Grants 2024-2025

Charles Wright

Ozobots

$2,050.00

This program aims to introduce coding and robotics concepts to students in grades 2-4 during their media center UA time and provide enrichment opportunities for students in grades 5-6. We will utilize Ozobots - rechargeable bots described as "desk-friendly" - to facilitate hands-on learning experiences across various subjects. Ozobots follow paths created by markers, making them an accessible introduction to coding for young learners. Introducing the technical building blocks of coding and practicing computational thinking at an early age increases a student's ability to adapt to a more technology-centered job market. Access to current technology trends and resources also increases our school’s ability to achieve digital equity for all students. Ozobots support critical thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving skills in addition to their applications across the curriculum. Ozobots will serve as a versatile means of enhancing learning outcomes.

On School, One Book

$1,406.70

“One School, One Book” is a school-wide shared reading event in which all students in kindergarten through grade six read the same book together. Every family and staff member at Charles Wright receives a copy of the selected book and follows a reading schedule over the course of 3-4 weeks. This program is a great opportunity to build a community of readers and helps instill a love for reading both at home and at school. Additionally, it improves literacy skills among the students: research shows that reading aloud to students helps build their vocabularies, listening comprehension, and overall confidence about reading. Like in previous years, I hope to begin this program in the beginning of October. Starting the school year off with this initiative engages students in reading and builds their social and conversational skills, which sets a positive tone for the remainder of the year. 

Musical Instruments

$1,699.99

This grant will provide classroom musical instruments for all elementary grade levels K-6 to be able to use at Charles Wright. The grant would benefit the entire school population of approximately 260 students. These instruments, called Orff instruments, are widely used in the world of music education and renowned for their numerous benefits to students. Orff instruments are customizable to the skills and abilities of the students playing them, making them versatile teaching tools for all grades. The addition of Orff instruments would support students in reaching our district’s music curricular goals by helping them learn how to read and perform notes and rhythms, create and improvise music, develop motor skills, make music with others, and beyond. Using these instruments in the classroom provides opportunities for students to develop group coordination, promote creativity and experimentation, improve memory, dexterity, and agility, and develop musical ensemble experiences.

Social-Emotional Self or Guided Regulating Tools

$711.34

We will create activity hallways for students, using decorative floor decals that help them to focus, and engage in a quiet activity while they settle. With the selected materials, I believe I can create at least 2 hallway spaces where our K-4 students are, with any remaining materials used in a section of the cafeteria, where all students can access it. The current cost of the floor decal kit is $401.70. In addition, we began establishing calm down spaces within our classrooms this year, but not all classrooms have fidgets or soothing items. To support those efforts, I would like to see sensory fidget tubes in each calming space and fidget chair bands on all chairs, including those in rooms where intervention services are provided. The current price of the fidget bands is $143.92, and the fidget tubes' current price is $165.72.

Hanmer

"STEAM TIME"

$1,500.00

“Children naturally learn through play by engaging in and making sense of their world.”

With the new CT state law taking effect on July 1, 2024, in support of integrating play-based learning within the kindergarten school day, we thought about how we could make this work in our own classrooms. In the Fall of 2024, my partner and I plan to implement a thirty minute Guided Play Based program providing students opportunities to engage in building and engineering tasks, art, dramatic play, science and math. Activities will be designed to help support the Kindergarten WPS curriculum, while others will foster student curiosity as students explore, build, create and communicate with their peers. One teacher-led station will allow us to facilitate small group inquiry-based lessons which support the science, SEL or social studies curricula. We plan to call our guided play time, “STEAM Time.”

Highcrest

Math In Practice Series

$664.35

This grant would allow for the purchase of a set of the Math In Practice Series. This grade-by-grade resource is filled with strategies and support for teaching math more confidently and effectively. Math in Practice is a standard-based, professional learning resource from Sue O'Connell. This series utilizes powerful instructional strategies and promotes math concept development through well organized lessons and grade by grade learning progressions. Without Math Interventionists next year, the tutors will need resources and materials that are easy to use and can be shared with teachers for small groups of students for intervention. The Math In Practice Series would provide just that. Each of the schools currently use this resource but Highcrest is in need of a second set.

Webb

LEAP program climbing dome with a swing

$329.67

Webb is home to our district-wide LEAP program. Our LEAP students often require sensory breaks throughout their school day to self-regulate, focus on instruction, and to calm down from an upset. We lost our sensory room a few years ago to utilize the space for another classroom to accommodate our ever-growing LEAP program. Since our classrooms are not large enough to hold the sensory equipment necessary to meet our students' sensory needs, it has been difficult to provide them with the appropriate opportunities for sensory regulation. On behalf of my LEAP team, I am asking for a climbing dome with a swing to place in our courtyard, to provide our students with the sensory input they need to stay regulated throughout their school day.

One School, One Book, plus author visit

$2,406.70

“One School, One Book” is a school-wide shared reading event in which all students in kindergarten through grade six read the same book together; and here at Webb, we even had some pre-school families join in! Every family and staff member at Webb receives a copy of the selected book and follows a reading schedule over the course of 3-4 weeks. This program is a great opportunity to build a community of readers and help instill a love for reading both at home and at school. Additionally, it improves literacy skills among the students: research shows that reading aloud to students helps build their vocabularies, listening comprehension, and overall confidence about reading. I hope to begin this program in the beginning of October. The book is Fenway and Hattie, by Victoria Coe. Starting the school year off with this initiative engages students in reading and builds their social and conversational skills, which sets a positive tone for the remainder of the year.