The Carlisle Education Foundation has funded over $1 million in new initiatives, pilot programs, professional development and technology.  Some grants are one-time expenditures like the Rosetta Stone software for World Languages or microscopes, but sometimes this funding spans multiple years. Below are examples of multi-year commitments that have profoundly enriched teaching and learning at the Carlisle School.

Bringing the World to Carlisle with Primary Source
The CEF has funded the school’s membership to Primary Source since Fall 2004.  Primary Source promotes history and humanities education by connecting K-12 educators to people and cultures throughout the world. It provides seminars, study tours, institutes and courses throughout the area.  It also houses a vast library for educators to gather materials for use in their classrooms.  Since 2004, 10 teachers have enrolled in intensive preparatory coursework and traveled to China with other educators, and two teachers have followed the same program and traveled to Ghana (the travel programs are subsidized by Primary Source). Carlisle educators have also taken over 35 courses through this program. 

Mobile Computer Carts
Since 1990, CEF has funded major technology initiatives but none have so directly touched the students.  Our first auction funded the first mobile computer cart (furnished with 25 Mac laptops, a wireless hub, printer and server) and the school now has 203 laptops on 8 carts.  With a bit of sharing, we are almost at our goal of a cart for each grade level.  The technology has informed every aspect of their learning from on-line match tools, web-based geography puzzles, digital scavenger hunts, customized reading programs, systems modeling, to name just a few.  Ask your children how they are using laptops in their classrooms.

Electronic White Boards
The 2006 auction funded the school’s first two electronic white boards, and it now has 27!  The first ones went to middle school teachers since every student would be cycled through their classrooms and also white-board savvy for high school (where each classroom has one).  Now you can find them throughout the school, and every teacher wants one!  The proposed new school building will have one in each kindergarten and first grade classroom.  Teachers remark that they can’t imagine teaching without one anymore.

K-5th Grade World Language Program          
A goal in introducing a world language to younger students was to help them develop an ear for another language, an awareness, and a deeper understanding and appreciation of other cultures.  Students who study language early have a far greater chance of reaching proficiency and fluency (and also pick it up far faster than older students).  After surveying parents, Spanish was chosen and the CEF funded a two-year pilot program beginning in 2006-2007, to research, introduce and implement Spanish in grades K-5.  It is still going strong and Carlisle is one of the leading schools in Massachusetts in this area. 

Chinese Language for Middle School
In 2005-2006, the CEF funded a pilot program introducing Chinese into the middle school.  As Superintendent Marie Doyle said, “The United States is already a partner in a global economy.  As our students prepare for a different workforce in the twenty-first century, it is important that our future leaders know how to speak Mandarin and understand the Chinese culture.  I am deeply committed to the study of Chinese so that more of Carlisle’s children today are prepared to be leaders of the world tomorrow.”  The Concord Carlisle High School had to modify its Chinese curriculum to be ready for our children and will do so again in 2010-2011.  For the first time, it is offering an advanced Chinese class to accommodate our experienced students.  As one junior, Bo Graham, a member of the first class of Chinese learners said, "The study of Chinese has helped shape my life. I plan on continuing classes through college and look towards a career in international business."

 

 

Funded Projects

Projects Funded 2009-10

Projects Funded 2008-09

Projects Funded 2007-08

Projects Funded 2006-07

Projects Funded from 2006 CEF/CSA Auction

Projects Funded from 2004-05

Projects Funded from 2003-04

Projects Funded from 2002-03

Projects Funded from 2001-02

Davida Fox Melanson Grant Funding

 

 

Projects funded 2009 - 2010

Lexia Software
Lexia is a computer program that provides independent practice in foundational reading skills. As students achieve mastery on a particular skill, the program automatically advances them to the next level. Since it is web enabled and hosted by Lexia, teachers can access student records both at school and from home. This capability allows them to monitor progress and print reports. Teachers decide when students need additional teaching before continuing on Lexia. They can also target specific skills they want students to practice on Lexia and/or print correlated practice sheets. For example, if a teacher notices a child is still confusing b and d, she can have the child repeat that session. Lexia has a home to school connection so students that teachers determine need extended practice can use Lexia at home. It is not uncommon for students to remark to teachers, “I saw that on Lexia”.

Lexia is used by all kindergarten and first grade students in Carlisle. Teachers can also give access to older children who need practice in foundational reading skills.

