SOMEF: Small Grants

Requests for grants classified as "small grants" are for amounts up to $1500.

Grants listed in the School column as "hybrid" are applied to multiple schools.

School	Name of Applicant	Project Title	Objectives
Clinton	Patty O'Neill, Ann Bodnar	I See, I Hear, I Learn	To help struggling readers "hear" what they read in order to help them improve their phonetic awareness, word recognition and reading for enjoyment.
Clinton	Patty O'Neill	Translation Initiative	As the district's ESL school, Clinton has a great need for translators to translate flyers, notices, and other written materials for our ESL parent population.
Clinton	Yalonda S. Kirkland	There's a Dragon in My Classroom	Students will determine, establish and maintain the optimum environment necessary to sustain a bearded dragon by controlling factors such as temperature, diet, humidity.
CHS	Mark Richman	Deal or No Deal	Mathematics Game show format to support an elaborate program whose aim is to motivate the at-risk learner
CHS	Beth Johnson, Alex Somers	Campaign to End Anti-GLBT Bullying and Harassment (GLSEN Days of Action)	Spectrum is Columbia High School's Gay-Straight Alliance Club. The club holds several events through the school year through GLSEN
CHS	Ellen Weisbord	IMAGINE…CHS	Students will contribute positively to the CHS environment by creating artwork that reimagines the hallways. Select works will be enlarged, printed on vinyl, and hung in the hallways.
CHS	Mark Wolfmeyer	Towards a New Paradigm of Assessment	With the goals of equity and mastery learning as the philosophy of assessment, I would like to implement a new model of assessment within my mathematics classroom. In order to do so successfully and with greater efficiency, I am requesting funds for the purchase of an all-in-one laser copier/scanner.
CHS	James Nugent	Biology Technology	a) to enhance student learning by presenting subject matter in an interesting and visually stimulating way; b) to encourage creative use of technology for scientific study
CHS	Heidi R. Welner	Sub-atomic trays	To create hands-on activities that will enhance student understanding of atomic structure, atomic bonding, electron configuration, and stoichiometry
CHS	Mazin Abdelhadi	Web Design Independent Study	To provide students enrolled in my newly created web design independent study with proper web authoring software, texts, and tools to create websites.
CHS	Mark Richman	Teaching with Technology	This project is designed to enhance the student's learning experience through the use of technology. Many students find traditional methods boring, causing their attention to wander and resulting in poor performance. Technology can help reverse this negative trend.
Marshall	Bebe Greenberg	Big Books, Bigger Ideas!	In my continuing effort to provide stimulating opportunities for children to become familiar with stories, words and varied reading situations, Big Books are my favorite. The use of Big Books supports our district Language Arts curriculum's Shared Reading requirement. It gives the student a "larger than life" reading experience, then will continue this in the Listening Center for independent reading.
MMS	Beth Giladi and MMS Social Work Interns	Family Tech-Knowledge	The objectives of this project are two-fold: one is to allow families without computers at home a chance to avail themselves of computer instruction and access, and the other is to facilitate family communication exercises to improve family functioning at this crucial stage of development
MMS	Patricia Bergen, Melissa Corrado	Endangered NJ	Students will hear about the many factors that threaten animals with endangerment or extinction worldwide. They will use artifacts and live animals to learn how to distinguish between these classifications. The program will help students learn how they can prevent threats to their local wildlife and understand a little more about the over 60 threatened species in NJ alone.
MMS	Kelly Kunzman	MMS Digital Yearbook	To engage the 8th grade student population in technological experience to document their middle-school career. A Digital Yearbook Club will be formed to engage two student groups, one for each 8th grade team, in capturing the spirit and memories of MMS. The initiative will engage a cross-section of the school population in attempt to represent the whole story of a student's MMS experience. Each 8th grade student will have the opportunity to receive a copy of the Digital Yearbook that will be recorded on CD's.
