Fall 2018 Recipients

Backus, Alicia (backusa) Wash Irv. $1000.00
12 students in the Mental Health Classroom will go on field trips twice a month to develop coping skills, gain academic motivation, learn independence, learn how to deal with different situations and people. Assessment: attendance, grades and discipline increases.

Barber, Keri (barberk@schenectady.k12.ny.us)Hamilton $300
90 5th, graders will read poetry and/or books and create T shirts on the themes of what they have read. Assessment—rubric and student-teacher conferences. THIS IS THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW.

Benjamin, Rebecca et. al. (Benjaminr@) Pleasant Valley $1620
84 4th graders will create books based on a theme selected from a list provided by teachers. Assessment: student conference, presentations, the books and surveys. THIS IS THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW.

Bernard, Christine (bernardc) Steinmetz $361.57
Eight autistic students will work with task boxes giving them multiple opportunities to practice and develop life skills. They will also be developing pre-vocational skills. They will work on these daily and records will be kept of their completed tasks and their accuracy.

Britt, Carrie (brittc) SHS $478.50
She will buy a class set of Zinn’s A Young People’s History of the United States and will integrat it part of her American History course for ELS students. She will work with an ELA teacher on joint uses of the book. Zinn has a history of appealing to young people with different perspectives. Assessment: Mid term and final exam examples will measure growth on various ELA standards and they will be compared to grade 8 exams.

Casano, Josh (casanoj) SHS $1297.98
He wants 2 electronic drum kits for an expanding program working with inadequate drumming equipment. Details on enhanced opportunities and better quality opportunities to learn and practice. Assessment: increased enrolment & data on use.

Ferguson, Katie Zoller $818.97
Second grade teachers will have their students create Schenectady in gingerbread houses. Students will ID key places in the community, explain choices, do writing and orals. She is very detailed in answering all questions

Geltson, Tracy (geltsont) CPMS $757.00
She will purchase aides for beginning and experienced students to use to learn how to play instruments and improve techniques. It is a detailed application. Assessment Observationin lessons and performances.

Gentile, Rick (gentiler) Keane $800
Girls in grades k-2 will use Legos Robotics kits to create robots. Students will learn problem-solving, team-work, communication skills, beginning programing, and engineering design. Assessment: a survey

Girls on the Run (hunterk) MPMS $1000
20 girls will participate in the Girls on the Run program. They will tie it to the Heart & Soul program in which girls learn about themselves, explore ideas, cultivate empathy, etc. The program encourages healthy choices and positive self image. Budget info is incomplete. Follow up explanation said that there is a $2500 initial charge (training of coaches, curriculum materials, snacks) and money for busses. Assessment: pictures, videos, notes from girls

Grattan. Stephanie et. al. (grattans@) SHS $650.00
She is a remedial reading teacher and she wants to buy books for a “reading study hall.” She gives a convincing case for the need citing statistics, but she gives very little detail on how it fits the curriculum, budget or assessment. Assessment: student conferences, sign out sheets, reading logs.

Green, Jessica (greenje) & Palmer, Lucky CPMS $2,000
They want to take 36 7th graders to the National Museum of Mathematics for a tour and a special program on probability. It will be integrated into the unit on probabilities. Assessment: student reflection in writing and orally.

Heggen, Corinna et. al. (heggenc) SHS $951
She will purchase $ share 6 Breakout EDU kits & access to over 700 lessons on a site. Kids (up to 350)can use these games and can create their own. The games encourage critical thinking, collaboration, creativity & communication. The address ELA standards. Assessment: successful completion of tasks and successful creation of new activities using the process.

Hunter, Katie (hunter) MPMS $500
60 grade 6 science students will participate in hands on math and science activities. STEM projects will be scheduled for every Friday with students working in groups. Assessment: pre and post tests, student work samples, pictures and observation.

Jordan, Megan (JordanM) SHS $1000
The Key Club wants to create their own food back pack program for 7 months of the school year. Assessment: data on number of kids using the program and participants will write reports on how it helped their families and them as students.

LeBarron, Barbara (lebarronb) Woodlawn $733
F54 kids on a field trip to Maybee Farms Historical Farm. Very detailed connections to curriculum. Assessment: role play, student created colonial diaries, perform a living museum.

Macey, Laura (MACEYL) SCLA $500
She is buying new scales for a new course, Baking & Pastry Arts, It will help more students do more work faster and qualify for CTE endorsements on their diplomas. Assessment: product quality, sales in cafeteria & catering events, written standards.

Mark, Elizabeth (marke) MPMS $650
40 English as a New Language students will go to the Farm Days Tour at Indian Ladder. It will give students a hands on component as part of the Read to Feed program which is part of their studies. She gives a detailed explanation of how it all fits together. Assessment: End of year tests, student reports, oral presentation with visuals, journals.

