Williamsville Education Foundation supports a wide spectrum of teaching initiatives

The Williamsville Education Foundation, Inc. awarded grants totaling nearly $6,700 earlier this year to fund items and programs designed to enhance learning opportunities for Williamsville students. Sixteen projects were selected from a competitive pool of grant applications representing teachers at seven schools across the district.

“The grant proposals we receive and fund demonstrate the creative and innovative work teachers are doing to engage their students in learning,” said Foundation President, Jeffrey Katz. “We are able to fund worthwhile items or projects above and beyond what the school district can do within the constraints of its budget.”

This year, the grant awards ranged from $150 to $740.  Teachers at Transit Middle school received four grants to buy guitars for the Music Department, a Legos building program for technology classes, scholastic magazines for English Language Arts, and a crunch fitness program for Physical Education. Mill Middle School teachers also received four awards to purchase headphones for use in science classes, flipped classroom materials for the Math Department, problem-solving resources for the school social worker, and additional recycling bins for Family and Consumer Science classrooms at Mill as well as Casey Middle School. At Williamsville South High School, an iPad and wall mount were purchased for the school library and the South Journalism Club received funding to support production of the school newsletter. Single grants were awarded to teachers at Williamsville East High School for science manipulatives used in the 9-10 curriculum, and Maple East Elementary received funding for a parent-child reading program.

Heim Middle School teachers received three grants. Two awards were used to purchase hand-held microscopes and carbon dioxide gas sensors for science classrooms. A third grant supported a reading program for students with special needs. In addition, the Foundation is supporting the District’s Poetry, Music, Dance and Art Celebration for the fourth time to help defray expenses for this nationally-recognized program. The 16th Annual Poetry, Music, Dance and Art Celebration will take place on April 26 at Williamsville East High School.

The Williamsville Education Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit organization designed to gather and administer private resources to help ensure Williamsville students receive the highest level of education. Since 2001, the Foundation has donated over $60,000 to support dozens of student-focused projects that otherwise would go unfunded due to budget constraints.   
 

Foundation Funds New Science Tools at Heim Middle School

Heim Middle Science Teacher Charles Miller shows his fifth grade students how to use the new ProScope Digital microscopes he purchased using the grant he received from the Williamsville Education Foundation, Inc. in December. The ProScope is a wireless, hand-held digital microscope that connects to a computer or mobile device and provides students with a powerful hands-on investigative tool to help develop their science skills. Mr. Miller received $740 from the Foundation to purchase two ProScopes for school-wide use.  Pictured, from left, are Hayley Moore, Dena Chen, Jacob Knapp, Mr. Miller, and Madeline Wareham.  

 

 

Foundation Supports Expansion of Recycling Program

Family and Consumer Science teacher, Ronna Glickman, received $250 from the Williamsville Education Foundation, Inc. to buy additional classroom recycling bins for Casey and Mill middle schools where she teaches. Shown in her sixth grade classroom at Casey Middle are, from left, Max Linsky, Alexander Zdon, Shania Rose, Brenden Dellinger, Ms. Glickman, Amy Fertitta, and Michelle Bui.