MMS	Michelle Epstein	Healthy Choices	This is the fourth year of Healthy Choices here at MMS and each year the program has grown. Healthy Choices provides a safe, caring and nurturing environment where our students are able to discuss the issues of weight loss, nutrition, peer and media pressure and the myriad choices they need to make each day to ensure a healthy mind, body, and spirit.
SOMS	Alison Steiner and Karen Weiland	Student Support and Reinforcement Program	To provide specialized support for SOMS students in preparing for NJASK and NJASK8 (GEPA). We require standardized test taking materials to support students' progress.
Seth Boyden	Donna Friedrich, Rhoda Chait, Carole DeSarno, Stacey Padalino	"Just Right" Book Libraries	Leveled libraries will provide all Project Ahead students with "just right" books for home and school reading.
Seth Boyden	Suzanne Vine, Tamar Herman, Kelley Legg, Sheila Murphy	Leveling the Reading Field: Helping Struggling Readers Learn to Love to Read	To provide struggling readers with books that are low in difficulty, but high in interest level so that they can improve their reading skills. The goal is for struggling readers to learn to love reading as they see their comprehension increase.
Seth Boyden	Susan Brody, Tina Lehn	ICAR²E: Building a Character Education Library	Seth Boyden has initiated a school-wide character education program entitled I CAR²E, with the acronym standing for Integrity, Cooperation, Acceptance, Respect, Responsibility, and Empathy. One of our goals is to encourage every child to be responsible, contributing and thoughtful citizens both at school and in the community at large. We believe that if each teacher has literature to support each ICAR²E attribute, it will encourage discussion and inspire self-reflection, which will ultimately lead to an expression of strong character
Tuscan	Marianne Hess	Student Council Materials	Develop and facilitate a professional, student-run organization, in accordance with the goals and ideals of the National Student Council Organization.
Tuscan	Marianne Hess and Deb Ceccaci	Safety Patrol Belts	By providing belts for the members of our safety patrol, these leaders will be easily identified by others.
Tuscan	Claire Sinclair	Sensory Table and Manipulatives	Kindergarten students will work cooperatively with a variety of manipulatives to promote positive socialization skills as well as reinforce lessons taught.
Tuscan	Jennifer Thomas and Tracy Cuvin	Enhancing Guided Reading Centers	1) To enhance and enrich second grade guided reading and literacy centers 2) To provide a variety of hands on learning through independent practice using the theory of multiple intelligences
Tuscan	Marianne Hess	Tuscan Tiger Times Student Newspaper	This project will permit the publication of a student newspaper for the school community.
Tuscan	Barbara Bracey, Kathy Lamkin, JoAnn Tesi, Barbara Jackson	Math in Motion	To use origami during math instruction to provide a creative and fun approach for studying geometry, developing patterns, number and shape recognition, as well as using problem solving skills and analytical thinking.
South Mountain	Kip Mandelbaum	Blocks and Manipulatives	To provide a variety of tools for the children's development of fine motor skills
South Mountain	Mary Ford, Tammy Murphy, Sara Juhlin, Bonia Samuels	Reading Support Software Program	The purpose of this grant is to gain funds to purchase reading support software that enables struggling elementary age readers and writers the opportunity to make use of "talking text" and "text to speech" computer technology to aid them in their fluency and understanding. This grant also seeks the funding to employ a trainer to guide all South Mountain staff on how to properly use and integrate the software into their classroom practices.
South Mountain	Tammy Murphy	Social Studies Enrichment	This project will enrich and enhance the social studies curriculum through literature and videos
South Mountain	Ellie Esposito	Cozy Corner Part II	Last year partial grant funding allowed the purchase of listening center equipment for the four second-grade classrooms at South Mountain Elementary School. Since that time a fifth second-grade classroom has been added to the school. The objective of this project is to equip that fifth second-grade classroom with CD listening center equipment, and to purchase audio books for all the second-grade classrooms to create a consistent environment across the grade level for listening and reading.
Special Ed Clinton	Rebecca Antunes, Dawn Gordon	Cooking with Special Needs Children	Students will have an introduction to a variety of the State Standards through cooking and an opportunity to apply skills and knowledge through this practical life skill.
