Continuing our commitment to fund creative programs and projects in our schools, the board members of the foundation approved the following mini-grants from the Fall 2013 application cycle:
Second Grade Book Club — Through this whole-class book club (done in each second grade class), students will have the opportunity to read an excellent chapter book alone or with a parent, and then participate in small discussion groups and additional enriching activities. It does not matter the student’s reading level. Each child will be a participant in the reading, discussion, and activities. This project will serve all 76 second graders.
Have You Filled A Bucket? — Focusing on student’s mental and emotional health, children learn best when they feel “connected” and understand that their community genuinely cares about them. When they feel safe and valued, their buckets are filled and their mental and emotional needs are met. Children with full buckets receive a huge boost in their ability to learn and absorb information. Bucket filling creates positive energy in schools that is contagious. This project will serve the four first grade classes (100), five second grade classes (100), kindergareten classes (100), and a special education class. The estimated number of students will be 300 this year.
FBLA-Staff Concession Stations (Ellen Fisher Financial Literacy Mini-grant) — FBLA students will open and maintain Staff Snack and Beverage Stations. This project will give students first-hand experience in running a small merchandising business. The students will learn what it takes to manage inventory and income/expenses involved in running a business. Profits from this business will go directly towards the costs of attending region, state and national conferences. The initial investment will be held for following years to continue the program into the future.
Interactive Art Education with a SmartBoard — This grant will help purchase a SmartBoard for an art classroom. Students would be actively engaged in the learning process through hands-on learning activities using the SmartBoard. Funding for this proposal would impact all students in first through fifth grades (approximately 500).
ViroPharma Presents $3,500 check to HTSD Education Foundation Board President
During a recent HTSD Education Foundation meeting, Peter Wolf (on right in photo), a Haverford Township School District parent and vice president of ViroPharma, presented HTSD Education Foundation president Christine Fritton with a check for $3,500. ViroPharma, a pharmaceutical corporation in Exton, helped to fund an innovative science program that will begin at the Manoa School next fall. The school’s DREEM (Development of Robotics, Engineering and Enrichment at Manoa) Project will use Legos to teach elementary school students the principles of robotics and engineering.
“This is the single largest donation we have received to date,” Fritton said, thanking Wolf for being a great advocate for Haverford schools.
Wolf said ViroPharma is getting ready to pilot a new program to provide grants for science teachers. He will work with Haverford curriculum officials on this project that aims to support excellence in science education.
Haverford Education Foundation Awards School Empowerment Grants
The Haverford Education Foundation has awarded its first School Empowerment grants. All five Haverford Township School District elementary schools will receive $10,000 to implement innovative learning opportunities for all students in the 2012-13 school year.
“During these very lean years, we wanted to provide extra funds that would allow our schools to provide new learning opportunities for all students,” said committee chair and HTSD Education Foundation Board Member John McCall. The board plans to offer a similar empowerment grant of at least $30,000.00 to Haverford Middle School to be awarded next year.
Committees of teachers, parents and each school’s principal began meeting last spring to develop a plan that suited their schools academic and instructional needs.
At Chatham Park, the grant allows the school to start "Chat Live!" a student led news show to be broadcast morning announcement to all classrooms on a weekly basis. Plans include expanding coverage to include features reporting, investigative reporting and remote reporting on sports and other school activities. "This is a priceless asset for the school,” parent and committee member Kelley Cornish says, adding that it will provide “the opportunity for our students to be on the cutting-edge of technology” Cornish said not only will the project emphasize communication skills, but science, technology, engineering, and mathematics as well.
Two elementary schools, Chestnutwold and Coopertown, will use their grants to expand interactive SmartBoard technology into the classroom. “We believe in establishing Chestnutwold and the Haverford Township School District as an instructional leader in 21st Century skills,” Chestnutwold Principal Joel DiBartolomeo said. Coopertown’s grant says, “We will create equity giving all students access to current technologies.”
The Lynnewood School looks forward to mounting projectors in 10 classrooms completing Internet access for all students as well as increasing the use of SmartBoards. “Lynnewood is thrilled,” said principal Susan Mingey. “We will now have the hardware necessary to take students beyond their classrooms and into the technological world of endless opportunities … with engaging, active and timely learning experiences.”
Manoa School purchased a program that uses Lego blocks as the foundation for teaching young children the principles of engineering and robotics. In photo above, Principal Dan Horan accepts a check from the HTSD Ed Foundation board members Brian Barrett, left, Chris Fritton and John McCall for the Lego science program. Called Development of Robotics, Engineering and Enrichment at Manoa or DREEM, the project will do more than enhance the curriculum, it will engage students at all grade levels with meaningful, hands-on, problem-based experiences using Legos and Lego-brand engineering kits. “We will invest in creating long-term science and engineering activities for Manoa students, and enhance kids' exposure to read-world science,” principal Dan Horan said.
Consider supporting these efforts by participating in the Foundation’s annual Twilight Run and Walk on Saturday, April 28 at 5 p.m. at Haverford High School, 200 Mill Road, Havertown. Register online at https://www.runtheday.com. Pick up for preregistered runners and walkers and walk-up registration will be held at Beneficial Bank, 1200 W. Township Line Road (at Peach Lane) from 10 to 12 on April 28. Pre-race walk-up registration starts at 4 p.m. on the day of the race.
New this year, all participants 18 and under have a chance to win a new iPad thanks to the generosity of Bryn Mawr Trust Company.
