Inspiring Chappaqua students to be tomorrow's innovators,
leaders and global citizens
CSF AWARDS MORE THAN $200,000 IN 2009 GRANTS AND REACHES
$1 MILLION IN GRANT FUNDING.
Chappaqua Central School District
SMART Boards for Middle School Social Studies
Continuing CSF’s signature program of SMART Boards implementation in our school district, this grant provides SMART Boards for all social studies teachers in Bell and Seven Bridges Middle Schools. This interactive whiteboard technology enhances teaching and class discussion, providing a more engaging and dynamic educational experience.
CCSD Technology, Darleen Nicolosi
Digital Document Cameras
This next generation of visual presentation tools captures, projects, annotates and stores information in many different formats, including text, graphics, three dimensional objects and microscopic images. Piloted last year through a CSF grant, teachers have found that digital document cameras enhance presentation of information in the classroom, helping facilitate teaching of the writing process and allowing students to make more effective class presentations.
Bell Middle School/Seven Bridges Middle School, Darlene Nicolosi. Roaring Brook Elementary School, Traci Everett and Melissa Szymanski
Digital Flip Camcorder Project
Digital camcorders will enhance the curriculum in grades K-4 across subject areas - - including English, science, and social studies - - through the use of student-created digital videos. This powerful and easy-to-use form of communication will motivate students, providing the opportunity to organize, present and analyze ideas.
The installation of retractable backboards will change the way physical education is taught at Grafflin. It opens the gym to numerous games and activities that have been compromised by old-style fixed backboards. The use of retractable backboards will benefit the entire range of students and will dramatically increase the effective utilization of the gymnasium.
Joe Kearns
Roaring Brook Elementary School
Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts in Education
Roaring Brook kindergarteners will experience hands-on explorations in a featured art form to gain a deeper understanding of the arts. Teaching artists from the Lincoln Center Institute (LCI) work collaboratively with classroom teachers during a summer workshop and throughout the school year to plan the curriculum, and also work with students during their visits to the school. The program culminates with a live performance at the school, and is open to the entire Chappaqua student body.
Peggy Schatzle and Jodi Smyth
Responsive Classroom
To enhance the District’s commitment to character education, Roaring Brook will employ the Responsive Classroom approach to provide a framework that emphasizes social, emotional and academic growth in a safe, positive and supportive school environment. Developing common principles and practices around social, emotional development will support students’ abilities to make sound decisions.
Amy Fishkin, Melissa Szymanski, Peggy Schatzle, Jodi Smyth, Jenny Steingruebner, Joe Schippa, Andrea Mortati, Rhonda Reagan
Westorchard Elementary School
Digital Listening Centers: Enhancing the Kindergarten Experience
By incorporating current technology into the classroom, digital listening centers will enhance the kindergarten literacy program at Westorchard. Listening centers are an integral part of the kindergarten literacy program as they provide a model for fluency and phrasing as well as build students’ comprehension skills.
Katie Hallock
Multimedia System
The installation of an updated multimedia system will enhance all of the grade-level, interdisciplinary performances as well as the school-wide assemblies. The new system will provide the ability to produce high-quality recordings of the performances, and will enable the Westorchard Student Service Organization to promote and present short videos of their various community-based projects.
Jim Skoog
Robert E. Bell Middle School
Compost Program – The Next Step in Recycling
Establishing a school composting program will enable Bell students to recycle natural waste into rich compost for return to the school gardens and plant beds. The program will enhance the science program in every grade by bringing to life various curriculum topics including decomposition and biodegradability, bacterial growth, soil studies and nutrient studies.
Annie Madden
Robert E. Bell Middle School and Seven Bridges Middle School
American Musicals Project: History and Literacy through the Arts
By using the power and emotional energy of American musical theater masterworks and evocative resources from the New York Historical Society, seventh and eighth grade social studies students will gain important insights into the specific political, economic and social conditions in a given historical era. The format of the program encourages students to use visual literacy skills to support critical thinking and to apply problem-solving skills. The program brings history to life through music, theatre and art.
