Mini-Grant Recipients

New Haven Public School Foundation
 

Mini – Grants 2008-2009
 
Elementary School
 
Cultural
 
$1,000.00 - Fair Haven School
Latino Heritage Festival & Education Events
The project supports the second annual Fair Haven School Community Hispanic Heritage celebration. The project will provide educational / cultural diversity events that will culminate with a school and community presentation and food tasting event. Students of all grade levels will be engaged through classroom activities and participation in the culminating event. Funds will be used to purchase traditional folk garments from Latin America and for food/snacks for rehearsals and the culminating performances. This project will impact the entire school and the community at large.
$1,300.00 - King/Robinson Magnet School
Building Kids With Music
Many of the students cannot afford to buy or rent so they borrow from the school’s instrument library. With proper help the instruments could be repaired and kept in good working order. Increased student participation in our band will be the key to the development of our students’ social skills for success in school and life. Funds will be used to purchase tools, supplies, and other materials that are necessary for repair of the instruments. This project will impact 70 students.
Integrated Curriculum
$1,000.00 - Barnard Magnet School
The Green Garden Generation
Intergenerational collaboration with Barnard School, Common Ground High School, West River Senior Center, and Claire’s Cornucopia Restaurant on courtyard gardens to grow vegetables and herbs that can be donated to local soup kitchens and utilized in promoting healthy snacks at school. Funds will be used for garden supplies, garden notebooks, and visits between the schools and senior center. This project will impact 100 students.
$980.00 - John S. Martinez School
Travel the USA
This Pilot program will be used to revamp existing Geography curriculum using technology (PowerPoint, video taping) to encourage higher order thinking skills, technology and presentation skills. Students will be placed in groups to learn about regions in the USA. They will share information within the group and produce a regional PowerPoint travelogue. They will then decide what makes a region interesting to visit and important to the country. Funds will be used for Mini DV camcorder and accessory bundle kit, projector wall screen, external DVD writer, Firewire PCI card and cables, food and supplies. This program will impact 25 students and up to all 70 4th grade students.
$985.00 - Lincoln-Bassett
Exploration of Plant Life & Gardening
This is an interactive project for Community Garden Plan Unit for two 3rd grade classes. Students will study plant life styles. Funds will be used for books, garden materials, garden tools, experiment supplies, and field trip expenses. This project will impact 50 students
$650.00 - Ross/Woodward School
Flat Stanley explores ancient civilizations
Using the book "Flat Stanley" students will study early African culture and will produce their own “big book” that will feature their own ending to the character’s adventures. The books will then be read to pre-K students. Funds will be used for ten copies of “Flat Stanley”, food and supplies, and supplies for the big books and postage. This project will impact 75 1st grade students and 40 pre-K students.
Literacy
$1,300.00 - Celentano Museum Academy
"I See a Story"
A year long study of “Look, Look, Look!” a book that uses an actual picture that hangs in The British Arts Center at Yale University as its subject. Students will have their own copy of the book to read and share with family. Trips to the museum with family are planned to study the actual painting with scheduled activities that focus on color and shape, patterns and lines, and narrative elements. Students will improve language and math skills through exposure to visual arts. Funds will be used for 52 copies of the book “Look, Look, Look!” The DVD version of the book, materials for follow up activities, and a visit to the museum in the spring with the students’ families included. This project will impact 52 1st grade students.
$1,300.00 - Clarence Rogers School
Moonlight Readers
Project engages parents & students in literacy activities once a month, which provides a setting for oral language development. Improves student reading abilities and increases parental knowledge and involvement in their children’s literacy development. Funds will be used for one book, one informational packet, art supplies and snack provided for each family per meeting (nine meetings) and a tee shirt for the child participants. This project will impact 25 students per month for nine months.

$1,200.00 - Conte West Hills Magnet School
B.E.A.R. (Be Enthusiastic About Reading)
Encourages a strong school wide reading culture, provides parent-child reading related activity & promotes at home reading. Funds will be used for fiction and non fiction books for each student, art supplies for projects, and snacks for the monthly BEAR celebration. This project will impact 300 kindergarten through 3rd grade students and their parents/families.

$1,300.00 - Clemente Leadership Academy
Developing Comprehension & Oral Language with Folk Tales
An In depth study of traditional folk tales resulting in a re-enactment of stories through performance (oral retelling), big books and artwork by students. There will be heightened parental awareness of importance of repetition and retelling for emergent readers. Funds will be used for books, cassette read-a-longs, theme box puppets, and a play at Lyman Center SCSU. This project will impact 60 students (3 kindergarten classes).
Math
$1,000.00 - MicroSociety Magnet School
Scholar's Checkmate! replicated
The game of Chess is used to enhance math, reading, and social skills by encouraging students to practice reasoning, patience and iter and intrapersonal skills. Includes mentors from Yale and Family Chess Night Program has been piloted with measured results including improved CMT math scores. Funds will be used for chess learning materials such as books, chess clocks, pieces and boards, and a Family Night Celebration where students will teach family members how to play chess and share a trophy meal. This program will impact 90 students (60 at MicroSociety and 30 at Ross/Woodward).
Science
$1,300.00 - Clinton Avenue School
Master Explorer
Students will increase achievement performance in math, science and literacy skills by providing hands on activities and experiences that will engage students in authentic learning experiences. This will also prepare students for the CMT as well as social skills for success in school and life. Funds will be used for Master Explorer (includes two exhibits and one science dome show) and transportation. This project will impact 108 students.
$1,300.00 - East Rock Magnet School (TAG Program)
Forensic Science in the 21st Century
Focuses on hands on activities for students to formulate independent thought to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate their findings using forensic curricular framework. Funds will be used for two trips to the DNA Epicenter, classroom materials, Inquiry Investigations the Case of the Telling Blood Groups Lab, Discover Channel Scholl Forensics CD-Rom, and video 2 pack. This project will impact 25-30 TAG students in the 7th grade.

