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AFTER SCHOOL
MINI-LIBRARIES
$2,000, Annette Odom and Sandy Lambert
Washington Media Arts Magnet School and Verplanck Elementary
School, Grades K-6
These two elementary schools operate a total of ten “after
school classrooms” for approximately 200 students and provide
them with a variety of educational activities. A 21st Century
Community Learning Center Grant provides funds for operations at
each school but does not provide for non-consumable materials
such as books. This grant provides resources for the purchase
of books to fill the schools’ mini-libraries. The books will be
used for independent reading and “read alouds” in groups.
Multiple copies of fiction and non-fiction books will be ordered
so students can form book clubs or literacy circles in the upper
grades. Bigger books, anthologies and readers’ theatre scripts
will be acquired for the younger grades. The books are stored in
large, portable plastic boxes so they can be easily moved
between classrooms or schools. At least twice during the year,
the after school program will invite families to observe and
participate in literacy based classroom discussions or specific
family centered lessons related to grade level curriculum
topics. Participating and non-participating families will
receive ideas and activities to do at home to extend further
learning to all family members.
A STITCH IN TIME
$1,100, Dee Moretto and Regina Gatmaitan, Buckley Elementary
School, Grade 6
A Stitch in Time is an interdisciplinary project that gives
students an opportunity to learn about different cultures,
customs and traditions. Students will learn about their own
family’s heritage through Internet research, library reading,
and personal interviews with family members. They will write
about their results, share them with other class members,
prepare and sample traditional foods and listen to different
kinds of traditional music. Finally, they will design and sew
their own quilt square that represents their family heritage.
They will be assisted by parent volunteers and para-professionals.
Through this process, students will learn about their own family
heritage and traditions as well as those of other students.
FIRST FRIDAY AT THE LUTZ
$800, Sandy Lambert, Lynn Rhodes and Vita Beebe
Washington Media Arts Magnet School, Verplanck, Waddell,
Robertson and Nathan Hale Elementary Schools, Grades K-5
Manchester’s literacy facilitators, working with the Lutz
Children’s Museum, have put together a program for students and
their families to promote literacy and social studies. The
program coincides with the theme of the Connecticut Mastery Test
during the 2007-2008 school year. There will be five Friday
night programs at the Lutz Museum, one for each elementary grade
level. Activities will focus on geography and maps, using the
Lutz facilities as well as games, puzzles, flannel boards, DVDs
and puppets. Each First Friday program will focus on a specific
grade level and offer geography and map experiences that support
and reinforce the curriculum. The Lutz Children's Museum farm,
ocean and animal exhibits will engage families in related
follow-up activities. There will also be some supplies for
families to take home, where learning can continue. At the end
of the 2007-2008 school year, the teaching materials and
remaining supplies will be stored with the literacy coordinator
until 2011 when the literacy/social studies theme is repeated.
At that time, the literacy facilitators will review and renew
the lessons and materials.
CHESS CLUB
$200,
Grace DeAngelis, Highland Park Elementary School, Grades 3-6
This after school club is designed to teach students basic chess
skills and provide opportunities to play other children. The
students gain confidence while playing chess and learn problem
solving strategies and techniques. Many of these skills will
carry over into the classroom. Finally, students from prior
years serve as mentors to new players. This grant will provide
funds for new chessboards, replacement chess pieces, chess books
and prizes for chess competitions.
SPECTROPHOTOMETER
$981, Megan Rader, Manchester High School, Grades 10-12
In the upper level science classes, there are many laboratory
activities that use a highly technical piece of equipment called
a spectrophotometer. This device is used to analyze the
wavelength of light as it passes through a solution to help
identify unknown components. The use of a spectrophotometer is a
required activity for the upper level chemistry and Advanced
Placement biology classes. Presently, these science classes
must travel to Manchester Community Technical College to use
their spectrophotometer. Due to time constraints, not all
students get to use this piece of equipment as much as is
desired. By having this piece of equipment, more students will
be exposed to this technology. This grant will finance the
purchase of a new spectrophotometer.
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