Chelmsford Schools Foundation Awards Grants to Local Educators Sunday, February 26, 2006 (09:17:23) Posted by Annie The Chelmsford Schools Foundation (CSF) is pleased to announce its first round of grants to be distributed to three local educators. In what has been a school year of uncertainty over budget shortfalls and possible school closings, CSF has maintained its commitment to be a long-term solution in supporting, promoting, and funding the best possible educational opportunities for Chelmsford's children. Karen Dwyer-Tower, Literary Specialist at Parker Middle School, received a grant to examine how students' writing changes as they develop comprehension strategies designed for content area text. Additionally, the study will benefit students district-wide as teachers may apply these same strategies and the data gathered to their own students. All the K-1 staff at Center School will receive a two-day training on Telian-Cas Learning Concepts, a supplemental reading program. The grant, awarded to Susan Abrahamson, Center School's Speech and Language professional, will help teachers increase their K-1 students' reading skills, and help decrease the number of supportive reading and special education referrals. Patricia Doherty, a Harrington Elementary Resource Teacher, received a grant to purchase resources (books, etc.) for planning peer orientation lessons. Doherty will use the resources to help students better understand the individual learning differences of their peers with special needs. Doherty will make the literature, annotated bibliographies, and discussion questions available to interested colleagues and community groups. The purpose of the CSF grant program is to provide members of the Chelmsford education community an alternative way to obtain funding for valuable educational learning experiences or projects. The Foundation hopes to stimulate creative learning initiatives that further enrich the educational opportunities already available in our public schools. The Chelmsford Schools Foundation, a non-profit organization with tax-deductible status, will have two grant cycles per school year. Applications for the spring grant cycle are due on or before May 8th. Educators from all grade levels are encouraged to apply, and can obtain more information at the CSF website, www.chelmsfordschoolsfoundation.org. Applications for the spring cycle will be available soon. Run entirely by volunteers, CSF has been actively fundraising through private donations and public events, including its highly-successful Chelmsford Strides Forward, A Walk for Chelmsford Schools this past fall. CSF intends to have two major fundraisers per year, and is very excited about its first Spelling Bee on May 2, 2006. The Spelling Bee promises a bit of education and a lot of laughs as teams of adults compete for the honor of being pronounced CSF Spelling Bee Champions, 2006! Interested teams can contact CSF through www.chelmsfordschoolsfoundation.org. CSF is also planning a Gala and car raffle for the fall of 2006. The Chelmsford Schools Foundation works closely with community volunteers, businesses, and the Chelmsford School Committee, to help maintain Chelmsford's commitment to excellence in its public schools. Content received from: CSF Member Portal, http://www.chelmsfordschoolsfoundation.org/member