2020 NCTA Grants
The NCTA rejoices in the successes of its members!
Below are examples of NCTA's 2020 Grant Recipients and information about their projects.
Sarah Scales of Eleanor N. Johnson Middle School, Walpole:
Purchased materials for SEL "Kindness Rocks" project.
Started a "Kindness Rocks" project at school to place in the outdoor patio spaces / outdoor classrooms, bringing new life to the space.
Students brainstormed, created and engaged in the activity benefited immediately, and the entire school population continues to have the opportunity to benefit incidentally.
Placed throughout the patios promoted various social-emotional learning skills and build connections that students needed during this past school year, and will continue to aid in future years as a permanent installation.
James Fitzmaurice of Blue Hills Regional Technical School:
Purchased several tablets/electronic writing pads to share step by step interactive notes and math examples, improving the quality of instruction and learning, utilized by teachers/ESPs and students in specific 11th and 12th grade classes.
Allows students to work remotely and also in the classroom to interactively solve math problems with instant feedback.
Mary Hachey of C. J. Prescott Elementary School, Norwood:
Purchased resources to provide all grade 3 students with opportunities to explore history from multiple viewpoints.
Melinda Forbes of Randolph High School:
Purchased High School recognition awards for students who enroll AND complete an online course in "Credit Recovery."
Faith Daly of Donovan Elementary School, Randolph:
Purchased "Take Home Book Bags" - books for students to take home to read
Donna Grady, Kindergarten teacher of Fully-Remote Kindergarten students in the Franklin Public Schools:
Purchased an online subscription to ESGI, a program/platform for learning/assessment for her fully-remote kindergarten classroom.
Ashley Doherty of John F. Kennedy Elementary School, Randolph:
Purchased flexible seating options for PreK students (ie: scoop chairs and cube chairs)
Janet Jang, Registered Behavior Technician of Johnson Early Childhood Center, Weymouth:
Purchased music instruments for a Communication Enhancement Program in a preschool classroom to assist in the acquisition of language skills and enhance the program.
These materials engage and motivate students through various movement and music activities structured to complement communication skills.
Stephanie Lyman (Molloy) of East Elementary School, Sharon:
Purchased a wide range of high-interest fiction books, mainly read-aloud books, to tailor her language-based program needs.
Stephanie's goal was to better align her current materials with both the grade-level standards AND the unique, individual needs of her 4th grade students.
This grant not only impacts Stephanie's current cohort of students, but student-groups of diverse learning needs for years to come.
Stephanie Patrick, School Psychologist at the H. Olive Day School, Norfolk:
Started a library of read aloud books for Preschool and Kindergarten with the goal to expand eventually to Grade 2.
With this "read-aloud" bookshelf, classroom teachers may borrow books to read to their students.
At least half of the books feature a child of color.
The library is intended to help these young children learn that racial diversity exists.
Lindsay McDonald of Delaney Elementary, Wrentham:
Purchased materials for STEAM experiences used by 1st graders.
Kits were created in order for students to use individually and not share materials, due to current restrictions.
Kendra Engel of Sharon Middle School:
Purchased over 25 LGBTQIA+ books for her classroom library, benefitting approximately 95 students in 4 sections of 6th grade ELA.
Independent readers will now have even greater opportunity to see themselves in the books they read: racially diverse, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, diversity of abilities, and more.
Jennifer Frattasio of the Margaret L. Donovan Elementary School , Randolph:
Students learned about the UDHR, a human rights document created by the UN.
To support their learning and deepen their understanding of the UN, the NCTA grant provided them with a virtual guided tour of the UN. This 1 hour tour allowed them to learn about the history of the UN and learn how they are working to address global challenges.
Learning more about this organization can inspire our youth to feel more empowered in making our world a better place for us all!
Kate McCue-Day of Abigail Adams Middle School, Weymouth:
Purchased a panoply of books for her Literature Cafe classroom library, benefitting ALL 6th and 7th grade students in the building.
These books are from authors of diverse backgrounds for all students to read.
Jenna Ebert-Pina of the Margaret L. Donovan Elementary School , Randolph:
Students learned about the UDHR, a human rights document created by the UN.
To support their learning and deepen their understanding of the UN, the NCTA grant provided them with a virtual guided tour of the UN. This 1 hour tour allowed them to learn about the history of the UN and learn how they are working to address global challenges.
Learning more about this organization can inspire our youth to feel more empowered in making our world a better place for us all!
Heather O'Hara of the Margaret L. Donovan Elementary School , Randolph:
Students learned about the UDHR, a human rights document created by the UN.
To support their learning and deepen their understanding of the UN, the NCTA grant provided them with a virtual guided tour of the UN. This 1 hour tour allowed them to learn about the history of the UN and learn how they are working to address global challenges.
Learning more about this organization can inspire our youth to feel more empowered in making our world a better place for us all!
Stephanie Bello of King Philip Regional High School:
Purchased a website subscription to use with multiple grade levels. It has novice level chapter books which can be played as audio or read. This resource is being used as both listening and reading comprehension practice.
Melanie Atwood of Gibbons School, Stoughton:
Purchased several different culturally-diverse picture books for a “Community-Reader Storyline Online” project involving Mystery Community Readers, benefitting the entire school.
Mary-Elizabeth Mack of Blue Hills Regional Technical School:
Purchased novels as a way to educate criminal justice students, with additionally-assigned student-projects to promote critical thinking as it relates to the criminal justice system.
Defending Jacob by William Landay explores the criminal justice process from evidence collection to trial; it also addresses the ethical considerations that come up in the law.
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson focuses on the sensitive topic of race and the law, as well as wrongful convictions.
Erin Blake of Delaney Elementary School, Wrentham:
The project involved tailoring seating options to assist Grade One students as they are now sitting for longer periods of time in the same spot/location due to pandemic protocols.
Purchased 14 flexible-seating options and 12 "Fidget Chair Bands" for 6 Grade One classrooms.
Sarah Slean of Margaret L. Donovan Elementary School, Randolph:
Fully-remote educator provided educational support for fully-remote students, especially during asynchronous learning-time.
Purchased subscriptions to Brain Pop Jr and Brain pop ELL, with enabled screen reader support.