2020-21 Grant Program
The Grant Program is designed to support curriculum enrichment as well as school resources. Teachers and staff are encouraged to apply for grants to fund enrichment programs, performances and other opportunities as well as to fund supplies, equipment, and other experiences which will have a direct and beneficial impact on the quality of education for students.
The 2020-21 year brought new challenges in educating our students as educational strategies were reconsidered and modified in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic. We were glad to have been able to provide the district ongoing support support and funding as they reimagined their curriculum enrichments goals and programs and to have fulfilled the following grants during the 2020-21 school year.
*October 2020: Bromfield Classroom & Remote Supplies ($2775)
Funded classroom tools and supplies not included in the budget but required given the new and changing challenges of remote teaching. These supplies include standing desks, anti-fatigue mats, tripod, standing desk stool, apple pencil, ergonomic chair, Bluetooth mouses mics earbuds and voice amps, adjustable laptop stands, web cameras, usb charger, surge protectors, ipad macbook laptop and mount-it stands, keyboards, cables.
*October 2020: Bromfield Parent Teacher Conference Scheduling Software ($870)
This software enables educators at TBS to coordinate the complex schedules of teachers and families participating in virtual parent teacher conferences this January.
*December 2020: HES Wee The People Virtual Performance ($1800)
Run by a Boston-based social justice project for children, Wee The People, this virtual presentation for kindergarteners discusses what it means to belong and explores immigrant and indigenous stories of migration, home, displacement and belonging accompanied by live music and activity. It is part of a 2-year working goal of HES educators to focus on the social-emotional needs of kindergarten students with a specific focus on diversity and accepting differences.
*December 2020: HES Winter Clothing Grant ($650)
Provides winter clothing as needed for students participating in mask breaks this winter in the setting of increased need as families are impacted by the financial effects of the pandemic.
*December 2020: Jump-Start Funding for District-Wide COVID Testing Program ($2500)
Provides seed money to fund the initial phase of the HPS weekly COVID-19 screening via pooled PCR testing for in person students, faculty and staff. This screening adds a critical layer of protection to the in-person school community as part of ongoing efforts to prevent outbreaks at the schools.
*January 2021: Bromfield Drama Society Peter and the Starcatcher Collaboration ($125)
Provides copies of the novel Peter and the Star Catcher in order to garner interest at the middle school level and create curricular ties to the new play being produced by the TBS Drama Program Spring 2021. These books will be left behind as a literary legacy for future students use.
*January 2021: HES Appleseed Grant ($3500)
The Principal portion of this grant goes towards funding staff events and student scholarships. Scholarships are given to students in need to provide school supplies and to cover fees for field trips and in-house activities. The staff portion of this grant is used in a variety of ways to fund smaller classroom needs and projects outside the typically provided budget. These include items such as new classroom materials, supplemental books, alternative seating options, adjunct technologies and laptop stands for remote teaching.
*February 2021: HES Insanely Awesome Pandemic Playbook Grant ($235)
Provides copies of the Insanely Awesome Pandemic Playbook, co-authored by a local Harvard parent and illustrated by a Bromfield student, to the HES library and classrooms for grades 2 - 5. This book addresses issues that children are facing during the pandemic in an age appropriate and humorous way and explores healthy coping, social relationships and mental health. It will be used in small group readings and discussion sessions and made available to students and teachers as a resources as they navigate these ongoing challenges.
*February 2021: HES Round House Theatre Virtual Field Trip ($600)
This 1st grade virtual field trip featuring the Round House Theatre uses poetry, reading aloud and theatre to inspire creativity. Though movement, acting, design and play creations students explore stories and poems centered around diversity, equity and inclusion. Read more about Round House Theatre here.
*March 2021: HES Travelling Science Workshop Force and Magnetism ($600)
During this 3rd grade workshop students explore how magnets can be used as a force to move objects and consider the effects of balanced forces. Applying what they learn students then contruct an original moving toy of their own design that uses magnetic force to operate.
*March 2021: Bromfield Wind Band Instrument-Mask PPE Grant ($1400)
This grant provides funding for the purchase of instrument masks for a projected 163 wind instrument playing students attending grades 6 – 12 during the 2021-22 school year. These instrument-specific form-fitting masks will provide a uniform look for the students and a well fitting mask option designed with safety in mind for the upcoming year.
*April 2021: Bromfield Class of 2021 Graduation Sound System Grant ($1500)
In the setting of COVID-19 this year's commencement ceremony will be spread out over a larger area in order to meet social distancing recommendations. This grant provides funding for a strong sound system to allow all in attendance to hear the music, speeches and names announced during the ceremony.
*April 2021: HES Exploring Organisms at Bare Hill Pond with Nashua River Watershed Association Educator ($600)
This grant funds a 1st grade exploration program guided by Stacey Chilcoat of the Nashua River Watershed Association. Students and classroom teachers will be guided through a hands-on discovery experience with macro invertebrates, water quality connections and stewardships.
*April 2021: HES Building an Inclusive Library ($400)
Provides funding for over 30 new books for the HES library which feature a wide range of characters with physical, medical and learning differences including Autism, speech disorders, Tourette's syndrome, dyslexia, deafness and hearing loss, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, anxiety, ADHD, limb deficiencies and amputations, diabetes and physical differences requiring wheelchairs, walkers and assistive technologies. These books will give students access to characters who reflect both their own and their peers many differences and will serve as a starting block for lessons, activities and discussions tobe shared with teachers, promote inclusivity and acceptance.
*May 2021: HES Standing Globe for the Library ($830)
This over 3 x 2 foot standing globe featuring an illuminated topographical blue ocean map is a gift to the schools in celebration of the new HES. It sits as a centerpiece in the new library for students to enjoy for years to come.
*June 2021: Bromfield Frances Reeves Award ($250)
Funds contributed towards a $1000 award from the Reeves family to honor a worthy Bromfield student.