactive design opportunities to help students’ use computational thinking to problem solve and create utilizing a multi-sensory approach to teaching computer science. The program will prepare Westerly students starting at a very young age to be problem solvers and know the language of technology.
Sharon Ficcara - District STEM Coordinator
14.) Camp Invention - Camp Invention is a national enrichment program where elementary school students have an opportunity to attend an enrichment based summer camp which nurtures student curiousity through an immersive curriculum that encourages creativity, innovation, problem solving, communication and collaboration. State Street School was selected to host the summer program which was the first one in RI. WEEF provided funds for materials to help offset the cost of tuition and allow children at an economic disadvantage to attend the camp.
Mary Kay Patten - State Street Elementary School
