Bristol Educational Foundation 2018 Mini-Grants
A Moment to Breathe Project– This grant will support training provided by Mindful Schools, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the integration of secular mindfulness in the learning environment of K-12 classrooms. Weekly mindful meditations will take place at the beginning or end of class to help students release tension, stress and anxiety that interfere with learning. An after-school club will also be created for more students to participate in weekly mindful meditations.
Kathryn Roberts | Bristol Eastern
Breakout EDU and You! – This grant allows the purchase of Breakout EDU kits, a puzzle box learning system, to be used by high school Special Education students and their mentors. They are paired with Special Education elementary school classrooms and students. The Special Education high school students coordinate a group of Special Education elementary students to work together to solve a puzzle and open the box while teaching and reinforcing executive functioning skills.
Bridget Gohla | ACCESS
Building Capacity for Next Generation Science Instruction in Elementary Classrooms – This project provides supplies for elementary teachers to teach science and students to engage in meaningful science practices. In collaboration with high school science teachers, who have received training on Next Generation Science Standards, elementary teachers will be better prepared to use materials in ways to promote consistent science learning and teach science to students based upon newly adopted science standards.
Corey Nagel & Mary Hawk | Bristol Central & Mt. View
CHMS Helping Hands Program – This program is an experiential learning program with the SBF Animal Rescue that will provide students, receiving special education services, the opportunity to connect with animals to foster social and emotional growth as it relates to interaction with others and build self-esteem. There is a classroom component and site-visits to the animal rescue.
Kathryn Krawiec & Mariliz Fitzpatrick | Chippens Hill
Connecting Social-Emotional Learning Standards, Common Core, and New Report Card Indicators: “Behaviors for Success!” – This grant allows for the ability to purchase Second Step Program Kits, a classroom based program designed to increase student success and decrease problem behavior by promoting social-emotional competence, to be used in Pre-K through Second Grade. With the new report card format asking teachers to rate students on social-emotional learning standards, this program will provide the tools teachers need to target certain skills and accurately rate students.
Paige Flint | Mt. View
Hubbell Hound Explorers’ Huff and Puff STEM Challenge – Hubbell students and their families will participate in a school-wide STEM night. Science and reading activities will be based on “The Three Little Pigs” where students will use various building materials to create structures to withstand the “Big Bad Wolf”.
Lisa Ayotte | Hubbell
Makerspace 2.0 – This grant allows for the improvement of the STEM Room utilized by all K through 5 students at Mt. View. The incorporation of a 3D printer will allow students to improve researching, problem solving, and collaborating skills by creating 3D STEM projects and assist with the science curriculum shift to NEXT Generation Science Standards.
Marcy Deschaine | Mt. View
One Book, One Team – This project is aimed to increase reading achievement and enjoyment in all seventh grade students and staff by reading the same book, at the same time. Students will have the ability to connect their personal life to that of the main character. The book’s content allows for group discussions regarding the text, along with ties to science and social studies skills.
Katie Mercieri, Paul Ryskowski, Jake Madden & Michelle Cantin | Chippens Hill
Only One You – The Path to Kindness – This grant will allow for the purchasing of the book Only One You, utilized by the entire school annually, to celebrate individuality and diversity. Students will then paint rocks, symbolizing their uniqueness in order to create a path representing their individuality in their community. The path will be added to when new students and staff enter the school.
Karen Pileski & Jen Gura | West Bristol
Paws (Pause) for Reading – This is a school-wide, incentive based, literacy initiative to increase reading at home. Students, upon completing selected books, based on their comprehension level, will write a short report that a guardian has signed off on and will earn a chance to win a small prize with all reports being hung on the reading bulletin board at the school. Students may also have an opportunity to present their reports to their classroom peers.
Lisa Ayotte | Hubbell
Play “Works” – This grant allows for the purchase of blacktop stencils in order to create a fun, colorful, and educationally based play space for all students to use at recess. Once students learn the rules of the activity, they can learn and teach fellow students while being physically active. Other community groups, such as the scouts, can also use the blacktop space and benefit from learning and physical activity.
Holly Caruso-Pugliese| South Side
Shake it Like a Polaroid – This project crosses disciplines and is a collaboration between the Art and World Language Departments. Students in both classes will develop a lesson based on Italian Renaissance art, share the lesson, recreate a famous piece of artwork, and create an art gallery using Polaroid cameras.
Kristin Monaco & Gina Gallo Reinhard | Bristol Central
Social-Emotional-Behavioral Library – This grant allows for the creation of a Social-Emotional Behavioral library containing children’s books, activity manuals, online activities for staff to be able to teach and reinforce a range of social-emotional behavioral skills within the school. Students will learn the skills and techniques to improve their own behavior in a learning environment.
Kristen Cicchetti | Greene-Hills
STEM Wonder Workshop – Students will learn coding, problem solving skills and work together creatively with the use of “smart” robots. The robots, accessed by all students, will increase the technology in the STEM room. Students will utilize their knowledge from their core classes to complete science experiments, mathematics to calculate measurements and English to write final reports.
Marcy Deschaine | Mt. View
Tell Me Your Board – Science students will be provided their own dry erase board to show their thought process, present their scientific findings, converse more easily in group projects – aligning with the Next Generation Science Standards. These dry erase boards make the shift from teacher directed to student centered classrooms easier for students to organize their thoughts and receive instructive feedback.
Terry Grant | Greene-Hills
Time for Technology! – This grant allows for technology to be incorporated into kindergarten classrooms to increase reading and math literacy. Learning opportunities can be tailored to students’ needs and support further enrichment.
Megan Lombardi | Greene-Hills
Virtual Reality in the English Classroom – This grant allows for virtual reality technology to be brought in to the high school English classroom. Students would be able to “see” what they are reading and have a more enriched sense of the environment where the story is taking place enhancing understanding and content.
Jennifer Plourde & Matthew Boissonneult| Bristol Central