SERF Grants Winter 2005

SERF Announces Winter Grant Awards

The Sudbury Education Resource Fund, Inc. (SERF) awarded close to $18,000 in educational grants during the winter 2005 granting cycle, which ended in February.

Among the grants awarded, one will impact all fourth and fifth grade students throughout the Sudbury Public Schools.  Literacy Specialists Kathy Zito (General John Nixon Elemenary School) and Kim Swain (Josiah Haynes Elementary School), and English Language Arts Curriculum Specialist Jan Binus (Central Office), received a grant to pilot a new writing program to assist teachers in customizing the instruction of writing.  Teacher kits will be purchased to provide tools and resources that focus on qualities and various crafts of writing.  Initially, all fourth and fifth grade teachers at Nixon and one fourth and fifth grade teacher at each of the other elementary schools will participate in the pilot.  Other recipients of this grant included Nixon teachers Sandy Bell, Mary Kay Carr, Beverly Barber, Joanne Bleiler, Kimberly Walton, Shelley Crowley, and Amie Abdal-Kahbir.

Educators at Nixon received a grant to create math curriculum extension guides for classroom teachers.  Examples of math extension activities currently employed by teachers will be gathered and sorted into into user-friendly binders according to grade level and curriculum area, and new activities will be added to round out each focal area.  The binders will be distributed to all Nixon teachers, and one copy of each binder will be sent to each of the other elementary schools.  Receiving this grant were Nixon Principal Rita Bissonnette-Clark, Math Curriculum Specialist Joy Cooke (Central Office), Nixon Special Education Team Chair Roz Hill, and Nixon teachers Sandy Bell, Mary Kay Carr, Betsey Whitney, Debbie Warner, and Melissa Morabito.

At Haynes, teacher Nicole Lamoureaux received funds to bring additional literature relating to social/emotional learning into the school and to advise staff on incorporating these materials into Open Circle lessons at all grade levels.

At the Peter Noyes Elementary School, parent Rosemary Power and co-applicant Vic Lalli, Director/Music Teacher at Music Together of Assabet Valley, received funds to design an interactive 12-week pilot music program targeting the needs and comprehension levels of the PDD/autistic population.

At the Israel Loring Elementary School, students from kindergarten through fifth grade will benefit from a grant provided to parent Reva Klein, MD, Library Media Specialist Gail Keene, and teachers Dawn McNair and Sara Zawadzkas to establish an ongoing mechanism for conducting an annual Science Expo based on individual student projects.

Educators at Ephraim Curtis Middle School received four school-specific grants.  Music Teacher Ruth Hartt was awarded a grant to expand the number and assortment of musical instruments, videos, books, and CDs to enhance music instruction for sixth and seventh graders.  These resources will be incorporated into units on music theory, composition, music technology, history, and music masterworks, allowing students to actively participate by playing, improvising, composing, reading, and listening to music.

Computer Technology Instructor/Technology Curriculum Specialist Frank Byrne and Computer Technology Instructor Rex Phung received a grant to create a new focus in the Exploring Modern Technology curriculum using digital cameras.  Students will present a poem or song and a slideshow of pictures they created using original photography from digital cameras, learning how to use digital cameras, download pictures into a variety of software packages, and develop multimedia presentations.

Language Arts teacher Julie Williams was awarded a grant to allow eighth grade students to study one-act plays and write their own plays.  Students will perform their plays for each other, and several pieces will be performed by a group of experienced actors.

Also at Curtis, Math/Science teacher Paula Feynman received funds to add the Chinese Water Dragon lizard to the ecosystems built by sixth graders in two-liter water bottles.

The teaching staff at Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School received a total of five grants for high school programs and activities.  Math teacher Carri Embleton was awarded a grant to allow two high school teachers to attend a one-week immersion course in the Fathom statistical software package, which is specifically designed for teaching and learning statistics through exploration.  The training will enable the teachers to better utilize the software within the statistics curriculum by integrating it into daily classroom practice and occasional lab activities.

French teacher Karen Fritsche, German teacher Joan Campbell, and World Language Department Coordinator Jorge Allen received a grant to organize World Language and Culture Weeks during the first and second weeks of May.  Various artists and speakers representing the languages taught at LSRHS will present cultural programs and workshops to the high school community and the Lincoln and Sudbury town communities.  Foreign films, concerts, and workshops on multiculturalism and education will be highlighted during the Culture Weeks.

Students Against Drinking and Driving (SADD), under the guidance of English teacher and SADD Advisor Stephanie Stein Lapat, received funds to support a Mock Crash Day in May at the high school.  The Mock Crash will be a realistic enactment of what would happen during a drunk-driving accident, including smashed cars, injured students, ambulances, and police officers.  The day will take place prior to proms and graduation to warn students about the dangers of drinking and driving.

The Gay-Straight Alliance, with the assistance Math Teacher/GSA Advisor Carrie Embleton and ESL Tutor/GSA Advisor Nyssa Patten, was awarded a grant to support Gay Awareness Day activities at the high school.  On April 14th, the Gay-Straight Alliance will hold discussion forums and bring in outside speakers to educate students about various topics concerning gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender issues.

Also at LSRHS, Wellness educator Susan Shields received a grant to help fund an advanced self-defense program for graduates of the Wellness Department’s personal safety program. 

The Sudbury Education Resource Fund, Inc. is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization dedicated to enriching, enhancing, and supporting the Sudbury Public Schools and Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School. 

SERF funds two categories of grants.  Mini-grants of $750 or less support short-term projects.  Enrichment grants of more than $750 support large-scale projects that have grade level, specialty department, or system-wide application.

The deadline for the next granting cycle is April 25, 2005.  Grant application forms are available on the SERF website at http://serf.sudburyconnection.com.  Forms also are available at the Central Office of the Sudbury Public Schools, the front desk of each K-8 school, the Student Service office at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, and the reference desk at Goodnow Library.

Winter Grant Application Deadline January 23, 2006

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