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HEF in the News: iPods inspire 4th grade learning (Radio Free Hamilton) When the Hamilton Emerald Foundation purchased new computers for the Hamilton Central School last year, each one came with a an iPod Touch. Always on the hunt for new ways to keep learning exciting, particularly when technology can play a role in the process, the school's enrichment coordinator Eric Coriale developed a program supported by additional Emerald Foundation funding that, according to the Radio Free Hamilton article, "puts technology in the hands of kids and teaches them how to use it as a powerful learning tool." The program is being piloted with two HCS fourth grade classes and a special education class. Read the full article.
The Hamilton Emerald Foundation has started an annual Scholarship Fund. Students of the Hamilton Central School District who qualify financially may apply for a scholarship award. This scholarship funding has been designated to help pay a portion of the tuition or expenses for extracurricular or summer programs that will assist in achieving a student’s educational goals and/or will enhance and expand their educational experience. The Hamilton Emerald Foundation Scholarship Fund is intended to support a student’s participation in these activities or programs in keeping with the mission of the Foundation; therefore, sports team related activities or programs will not be funded. Programs or activities that will be considered for funding may include anything in an art, music, dance, theatre or other academic area, or a program related trip, etc. Students must apply and be accepted to the program or course they want to attend before being awarded a scholarship. District administrators will determine a student’s financial need for scholarship funding. Once it is determined a student qualifies financially for scholarship assistance, a student may apply for an award of up to $500, but the award may not exceed 90% of the full tuition for the program they plan to attend. Scholarships will be awarded on a sliding scale dependent upon a student’s need. While the Fund is managed by the Hamilton Emerald Foundation, the Superintendent, high school principal, and elementary principal at Hamilton Central School, in consultation with appropriate teachers, will determine who is eligible for funding and at what level. To apply for funding,
students must complete a brief application (available on our website or in the
District Office), get endorsement of their plan from both an HCS teacher and
one of their parents or a legal guardian, and send it to the Hamilton Emerald
Foundation at PO Box 14, Hamilton NY 13346. The Grants Committee of the Hamilton
Emerald Foundation will work with the Hamilton Central School administrators to
coordinate the Scholarship awards process. Scholarship applicants will receive
notice of a funding decision within four to eight weeks after submission of
their application. Questions regarding the Scholarship Fund should be directed
to Sally Campbell, Secretary and Grants Committee Chair, Hamilton Emerald
Foundation at info@hamiltonemeraldfoundation.org. Emerald Foundation Grant Funds New Macs for “Think Tank”
Funding Philosophy for 2009-2010 Starting in January 2009, the first priority of the Hamilton Emerald Foundation (HEF) Board in reviewing new funding requests (or requests from Fall 2008 not yet considered) is to fund projects or items that most clearly address district needs that would otherwise go unfulfilled due to budget shortfalls. A request must still fall within our normal funding guidelines and be supported by the appropriate principal and the superintendent to be considered. That said, the HEF Board will continue to review and fund requests from others in our school or community at large, but those that more clearly support district priorities will receive top consideration. The HEF Board will inform the HCS community of our decision immediately as well as post this information on our website.
Global learning at HCS Hamilton Central School students will be making several trips to Osaka Japan this year, and theyÕll do it without ever getting close to an airport. The school's Think Tank is a newly-renovated, high-tech space designed to provide students with global perspective and learning opportunities. Enrichment and Innovation Teacher Eric Coriale is leading the school's efforts with the Think Tank and is working with a steady stream of teachers as they seek to expand their coursework beyond the borders of the classroom and go global. "The Think Tank is really the highway that our students and teachers will be using to go anywhere in the world,Ó said Coriale. ÒWe want our students to be global learners, thinker and leaders Ð and we can make that happen through real-life experiences in the Think Tank." Just a month after opening, the Think Tank is already earning visibility in the region as evidenced by a recent Oneida Daily Dispatch feature article, in which the facility was called a "high tech haven" at Hamilton Central School. Over the past two years, the Hamilton Emerald Foundation has invested significantly in classroom technology at HCS and is seeking to raise funds to support further innovation in the Think Tank. "The school has made amazing progress in terms of providing our students with the tools to go global and really expand their horizons," said Emerald Foundation President Andrew Coddington. "We will be working hard in coming months, through conversations with potential donors, to raise the funds necessary to see the Think Tank go to that next level." Specific funding priorities include a multipoint Tandberg videoconferencing system that will allow HCS students to connect with multiple classrooms around the globe. The emphasis on technology addresses another important educational priority by ensuring that students are using computers and the Internet not only for gaming, but also to expand their knowledge-base and understanding of important issues and other cultures. So far, it seems to be working. As HCS Senior Coral Downsland said in the Daily Dispatch story, "It's really cool. It's a great way to help us learn because we're so used to using technology at home."
Infusing new technology into the classroom
Six SMART Boards and 3 Sympodia interactive displays have been installed at Hamilton Central School and 5 more have been purchased thanks to a $30,000 grant from the Hamilton Emerald Foundation. This is the second such grant from the Foundation.
SMART Boards are state-of-the-art whiteboards that allow teachers to present their lessons using multimedia that students can interact with in the classroom. Similarly, Sympodia are interactive panels that teachers use to present class lessons that are more interactive and make full use of new technologies. High school math teacher, Susan Lehman is one of the teachers using the SMART Boards in all her math classes and, already, the impact is clear. "We will finish our annual curriculum almost one month ahead of schedule with this technology," said Lehman, who is using the SMART Board in her AP Calculus class. The SMART Boards are being used throughout the school. Pre-K teacher Althea Brooks has her students learning to recognize and form letters and numbers, as well as recognizing sound/letter correspondence. Other interesting lessons have involved organizing categories of healthy foods or hibernating vs. non-hibernating animals. "The kids are excited about learning. Kids today are so technology savvy that the SMART Board supports their learning style," said Brooks. The true measure of the impact of the SMART Boards is in how they enhance student learning. "It takes much longer to do things on the blackboard than on the SMART Board because you can just move things around by touching them," said 4th grader Una Giurgea. First grader Katrina Hale captured the excitement in the school around all of the new technology in saying "Math is fun on the SMART Board!"
Accelerating reading at HCS Hamilton
Central's Middle School Resource Room provides countless students with the books
and materials they need to keep their reading skills strong. A $665 grant from
the Emerald Foundation allowed the school to expand the collection for
independent reading and enable students to participate in the Accelerated Reader
Program -- giving students with a high interest in reading the books they need
to sharpen their skills. This program is aimed at improving the learning culture
at the school and providing engaged students the tools they need to succeed.
$30,000 grant allows
for purchase of SmartBoards Foundation receives
first endowment gifts Foundation supports
Hamilton Central's "Touchstone"
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