The Board Members of the Foundation would like to thank all corporate, business, event, and individual sponsors, whose contributions have made possible these awards. The Foundation also thanks the Ewing Board of Education and the Public School District administration for its ongoing support and encouragement. Lastly, we wish to thank and acknowledge the teachers and administrators in the Ewing Public School District, whose dedication, devotion and creativity in educating the young men and women and in developing these innovative programs will inspire our students to “reach for the stars,” as they become educated leaders and citizens.
It is through the collaborative efforts of all that the Foundation is privileged to contribute to the betterment of our community. Together, we are making a difference – for nearly twenty years.
Summary
| School | Number of Grants | Amount of Grants |
| Antheil Elementary | 3 | $2,355.01 |
| Lore Elementary | 5 | $12,264.86 |
| Parkway Elementary | 7 | $4,489.61 |
| O’Brien Academy | 1 | $996.58 |
| Fisher Elementary School | 4 | $10,516.48 |
| District Elementary Schools | 1 | $1,087.05 |
| Totals | 21 | $31,709.59 |
Descriptions
Raymond Broach Arts in Education Award
This award honors retired superintendent, Raymond Broach, for his tireless and ongoing commitment to education and love of the arts, and his dedication to the Ewing Public Education Foundation.
Samuel DeCavalcante, Fisher Middle School ($1,563.00)
Mobile Cart with Document Camera/Projector (G-6-8), Ray Broach Award
The funding for this grant is to enhance the students’ knowledge of art theories, principles and techniques. Providing larger viewing capability of all works of art will help the students understand concepts and theories while maintaining visual interest.
Eleanor Horne Award for Literacy
Eleanor Horne, retired from ETS, spent her career in support of public education for countless communities. She has been an advocate for the Ewing Public Education Foundation and for excellence in our school communities
LaJoy Collings and Debra Klevze-Cornelius, Parkway Elementary School ($2,780.00)
Parkway Book Club (K-5), Eleanor Horne Award
The Parkway Book Club is a yearlong incentive program that encourages students of varying reading abilities to consistently read more books outside of school hours to further develop their reading skills. Attainable grade appropriate goals were devised to reward students for challenging themselves through books that are read outside of class. The program fosters a love of reading within the students and encourages them to become lifelong readers. Currently there are 108 students in this year’s club and over 3,000 books have been read this year.
Credit Union of New Jersey Foundation, Sponsor Award
The Credit Union of New Jersey has provided ongoing support to the Ewing Public Education Foundation and the school district for many years. It has generously funded both the overall goals of the Foundation as well as this specific educational initiative.
Barbara Bower, Erika Freeman, Fisher Middle School (3,275.00)
Smart Kids Rule (G6-8), Credit Union of New Jersey
The objective of this grant is to show students that “working hard pays off in the long run.” The potential population for this program would be 400 students. The program will reward students that obtain Honor Roll Status. Students who’ve reached Honor Roll Status will be eligible to be entered into a raffle in order to receive gift certificates, and the students’ and their families will be honored at an assembly in May.
Antheil Elementary School
(3 grants totaling $2,355.01)
Ryan McLoone and Jacqueline Brossoie, Antheil Elementary School ($1,800.00)
Hands-On Science Night with a Dash of Math (K-5)
This grant will be used to stock (& restock) the science storage closet with supplies & activities for the 2015 Hands-On-Science Night with a Dash of Math. This activity has evolved into a district wide event. The 14th annual event in 2014 had over 900 attendees, included all 3 elementary schools, Fisher Middle School and this year they were joined by 3 different volunteer groups from The College of New Jersey, Princeton University & Rider University.
Susan Bozarth-Smith, Antheil Elementary School ($365.00)
Fidgets: Fundamental to Focused Learning (PreK-5)
This grant will provide “quiet fidgets” that will be added to the Sensory Solutions for Optimum Learning Closet. These quiet fidgets will be available for any child needing to fidget to achieve the “just right” level of focus when learning. This will enable the student to work without interfering or disrupting the work of others, improve organization & processing of sensory information.
Cheryl Bomba, Antheil Elementary School ($190.01)
Using Speech Recognition Software to Improve Literacy Skills of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (PreK-5)
For students with Autism in grades 4-6 this grant will be used to purchase “Dragon Naturally Speaking” speech recognition Software. By turning talk into text, speech recognition software has the potential to make writing tasks faster and easier. The software will be used to increase the writing productivity, independence and literacy skills of students who struggle with traditional paper and pencil and type writing.
