NEF Supports Let’s Build Engineering Extravaganza
Can you stand on Dixie cups without crushing them? How would you build a bridge with only paper and tape to support the weight of pennies or even a boot? Can you protect an egg dropped from many stories high? On November 8, more than 300 parents and children attended the second annual Let’s Build Engineering Extravaganza to try to solve these and many other design challenges.
The Extravaganza also highlighted local engineers and scientists. Representatives from Olin College, MIT, the Needham High School Robotics Team and the Needham Science Center were among those who showcased technologies including a 3D printer, homemade internet based on Morse code, and a robotic hand!
With help from two NEF grants, Let’s Build Engineering Fun for Kids organized the Extravaganza and kicked off in-classroom workshops for students at Hillside, Broadmeadow and Newman.
For more information or to volunteer to help with in-class workshops, go to www.letsbuildengineering.org.
Outdoor Learning Center at NHS Now Open
Needham High School is bringing education into nature with a new outdoor classroom, featuring benches, newly planted trees and shrubs, and a walkway designed to create a garden setting. The project was funded by a grant from the Needham Education Foundation and the Needham High School PTC. It was designed by Michael Savrin, 16, a Life Scout and Needham High junior, and built by Savrin and fellow members of Boy Scout Troop 13. A dedication ceremony took place in October.
Luca “Lazylegz” Kicks Off Rousing Start to ‘Understanding Our Different Abilities’
Luca “Lazylegz” Patuelli entertained and educated students at all of Needham’s public elementary schools this week as part of a rousing and inspiring kick-off to the Understanding our Different Abilities program.
Luca was born with Arthrogryposis, a rare disorder that causes limited joint movement and poor muscle growth and later diagnosed with scoliosis. Despite many surgeries to address these issues, Luca has never let his disability prevent him from doing the activities he loves including swimming, diving, skiing, and horseback riding. After a leg surgery prevented him from continuing skateboarding, he was introduced to breakdancing. Using his upper body strength to create a unique style of dancing, “Lazylegz” was born. Since then, Luca has become a world-renowned break-dancer. In 2007, Luca created ILL-Abilities™, an international dance crew of differently-abled dancers. Their goal is to show the world that as long as you are positive, creative, and willing to adapt to any situation, anything is possible. Together, they perform all over the world, spreading the message “No Excuses, No Limits.” Luca has appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, America’s Got Talent, and So You Think You Can Dance Canada as the world’s first and only dancer with a disability to make it into Finals Week.
According to grant writer, Suzanne Lissy, “Luca embodies the message we bring to our kids through the Understanding our Different Abilities program; that we are all unique and different and that is what makes us the same.”
Check out coverage of Luca’s visit in the Needham Times and on Luca’s YouTube channel.
Needham Education Proud Sponsor of 2014-2015 Needham Talks Series
Please plan to attend this exciting free series of talks focused on children’s resilience and social-emotional wellness. Nationally acclaimed speakers will be visiting our community to share their knowledge of social and brain behavior, the emotional lives of girls and boys, how to nurture children’s confidence and resilience, and the hidden consequences of the internet. ALL lectures will be held at the Newman Elementary School Auditorium from 7:00 – 8:30pm. Speaker books will be available for purchase at each event.
Speakers & Dates:
October 9, 2014: Joseph Shrand, M.D. – Theory of Mind and Interpersonal Relationships for Children
December 4, 2014: Rachel Simmons, M.A. – Odd Girl Out: Coping with Best Friends, Worst Enemies and Everything in Between
March 4, 2015: Michael Thompson, Ph.D. – Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Lives of Boys
April 9, 2015: Robert Brooks, Ph.D. – Strategies for Nurturing Confidence and Resilience in Our Children
June 4, 2015: Jon Mattleman, M.S. – The Emotional and Hidden Consequences of the Internet
See coverage of Dr. Shrand’s lecture by The Needham Times.
NEF Grants Reach Entire Community
NEF featured in The Needham Times: needham.wickedlocal.com/article/20140904/News/140908937
Greater Boston Project cited as example of excellence by State Secretary of Education
State Secretary of Education, Matt Malone, cites the NEF-funded Greater Boston Project course at NHS as the future of what a senior year should look like. See the entire article in the Boston Globe: Greater Boston Project Accolades.
$50,000 Grant from the Needham Education Foundation Launches “Da Vinci Workshop” at Needham High School
The Needham Education Foundation (NEF) is awarding a $50,000 grant to fund the “Da Vinci Workshop,” a lab space for hands-on learning and technological creativity at Needham High School.
The grant honors the 25th anniversary of the NEF and continues the organization’s emphasis on interdisciplinary learning.