Aleks Math Software 
Description provided by Rob Quaden (8th grade math teacher):

ALEKS is a web-based, artificially intelligent assessment and learning system. ALEKS uses adaptive questioning to quickly and accurately determine exactly what a student knows and doesn't know in a course.  ALEKS then instructs the student on the topics she is most ready to learn. As a student works through a course, ALEKS periodically reassesses the student to ensure that topics learned are also retained.

ALEKS is an excellent complement to our problem solving based math program from Phillips Exeter Academy that forms the core of the 8th grade curriculum. We use ALEKS to review and practice math topics taught earlier in the year, to fill in gaps in skills, and to re-teach topics that students have not mastered. Due to the individualized nature of the program, all work is targeted at the specific needs of each student. Students who have mastered topics taught in class can proceed at their own pace to learn new ones in preparation for further work at the high school. It can also be used from home so students can retrieve their earlier work and work at their own pace.

Writing Workshop with Lester Laminack
Lester Laminack is a full-time writer and nationally known writing consultant working with schools through the U.S.  Mr. Laminack will be offering a professional development workshop for the Carlisle School teachers. 

ELA:  Provide reading books that challenge students in grades 5-8

Seed money for our Cable TV show that will be produced by students

Anti-bullying:  Provide seed money for Rob Evans to meet with our staff on helping all students succeed

 

Projects funded 2006 - 2007

1. Spanish Language Program for Elementary School Grades
2. STEP (Science, Technology and Engineering) Programs
3. Teacher China Trip
4. Teacher Professional Development
5. District Membership to Primary Source
6. Rosetta Stone software for French and Spanish Language Instruction
7. Teacher Appreciation drive - $100 for each teacher for discretionary supplies

Quotes from the school

Spanish Language Program: We spoke with Andrea Seddon whose enthusiasm was contagious. “We are thrilled with having Spanish in the elementary program and I am proud to tell everyone I meet that in Carlisle we start teaching Spanish in KINDERGARTEN. They are so impressed. The new program is off to a fabulous start. Many parents say to me how pleased they are that their first or second grade child is teaching them Spanish songs or that Spanish is their favorite part of the week. When the kindergarten students are outside for recess, they make me feel like a movie star with their barrage of “Hola, Señora Seddon!!” and running up to tell me the Spanish words they learned at home on ‘Dora the Explorer’ or the ilk. A central goal of the elementary program is to instill a love of learning and an excitement for the Spanish language. This, we seem to be doing.” Research shows there is a critical period in which children are most efficient at learning new languages. This tends to end near the age of ten. If we are truly interested in connecting them to a larger world in this time of “globalization,” then we must offer language classes at the very earliest levels through songs, games, story-telling and role-playing. It exposes them to new cultures and can even help them understand English better. Starting in the early grades also promotes proficiency, allows pronunciation to be learned effectively, and aids in multicultural understanding. The most recent research also shows students of foreign languages tend to score higher on standardized tests. Results from the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) show that students who studied a foreign language for four or more years outscored other students on the verbal and math portions of the test [ERIC 1992 and SAT 2003]. The program is constantly being reviewed, as it is the first year, for pace and content. The World Language Task Force committee discusses these issues as well as proper assessment techniques. CEF has committed to fund this pilot program for two years.

STEP (Science, Technology and Engineering) Programs: Three more STEP offerings are starting up in November. Over thirty students are enrolled in these classes. One offering is .Math is a Blast,. taught by parent volunteer Laura Marshall and teacher Jen Lyons. This class is for second and third graders. They.ll be playing a variety of number games. An .Electricity and Electronics. class, taught by parent volunteer Walter Hickman and the new seventh grade teacher, Brad Cranston, is being offered for fourth and fifth graders. This class is being offered to a younger set this year; it will allow fourth graders to build on their electrical knowledge gained last year in class. The third offering is for middle school students. .ArcKIDtecture,. taught by architect Debbie Bentley along with teacher Erin McAuley Rooney, will give students the basics in architectural design and then ask them to improve upon our own school. Maybe we can use their ideas as the Carlisle Public Schools are expanded! All of these classes were hits. There will be more offerings in the winter. Thank you to all the parent volunteers, teachers, and the generous donors to CEF who helped make this happen.