Lore Elementary School
(5 grants totaling $12,264.86)
Diana Mocarski, Lore Elementary School ($260.86)
What’s the Storia? Using Electronic Books in the Classroom (K-5)
Storia is an electronic reading site from Scholastic book clubs. The books can be checked out by students and read in class on computers or SmartBoards and have the option of interactive modes such as audio. This grant will provide a school wide virtual bookshelf with appropriate materials for K-5. Teachers and parents can set up their own individual accounts and purchase books on their own using this site.
Stacey Hughes, Lore Elementary School ($4,878.00)
Easel Size SmartBoard (K-5)
The grant will fund an easel sized SmartBoard, projector, Smart Notebook software and cart. A smaller, portable easel sized SmartBoard will provide easier access to the younger students so students can manipulate board and become more familiar with technology. All students at Lore will be able to access this technology as well as giving opportunities to the families of Lore students to learn to navigate the school’s website.
Diana Mocarski and Jacqueline Duncan, Lore Elementary School ($475.00)
That Bugs ME! (Privately Funded), (2nd Grade)
This grant is a follow up from last year’s grant of Little Einstein Learning Adventures where that grant funded traveling zoo kits. The focus of this year’s grant will be the purchase of nonfiction materials for independent and guided reading, focusing on insects and organisms coordinating with the first and second grade curriculum.
This grant has been funded by Mrs. Lucille Barclay, in memory of Rosemary Barclay, her sister in law who was a nurse and a science teacher for over 30 years in NYC. Mrs. Barclay is Diana Mocarski’s mother.
Melissa Campbell and Lisa Rogers, Lore Elementary School ($380.00)
Lights, Camera, Action: Reaching Young Minds through Theater Outreach (PreK)
This grant will provide funding to bring Snow White and the Seven Dwarves to Antheil Elementary school, where both typical and special education preschoolers from Lore and Antheil will view the live interactive performance. This grant provides an opportunity for these young students to be exposed to live theater and to encourage creative thinking and expand their own creative play skills.
Ellen Conte, Lore Elementary School ($6,746.00)
SmartBoard Art (K-5)
This grant will help students to be prepared to integrate technology with the world of Art. The technology of this grant will open opportunities for students to explore past and present artists, styles of art, how art is collected and maintained by using technology to open their eyes to art instantaneously.
Parkway Elementary School
(7 grants totaling $4,489.61)
Jason Rollins, Parkway Elementary School ($199.96)
SpellingCity.com [Site Words and Spelling Activities (1st Grade)
This grant will assist students, both at school and at home, with sight word activities and will also provide skill assessments. The website will further student sight word acquisition and improve student spelling skills. The website will be available to approximately 80 first grade students.
Josephine Stevens, Parkway Elementary School ($399.80)
RAX-Kids.com (1st Grade)
This will fund availability to an interactive website that contains animated, leveled books and quizzes for first grade students. The website gives readers 3 options: the student can listen to books read aloud to them, the student can read with vocabulary and pronunciation support and/or read with no support. Students can read books at their instructional level in order to practice fluency or read to improve their comprehension by taking online quizzes. Students, teachers and parents can track reading progress. This on-line resource will allow students access to more reading material in order to boost reading levels and meet grade level expectations.
Lisa Abramson and LaJoy Collins, Parkway Elementary School ($442.00)
High Interest, Low Readability Novels for EIS Students (G4-5)
Materials purchased with this grant will be used in the development of guided reading lessons to be used during classroom instructional time for 4th and 5th grade early intervention students. Lessons using these novels will incorporate all active reading strategies, vocabulary development and written responses citing from the text to meet core curriculum. These high interest novels will support the development of vocabulary and use of active reading strategies as well as the development of higher level and critical thinking skills
Leigh Cline, Parkway Elementary School ($283.71)
Wee Deliver Postal System, (K-5)
The Wee Deliver postal system is an inner-school mail system where students and staff can send friendly letters to each other. The entire Parkway will benefit from this grant, as it will provide mentor texts to help classroom teachers demonstrate how to write friendly letters to others and will provide for rewards for classes who consistently participate in the program. Posters showing the format of a friendly letter will be created for each classroom and street signs will be made for the hallways to advertise the Parkway “map” of addresses which was revised to focus on the 4R’s or Parkway (be ready, be responsible, be resourceful and be respectful). In an age of increasing technology use, it is essential to help students recognize the importance the friendly letter can play in everyday life. “Golden Envelope” awards will be given to the classrooms with that consistently write letters monthly.
