Our 2024 grant award cycle is now open!
GRANT APPLICATION WINDOW: JANUARY 8 - MARCH 1, 2024
GRANTS SELECTED: MARCH 22, 2024
FUNDS AVAILABLE: APRIL, 2024
HIGHLIGHTS OF PRIOR YEAR GRANTS
AWARDED TO NATICK PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Johnson Elementary: The Bookfix Project (Awarded 2019-2020)
BookFix will promote the love of reading and was inspired by a retail phenomenon called Stitch Fix. BookFix will be used as a way to keep classroom libraries current by adding newly released literature, in various genres, to encourage students to expand their exposure to new and different literature. The project requires students to offer feedback on the literature by encouraging students to talk, (v)blog, review, and promote books using specific discussion criteria that is in alignment with our Benchmark Assessment System's elements that students, by grade-level, that all students are expected to have mastered.
High School: Aluminum Cobblers Team 5436 - RoboNatick (Awarded 2019-2020)
RoboNatick Team 5436 seeks to inspire young people to become science and technology leaders, by engaging them in a hands-on challenge that builds science, engineering, and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership. The Grant will be used to to compete in the First Tech Challenge competitions as well as purchase for parts for the robot.
Wilson Middle School: Generation Genius Subscription (Awarded 2019-2020)
The funds from this grant will be used to purchase a one-year subscription to Generation Genius . According to its website, "Generation Genius is a science teaching resource produced in partnership with the National Science Teachers Association. It brings school science standards to life through fun and educational videos paired with lesson plans, activities, quizzes, reading material, vocabulary, discussion questions and more." Generation Genius videos and materials can be used by all science teachers at Wilson Middle School and conform to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and MA state curriculum frameworks.
Preschool: Nature Nurtures Monarch Magic (Awarded 2018-2019)
Preschool students develop social-emotional skills such as empathy and compassion by caring for schoolyard wildlife: Monarch butterflies. The children planted and maintained the Monarch’s only host plant - Milkweed. The Monarchs are raised from eggs and caterpillars found on Milkweed plants. When the Monarchs emerge from their chrysalis, they are tagged with Monarch Watch migration tags and released. Data will be sent to Monarch Watch for their research on migration patterns. This project is done at the NHS preschool and the Lilja preschool sites.
Johnson Elementary: Student Led School Store (Awarded 2018-2019)
A hands-on project for 4th grade math students at Johnson Elementary School to use their developing math skills to design, open and run a school store. This project is based on a learning principle called Project Based Learning (PBL). PBL provides students opportunities to grapple with challenges and experiences. It creates relational learning where struggle is key and students take risks as they realize understanding for themselves.
Wilson Middle School: Courtyard Chess Board (Awarded 2017-2018)
Chess set is used by students and teachers at Wilson Middle School as an alternate outdoor activity during lunch, after school, and at other free times.