Grants Awarded for the 2014-15 School Year
1. Colonial Rug Braiding
Colleen Pearce, Smith School art teacher
3rd graders hard at work mashing fruits and vegetables to create dyes for the rug.This new curriculum initiative will combine disciplines in the creation of a colonial style braided rug by third grade students. This project will weave together science, social studies and art as the students gather materials on a nature walk, make dyes from these materials, and braid them into a rug. A fiber artist, Katarina Krek, will help the children plan the layout of the rug and stitch it together.
Click here to read the Colonial Rug Braiding Final Report
2. Natural Outdoor Weaving Throughout the Seasons
Pamela DiBiase, Brooks School art teacher
This grant, which encompasses all three of the LSF mission areas, will create a permanent weaving loom to stand on Lincoln School grounds. Weaving materials will include scraps from the school garden or natural growth collected from the area. This work helps fulfill the fiber arts requirement under the materials and media standard of the Massachusetts State Frameworks for Visual Arts.
3. Muster Field-Wetland Observation Trail
Mairead Curtis, Science Engineering Curriculum Leader
As the Town of Lincoln moves forward with its support of the Wetland Observation Trail, LSF continues to help the project grow. This grant supports both summer curriculum development as well as the creation of a community organizer position. The community organizer will work with the project manager on logistics, timing, and feasibility for community work. In addition, up to eight preK-8 teachers and a leader will work for 2 summer days to design curriculum around the observation trail.
4. Innovative Eighth Grade Advisories
Julie Reynolds, Smith School 8th grade science teacher
This new curriculum initiative works to modify and enrich the existing 8th grade Developmental Designs Program, a program used by teachers to structure 8th grade advisory groups. The teachers believe 8th grade students, who have matured in an educational environment characterized by the responsive classroom, require some fresh approaches to advisory activities. The grant will provide support for classroom materials and teacher stipends.
Click here to read 8th Grade Advisory Summary Report
5. 7th Grade Advisory Curriculum: Building Awareness of Stereotypes and Developing Cultural Proficiency Skills
Claudia Fox Tree, Brooks School 7th grade special education teacher
This new curriculum initiative supports the development of a structured curriculum for the advisory time in 7th grade. This curriculum would include activities that focus on the concepts of race, ethnicity, stereotypes and culture. The larger goal is to help students become more culturally sensitive.
Click here to read the 7th Grade Advisory Summary Report
6. Cross-Generational Literacy Tutors: A Two Year Pilot
Gwen Blumberg, Smith School literacy specialist
This school-community collaboration supports a pilot program that will bring senior volunteers from the Lincoln community into the school to work one-on-one with first grade students. The first grade team will chose students who could benefit from extra literacy support.
7. Music, Dance and Discussions with Students from El Salvador
Karen Sasky Hughes, Smith and Hanscom Primary School Spanish teacher
This curriculum initiative and school-community collaboration works with a nonprofit organization called NPH USA to bring a group of student dancers and musicians from El Salvador to perform at the Lincoln schools. This is an opportunity for cultural education, as the performers will discuss life in El Salvador including typical foods and music, as well as an opportunity to discuss life as a child in El Salvador. The project supports the cultural strand of the Massachusetts standards for language learning as well as the Lincoln School objective of teaching culture in our foreign language classrooms. Students at all four schools will have an opportunity to benefit from this project.
8. Surf’s Up! Time to Write! A new approach to practice handwriting
Kate Siegel-Melcher, Hanscom Primary School occupational therapist
This pilot program will support the purchase of boogie boards, a tool to help teach handwriting skills to kindergarten students at Hanscom Primary School. The project will purchase approximately 25 boards to be shared amongst the kindergarten students. The hope is that these boards will provide extra support to students who may need additional assistance in learning to write.
Click here to read the Surfs Up! Boogie Boards Final Report
9. Bounce Your Body, Stretch Your Mind
Tiffany Shaw, Hanscom Primary School second grade teacher
This new curriculum, professional development grant supports a pilot program to explore the introduction of movement into the classroom. Ms. Shaw will utilize "Fit Balls" (offered for students to use instead of traditional classroom chairs) and Yoga Breaks as a way to improve student attention, work completion and mind-body connections.
Click here to read the Bounce and Stretch Final Report
10. Programming Club STE(A)M Robotics Project
Josh Gold, Hanscom Middle School teacher
This new curriculum initiative will support an afterschool computer-programming club run by Mr. Gold. The grant will purchase ten Hummingbird robot kits to program a robot they design.
Click here to read the Ste(a)m Final Report
11. Project Feeder Watch
Diane Mitton, Hanscom Primary School teacher
This new curriculum/school-community collaboration supports the incorporation of Project FeederWatch into the second grade classrooms at Hanscom. This is a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders in North America. The grant will provide the classrooms with the materials needed to attract and count birds. This grant meets standards set in the MA science and Technology/Engineering Framework.
Click here to read the Project Feeder Watch Final Report
12. The Power of the Playground
Stacey Clarkin, Hanscom Primary School wellness specialist
This new curriculum/professional development initiative supports funding for staff training in playground programs that address the need for safe, healthy play during recess. Staff will be trained, assistants and tutors will receive stipend support and materials will be purchased with the funding.
13. Novel Review
Maurisa L. Davis, Brooks grade 5 teacher
This curriculum initiative supports the enhancement of the 5th grade reading curriculum by providing teacher stipends for summer work that will choose more diverse, relevant and engaging texts to be used by the 5th grade.
14. Get Kids Growing!
Siobhan Rooney, Smith kindergarten teacher
This new curriculum initiative supports the creation of a first grade sensory garden that appeals to all five senses. Students will discuss the design, fragrances, sounds, and tastes of feel of the garden. The garden will connect the first grade Life Science “Organisms/Living Things and Habitat” science units.
15. Reclaimed Rope
Pam DiBiase, Colleen Pearce, and Donna Lubin, Hanscom, Smith, and Brooks art teachers
This new curriculum initiative and school-community collaboration will bring students to DeCordova for this exciting activity that focuses on art and ecology. Using the Orly Genger sculpture Red, Yellow and Blue that winds through DeCordova, students will explore line and space through a hands-on activity with reclaimed rope and string. Students will have the opportunity to collaborate on their own sculptures inspired by the Orly Genger.
Click here to read the Reclaimed Rope Final Report
16. Adding it Up: Enrichment of the Core Math Curriculum
Mary Sterling, Assistant Superintendent
This professional development grant will work to enrich our core math curriculum in the elementary schools. Built around three math initiatives proposed by teachers from kindergarten through grade 4, this project is primarily focused on providing teacher stipends that will support summer time work. Expected outcomes for this work include new strategies for teaching mental math and computation strategies in engaging ways, curriculum development for connecting problem solving with key mathematical practices and enrichment of the Everyday Math curriculum.
Out of Cycle Grants Awarded 2013-2014
1. Enriching Recess at Lincoln School
Jilian Daly, Smith School kindergarten teacher
This new curriculum initiative/professional development initiative is an out of cycle grant awarded for the 2013-2014 academic year. This grants supports teachers in the way they address ongoing challenges on the playground.
2. Discover India!
Moha Desai Patel, Desai Foundation
The school-community collaboration supported Discover India! Lincoln Cultural Festival 2013. The event fostered a sense of community with a celebration of India’s unique and colorful culture through art, education, and performances.