Leigh Cline, Parkway Elementary School ($153.47)
Junior Paws Spirit and Service Club (2nd Grade)
This club was established several years ago with a grant from EPEF and has become a very successful after school club for nearly 75 second and third graders. The club meets once a month to coordinate community services and school spirit projects. Projects have included a food drive to benefit the Crisis Ministry of Mercer County, creating holiday ornaments for the intensive care unit of a local hospital and decorating boxes for the annual Parkway Thanksgiving food drive baskets for Parkway families. Club members work on the projects, create posters to advertise the projects to the school community and make morning announcements to promote participation in the projects. The grant will provide for new supplies, which are used at meetings as well as craft supplies and other resources for new projects.
Birgitta Wolfe and Leigh Cline, Parkway Elementary School ($230.67)
Pawsitive Parkway Panthers Day of Services, (K-5)
This grant will provide the materials needed to perform a school-wide day of service, which will benefit the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK). All Parkway students will have to opportunity to create take-home lunch bags for TASK as well as plasticware sets to be used by TASK during their mealtimes. Each grade will have an age appropriate assignment so that everyone in the school will have to opportunity to participate. Kindergartens and first graders will decorate brown paper bags and pre-made cards to le the recipients know that the bags were created with love by Parkway students, second and third graders will create plasticware sets and fourth and fifth graders will work together to make peanut putter and jelly sandwiches. The staff will be aided by the Parkway School PTA and will hold a kickoff assembly to excite and educate the Parkway students about their involvement in helping others.
LaJoy Collings and Debra Klevze-Cornelius, Parkway Elementary School ($2,780.00)
Parkway Book Club (K-5), Eleanor Horne Award
The Parkway Book Club is a yearlong incentive program that encourages students of varying reading abilities to consistently read more books outside of school hours to further develop their reading skills. Attainable grade appropriate goals were devised to reward students for challenging themselves through books that are read outside of class. The program fosters a love of reading within the students and encourages them to become lifelong readers. Currently there are 108 students in this year’s club and over 3,000 books have been read this year.
O’Brien Academy
(1 grant totaling $996.58)
John Wineburg, O’Brien Academy ($996.58)
O’Brien Academy Vegetable Garden (K-8)
This grant is a first-time request coming from the O’Brien Academy. The funding will allow 6-8th grade math and science students to try their hand at a vegetable garden which will teach science concepts as well as cooperative learning and group dynamics. The students will research various fruits and vegetables and decide as a group what they will plant. The students will plant, cultivate and harvest their bounty and use the produce to plan meals and snacks through their cooking program. Mr.Wineburg hopes to have enough produce to supplement their end of the year picnic as well as make a donation to local food kitchens.
Fisher Middle School
(4 grants totaling $10,516.48)
Lauren Tenaglia, Fisher Middle School ($4,115.48)
Opening Fund for a Musical Theater Production (G6-8)
The grant will be used to provide all students at Fisher Middle School with the opportunity to participate in an extra-curricular activity focusing on the performing arts including singing and acting in the musical, Annie Jr. Students of all levels and all needs can participate in this endeavor.
Jodie Bauer, Fisher Middle School ($1,563.00)
Overheads are Old News (Document Camera) (G6-8)
This grant will fund the Media Specialist with a document camera that will be available for all staff members to borrow. The use of the camera will provide students with immediate visual displays that can result in feedback for the teaching moment.
Samuel DeCavalcante, Fisher Middle School ($1,563.00)
Mobile Cart with Document Camera/Projector (G-6-8), Ray Broach Award
The funding for this grant is to enhance the students’ knowledge of art theories, principles and techniques. Providing larger viewing capability of all works of art will help the students understand concepts and theories while maintaining visual interest.
Barbara Bower, Erika Freeman, Fisher Middle School ($3,275.00)
Smart Kids Rule (G6-8), Credit Union of New Jersey
The objective of this grant is to show students that “working hard pays off in the long run.” The potential population for this program would be 400 students. The program will reward students that obtain Honor Roll Status. Students who’ve reached Honor Roll Status will be eligible to be entered into a raffle in order to receive gift certificates, and the students’ and their families will be honored at an assembly in May. Funding for Smart Kids Rule has been provided by the Credit Union of NJ.
District-wide Award (Elementary Schools)
(1 grant totaling $1,087.05)
The following award will benefit all Ewing Elementary Schools.
Patricia Cox, Elementary Schools ($1,087.05)
Using Literacy in the Elementary Math Classroom to Facilitate Real-World Problem Solving (K-5)
This grant will allow the use of literature to assist students in developing increasingly sophisticated strategies for reasoning and problem solving. All elementary school students will be able to make real-world connections as well as construct viable solutions to problems. Teachers will use various literature books in their classrooms as part of their mathematics lessons and students will participate in class discussions based on the conceptual content in the book. Literature will be used as a springboard for quality classroom discussion as an optimum way of facilitating higher-order thinking.