Marshall,Alexandria (marshallal) & LeClair, Katie Oneida $689.70
She will buy ukuleles for use in music classes in grades 6, 7,and 8. They will be used in a new music unit and she ties it a large number of standards. The ukulele band will help students learn how to play music, cooperation, sense of team & community, etc. It is also tied to the new trauma sensitive initiatives. It will allow all students to participate in a performance group. Assessment: teacher observation of progresss. Concerts.

Metzold, Barton (metzoldb) CPMS $1510
This would be the second year for the fishing club funding. Teachers and community volunteers teach kids (45-50 8th graders) different kinds of swimming. Promotes a love of the outdoors and teaches life skills. Good on benefits and weak on curriculum. Assessment: attendance records, photo/powerpoint, letters of support from kids, parents, etc.

Paley, Jennifer Hamilton $500.00
Students will listen to CD versions of high interest books while they read. It is for students behind grade level in reading. 90 5th graders. Assessment: STAR testing scores for ELA

Rossler, Christian & York (rosslerc@) Hamilton $650 Yes
480 students will create Kindness Rocks Art and classroom teachers. Rocks will reflect kindness themes and the rocks will be incorporated in a community rock garden. Tied to ELA, Trauma Sensitive Schools project, etc. Assessment: the rock garden use and a teacher made rubric

Rottger, Cecilia (rottgetc@) Woodlawn $850
About 140 students will participate. She will create bags of books for students to take home and share. First through third graders exchange books. Assessment: several pre and post instruments. THIS IS THE THIRD YEAR IN A ROW.

Savoie, Giovanna (savoieg) CPMS $1000
Wants to buy instruments (drums, boomwhackers, guitars, and ukuleles) for instruction and esp. for guitar club. Needs more instruments esp. for increased special education enrolment. Wants to create a personal musicianship project for Special Ed. Students. Assessment: performances and observation.

Schaeffer, Molly (mschaeffer6@hotmail.com) MPMS $800
College visits for 100 8th graders in the Social Inquiry course. Students will explore different local colleges so they develop higher goals for their future.Assessment: detailed written assignments based on visits & research. THIRD YEAR

Sheridan, Mike & Frank Hohman Oneida $1040
They will buy 13 Elenco SNAP ciruits to be used to teach about electric circuits in Technology classes.. Very detailed explanation of uses and benefits. Assessment: rubrics and data comparing this year with previous years and future years.

Sisti, Jessica (sistij) CPMS $390
She will buy a mobile, double-sided music notation whiteboard to enhance student understanding of musical concepts during lessons, rehearsals, etc. 400 kids a year. The board allows students to use math and reading skills. Assessment: increased student ability to ID patterns within musical passages, improve note reading and sight reading, etc.

Tebbano, Marcella (tebbanom@) CPMS $695.47
The CPMS Phys Ed staff will buy 5 Razor DTX Drift Trikes for the 4 self-contained adapted Phys Ed. Classes. Students will develop hand-eye coordination, balancer and their cardio-vascular system.. This will help them to participate in more activities. Assessment: Pre and post tests Teacher tracking.

Trumpler, Jonai et.al. (trunplerj) Pleasant Valley $1568
Teachers k-2 will bring in 10 programs for 243 kids from the CMost science museum. Topics include Animals, the cycle of the frog, the cycle of the butterfly. Assessment: Photographs student participation and student writing, reading and drawuing applied to math content.

Tufo, Margaret (tufom) SCLA $2500
They want to take 40 students to an all day program at Camp Chingachgook. They will learn how to meet challenges working with others, building team work skills and attitudes. Personal growth for students in a trauma sensitive school. Assessment: use Infinite Campus form data on attendance, discipline, etc.

Veldhuis, Alexandria (veldhuis@) Howe/King $1600
She and Kerri Messler will work with 1st grade teachers on the use of Makey Makey kits to enhance the science unit. She will also use them with 5th grade students. It is an invention kit that can turn everyday objects into learning tools and can be used with any computer. It is hands on and addresses different learning styles. Students will study structures of living things. Assessment: successful use of the system.

White, Jaymes (whiteja) CPMSA & Oneida $2000 Yes No Partial
He wants to take the modified football team (45 kids & 5 coaches) to an Albany Empire game. He feels it will I prove their understanding of the game, inspire kids to do better, build relationships, improve language skills. Team, family, relationships, academics are integrated. He will develop a pre/post assessment instrument.

Zelkowitz, Nick (zelkowitzn) CPMS $300.00
The team has a #D printer, but they need money for the raw material. He gives very detailed ways in which students will use it and the science, engineering and math benefits. Assessment: the number of models designed, number of models printed, pre and post surveys on engineering knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Completion of final design challenge.