New books for the FLHS book club

Fox Lane High School Book Club. Grant funds support the purchase of one title for each of the club’s 30 members and other supporting activities. Club members will select four or five books for the year and poll members to determine new books. Recruitment of club members will take place. Student members will read and discuss the series of books throughout the year and possibly Skype with the author, see a related film or select another related activity. This project engages students in dialogue about shared books, brings together students who would not necessarily know each other, provides common ground, increases literacy and helps students identify and have a sense of pride in themselves as readers. In addition, students share ideas and stories and in doing so learn to respect different points of view and perspectives along with learning more traditional literary evaluation skills. The club typically meets in the Library’s ThinkSpace and is led by students- one a rising senior and one a rising junior. Past evaluation shows the club has continued to grow and is supported by teachers. Positive stated outcomes include that reading is seen as a fun and social activity.

Curriculum-Tied Elementary Enrichment for All K-5 Students And Classroom Libraries Upgrade

Enrichment programming that fosters the sense of ‘One District’ throughout the five, neighborhood elementary schools by enhancing classroom curriculum for all elementary school students. We will support the newly implemented Teachers College reading and writing curriculum by ensuring that all teachers’ classroom libraries are stocked with the requisite books. In addition, every elementary class will participate in a hands-on, interactive program where students deepen their knowledge in earth science, ecosystems, environmental awareness and life cycles by exploring the natural world.

"Through the generous support from the Foundation for Bedford Central Schools, each BCSD elementary school has been able to enrich the core curriculum through programs from the BOCES Center for Environmental Education. At BVES, each class engaged in an in-house presentation that connected to the science or social studies curriculum: Kindergarten/SAIL I - Trash Free Lunch; Grade 1/SAIL I - Insects Incredible Creatures; Grade 2/SAIL I & II - Crayfish; Grade 3/SAIL II - Nocturnal World of NY; Grade 4 - Native Americans; Grade 5/SAIL II - A, BEE, C's of the Honey Bee. A huge thank you to the Foundation for Bedford Central Schools for making these learning extensions possible."

Gina Smith, Principal, BVES, on the 2017-2018 elementary enrichment program

FULLY FUNDED

6th Grade Research-Skills Professional Development

Research skills can be more sufficiently honed during the early years of Middle School. The Foundation seeks to fund an exciting proposal which includes professional development for the full 6th-grade teaching team (15 teachers) targeting tools and methods for both developing and implementing a new interdisciplinary capstone project. Supporting and growing students’ research skills is the major rationale for 6th graders cross-disciplinary inquiry. Through consultant input, team project development will be outlined, created and reviewed with the overall objective that research skill-building is consistent across house teams and materials.

FULLY FUNDED

Capstone Projects for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders at FLMS

We are working towards a Capstone Project for each year of middle school where students are challenged with a multi-subject, coordinated research project which builds an in-depth understanding of a specific topic across disciplines and culminates in a hands-on experience that brings ‘learning to life’. First year 2017-2018 7th Grade experiences included a tour of our State Capital and meeting with lawmakers as well as an immersive trip to a local museum capturing both river history and environmental challenges around water as a limited resource. Culminating experiences are targeted to both broaden context of study and promote further inquiry. Professional development in areas relating to collaborative teaching and learning across disciples, often through an outside consultant, builds team continuity and teaching effectiveness both inside and out of the classroom. 

FULLY FUNDED

Best-in-Class College Prep at FLHS

College prep is critical in a highly selective college admissions process.  As funding permits, the Foundation will continue to work with the Guidance Department to both increase access to college tours and create opportunities for students to build skills around resume writing, interviewing, and college entrance exam prep while also supporting the District’s college and career guidance counselors through formal college networking opportunities and professional training. In 2017-2018, with Foundation support, the Guidance Department was able to increase counselor access to college networking opportunities.

FULLY FUNDED

Social Sciences Enrichment for all K-5 Students

Enrichment programming that fosters the sense of ‘One District’ throughout the five, neighborhood elementary schools by enhancing classroom curriculum for all elementary school students, including those with special needs. Programming focused on environmental sciences and social studies and was incorporated into the curriculum in the 2017/2018 school year.