Teacher China Trip: Last April, four teachers from the Carlisle Schools set off for a two week trip to China funded by CEF and Primary Source. They visited Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu, Lijiang and Shanghai and toured schools and attended cultural events. The teachers shared highlights of the trip. Beijing.We loved going to the Great Wall and visiting a cloisonné factory. But as a teacher, visiting the Dandelion School for Migrant Workers Children and teaching in their classroom was enlightening. We met all of the teachers at the school and discussed the similarities and differences between our two educational systems and how teachers are trained in both countries. Xi’an - We were invited for a home visit with a Chinese English teacher and got to know the seven middle school students that she had also invited to her home. Outside of Xi’an we also visited the Pangliu Village School and were allowed to teach in the classrooms. We later visited the ancient Terra Cotta Warriors site. Chengdu - We went to the Panda Research Institute and actually got into the enclosure with a panda! Also we went to the Chinese Opera at a teahouse. Lijiang - We saw the Himalayan Mountains up close and visited with a Naxi minority group in this city. We also went to see the Naxi musicians, who have survived the Cultural Revolution and still perform with the instruments that they had to bury in the ground during that ten year period. Shanghai - We went to see the Jewish quarter and museum. The art is thousands of years old! Jades, bronze and ceramics.

Eight months later, here are some teacher comments:

Courtney Hadley (middle school art teacher): Being introduced to a culture with different values and customs is incredible. Eight months later my trip to China still invigorates my teaching. I have written three units, two that are interdisciplinary, including ten different lessons. Topics include art but also poetry, self-identity and geography. I will be offering a course to teachers in the spring called Global Awareness through art. My trip made me more empathetic, more patient and a better member of the global community. It will forever be one of the highlights of my life.

Peter Darasz (second grade teacher): My wife told me that I am much calmer and do not get as upset with little things. When you see such poverty, you understand how fortunate we are. Whenever the opportunity arises in class, I tell the children about the schools I visited and how little they have at their schools or in their individual living quarters. However, I also tell my kids that the children are happy and feel extremely fortunate to learn at school, have food to eat and a bed to sleep in at the school.

Sue LaPorte (elementary school reading specialist): I have designed two study units for teachers. One compares Chinese and American education with slides I took in Chinese schools. Another unit compares fables from the U.S., China and Vietnam. The units show students that people are more alike than different. I travel every Tuesday to spend one hour with the wife of our travel leader from Primary Source. She teaches me Mandarin and shares what life is like in China. It is an hour that has a profound effect on me.

Jen Reinhard (fifth grade teacher): During our RAP on Culture program I used my China trip to model what was expected throughout the unit. I also linked our endangered species program with my visit with the panda in Chengdu. I want to open my students. eyes to the power that they possess in helping others both in our country and around the world.

 

Items funded from proceeds of the CEF/CSA Spring 2006 Auction

1. 6 projectors and DVD players - $1,100 each
Due to a CEF teacher appreciation grant a few years ago, each grade level has a projector (1 for approx. 4 classrooms) and the library has a few to check out. This is inconvenient and teachers have to ask other teachers every time they want to borrow them and they all really would like to use the technology on a daily basis. They use them for overheads, displaying websites and simulations. This way there would be 1 for 2 classes. The long-term goal is to have one in every classroom (although they don.t use them as much in kindergarten and first grade).

2. Mini computer lab - $14,000
This would be used in a lot of classes where ½ the class is working on one thing and the other is working on another. For example, in Liz Gray’s class ½ is reading and ½ is writing, or ½ is working on a draft and ½ is publishing. In World Languages ½ may be working on the Rosetta Stone software and the other ½ is working with the teacher. The laptops do have a shelf life and when they are upgraded the Town’s long-term capital fund paid for them.

3. Color Printer for Library - $2,500 + $1,000 for Toner
Right now, there is no color printer in Spaulding. There is one color printer in the library for the entire school! The printer in the library is 5-6 years old. That would get moved to Spaulding and the new one would go into the library. Toner is expensive so teachers and staff must be reminded on how to minimize unnecessary use of color (for example, solid color backgrounds so toner supplies are included).

4. 2 Electronic White Boards $3,500/each

The $3,500 includes the cost of everything: mounting them on the wall, the equipment, labor and projector. Every elementary school teacher has one in Concord. The goal is to add additional ones, but to start with two in the middle school with teachers who will be likely to really utilize all their capabilities. It will allow our students to be familiar with them before moving on to the Concord Carlisle High School.
5. Remote access to IPASS student system for teachers- $3,000

The IPASS system is the student database system. Right now middle school teachers are using antiquated software to do report cards. The school is converting the middle school teachers to IPASS and this would allow the middle school teachers and specialists to do reports from home (they currently do not have access to the server). The elementary school teachers use a Word template, so they can work from home. Over time, they will also convert their report cards to a format that would work with IPASS. There is a one time annual fee of $1,000 and an annual fee of $1,000 for upgrades and maintenance since the support of the database is contracted out.

