$30K Grant Supports 7 Creative Educational Programs In Chatham

CHATHAM, NJ — The Chatham Educational Foundation recently announced that it has awarded more than $30,000 in grants to fund programs and special projects throughout the School District of the Chathams.

During the first grant application cycle of the 2023-2024 academic school year, the grant funds will be used to fund seven innovative and creative educational programs and special projects throughout the local school district.

“The Chatham Education Foundation is pleased to have awarded these grants this fall, which finance innovative programs that otherwise would not be funded through the traditional school district budget,” said Suzanne David, Chair of the Grants Committee of the Chatham Education Foundation.

At Chatham High School, Chatham Middle School and Lafayette Avenue Schools, one of the grants will enable the choral instructors to bring in a modern, professional New York City-based a cappella vocal ensemble consisting of five trained singers, arrangers, and beatboxers to participate in the Annual District Choral Festival.

In addition to providing hands-on learning experiences for students at all three campuses, the guest vocal group will compose a bespoke arrangement just for the choral students in grades 4–12. Students will learn how to beatbox, discern between pop vocal approaches, and experiment with vocal improvisation.

“This project will help form connections between students who are just starting out their choral career and students who have been participating for a decade. In previous years, our choral festivals exhibited first-hand how this event improved student communication, collaboration, and musicianship. CHS students paved the way for CMS students, who then became role models for Lafayette students,” grant applicant Dana Goldstein said.

Chatham High School and Lafayette Avenue Schools will also receive a grant that allows for 30 hours of coaching for the CHS and LAF Orchestra and Band courses by NJ Symphony musicians, as well as complementing teaching for the educators.

“As working members of the community, [these musicians] will also bring students insight into the culture of lifelong musicianship and how professional performance fits into the economic and social landscape of adult society in New Jersey," Liam Keller, a grant applicant, said.

Chatham Middle School will receive a grant designed to improve students' comprehension of Chinese character forms and writing, as well as create increased collaboration and interaction to expedite language acquisition.

This will be accomplished by purchasing dry-erase desks and new classroom equipment that is specifically intended to allow for varied seating arrangements and adapt the classroom layout to different learning activities.

The middle school will also receive funds, allowing educators to attend the AMLE national conference and workshops on the strands of "This We Believe"—middle school best practices—as well as share critical learnings with larger groups of middle school teachers.

“This grant will enable the teachers and administrators of Chatham Middle School to enhance CMS’s current strengths and assets, as well as identify areas for growth to assist with the successful transformation to a 5-8 middle school," grant applicant Anthony Orsini said.

Lafayette Avenue School will receive money to deploy Reflex Math, an online math application that provides adaptive and interesting activities to assist kids in developing accurate math abilities, fostering higher mathematical knowledge and efficiency.

The overall purpose of Reflex Math is to improve students' math efficiency, thus increasing their math confidence and providing an easier entrance point into the curriculum, which incorporates many higher-order thinking skills.

This online software will be used by the Basic Skills Instruction (BSI) software, which helps children who are struggling to meet grade-level requirements in math.

“Knowing math facts and the ability to recall them is a fundamental component of mathematical competence that significantly benefits struggling 4th and 5th grade learners. It provides a solid foundation for more advanced mathematical concepts, increases efficiency in problem-solving, and accuracy. It also fosters flexible math thinking, boosts confidence, and can lead to improved scores on standardized tests,” Kelly Antunes and Jennifer Magno said.

At Washington Avenue School, third-grade science units provide several chances for children to explore various materials related to weather, forces, speed, measurement, and ecosystem. The grant will cover the cost of kits developed for hands-on science studies for students in the classroom.

Money will also be utilized to allow Washington Avenue School's kindergarten and first-grade teachers to purchase a set of blocks (along with a storage system) for use during indoor and outdoor recess.

The blocks would allow for the development of gross motor abilities while also providing alternatives to tag, jungle gyms and swing activities, officials said.

"As primary teachers, we are continuously looking for ways to increase student collaboration and team building skills...we are finding that primary students need more strategies to work together, problem solve and share materials," Lisa Kressler said.

The Chatham Education Foundation is a privately funded organization dedicated to supporting educational excellence in the School District of the Chathams through parent and community donations.

Since its inception more than 25 years ago, the Chatham Education Foundation has funded over 260 grants totaling $1.7 million.