FULLY FUNDED

Elementary Co-Curricular Enrichment at MKES

Teachers have created a reading enrichment program modeled upon the real world Newbery Award competition where fifth grade students read from a selected list of books and evaluate them according to the same criteria used by the Newbery Awards for the year. Students vote a winner to be awarded the “Roary” Award (“Roary” is MKES’ mascot!) and attend an awards dinner with local authors of children’s literature. The Foundation purchased the books for the 2015/16 school year’s competition.

FULLY FUNDED

Elementary Co-Curricular Enrichment at WPES

Following our full funding of the 2015 spring semester of in-school co-curricular enrichment pilot, the Foundation purchased Lego WeDo Kits, expanding the coding workshop module for the 2015/16 school year.

In 2014 WPES piloted a school-wide enrichment program that used core time to provide 3rd-5th grade students with project-based opportunities to increase enjoyment, engagement and enthusiasm for learning.  Students chose projects related to science, the arts, math, history, physical fitness or the environment, which require the application of core skills such as writing, reading, math, research, and computer technology. The Foundation funded the second semester of this widely successful program in its pilot year, 2014/15.

FULLY FUNDED

Literacy Program for 6th graders at FLMS

Reading and writing skills can be more sufficiently honed by the time students enter the Middle School. This literacy program (2017) incorporates general reading and writing skills into the science curriculum (so while students are learning about science topics, they are also becoming better readers and writers). A consultant will work with teachers, one-on-one and in group settings, as well as provide feedback on actual teaching in the classroom to ensure student skill-building.

FULLY FUNDED

First Annual Capstone Project for 7th Graders at FLMS

A capstone project is a multi-discipline research project that results in an in-depth understanding of a specific topic and culminates in a hands-on experience. The 2017-2018 project was based on a book all 7th graders read about conflict in the Sudan and its impact on the water supply.  The project also involved ELA, Social Studies and Science where research highlighted political conflict and water as a limited, natural resource. The capstone experience culminated with a trip to Albany to meet legislators and lobbyists and discuss their roles in setting legislative agendas and policy. The students also visited the Hudson River Museum to incorporate their research on a local water source.

FULLY FUNDED

Purchase of VEX Robotics Kits for FLMS

In 2014 the FLMS Unified Arts program began teaching the Gateway to Technology curriculum developed by Project Lead the Way. Students learn through activity-, project-, and problem-based curriculum, where they apply what they know, identify problems, find unique solutions, and lead their own learning.  Students trace the history, development, and influence of automation and robotics as they learn about mechanical systems, energy transfer, machine automation, and computer control systems.

During the 2014-15 school year, the Foundation co-funded the acquisition of VEX Robotics® kits, which allowed 7th grade students working in small groups to get comfortable working with the VEX kits and learn to program using ROBOTC software. Their assignment was to design and build real-world objects such as traffic lights, toll booths, and robotic arms.

FULLY FUNDED

3-D Printers

In 2015, the Foundation purchased two 3-D printers to enhance the Autodesk Inventor software module. Beginning spring 2016, instead of creating approximate models by hand of projects designed in Autodesk, students were able export their files to the printers and create the exact object they have designed.

FULLY FUNDED

First Annual Book Drive

The Foundation's first annual book drive was a resounding success!  Nearly ten thousand books were donated to enhance classroom libraries in all schools.  Many of the books were in pristine condition, with a variety of donations enticing to even our most discerning young readers. 

After four weeks of lugging hundreds of boxes of books and piling them high in an empty classroom at BVES, the book drive committee went through each and every book, sorting them by grade.  Many brought back childhood memories or were favorites that we had read to our own children and were thrilled to see again. 

Having teachers come and select bags and bags of books to replace the "decrepit" ones in their classroom libraries reminded us why this project was so important. Hundreds of remaining books were delivered to MKES, where students were sent home with armloads of books for their home libraries.