Michelle Simpson was given $4,500 to purchase Imagination Playground blocks, an innovative playground system that encourages movement, social development, and enhanced learning while at play. “The blocks encourage students to continue their learning outside of the classroom- budding mathematicians, engineers, inventors, architects, and community leaders are able to exercise their skills without boundaries,” Simpson said.
At Dover High School (DHS) three grants were awarded. The largest, $4,000, was given to the Science Department for geospatial learning curriculum. Presented by Amy Poirier and Arthur LeClair, the project will partner with the City of Dover and other local groups such as UNH and the Piscataqua River Estuary Partnership to have students collect and analyze geospatial data concerning nitrogen loading issues in Great Bay.
The largest award given this round was a $6,028 SEED grant to Horne Street School to purchase 12 Bak Atlas 2:1 convertible tablets and a portable cart. Built in the USA, the Bak tablets have a rugged design and shockproof exterior to protect against drops and spills. The equipment will be used across all grade levels to support classroom instruction and online testing. The tablets will also be used to develop digital literacy, research and presentation skills through grade-appropriate projects.
Dover Middle School Oasis Teachers Robin Eich and Dr.Barb Lynch have been awarded a SEED grant to purchase workbooks to incorporate Psychologist Ross Greene’s Collaborative and proactive solutions (CPS) to help build skill development in managing the Oasis students in grades 5-8 with ADHD and anger management issues.
SEED has Woodman Park School teaching team of Kelly Gennett and Crystal Lisbon, in cooperation with Dr. Michael Briggs a grant to create a maker space at Woodman Park School. The elective special available to the entire school will provide hands-on, creative ways to encourage students to design, experiment, build and invent.The maker space lab will provide a critical space to house a volume of engineering, creative, and inquiring based tools and projects for all students to participate in.
SEED has awarded Garrison School Teachers Nancy Colarusso and Deanna Bird with a STEM Projects K-4 grant. This grant will introduce four new STEM projects combining elements of art and STEM principles and improving STEM to STEAM. The projects are making lanterns with kindergarten and first grade, creating ecosystem murals with the second grade, kite making with the third grade, and coding a website with the fourth grade.
Dover Middle School Teacher Lisa Dillingham was awarded a SEED grant to purchase 30 wiggle cushions. These inflatable seat cushions will allow students the sensory movement and prevent students from sitting for extended periods of time. Studies show that students who can move more improve their learning.
Dover High School Teacher Amy Poirier was awarded a $500 grant to purchase a document camera for biology classrooms. This valuable tool will enable students to share work, conduct demonstrations, and show teachers thought process.
SEED has awarded longtime Woodman Park School Teacher Sharon Shea a $1,000 grant to provide all first-grade students with a take-home book bag filled with quality at level reading. This grant will improve reading comprehension skills among first graders and build an early collaboration between schools and families.
Dover Middle School Teacher Kimberly Conrad has been awarded a $6,000 grant to bring the nationally acclaimed work of the Mayhem Poets to Dover! This grant will include an in-house performance from the writers, along with an intensive writing workshop for the students. An incredible opportunity expected to occur in April 2017, during National Poetry Month.
Based on the work from Jo Boaler which helped shift the way we teach mathematics. Patty Driscoll, Karen Berg, and Stephanie DeMatteo were awarded a $2,193 SEED grant to provide 16 teachers and administrators high-quality mathematics professional development with a focus on Common Core math.
Kelly Gennett and Maria Frangione will use the traditional practice of “Flat Stanley” to promote letter writing and hands-on mapping skills by adding a digital aspect to the Woodman Park School social studies program. To build the students digital literacy and communication skills, the grant provides for the purchase of a webcam and microphone to enable the classroom to communicate with a 7th grade English class in Madrid Spain.
Garrison Elementary School Teachers Rima Sawyer and Rachel Hill have been awarded a grant to purchase Duplo, and Lego sets to foster innate learning in students and encourage reasoning, processing, and problem-solving skills.
SEED has awarded the Dover Middle School Wentworth Team of Kelly Daynard, Patricia Mulqueen, Lisa Nash, and Mark Holt-Shannon a grant to purchase four “breakout boxes.” These boxes provide games and teaching methods to deliver content to promote critical thinking, complex problem solving, and teamwork. This will also have an element of training staff to promote a climate and culture of kinesthetic learning.
A Spring SEED scholarship will be funding the opportunity for Kelly Gennett, a Woodman Park teacher, to attend a UNH graduate level course called Integrating Technology in the Classroom. After completing this course, Gennett will use her newly acquired skills to integrate Digital Storytelling into her classroom and into her summer enrichment camp, Camp BEYOND, held at WPS each summer. Additionally, SEED will provide scholarships for five under-priviledge students to attend Camp BEYOND.
Jill Frederickson, another Woodman Park School colleague, was awarded SEED support for the third annual Ellis Island Experience, a district wide initiative.
SEED will provide funding for 15 Dover School District educators to attend Jo Boaler’s Growth Mindset to Increase Student Engagement and Achievement in Mathematics, a professional development course providing teachers new strategies to engage students in mathematics content.
A SEED grant will make it possible for Nancy Colarusso’s STEM students to learn about ecosystems and inter-tidal animals with hands on learning at the Seacoast Science Center.
