Council Rock Education Foundation Announces 2021 Grant Recipients

NEWTOWN, PA — The Council Rock Education Foundation has announced 10 new grants totaling $43,000 will fund education projects throughout Council Rock schools in 2021.

"These projects — not covered by the district’s annual budget — engage, educate and inspire young minds through experiential learning, igniting their passion for continued education," Gail Acosta, the foundation's executive director, said at a recent school board meeting announcing the winners.

This year's grant recipients are:

Districtwide, "CREF/CRSD Technology Lending Library", $10,000 - The CREF/CRSD Lending Library creates equitable access of STEAM technology like Ozobots, K'Nex, and OSMO to teachers and students throughout the district. Staff members will be able to watch a webinar on the technology prior to borrowing the equipment.

ACHIEVE and the Sloan School, "The Greenhouse Project," $3,000 - The project will create more authentic, real-world experiences for students in the ACHIEVE and Sloan School. Students will learn and develop horticulture, as well as interpersonal and job skills for future opportunities.

Hillcrest Elementary School, "Phonological and Phonemic Awareness," $1,232 - The project's objectives are to provide additional research-based resources that will focus on phonological and phonemic awareness in Kindergarten, first and second grades.

Sol Feinstone Elementary School, "Innovative and Immersive Virtual Reality," $4,730 - Interactive and immersive virtual reality field trips will bring curriculum to life. Students will fully submerge themselves in curriculum units and have new and unique experiences through VR. Social Studies curriculum about ancient civilizations will be enhanced as students visit the Egyptian Pyramids the Great Wall of China and more.

Newtown Middle School, "Laser Logo Project," $4,235 - Students will learn the design and laser engraving process through this STEAM-focused activity. Students will learn programming and the hands-on application of laser engraving in order to print their project designed and engineered in class.

Hillcrest Elementary School, "Let's Makey Makey," $700 - Students at Hillcrest and throughout the district with the support of math specialists will engage in computer programming and its numerous applications within all academic areas through the use of MakeyMakey kits.

Holland Elementary School, "STEAM Rolling with Sphero," $2,650 - This project uses the Sphero robotic devices as a platform to teach K-6 students programming and engineering. Sphero promotes logical thinking in students and encourages them to develop skills in the decomposition of problems into smaller, manageable tasks.

The Sloan School and ACHIEVE, "Kinesthetic Schoolwide Initiative," $4,685 - This technology and equipment will engage students in engineering and building. Students will learn about robotics, renewable resources, civil engineering and teamwork.

Council Rock South, "Coming of Age in the 21st Century," $1,685 - The project will offer modern pieces of literature to pair with traditional titles used, giving students a better understanding of what it means to come of age in today's eclectic world.

Districtwide, "Imagine Learning for ELs", $10,000 - Imagine Learning is a language and literacy software program for English learners. It provides strategic first-language support in fifteen languages, as well as explicit instruction to promote language development in all domains: speaking, listening, reading and writing.

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