Become a sponsor! Visit the race website at www.haverfordtwilightrun.org. “No amount is too small, Board President Chris Fritton emphasizes. “We have built this foundation on small gifts from individual families, friends and local businesses. It just proves that working together we can do great things.”
Would you like to see pictures from some of our grant programs? Just click here.
In addition, if you are thinking about applying for a grant and would like to talk to some teachers who have been through the process, just send us an email at info@HaverfordEdFoundation.org and we will connect you with some former grantees.
Grants Awarded in 2011:
Haverford Aware - Paid for supplies necessary to build birdhouses for placement throughout our community. An 80-member student club will follow up with periodic maintenance and will use the birdhouses to track usage of artificial habitats and diversity of species in the area for years to come. Manoa's Magic in Me production elementary school musical. Reading Olympics - Paid for books to help 4th and 5th graders (187 students) prepare for the Delaware County Reading Olympics, a competition the celebrates reading and allows participants to display their knowledge of popular books in a game show setting.
Read 180 Audio Books - Funding for purchase of iPod Nanos to replace CD players currently in use for the Read 180 program, part of Level 3 Language Arts. In the long term, the Nanos will reduce costs because the mp3 books are cheaper and can store more titles on each device.
Real Literature as Mentor Texts - Funding for the purchase of books to use in classroom libraries with 5th grade students. The books will be used as "mentors" to help teach the traits and skills of writing to help the students become better writers.
Written Expression w/Speech & Text - Funding for the purchase of speech to text software to engage students with writing difficulties in supplemental learning support class. The software would allow students to capture their ideas quickly without being labored by writing or spelling. Sensory Management - Funding to create a centralized sensory management lending library to serve our special education and therapy students who experience sensory management needs. In addition, this library could be made available to regular education students through referral to the building's child study team so that students who are not currently receiving specialized services but whose learning might benefit from sensory supports could have access to sensory materials and/or strategy trials.
Literacy Centers: Interactive & Differentiated - Funding for materials for an interactive hands-on literacy center for the Kindergarten classrooms to be integrated into the current language arts program and used to motivate students to succeed.
Using iPad to Improve Communication Skills - Purchase of an iPad and available application to further the IEP goals for the students who receive Speech and Language Therapy from K-12. These goals may include articulating/producing sounds, building sentences, responding to "WH" questions (who , what, when , where, why), speaking for non-verbal students, practicing pragmatic language skills, increasing vocabulary knowledge and usage and communicating in community settings.
Bookband - Helping to integrate music into the language arts curriculum with equipment to allow for the formation of music using garageband software and computers during a variety of planned lessons.
Prior Grants Awarded
Best Buddies Life Skills Class
Practice Makes Perfect - Foreign Language Headsets
Supplemental Vocal Library - Small Group Music
WHHS Comrex Remote Broadcast Unit
ELMO Digital Visual Projector
Artist in Residence - Labyrinth Project
Phonological Awareness
Manoa Morning News
Author Visit by Julianna Baggot
Chestnutwold TV Station
Smart Remotes Student Response System (Oakmont Grant)
Social Thinking and Self-Awareness (Murphy Grant)
One School/One Book
Author Program/Artist in Residency
Family Resource Center
Weather Project
Recess Monitors Training
Flex Workshop-Classroom Management
Reading Mentor
French/ Philadelphia Cultural Connection
Reading Instruction
Integrated Pest Management project
Art Careers! Zoom!
Biggs and Littles
Legacy Books to Honor Retiring Staff
Career Education with Visiting Artists
Heritage Festival
Kindergarten Audiences
Motion and Design
Poetry Workshop
Read It Forward
Why Numbers Count
Women in History
You, Too, Have An Absolutely True Story
Artist in Residence
Cultural Exploration
Funnersize Programs (Several Schools)
Environmental Education
Reading Comprehension, 9th Grade Academy
Author Visit
I-Photo Book
Lenape Tribe Assembly & Activities
Spanish Assembly
Adopt a Soldier
Bone Boxes for Anatomy Classes
Fit to Learn
Literacy Backpacks
A Picture Says 1,000 words
Recess Improved
Spirit of Chestnutwold Mosaic Mural
Let the Sun Shine In - Composting/Solar
Celebrities Read
Integrated Writing 4th & 5th Grades
Integrating Digital Media
Read Naturally Summer Kits
Making Math Meaningful with Picture Books
Several Author Visits by Dan Gutman
Sensory Integration Tools
Author Visit by Julianna Baggott
Equipment for WHHS Radio Station
Evening of Jazz
Robotics
Community Garden
How Far Did You Walk?
It IS Easy Being Green
Artist in Res, Photography
Science Week
Fordian—Photography instruction
Interact—Plastic recycling
Life Cycle of a Plant
How Plants Grow
Plant Propagation
Health Times Newspaper
NASA Academy of Future Space Explorers
Yoga Kids for Special Needs Children
Exploring Fabric Art with Quilt Artist
Art in the Classroom Artists Prints
Club Isis for 6th Grade Girls to Combat Bullying
Yoga Kids: Breathe Life Into Learning
Integrating technology with Special Needs Students
Audio Books for Reluctant Readers
Literacy Connections to Everyday Math Lessons
Artist in Residence Mural Project
Haverford High School Science Olympiad
Haverford Township School District Education Foundation PO Box 788, Havertown PA 19083 (610) 853-5900 ext. 4555 info@haverfordedfoundation.org