Mallory Chinn
Seven Bridges Middle School
Implementing SMART Board Products to Diversify Teaching
Utilizing AirLiner Wireless Slates will enable teachers to teach from anywhere in the classroom and students can connect wirelessly to the interactive SMART Board from
their seats. The technology will promote small group collaboration, increase inclusion of shared student work, cultivate student-centered instruction, and enhance teachers’ ability to differentiate and vary the presentation of materials.
Shana Weldon, Diane Madaio and Lilli Ross
Seven Bridges Community Garden
Following in the footsteps of the CSF-funded Bell School Garden established last year, the entire student body will be involved in planting and harvesting days, growing food to serve a salad or soup made entirely from planted
ingredients,cared for and harvested by Seven Bridges students.
Patrick Conley
The Big Picture
Seventh and eighth grade students will create and experience art of significant scale, the goal of which is to impress, inspire, awe, amuse, inform and educate. Students will work in groups to design large-scale paintings/murals to be displayed permanently in the school hallways.
Terry Koshel and Zach Arnold
Computer Graphics Design Studio
Cintiq drawing tablets, cutting-edge digital design technology, will enable students to maintain the skills and “feel” of drawing with a pencil while experiencing all of the exciting possibilities of digital graphic arts. All Seven Bridges students will create digital art portfolios using the drawing tablets and be able to share and collaborate on work via SMART Board interaction.
Zach Arnold
Horace Greeley High School
Creating a Piano Lab
The addition of portable piano keyboards, stands and headphones will enrich high school music theory classes, chorus rehearsals and individual student practice throughout the school day. Portable keyboards provide instant aural feedback to students’ compositions and enhance their ability to hear the sounds of different musical cords and intervals.
Maureen Callan
Exploring Chinese Language and Culture
Providing life stories and vivid illustrations of both historical and contemporary aspects of Chinese civilization, audio-visual supplements on “Exploring Chinese Culture” and “Journey through China” as well as various hands-on activities, will extend students’ understanding of the Chinese language and help them to appreciate Chinese culture.
Ping Li
Practical Technical Theatre Education
Enhancing “behind-the-scenes” elements of theatrical performances, this interactive DVD series provides a multimedia approach for students to learn more about the technical aspects of production, including set design, lighting, audio and stage management.
Christopher Schraufnagel
Chappaqua School Foundation
15th Annual Spring Benefit
"Racing To Keep Our Schools On Track"
WAS ANOTHER HUGE SUCCESS!
Thank you to the community for your continued support.
The Chappaqua School Foundation's annual benefit, held for the first time at Grand Prix New York, attracted more than 250 community members and raised nearly $120,000. The proceeds will go towards funding programs in all six Chappaqua school, which is particularly important this year given the District's zero budget increase for 2009-2010.
CSF Board President Leslie Pechman Koch notes, "With school budgets tightening around the country, Chappaqua has not been immune. CSF cannot fund teahcer salaries or benefits, nor can we fund transportation . But where we can have a significant impact is in technology, for which zero new investments were made this year by the District. In addition, with community support, we are able to continue to fund many of the innovative grants generated by our teachers and administrators."
The approval in April for funding more than $200,000 in grants for the coming school year, added to the celebratory mood of the evening. CSF has now funded $1 million in grants since its inception in 1993.
CSF's 200 "It takes a Village" Award was presented to Peter Applebome, Chappaqua resident and 'Our Town' columnist for The New York Times. Honored to be recognized by CSF, Applebone remarked "When I first came to Chappaqua I was struck by two things - the physical beauty of the place and how wonderful and important the schools were. And having seen both of my kids go through Chappaqua schools, I still feel that way and salute the people with CSF and elsewhere who work so hard to make sure subsequent generations of kids in Chappaqua are just as lucky as mine."
In addition to friendly competition on the racetrack and at the silent auction tables, teachers and students from across the Chappaqua schools demonstrated previously funded CSF grants, including Robotics, SMART Boards, Learning Garden and printmaking.
INTERESTED IN JOINING CSF?
CSF welcomes new volunteers and Board members who would like to enrich learning in our schools. Please email president@chappaquaschoolfoundation.org if you are interested or have someone to nominate
Home