 

Projects funded 2004 - 2005

1. Second Mobile Mac Lab
2. LX Probescope Kit (K through 8)
3. In Focus X1 Projection Devices (K through 8)
4. Kindergarten Sand Table
5. Wishing Tree: Kindergarten cubbies
6. Wishing Tree: Grade 7 Children Literature
7. Wishing Tree: Grade 6 Children Literature
8. Wishing Tree: Grade 3 Children Literature
9. Wishing Tree: Grade 1 Children Literature
10. Wishing Tree: Grade 4 Unifix Cubes
11. Wishing Tree: Grade 5 Core Literature Books
12. Wishing Tree: Grade 4 Picture Books
13. Wishing Tree: Playground Balls
14. Teacher Appreciation drive - $100 for each teacher for discretionary supplies

Quotes from the school

Mac Lab: The Mac lab that we received last year is a tremendous success. Cyd McCann and the cart have been in every 2nd through 8 the grade classroom and just about every student in the school has experienced using the lab. Many existing class projects have been enhanced by the addition of the lab. The addition of the lab is helping the school reach several of our technology goals. It.s mobility provides equal access for all students. Combined with our Technology integration Specialist (Cyd McCann) the lab allows for technology to be integrated into a variety of programs such as the 7th grade newspaper, grade 6 Olympics project, grade 4 picture books, grade 3 Explorers project and the grade 2 Alaska/Iditarod. The addition of the second lab will allow these kinds of projects to continue with the original cart while allowing for increased computer availability so entire classrooms (individuals) can perform application based lessons such as word processing and systems modeling. The second lab will be the same as the first lab and consist of 24 computers, printer, airport and projection device

Probescobes: Digital USB microscopes which enlarge and project small items for discussion with the whole group. The software also records the image and the projection can be slowed down, or manipulated. They can be used in science at any grade level. Maintaining sufficient microscopes for student use has always been a difficult task as breakage has always been a problem and more students than we would like have to share microscopes. The Probescopes will solve this problem as now whole classes will be able to view the magnified image together. In addition, they allow recording of any observation which can be used for review or future classes. Recordings can also be slowed down for better observation (this is helpful when viewing living organisms). In the future the school.s goal would be a Probescope for each of the middle school science classrooms. We plan to use this one to develop future lesson plans as well as for the obvious classroom demonstrations.

Projection Devices: The School currently has six and this will allow one for each grade level, the mobile lab, the library and the systems team. These will be used in classrooms at all grade levels. It allows all information on computer screens to be projected for the entire class to see and use for discussion and brainstorming. In the past teachers have been reluctant to plan activities that involve the use of the projection devices as the availability of the devices was uncertain. Now with a device available at each grade level teachers will be more likely to use them. With the limited computer resources in individual classrooms the projection devices have the capabilities to turn one computer into a tool to benefit the whole class.

4th grade picture books: the fourth grade team will purchase five sets of picture books connected to writing, reading and social studies curriculua. A set of books for each classroom would allow them to use picture books simultaneously in lessons and to send students to fifth grade with a common bank of knowledge. It would also provide students with continual access to these books during independent work and D.E.A.R. Currently, only those books that have been temporarily gathered for the day's mini-lesson have been available to students.

5th grade core lit books: These books will replace current copies of core literature which are currently falling apart; also to accommodate an additional section of fifth grade next year. This will include 75 copies each of: Number the Stars, Walk Two Moons, the Watsons Go to Birmingham, Julie of the Wolves.

 

Projects funded 2003 - 2004

1. Math League Stipend
2. Homework Clubs - 6th, 7th, 8th grades
3. Reading Specialist and Language Arts Curriculum Coordinator
4. Mobile Mac Lab
5. Yearbook Stipend
6. Four Intramural Sports
7. Student Council Stipend
8. Subtotal from 2003 CEF/CSA Auction
9. Contribution to Mold Clean Up
10. Contribution to Music Program at High School
11. Sponsorship of Middle School Spelling Bee Team
12. Teacher Appreciation drive - $100 for each teacher for discretionary supplies

 

Projects funded 2002 - 2003

1. Grade 7 Teacher Aide: Karen Lovett
2. Permanent Sub Supplement: Erica Molvig
3. Restore Student Council
4. Restore Math League
5. Restore Yearbook Club
6. Elementary Reading Tutor: Katy Collins
7. Restore Librarian: Sandy Kelly
8. Teacher Appreciation drive - $100 for each teacher for discretionary supplies

Projects funded 2001 - 2002

1. New Computers for the Library
2. Teacher Appreciation drive - display unit for each grade
3. Teach Excellence Award