The Millstone Township Foundation for Educational Excellence has awarded three grants totaling $13,591 to Millstone Township K-8 School District schools.
The grant awards included a book room in the Millstone Township Middle School, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) pro library mini lab and an interactive LEGO wall, according to a press release.
The foundation is a nonprofit organization devoted to funding grants for items that nurture extraordinary educational experiences for every student in Millstone schools and are beyond the scope of the general school budget.
Following is a list of the grants and recipients:
Middle School book room ($7,923; Sara Stofik, middle school reading specialist) — The grant consists of the establishment of a school-wide book room to better meet the diverse, independent reading levels of all students in grades six through eight. It will contain 2,628 fiction and nonfiction books in a variety of reading levels. Language arts teachers will be able to use the book room to supplement their classroom libraries during specific units of study.
Additionally, science and social studies teachers will be able to use the book room to supplement and diversify reading materials in 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. The foundation awarded a grant last fall to the elementary school to establish a book room in that building, which has been successful with its staff and students, according to the press release.
STEAM Pro Library Mini Lab ($3,697; Jo-Ann Trifiro, fourth grade teacher; Beth Topinka, fifth grade teacher; Michelle Falanga, gifted and talented, K-8) – Trifiro recently received a $500 STEAM classroom grant from FirstEnergy, with which she purchased littleBits deluxe kits for her students to get a hands-on experience learning electronics.
The foundation’s grant award will expand the possibilities of that grant and reach more students in the elementary school. The grant consists of 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, according to the press release.
Collaboration, Creativity and Learning with LEGO ($1,970; Marian Peck, first grade teacher; Shannon Bell, art teacher, K- 5) – The grant consists of a 42- x 50-inch 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 pupils. Students 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, according to the press release.
Since 2002, the foundation has awarded more than $500,260 to Millstone Township schools.