Elementary School

Students will be exposed to the properties of electricity, electronics, magnetism and the engineering design. They will learn the fundamentals behind circuitry and how circuits are used in all of the technological devices we use today.

Anica Mrose Rissi Author Visit: CP: Bevan Jones

Anica Mrose Rissi is a local author who will be visiting all grade levels at CP. The goal is for this visit to motivate students to read more for enjoyment, learn about different authors and illustrators, and how their creative processes. Students will participate in writing, reading, and art projects related to the author’s work in order to reinforce their learning about the author’s work.

Integrating Ukulele Study: CP,JP ,RS: Stephanie Chorba, Erin Ketterer, Paul Chapin

As an extension of and building upon a pilot project at Littlebrook School, this grant seeks to provide new and innovative instruction at the other three schools (JP, CP, and RS) through the use of ukuleles during instruction in the music room

Circle of Friends: CP, RS: Diane Van Driesen

To remediate social cognitive deficits and provide opportunities for structured age appropriate social interaction for targeted group. The purpose of the social skills group is to guide social interaction of the students participating and to teach them how to establish and maintain friendships. The Power Solving Curriculum is designed to teach children how to become independent problem solvers using a hands-on positive practice, interactive approach.

Take Home Math Bags: JP: Denise Bongiovi, Donna Freedman, Tyler Kukla

Create Take-Home Math enrichment bags as a tool to foster home-school connection and reinforce concepts taught in class.

Wordless Books: LB: Cristina Avena

Wordless books – which often rely on illustrations to tell a story – provide an excellent resource for teachers to engage both emergent and struggling readers. Research shows that wordless books support learners in building their confidence as readers and writers and helps to improve the development of story narratives.

Colors of India: RS: Kirsten Bertone

To collaborate with both grade level colleagues and Riverside educators in the Arts in providing students with a rich and diverse learning experience involving multiple curricular areas: music, dance, art, social studies and language arts. This cross-curricular residency, which encompassing multiple Intelligences, will offer students an opportunity to learn while embracing various modalities and
styles of learning.

Kinesthetic Classroom: RS: Sandra Noyelle, Carol Knigge
To implement kinesthetic opportunities by offering varied seating options in the 2 nd grade classroom.

Riverside Gaga Pit: RS: Mark Shelley
Addition of a Gaga Pit to the Riverside Elementary School playground: an addition that will be valuable for both our Physical Education program as well as all children in Riverside community.

Embracing Learning Diversity: RS: Lynn Spirko
Special education program at Riverside developed with the intention of meaningful integration for students into extra-curricular activities. Pre-teaching skills necessary to have all students participate in some of these clubs can help to bridge this experiential gap. The intention is for trained staff to facilitate interactions between students paving the way for future inclusion opportunities while helping all students to have a broader view of diverse community.

Creative Play within Studio Arts: RS: Ashley Kennedy
This grant would create an environment that allows students to connect their creativity to their desire to play. By providing building toys, sensory play tools, and arts direct play toys students will see play and learning as interconnected. It will enhance their confidence to explore and take a leaning risk. Builds upon the importance of building and guiding students’ innate creativity

Flexible Seating: RS: Anna Achampong
The purpose and overall goal of this project is to enhance the learning environment of our students and increase their academic and social functioning. Learning environments have a direct impact on student achievement. With flexible seating, students are empowered and have some degree of control over their learning environment.

John Witherspoon Middle School Grants

Cardboard Boat Regatta: JW: Janet Gaudino, Matthew Halfacre, Paul Merritt

            This activity is designed to demonstrate the practical application of science and technology and help meet the engineering expectations of Next Generation Science. Students will continue our partnership with Civics, focusing their design and theme around a US Port City.Standards.

Ultimate Flex Space: JW: Kelly Riely

            Transformation of classroom from that of a traditional space to a flexible environment to enhance student engagement. The classroom does not match up to the current technology curriculum, framework and the philosophy in which educational leaders today believe to be the best environment for our digital native learners.

SCRIBBLES Magazine: JW: Eugenia Porello

            The use of Madmagz software for the publication of JW’s literary magazine, SCRIBBLES. The software will help mainstream most processes and maximize time, ultimately enabling to publish more frequently.

Social Skills & Executive Functioning: JW: Edwina Hawes

            The purpose of this program is to enable students to acquire executive functioning and social skills that will help prepare them for the increasing demands of middle school and the transition into high school.

Transitioning from Industrial Arts: JW: Matthew Halfacre

            The goal of this grant is to remove the sheet metal shear and replace it with a large counter or demonstration table that the instructor will be able to teach from, but also to display example projects or facilitate demonstrations.

Princeton High School Grants

Students will have the opportunity to interact with poets by listening and engaging with poets during the Read In on Saturday as well as at their schools on the Monday after the Read In. 2020 marks the 30th anniversary of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) national initiative to make literacy a significant part of Black History Month. This community-wide event is an invitation to begin African American Cultural Heritage Month in our community. This program hope to cultivate an awareness and love of texts that celebrate African American themes, authors and stories for all levels of literacy, ages and cultural experience”

Devices for PHS Intro Coding: PHS: Claudette Guy

            This grant will fund the purchase of twenty-five micro:bit physical computing devices and additional related hardware for student use in the CSP class. The micro:bit devices would be used to teach the Python coding language in engaging and open-ended projects that align with the CSP course goals.

AWARE: Asian students support and guidance: PHS: Nipurna Shah

            Asian student support and guidance group working on addressing the specific issues that students from this demographic face.

Tracking MHC through the Cell: PHS: Jacqueline Katz, Jennifer Smolyn, Mark Eastburn

            The student experience will incorporate immunological principals and advanced laboratory procedures into the high school curriculum. Plan is to pilot this curriculum with the Research Methods course during the 2018-19 school year and then make appropriate modifications to incorporate it into the Biology I curriculum for first year students. By purchasing the appropriate supplies with this grant, the project should sustain for multiple years

Essential Oils in Art Class: PHS: Judy Buckley

            Introduction of essential oils in the Studio Art classroom to improve student wellness and boost productivity in the art room

Video analysis in Physics: PHS: Daniel H. Lee

            Students will develop a video library of experiments, both lab specific as well as real-world that can be used in multiple parts of the investigative learning cycle in the Physical Sciences. This project in particular allows students to explore these avenues both as a student and as an expert.

Building Bridges, Building Relationships, Building Leaders: PHS: Lenora Keel

            The primary focus of this project is to continue to provide minority young women with opportunities to engage in meaningful, fruitful and thought provoking conversations and experiences that will enrich them as individuals, but also to give them a place to express their thoughts, concerns, fears, ambitions and dreams for their present and future circumstances.

Let’s Escape: PHS: Shefali Mehta

            Within this project, students will be able to participate in escape room-style activities, which will help to learn, practice, and reinforce concepts currently taught in the classroom. These activities provide students a new and engaging way to learn or review content using game theory,that also helps to move them into the zone of proximal engagement.

Showcasing Science Research: Jennifer Smolyn, Mark Eastburn, Jacqueline Katz

            The Research program at PHS provides students with a unique, three-year opportunity to engage in the process of scientific research. The goal of this grant is to obtain necessary materials to conduct independent research, which students will then present to students at John Witherspoon Middle School and the four district elementary schools through engaging, hand-on activities.