Summary of 2021-2022
Approved Grants and Programs
Grades K-5 (John Paulding, W.L. Morse, Washington Irving)
Bilingual Kindergarten Books: Each year, we donate bilingual books to welcome our new class of Kindergartners. This year, we distributed The Family Book/El Libro de la Familia to each of our students.
Summer Literacy Program: We fund an annual, two-week summer literacy course to help prevent summer learning loss. In 2022, the program was expanded to include rising 4th and 5th graders, making it available to all TUFSD children at the elementary school level.
Washington Irving Reading Room: The Reading Room enables teachers for grades 3-5 to offer tailored, guided reading lessons for small groups of students based on their specific challenges. Teachers are also able to check out curated bags of books for students to read at school and home. With the support of our friends at Kendal on Hudson, 300 new books were acquired to accommodate a broad range of needs, and new titles across grade levels were added that provide “mirrors and windows” to a diverse range of children’s experiences.
Boundless Adventures: Together with the TUFSD PTA, we funded a trip for all 5th graders to visit Boundless Adventures and enjoy a day of teamwork and bonding on their treetop ropes course.
WI Pilot Theater Program: Funds were provided to employ local theater educator, Josh Lewis, who is implementing in-school drama classes for grades 3-5 during the 2022-23 school year.
K-5 Teacher Innovation Grants
Arts & Culture/Morse Playground Mural: Expansion of the playground mural at Morse, a popular project that has generated much excitement from the students, staff and families in the community.
Arts & Culture/Commission for District-Wide Band Concert: Commissioned a piece of music by a diverse composer for WI’s inaugural, district-wide band concert this April.
Early Childhood Education/Communication Board for Playground: Installation of a communication board at the WI playground. This helps children point to pictures on the display to express their thoughts and feelings. The display is in both English/Spanish. The symbols on the board are taken from a communication product called TouchChat and were selected by our speech-language pathologists specifically for use on playgrounds.
STEM/Screen-free Computer Science: Provided 7 Ozobot Evos to make a full class set, so that every student can manipulate their own robot. Using markers and paper, these robots can be coded to move or react in a certain way. Also provided a Gravity Maze logic game which allows students to tinker and create designs that let marbles run through the maze.
Health & Wellness/Alternative Seating in the WI Special Needs Classroom: Funded a variety of flexible seating for neuro-diverse students to address a multitude of needs. Some options also provide sensory input, which helps students with ADD, ADHD and ASD focus and process information.
Summer Literacy Program: We fund an annual, two-week summer literacy course to help prevent summer learning loss. In 2022, the program was expanded to include rising 4th and 5th graders, making it available to all TUFSD children at the elementary school level.
Washington Irving Reading Room: The Reading Room enables teachers for grades 3-5 to offer tailored, guided reading lessons for small groups of students based on their specific challenges. Teachers are also able to check out curated bags of books for students to read at school and home. With the support of our friends at Kendal on Hudson, 300 new books were acquired to accommodate a broad range of needs, and new titles across grade levels were added that provide “mirrors and windows” to a diverse range of children’s experiences.
Boundless Adventures: Together with the TUFSD PTA, we funded a trip for all 5th graders to visit Boundless Adventures and enjoy a day of teamwork and bonding on their treetop ropes course.
WI Pilot Theater Program: Funds were provided to employ local theater educator, Josh Lewis, who is implementing in-school drama classes for grades 3-5 during the 2022-23 school year.
K-5 Teacher Innovation Grants
Arts & Culture/Morse Playground Mural: Expansion of the playground mural at Morse, a popular project that has generated much excitement from the students, staff and families in the community.
Arts & Culture/Commission for District-Wide Band Concert: Commissioned a piece of music by a diverse composer for WI’s inaugural, district-wide band concert this April.
Early Childhood Education/Communication Board for Playground: Installation of a communication board at the WI playground. This helps children point to pictures on the display to express their thoughts and feelings. The display is in both English/Spanish. The symbols on the board are taken from a communication product called TouchChat and were selected by our speech-language pathologists specifically for use on playgrounds.
STEM/Screen-free Computer Science: Provided 7 Ozobot Evos to make a full class set, so that every student can manipulate their own robot. Using markers and paper, these robots can be coded to move or react in a certain way. Also provided a Gravity Maze logic game which allows students to tinker and create designs that let marbles run through the maze.
Health & Wellness/Alternative Seating in the WI Special Needs Classroom: Funded a variety of flexible seating for neuro-diverse students to address a multitude of needs. Some options also provide sensory input, which helps students with ADD, ADHD and ASD focus and process information.
Sleepy Hollow Middle School
Choreographer for Sleepy Hollow Middle School: Funding provided to hire a dedicated choreographer for SHMS's theater program
Clearwater Middle School Experience: A recurring field trip for the 7th grade class to board the Clearwater Sailing Vessel or visit their on-shore Tideline Program. Students learn about the ecology and history of the Hudson River in this popular hands-on program.
Middle School Teacher Innovation Grants
Arts & Culture/Digital Technology for Digital Journalism: Provided the technology necessary for 8th grade digital journalism students to produce the middle school's new magazine. This included a digital camera, camcorder, tripod, cords, SD card, a microphone for students to use when interviewing students/staff for their videos, and an iPad for easier editing.
STEM/Fluency Grant: Provided fluency timers, headsets with microphones and wireless mouse devices for students to practice their reading fluency, which provides a bridge between word recognition and comprehension.
STEM/Screen-free Science Gamification: Ecological based board games allow students to engage in a friendly but competitive way with living environment curriculum. Gamification is a highly motivated tool for education and creates long-term connections to scientific curriculum.
