B.E.S.T. for Boxford Educational Foundation

Authors Alive! – As part of B.E.S.T.’s continued commitment to bringing children’s authors to our schools, Author Stephen Krensky will visit Cole School for one day. He will give individual presentations to grades K, 1 and 2, discussing his life as an author/illustrator and sharing his insights into the process of writing, creating and illustrating books. Mr. Krensky, who has visited Cole School in the past, is the author of an array of books, from picture books and easy readers to chapter books.

Family Literacy Night – Grades K-2
In addition to visiting with Cole school K-2 students, author Stephen Krensky will speak to parents about how to support reading and writing at home. A parent himself of two boys, Mr. Krensky has some wonderful tips and ideas.

Talking Technology: Reaching all Readers with Interactive Books – Literacy is a critical focus for teachers at Cole School. Reading is essential for students to become successful, life-long learners. The subscription service Reading a-z.com is an interactive website that supports Cole’s literacy program. Unlimited copies of books, activities and assessments are as close as the nearest printer. Last year, B.E.S.T. funded a pilot group of 9 teachers and staff. Based on the success of last year’s pilot group, these tools will be offered to all Cole School staff.

Wiz Kids on the Web – A year-long subscription to iknowthat.com will support Cole School’s curriculum in language arts, math, social studies and science. This web site offers multiple activities to reach all levels of learners and it will be available as a resource to all teachers in grades K-2. In addition, children will have access to iknowthat.com in computer lab, in the classroom and at home. Teachers will be able to track students’ activities and accomplishments on the site.

Picasso People – Picasso’s masterpieces and biography will come alive for Cole School K-2 students in the wonderful, live performance. Picasso People is an innovative, educational experience that involves costumes, music, mime and puppetry. This up close and personal lesson in art history will inspire the students in discussions about cubism and abstraction. Picasso’s creativity will then influence the students’ own masterpieces!

Using Graphs to Increase Mathematical Communication – A new software package, the Graph Club Deluxe 2.0, provides an interactive approach to graphing, making graphs more engaging and meaningful. Now students in grades 3 & 4 will benefit from this technology. The Graph Club incorporates graphing into math, social studies, science and language arts.

Time for Kids – All third graders will enjoy a subscription to TIME FOR KIDS this year. The magazine provides fun, interesting and educational material based on topical events in science, social studies, and math.

Enrichment Resources for Special Education – Students who use the three Resource Rooms plus the Speech and Language therapy room will benefit from a significant increase in the variety and type of learning activities that will be made available through this grant. Opportunities will be provided to work with peers while focusing on local goals and state frameworks.

Soar to Success – This small group reading intervention program will help third and fourth grade students accelerate their reading abilities by using authentic literature, reciprocal teaching and graphic organizers.

Matching Books with Children (Phase II) – In order to provide effective instruction to all students, teachers must know and understand the instructional reading levels of their students throughout the year. This grant provides the materials to help teachers assess skills of students in grades 5 & 6, and match them with the appropriate texts and materials in order to move them to their next stage of learning. Last year, BEST awarded this grant for use in grades 3 & 4.

Kamishibai – Staging the Story - Story telling is an oral history that provides a window into life in many ancient cultures. This grant uses the traditional Japanese story stage to encourage students at every reading level to be more literate, imaginative and self-confident. The sixth graders will create literature-rich story cards with illustrations then they will share their finished stories with the third grade classes by performing on stage.

Sagebrush Library Software
Sagebrush is a “next generation” library management system which gives state of the art accessibility to information, enhancing reading and research for students and staff at both Cole and Spofford Pond schools. Sagebrush will simplify daily tasks and streamline library data maintenance.

Sojourners Truth
To honor Black History Month, Spofford Pond students in grades 3 – 6 enjoyed a one-woman show portraying the life of Sojourners Truth and her struggles as a slave. This moving interpretation brought to life the bravery required to escape slavery and to help others on their journey to freedom. Students and teachers were captivated by this account that was enhanced by spiritual music.

Multiple Intelligence in the Classroom
Flip books focusing on multiple intelligence were given to all teachers and special educators at Spofford Pond School to help them differentiate the curriculum according to learning styles and skill levels.

Practical Co-Teaching Strategies Workshop
Several teams of teachers, who are co-teaching at Spofford Pond School, recently attended a Bureau of Education and Research seminar that offered ideas and strategies to refine the co-teaching model used in our classrooms.

Unified Arts Conference
This two-day conference provided an opportunity to enhance and expand on cross-curricular activities. The music, art and reading specialists from Spofford Pond school returned with interdisciplinary lessons involving collaboration in music, art, reading and writing.