The Millstone Township Foundation for Educational Excellence has awarded three grants totaling $13,591 to its schools.
The grant awards will fund a bookroom in the Millstone Township Middle School, a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) pro library mini lab as well as an interactive LEGO wall.
MTFEE is a nonprofit organization devoted to funding grants for items that nurture educational experiences for every student in Millstone Township Public Schools and are beyond the scope of the general school budget.
Sara Stofik, the middle school reading specialist, received $7,924 for the establishment of a schoolwide bookroom at the middle school to better meet the diverse, independent reading levels of all students in grades six to eight.
It will contain 2,628 fiction and nonfiction books ranging in a variety of reading levels. Language arts teachers will be able to use the bookroom to supplement their classroom libraries during specific units of study.
Additionally, science and social studies teachers will be able to use the bookroom to supplement and diversify reading materials within their classrooms. As a result, students will have access to more books, which bolsters independent reading and opens the doors to new experiences, time periods and ideas through books.
MTFEE awarded a grant last fall to the elementary school to establish a bookroom in that building, which has been successful with its staff and students.
Jo-Ann Trifiro, a fourth-grade teacher; Beth Topinka, a fifth-grade teacher; and Michelle Falanga, a teacher of gifted and talented for grades K-eight, received $3,697 for a littleBits Pro Library, which is an expanding collections lab of color-coded, modular electronics that snap together magnetically.
This “library” will allow elementary school students the ability to design and build their own electronic inventions using the engineering design process. This will enhance the district’s STEAM initiative and further prepare its students to actively engage in shaping the technology of the future.
The littleBits Pro Library provides a way to learn and prototype with electronics. The electronic modules range from the very simple — such as power sensors — to complex, wireless programmable components that promote hands- on learning and exploring.
Students also will have the opportunity to use the district’s rapid prototyping tools, such as 3D printers and laser cutters, to create realistic prototypes.
Marian Peck, a first-grade teacher, and Shannon Bell, an art teacher for grades K-five, received a grant for $1,970 for an interactive LEGO wall with more than 6,000 LEGO bricks to aid in instruction, creativity and STEAM lessons.
The wall will serve as a STEAM lab for teachers and students to use as well as an indoor recess option and lab for gifted and talented. StuýPage=001 Column=003 OK,0000.00þ dents can use these bricks in areas, including math, STEAM and visual arts to plan, investigate, design, create and revise — all essential skills for problem-solving and creativity.
Since 2002, MTFEE has awarded more than $500,260 to its schools. There are more than 60 MTFEE-funded grant programs running in the Millstone Township School district.
Every child that matriculates through the school district will in some way benefit from an MTFEE funded grant.
For more information about donating to MTFEE, becoming a trustee or its fundraising programs and events, email [email protected] or visit www.mtfee.org.