Clearwater Middle School Experience: A recurring field trip for the 7th grade class to board the Clearwater Sailing Vessel or visit their on-shore Tideline Program. Students learn about the ecology and history of the Hudson River in this popular hands-on program.
Middle School Teacher Innovation Grants
Arts & Culture/Digital Technology for Digital Journalism: Provided the technology necessary for 8th grade digital journalism students to produce the middle school's new magazine. This included a digital camera, camcorder, tripod, cords, SD card, a microphone for students to use when interviewing students/staff for their videos, and an iPad for easier editing.
STEM/Fluency Grant: Provided fluency timers, headsets with microphones and wireless mouse devices for students to practice their reading fluency, which provides a bridge between word recognition and comprehension.
STEM/Screen-free Science Gamification: Ecological based board games allow students to engage in a friendly but competitive way with living environment curriculum. Gamification is a highly motivated tool for education and creates long-term connections to scientific curriculum.
Sleepy Hollow High School
Black is Beautiful/SHMS Celebrates Diversity at Sleepy Hollow High School: This residency included collective art-making and writing within the ELA and Art departments around the subject of unity and anti-racism, as well as after school music and dance workshops presented by Folklore Urbano. Students explored Latin American and West African rhythms, wrote songs, and celebrated their diverse cultural backgrounds through music and movement.
Folklore Urbano Orchestra at Sleepy Hollow High School: A visiting performance from the renowned musical production company founded by local Colombian composer/pianist Pablo Mayor and flutist Anna Povich de Mayor. Their mission is to uplift, inspire and educate through performances that instill an understanding and respect for Latin American culture, the environment, and diversity.
College Campus Visits: Arranged by the SHHS Counseling Department, this free trip to tour colleges is offered to a select group of Juniors, many of whom are the first generation in their families to attend universities. In 2022, they visited Cornell, Geneseo, and Binghamton.
Athletic Grants: Funds were supplied to support the SHHS Ski Team.
Project YOU/Stone Barns Kitchen Garden Project: Funds provided various materials and services to support this continuing farming partnership between Stone Barns SHHS. Through this program, neuro-diverse high school students have the opportunity to learn all about agriculture in a hands-on way, from seed to market and every step in between.
SHHS Food Pantry: Granted emergency funding in order for the SHHS Food Pantry to maintain uninterrupted operations over several months during which there was a gap in their funding. The Pantry serves nearly 60 families on a weekly basis and continues to expand.
High School Teacher Innovation Grants
Health & Wellness/SEL Coach for Student Athletes: Funded a mindfulness coach for Athletics, who provides weekly yoga instruction, mental imagery, and mindfulness exercises to help lower stress, anxiety, and burnout, while helping to increase performance, mood, ability to handle emotions, and productivity in daily life.
College Readiness/HOBY Student Summer Experience: This award sends four sophomores to the Hugh O'Brien Youth (HOBY) Leadership Conference. "At HOBY, high school sophomores explore their leadership potential through our inspiring leadership development programs... [They] are highly interactive programs, following our leadership development curriculum which allows students to discover leadership from a personal, group and socially responsible perspective." Students complete a community service project when they return.
Health & Wellness/Outdoor Education: This course is designed to provide an opportunity for students to develop basic outdoor education skills including Orienteering, First Aid and Safety, angler/fisher education, outdoor survival skills, knot tying, camping, and trail hiking. Areas utilized are within walking distance of SHHS, including the trails, upper field, and Tarrytown lakes.
Folklore Urbano Orchestra at Sleepy Hollow High School: A visiting performance from the renowned musical production company founded by local Colombian composer/pianist Pablo Mayor and flutist Anna Povich de Mayor. Their mission is to uplift, inspire and educate through performances that instill an understanding and respect for Latin American culture, the environment, and diversity.
College Campus Visits: Arranged by the SHHS Counseling Department, this free trip to tour colleges is offered to a select group of Juniors, many of whom are the first generation in their families to attend universities. In 2022, they visited Cornell, Geneseo, and Binghamton.
Athletic Grants: Funds were supplied to support the SHHS Ski Team.
Project YOU/Stone Barns Kitchen Garden Project: Funds provided various materials and services to support this continuing farming partnership between Stone Barns SHHS. Through this program, neuro-diverse high school students have the opportunity to learn all about agriculture in a hands-on way, from seed to market and every step in between.
SHHS Food Pantry: Granted emergency funding in order for the SHHS Food Pantry to maintain uninterrupted operations over several months during which there was a gap in their funding. The Pantry serves nearly 60 families on a weekly basis and continues to expand.
High School Teacher Innovation Grants
Health & Wellness/SEL Coach for Student Athletes: Funded a mindfulness coach for Athletics, who provides weekly yoga instruction, mental imagery, and mindfulness exercises to help lower stress, anxiety, and burnout, while helping to increase performance, mood, ability to handle emotions, and productivity in daily life.
College Readiness/HOBY Student Summer Experience: This award sends four sophomores to the Hugh O'Brien Youth (HOBY) Leadership Conference. "At HOBY, high school sophomores explore their leadership potential through our inspiring leadership development programs... [They] are highly interactive programs, following our leadership development curriculum which allows students to discover leadership from a personal, group and socially responsible perspective." Students complete a community service project when they return.
Health & Wellness/Outdoor Education: This course is designed to provide an opportunity for students to develop basic outdoor education skills including Orienteering, First Aid and Safety, angler/fisher education, outdoor survival skills, knot tying, camping, and trail hiking. Areas utilized are within walking distance of SHHS, including the trails, upper field, and Tarrytown lakes.