Grants bolster student learning opportunities

PHOTO COURTESY OF LOUISE SAN NICOLA Allentown High School Assistant Principal Brian Myslinski (l-r), Principal Christopher Nagy, Assistant Principal Connie Embley and Upper Freehold Regional Education Foundation member Kathy Cary congratulate foundation grant recipients Lori Russo and Larry Kimport Dec. 15. ALLENTOWN — The Upper Freehold Regional Education Foundation has awarded seven grants totaling $7,380 to the school district's elementary, middle and high schools.

The foundation received a total of 16 grant requests from teachers and district staff for classroom and educational programs during the fall 2008 grant cycle. Additional grants will be awarded in the spring of 2009.

"We are dedicated to funding grants that give the Upper Freehold Regional School District the ancillary support it needs to help children achieve success," James Derasmo, president of the educational foundation, said. "All of the grant applications are for great projects in our schools, and the foundation is delighted that participation has been strong."

The Upper Freehold Regional Education Foundation is a nonprofit group comprised of members of the community's private, business and civic sectors. The foundation is dedicated to promoting quality education in the school district by establishing, supporting and enhancing programs at the elementary, middle and high school.

UFREF awarded two grants totaling $885 to the Upper Freehold Regional Ele- mentary School.

The first $225 grant will fund "Road to the Code," a phonological awareness program for helping kindergartners and firstgraders who are having difficulty developing their early literacy skills. The grant will be used to purchase three teacher's guides and implementation materials.

The second $630 grant will fund "The Six-Minute Solution: A Reading Fluency Program," which is a research based reading program designed to increase reading fluency in students at the primary (grades K- 2), intermediate (grades 3- 6), and secondary (grades 6- 9) levels. The program helps teachers provide students with concentrated practice on phonetic elements, word vocabulary and expository reading to build overall reading fluency. The grant will be used to purchase four instruction kits and implementation materials.

During the fall grant cycle, the foundation also awarded grants totaling $1,267 to the Upper Freehold Regional Middle School.

The first $398 grant will fund "Second Step Student Success Through Prevention," which is a new research based program that helps sixth-graders learn the skills that will help them solve problems and make good decisions. The program helps students build strong social connections and aims to prevent bullying and substance abuse. The grant will be used to purchase 15 scripted lessons and a DVD.

The second $869 grant will fund equipment and other materials for the school's Engineering and Robotics Club. The purchase of these items will allow the club to compete in the First Lego League. The club provides students who have an interest in engineering to develop skills in math and science.

Allentown High School received three grants totaling $5,258 from the foundation.

The first $750 grant will fund "Environmental Catalysis," a science, technology, engineering and math education program by Materials World Modules. The program will help students learn about catalysts and their affects on environmental protection. The modules promote awareness of the roles science and technology play in society.

Materials World Modules provides informational workshops, training programs, networking and mentorship support, exhibits of classroom projects, online resources, and a Web-based collaboration network. The grant will be used to purchase Materials World Modules informational workshops and training programs.

The second $1,008 grant will fund "Study Island," a Web-based state assessment preparation and standards based learning program. "Study Island" is designed to help students master content in New Jersey's Core Curriculum Content Standards and improve their performance in all skill areas tested on the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge test.

The third $3,500 grant will fund the purchase of Adobe Web Premium CS3 Suite software for a program that will allow high school students to learn graphic design and digital photography. The software will also enable faculty and administration staff to enhance presentations, produce publications and digitize photos for communication purposes.

"These grants complement many of the goals outlined by the Upper Freehold Regional School District, such as enhancing math proficiency, diversity awareness, physical wellness, and many important aspects of social-emotional learning," Derasmo said.

The foundation thanked Allentown Village Pharmacy in downtown Allentown for opening one-and-a-half hours early Dec. 15 and donating the balloons given to the grant recipients in each of the schools.

For more information about the Upper Freehold Regional Education Foundation and all of the grants that it has awarded to date, as well as the grant application process, visit www.ufref.org.