LEXINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

Program Grant

The Carol Pilarski Program Grant for Professional Development: District wide Summer Professional Development Workshops. The central office will award funding to educators from all LPS departments and schools to work in-depth on curriculum development that is not possible during the school year. Project Director: Christine Lyons, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Professional Learning

PRESCHOOL

School Community Grant

Lexington Children’s Place will enhance the home school partnership that exists between staff and the families of the children serviced with the addition of a Little Free Library, a School Community Map and Learning Globes, as well as increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion resources for each classroom library.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

Program Grant

All Elementary Schools will benefit from a grant submitted by Johnny Cole for Braillers equipment and other supplies to implement the Blindness/Low Vision unit of "Understanding Our Differences" disability awareness curriculum.

Bowman Elementary School

Program Grant

Facilitating academic success and productivity in the classroom with sensory spaces that help children regulate their emotions. Bowman counselors and occupational therapists will create a Sensory Library of tools available to educators to create sensory spaces in their classrooms. The spaces will promote self regulation and self care, creating a calmer learning environment for all students which positively impacts their ability to learn. Project Director: David Starr, School Counselor and Iris Dufault, Occupational Therapist.

School Community Grant

Bowman School will engage in professional development to understand the impact of white privilege and disproportionate special education and discipline referral rates for black students. Teachers will be provided tools to implement culturally responsive teaching methods that can be implemented immediately.

Bridge Elementary School

Program Grant

Bridge Parent Learns Night. Bridge will implement a special evening for parents to become more informed about the grade level academic and social-emotional development including structure of learning. The goal is to, more deeply than a traditional back to school night, inform parents what it's like to be a learner at Bridge so that students can be better supported at home . Project Director: Brienne Thibodeau, Educator

School Community Grant

Bridge School will continue their effort to make the school a more environmentally friendly place by improving their practice of composting and recycling specifically during snack times in classrooms. The school will also enhance opportunities to practice social skills around making rules, problem solving, cooperation, teamwork, and empathy with the addition playground equipment such as soccer balls, hula hoops and other small-scale equipment.

Estabrook Elementary School

School Community Grant

Estabrook School will put social emotional learning into actionable practice for students with a concrete strategy for being inclusive and kind to other with the addition of a Buddy Bench program. The school will also host a school-wide assembly, parent information session, and staff workshop with a Massachusetts Agression Reduction Center presenter to develop a shared understanding of bullying and cyberbullying, provide strategies for bystander behavior, and develop an understanding of the difference between bullying and typical peer conflicts.

Fiske Elementary School

School Community Grant

Fiske School will create a sensory motor pathway in the hallway where students can benefit from movement and sensory breaks to refocus, expend extra energy, and promote gross motor and cognitive development.

Harrington Elementary School

School Community Grant

Harrington School will transform the current 5th grade "pod" into a flexible space where students and educators can work more collaboratively. Students will benefit from a learning space that is comfortable and inclusive for project-based learning, and educators may use the space for team professional development.

Hastings Elementary School

Program Grants

Applying for LEED Silver Level certification. To attain LEED designation, Hastings has incorporated materials and design features into the new building that are environmentally friendly and highly energy efficient. Hastings will develop the necessary curriculum programming to meet the educational component of certification that requires that the unique "green" features be incorporated as teaching opportunities within the curriculum. Project Director: Katie O'Hare Gibson, Assistant Principal

School Community Grant

Hastings School will offer learning experiences, designed and/or led by professional consultants, with both educators and students to enrich the practices of equity and to promote a community of caring and courageous learners.

MIDDLE SCHOOLS

Diamond Middle School

Program Grant

Sensory Based Wellness Supports for Promoting Self Regulation. To increase equity and narrow gaps around student experiences, select classrooms will pilot sensory supports. The supports will provide students an opportunity for an academic break and address executive function, while also reducing discipline referrals and providing educators with classroom management tools. Project Leader: Katina Lawdis, Occupational Therapist, Catherine Boege, Educator.

School Community Grant

Diamond School will continue to work with educational author and consultant, Jeffrey Benson, to implement goals and protocols around student discipline that reflect our commitment to embracing diversity, ensuring equity, and creating a culture of inclusion.

LEXINGTON HIGH SCHOOL

Program Grants

Free Voluntary Reading in World Language Classes. LHS will acquire books, educational magazines, and current cultural texts in French, Latin, and Spanish and make the texts accessible in classrooms for students. The purpose of the reading materials is to offer options of reading that appeal to students to help with language and cultural understanding as well as improve writing and reading skills. Project Directors: Beckie Bray Rankin, Heather Kimura, Nelly Ossia, French Teachers, Maureen Haviland and Lily Zhu, Latin Teachers, Ryan Casey, Spanish Teacher.

Standards Based Curriculum in CP2 Earth Science Classes. To achieve a more equitable approach to content mastery and help motivate students to gain understanding of the course content, teachers will develop a standards based curriculum that encourages self-reflection and focuses on goals in CP2 Earth Science classes. Project Directors: Elizabeth Cook and Sarah Cammer, Science Teachers.

Project-Based Learning and Technology Integration in Digital Arts.: Contemporary visual art practices and application requires industry-standard tools and content. Adding iPads, Drawing Tablets, high quality printer and animation rigging, students will be be enabled to create real merchandise from their own designs, create portfolio quality animation and videos and gain mastery of the creative process. Project Director: Monique Harris Schramme, Visual Arts Teacher.

School Community Grant

Lexington High School hosted author Tommy Orange, best selling author of There There, to speak at the school, in some English classes and in the evening for a community Q&A. The text was part of students' summer reading and served as an opportunity for the larger Lexington community to engage in conversations around cultural proficiency.