“This workshop embodies STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) interdisciplinary learning and will serve as a space for students and teachers to innovate, collaborate, create and problem-solve – all 21st century learning goals,” said Anne Weinstein, co-chair of the NEF’s Interdisciplinary Learning Initiative. “Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we can accelerate expansion of educational opportunities that are needed by our students for real-world success.”
To create the Da Vinci Workshop, existing space will be outfitted with technology such as laptops for programming and computer aided design (CAD), a laser cutter and other modern fabrication tools and equipment, traditional hand and power tools, construction materials (sheet metal, wire, cardboard), and modular furniture so the space can be configured for multiple uses.
Initially, the space will be used for projects in existing classes and after-school clubs, independent study, and collaboration between a robotics class and a sculpture class to build kinetic sculptures. In addition to enabling expansion of existing classes and clubs, the workshop is intended to expand options and open new academic and career paths for a broad range of students.
The grant was announced at the June 17 meeting of the Needham School Committee. NHS math and computer science teacher Hans Batra is working to create the Da Vinci lab in partnership with NHS Principal Jonathan Pizzi, the school’s assistant principals, and other administrators and teachers.
“The goal of the NEF is to foster innovation and enrichment in our schools,” said NEF co-president Jane Smalley. “We have done that for nearly 25 years, and we think the Da Vinci lab is a perfect match with these goals.”
The NEF began in 1990, when members of the Needham High School Class of 1939 donated $3,000 to create an organization to stimulate and support innovative educational programs. The organization has since awarded nearly 500 grants totaling more than $1.9 million.
The Da Vinci Workshop proposal is a part of the Interdisciplinary Learning Initiative, a recent collaboration between NEF and Needham Public Schools. Interdisciplinary learning moves beyond the traditional teaching of academic subjects (English, math, science, etc) in isolated silos. It requires students to combine concepts from multiple academic disciplines, as is required for problem-solving in college and beyond. A 2009 accreditation report of Needham High School by The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) identified the need for formalized opportunities for interdisciplinary learning. The NEF’s interdisciplinary initiative led to a new project-based course at the High School called The Greater Boston Project, which draws upon English, math, and social studies to examine social movements throughout Boston’s history. The course is being offered for the second year in 2014-15.
A committee for interdisciplinary initiatives (made up of school administrators, teachers, and NEF board members) recommended support for the Da Vinci Workshop and will continue to provide oversight. Preliminary outfitting of the Da Vinci Workshop is expected in the 2014-15 school year. School leaders also are pursuing other private grants and partnerships to further fund the workshop.
Summer Learning Loss Presentation a Hit with Parents
“Summer learning loss” was explored before a standing-room-only crowd at a free NEF-sponsored panel on May 13th. Local experts provided data about summertime loss and offered practical suggestions for keeping skills sharp in math (bring playing cards to the beach or track baseball statistics) and literacy (let kids stay up late to read). They also reminded parents to balance academic achievement with relaxation, exploration, and fun.
Speakers included:
- David Farbman, Senior Researcher at the National Center for Time and Learning
- Joan Kelley, Research Associate and Educational Consultant, Harvard University
- Judith Wojtczak, Math Curriculum/Instructional Leader, Needham Public Schools
- Katy Colthart, Clinician, Needham Youth Services
Needham Education Foundation Awards $46,660 in Spring Grants
The Needham Education Foundation has awarded Spring Grants for ten innovative programs, including a speaker series for parents on the theme of fostering resiliency in children. Three of the grants fund innovative teacher training programs. In all, grants worth $46,660 for the Spring grant cycle were announced at the Needham School Committee meeting on April 29. They include three grants for teacher training to introduce new curriculum and concepts and a lecture series for parents.
Spring grants include funding for:
- Bullying prevention workshop for Newman staff.
- Teaching training for Mitchell 4th and 5th grade teachers and the school’s literary specialist at the Teachers’ College Readers & Writers Project Summer Institute at Columbia University this summer.
- Development of a new Holocaust Unit to be taught to 8th graders and paying for training via “Facing History and Ourselves” to focus on understanding the historical roots of the Holocaust and grappling with ethical and moral questions pertaining to the roots of hatred and oppression.
- A parent lecture series on Fostering Resilience and Social-Emotional Wellness in Needham’s Elementary School-Age Children, with separate speakers scheduled throughout the year.
2014 Spelling Bee
On April 9th, 40 teams came together for the 23rd annual NEF Spelling Bee. Teams included middle and high school students, teachers, parents and local business people, all gathering to test their spelling knowledge. Chyten Test Prep came away as the victors, the most difficult word: “triskaidekaphobia”, which means fear of the number 13. It was a fun-filled evening, with hundreds of spectators cheering on the spellers. As co-chair Denise Bruno said, “It’s a fun community event! It brings so many community members together.”
Here are links to articles that appeared in the local papers:
