Framingham Public Schools
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Download 2006 Newsletter Spelling Bee 2004 We rose to the Challenge! 2004-05 Mini-grant Recipients Announced TJX Grant to Benefit Wilson School's SAIL-HI Program FEF Launches New Signature Project with FHS Guidance Office Computerworld Volunteers Transform Elementary School Grounds |
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How did our garden grow? Armed with shovels, paintbrushes, rototillers, and lots of bottled water, the volunteers began at 9amăand it was already hot and sunny! A dozen volunteers painted signs, benches, walls, and tables at Barbieriăand created four-square games on the hot top, as well. Just a mile away, two dozen employees began the task of beautifying the large area surrounding McCarthy's primary playground built five years ago. In some places, rototilling the over-dry soil "was like trying to break through concrete," said crew chief Paul McIlhenny, the McCarthy parent who designed and oversaw Computerworld's landscaping efforts. But by lunchtime, the ground was indeed tilled, bushes were being placed, mulch was spread, and edging was installed along a commemorative brick walkway in an effort to keep dirt and peastone contained in the adjacent playground. After an air-conditioned lunch set up by Computerworld in the McCarthy cafeteria, all three dozen volunteers put in two final hours at McCarthy before heading back to work. Computerworld, a national print and electronic publication, is a publication of IDG, Inc. based in Framingham. Computerworld's volunteer day was organized by the company's Community Service Council, which chose education as its focus for the year. Many thanks to Kathy Snow and Piper Sheer for partnering with the Framingham Education Foundation on their first Community Service Day. Thanks, too, to Paula del Prete of Barbieri and Joan Vodoklys of McCarthy for their logistical support, and to Weston Nurseries for its generous donations. |
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 Raising funds and our spirits at the Spelling Bee in November 10th We Beelieve! Put together teams representing each Framingham Public School, businesses, and local nonprofits; an auditorium full of cheering fans, and almost two dozen generous sponsors, and you won't doubt  the strength of Framingham's commitment to education.At the thirteenth annual Spelling Bee on November 10, sixty-six competitors raised thousands of dollars and invaluable community spirit as they spelled their way through five elimination rounds before Fuller Middle School's team— David Miles, Robin Fleming and L.J. Carroll — finally captured the title by spelling C-H-A-T-E-L-A-I-N-E. After a buffet dinner generously donated by local eateries and markets, the teams paraded into the auditorium, ready for competition. Sadly, two teams were stung by a technicality in the first round, but emcee David O'Leary, of Coast 93.3fm and Magic 106.7fm, kept the event buzzing along, showing a flair for the written and spoken word. Our sincere thanks go to David for his time and talents; he ran the show with a great combination of friendliness and professionalism. Speaking of professionals, veteran timekeeper Walter McClennan, assistant superintendent of schools, again graciously manned the stopwatch and gong (actually, it was just a triangle this year). Judges Will Cook and Susan Whittaker, of Framingham High School English Department, made tough decisions when we needed them. Cameron Middle School was again the generous host, providing us with last-minute supplies as well as the perfect atmosphere. Dan Devlen and Framingham Flyer News taped the show for broadcast on November 11. While we are indebted to those many contributors, it is the evening's sponsors that make the Bee fly. We are indebted to them for enabling so many teams to compete. The evening's proceeds will be used to support the foundation's mini-grant program, which awards grants of up to $1000 to innovative educators working in the Framingham Public School System. Potential spellers are already studying the dictionary in anticipation of next year's competition on November 9. Bee there! *with apologies to McCarthy speller Jim Parr, who coined the phrase-or at least the innovative spelling of it!
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The Egan grant successfully caps off the Framingham Education Foundation's 18-month capital campaign, which was spurred by a 2002 challenge from the anonymous donor. During the campaign, the Foundation has garnered financial support from all corners of the community, including the TJX Companies Foundation, the Carlisle Foundation, the Framingham Rotary, dozens of local businesses that participate in the annual Spelling Bee, and countless Framingham parents, who contributed to the Foundation's C.A.R.E. (Celebrate and Appreciate Remarkable Educators) program. Also in May, the TJX Companies Foundation announced that it will award to FEF a grant of $5,500, which in turn will be used to support the Summer Activities in Learning Health Initiative (S.A.I.L.-H.I.) program at Framingham©ńs Woodrow Wilson Elementary School. The TJX grant, along with the pledge of $20,000 from the Egan Foundation, puts capital campaign©ńs total at $107,500. The exact amount of the Egan grant may shift, according to Egan Foundation representative John McEneny, depending on the proceeds from the Foundation's June 9 golf fundraiser. Pointing out the Egan Foundation's focus on early childhood education, McEneny specified that FEF use its Egan grant to support Framingham's Parent-Child Home Program. While praising the community for its support, FEF President Lyn Hoyt singled out the efforts of former FEF Development Director Sherri Sigel. “Without Sherri's efforts on behalf of FEF, and her commitment throughout the campaign, the Framingham Education Foundation could not have reached this ambitious goal,” Hoyt points out. “She worked very hard to bring the Parent-Child Home Program to the attention of the Egan Foundation.” The Parent-child Home Program is a home-based literacy and parenting program that serves families challenged by poverty, low levels of education, and language barriers to educational success. |
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Directed by Manjula Karemcheti, the Guidance Office Project kicks off this summer when three counselors attend an intensive, three-day workshop at UMass-Amherst in curriculum development. The next step, a complete assessment of the high school's current guidance program, takes place in September. The Foundation appreciated that the Guidance Office is already anticipating new trends in curriculum. Aware that guidance will eventually become part of the State Frameworks, Ms. Karemcheti says FHS seeks to be the first Massachusetts high school to develop this four-year program. Given the diversity of FHS students and their post-high school plans, it makes sense for FHS to teach as many life skills as possible, she adds. Signature Projects, a grant category initiated by the Foundation in 2002, are new programs that required more than the $1000 that FEF's mini-grants provide. The first Signature Project, entitled R.O.P.E.S, has been an enormous success that eventually spread to all middle schools and the high school. The next Signature Project, Flyers in Transition, was eventually renamed "Life Skills," a class in time management and other skills required of all high school freshmen. |
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Selected for their creativity and innovative approaches to the curriculum, the recipients will receive a total $15,107-the most ever awarded by the 14-year-old foundation. The following recipients will each receive up to $1,000 for their programs:
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The Summer Activities in Learning Health Initiative (SAIL-HI), a half-day program offered free to 100 Wilson students, addresses some of the most critical unmet health needs that put the school's population at increased risk by featuring engaging learning opportunities that focus on a health theme. Children participate in a variety of exciting activities, from shopping for and cooking nutritious snacks to videotaping anti-drug and smoking commercials that are shown to the whole school. They take fieldtrips to the hospital, fire station, and grocery store. In addition, special in-house presentations further educate students in areas such as stress reduction, peer pressure, and home safety. Children are given the materials to brush and floss onsite each day after breakfast. To encourage healthy behaviors at home, children, with the help of their parents, keep a chart every week to record their personal hygiene habits. Parent workshops are offered to reinforce topics discussed at the program. A true collaborative, SAIL-HI also features breakfasts and lunches, provided free of charge by the South Middlesex Opportunity Council, and complimentary dental care provided by Boston University dental students. FEF appreciates the generosity of the TJX Companies Foundation. |
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