Special Ed Clinton	Rebecca Antunes, Dawn Gordon	Providing sensory equipment to special needs students to promote and enhance daily performance	to provide my students with the daily materials needed to meet their daily Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy needs. By providing students with the daily materials needed they will receive the sensory integration needed which will help them attend to and process academic information more efficiently.
Special Ed CHS	Janet Kahn	Reversible marker board on wheels for geometry	The white board enables students to better see and comprehend visual presentations of geometry figures and tasks trough the use of drawings and examples in different, vibrant colors.
Special Ed Marshall	Victoria Schodowski and Donna Grohman	Teaching Social Skills Through Literature	Our project will teach critical social skills necessary for successful student social development. The use of popular children's books incorporated into the Balanced Literacy approach will enhance the "Real-World Social Skills Curriculum: currently available to the Second Grade Inclusion class.
Special Ed Marshall	Nicole Moran	New Food Friday	To introduce students to a variety of foods and textures. To assist parents in making mealtime easier and with healthier food options
Special Ed Marshall	April Intile	Fine Motor Skill and Visual Memory Expansion	Children will expand color recognition and develop spatial awareness skills; children will increase sequence and patterning skills; children will reinforce motor planning and complex directive listening
Special Ed MMS	Lori Neetz, Holly Scalera	Junior Yogis	Students will learn basic yoga positions, relaxation techniques and breathing techniques that will enable them to do yoga to exercise the body and the mind.
Special Ed Jefferson	Karen L. Leary	Brain Pop - Combo Teacher Access	This grant will allow me to bring exciting lessons that are of high interest to my classes by integrating technology.
Special Ed Tuscan	Alice Solomon	Read Naturally	To improve the overall reading ability of struggling readers by promoting reading fluency. (Fluency is one of the components of a comprehensive balanced literacy program.)
Special Ed South Mountain	Rosemary Jessell	Get Up and Go!	The objective is to provide motor equipment and activities for our pre-school students so they can develop gross motor skills
Special Ed South Mountain	Ellie Esposito	Reading Mentor	Purchase a Reading Mentor electronic system for the 2nd grade inclusion classroom at South Mountain Elementary School.
Special Ed Hybrid	Dawn Geannette for special ed. teachers	Teach Me Language	To purchase 12 language manuals for children with autism, Asperger's syndrome and related developmental disorders titled Teach Me Language to share with all staff at the six elementary schools.
Hybrid	Karen Weiland	Invention Convention Workshops	All district third graders participate in the "Invention Convention" in which students complete a study packet and work at home to create an invention which solves a problem they have identified. These inventions are presented to classmates or proudly displayed at a "convention." This proposal seeks to offer support to students whose families are unable to do this major third grade project with their children.
Hybrid	Karen Weiland	Elementary School Resolving Conflict Creatively Program	To re-establish the RCCP at Jefferson and Seth Boyden and to support its continuation at Clinton School.
Hybrid	Karen Weiland	Elementors Reading Buddies	To provide 8th grade reading mentor/buddies for 2nd grade students who are struggling in their reading acquisition skills.
Hybrid	S. Ng, M. Sciaino, S. Blavet, R. Baltin, S. Edelberg, etc.	Battle of the Books - audio	To enable the students with varied learning abilities and English language skills to fully participate and be successful in the Battle of the Books reading program, by providing audio versions of titles to be read
Hybrid	Christopher Beattys and Kevin Frikker	Middle School Math Team and Challenge Club	This project would provide the opportunity to support a math team that would participate in competitions generated state-wide and nationally. It would also support an after-school club in which a variety of sixth graders would meet and work collaboratively on a variety of challenging mathematical tasks including logic and strategy games, math competitions, and community linked math applications.
Hybrid	Karen Convery	TheraSimplicity	As a speech-language specialist that travels between several buildings, I often find it hard to always have the right materials at the right school. TheraSimplicity is an online collection of useful tools, illustrations, worksheets, and reference materials for therapists, www.therapsimplicity.com.