$1,000.00 - Edgewood Magnet School
"What You Seed Is What You Get"
Global community garden to help students become healthier and more physically active. Project includes classroom research to create literacy centers/resources, outdoor analysis of sun/shade patterns, soil examination and observation of growing cycles and garden planting/maintenance/harvesting based on creating healthy eating habits. Funds will be used for various gardening tools and supplies, seeds, and books. This project will impact the entire school population.

$1,000.00 - Fair Haven School
Greenhouse Materials & Equipment/Earth Box Project
Project promotes sustainability of the Fair Haven School/Community site based greenhouse. Highlights include strong student participation, responsibility and ownership connects students to classrooms participating in similar projects around the globe and participation in local agricultural markets. Funds will be used for gardening supplies/materials, tools, seeds, and the Growing Connection Kit. This project will impact the entire school population.

$1,175.00 - John C. Daniels School
Family Science Academy
Student /family teams, through 5 meetings, complete hands on science experiments, participation in a virtual lab, field trip to an exhibit with final presentation and awards. Projects include fingerprinting, liquids viscosity and energy. Funds will be used for finger printing materials, transportation and admission fees for the Science Center of CT, and office supplies. This project will impact 30 3rd grade students.
$1,300.00 - Nathan Hale School
Lego My Robot
After school program during which students will achieve math, science, and literacy standards by designing and building robots using Lego MINDSTORM sets, and Lego Education Robotics kits. Funds will be used for Lego Mindstorm Education Sets (each set includes 431 elements) and a software site license. This project will impact 8-12 7th grade students.
Social Studies
$1,000.00 - Hill Central Music Academy
World Culture Study
Student teams research will cultures and create a project for presentation to remaining teams. Presentations can be musical, folklore drama, cooking classes, or any other unique aspect of their specific culture. Funds will be used for multiple media resources, multicultural decorations and supplies, foods, materials, fabrics and sewing supplies, and miscellaneous supplies for presentations. This program will impact 50 7th grade students.
Middle School
Science
$1,200.00 – Sheridan Magnet School
Junior Solar Sprint Model Car Building & Competition
Hands on project based program engaging students in process of design and problem solving with real life models that work and can be raced. End product is a working solar powered model car. Funds will be used for Pitsco’s Ray Catcher Sun Sprint Deluxe Kit (car kits), food, and award rosettes. This project will impact 50 students.
High School Grants
Advanced Placement
$1,000.00 - Wilbur Cross
Increasing Access to Advanced Placement Courses
Development of AP Potential Night to increase student/parent awareness of the benefits of AP classes to increase the number of students who are college-ready upon graduation. This project includes teacher/student experience sharing, how to prepare for AP classes and round table discussions during pasta dinner. Funds will be used for food, drinks, poster paper, nametags, film/ photographs developed, decorative stars for an “AP All-Stars” banner, balloons, and flowers. This program will impact 100 students and their parents.
Business
$1,000.00 - Hill Regional
Technology Awareness Campaign
The program is allows for small group of students to stay together for three years while taking two courses each year together. This encourages the team concept and pairs students together that may never work with each other otherwise. The students to try to figure out how computers and other electronics work and use this theory to apply it other courses and encourages them to join in the IT program. This will help with achievement in math and literacy and the mastering of social skills for success in school and life. Funds will be used for promotional materials, food, expo handouts, T-shirts for IT students, and transportation. This program will impact 250 students.
Cultural
$200.00 - Wilbur Cross
Mural Painting
This project is alternative activity through mural painting. Students will create a series of large canvases of red paint with black accents that depict school life for placement in school front foyer. Funds will be used for paint, markers, staple gun, and materials for the canvases. This project will impact 30 students directly and the entire school indirectly.
Guidance
$1,000.00 - New Haven Academy
 

Girl's groups/Boy's groups: Communities of Support
 

Provides ongoing girl-only and boy only support groups for students that meet for social purposes, to discuss issues of concern, bring together students of multiple ages, and with varied academic successes. Funds will be used for food, transportation, and outing expenses. This program will impact 75-100 students.
 

Social Studies

$1,000.00 - High School in the Community
 

Discovering New Haven
 

This project consists of activities, field trips and projects allowing students to explore New Haven history through primary research, visits to the area sites, and documentation of the city through photography, mapping, art, and writing project resulting in an exhibit for the entire school. Funds will be used for transportation, two trips to NHMHS, and exhibition supplies. This project will impact 25 students directly and up to 300 students indirectly.