Achieve Supports the Work of District Educators
Achieve values the work of the dedicated SOMSD staff! Each year, the Achieve Foundation awards Teacher Grants, Administrator Grants, and Riecke Teaching Fellowships to worthy applicants.
Congratulations to the educators who received one of 36 grants totalling $43,623 in October! Winning grant proposals included technology, software, mental health supports, books and other materials that will help students and staff across miles and laptops.
See a list of all Fall 2020 Teacher Grant Awards HERE.
Educator Grants
Teacher Grants: Achieve’s Educator Grants program inspires teachers to propose innovative projects that will have an impact on the learning experience for their students. Some grants have been catalysts for innovation in the academic program. Any educator in the District may apply for a grant in any amount, with proposals being reviewed by Achieve’s grants committee. Team and interdisciplinary projects are welcome. Proposals must be approved by the applicant’s principal or supervisor and received by the June 30th deadline to be considered.
The Deborah M. Prinz Educator Grants: Application opens November 2, 2020!
Renamed in 2018 to honor Achieve founder Deborah Prinz upon her retirement from the organization, these grants are awarded for special projects that benefit a school, grade level or department. This year, any educator (not just administrators) may apply for funding.
Ideas for application areas include Professional Development, STEAM, Access and Equity, and initiatives in preparation for redistricting.
In December 2019, Achieve awarded nearly $34,000 for 11 projects that impacted an entire grade, school or academic discipline.
| Grant Title | Serving | Recipient | Funded by Achieve |
| One Book/One Grade | 5th Graders Districtwide | Ann Bodnar/Karen Weliand | $6,500.00 |
| 2020 NJ Teen Arts Festival Participation | 9-12 | James Manno | $1,770.00 |
| Mindfulness Education for students, teachers and families | Jefferson | Kim Hutchinson/Angel Rivera | $600.00 |
| Fifth Grade Flexible Seating to Enhance Collaboration | Tuscan | Malikah Majeed | $5,000.00 |
| Mindfulness Mondays | Clinton | Jennifer Connors | $3,255.00 |
| Buckets of Creativity (class-chosen indoor recess materials) | Seth Boyden | Shannon Glander/Sheila Murphy | $5,520.00 |
| Understanding the “Other” through Diverse/Global Literature | Grades 2-12 | Jane Beane-Folkes/Jennifer Latimer | $1,000.00 |
| Parent-School English Language Connection: ESL Classes for Parents | Parents and guardians of English Language Learners (ELLs) in grades K-12 | Ramon Robles/Katie Simpson | $2,874.25 |
| Responsive Classroom PD | Seth Boyden | Shannon Glander/Sheila Murphy | $4,160.00 |
| Anatomy Classroom resource | 12th | Jameel Misbahuddin | $288.00 |
| Advancing Mindfulness at MMS | MMS | Dara Gronau and Guidance Dept. | $3,000.00 |
| $33,967.25 |
DIRECT FUNDING OF GRANTS: After Achieve allocates its funds for Grant awards in the fall, the community is invited to increase the amount granted. Through this Direct Funding process, donors can contribute any amount toward any project on the list of approved grants that were not fully funded. Over the past three years, Direct Funding generated $53,000 of additional support for diverse elementary library materials, technology programs, science labs, musical instruments, school gardens, maker spaces, Model UN programs and more.
Thanks to community support, we raised $8,000 through Direct Funding in January-February 2020 for five exciting educator grants.
Summer Professional Development – Riecke Teaching Fellowship
The Michelle T. Riecke Fellowship supports educators in the SO/M school district who seek to enhance their teaching abilities by funding professional development experiences which introduce new knowledge to use in traditional classroom settings and beyond. To maximize the impact of the fellowship, Riecke recipients are required to share what they have learned with their colleagues. The program has provided $83,500 in fellowships between 2004 and 2020.
The Michelle T. Riecke Teaching Fellowship aims to:
- Nurture the passion for learning among SO/M educators.
- Inspire innovative and creative teaching practices in the classroom setting and beyond.
- Encourage the exchange of new ideas, strategies and materials among educators to maximize the benefit to students.
2020: Kristin Harris, Place-based Service Learning and Sustainability. 2020: Amy Schwinder, RESNA Assistive Technology Professional Online Course and Conference. 2019: Susan Brody and Maggie Tuohy, Hog Island Audubon Camp Educators Week. 2019: Shawana Andrews and Amy Rowe, Teachers College Reading & Writing Summer Institute. 2019: Donna Friedrich, The Neuroscience of Reading, MIT. 2019: Michelle Rhodes, National SEED Project Leaders Week, Wellesley College. 2018: Elana Ris, Supporting Mathematical Discourse in the Classroom, The Bank Street College in New York. 2018: Samantha Selikoff, middle school STEM instructor, Midwest conference of the American Society of Engineering Education. 2018: Claire Sinclair, Training Teachers in Restorative Practices, Bethlehem, PA. 2018: Christy Skawinski, International Literacy Association Conference, Austin, TX. 2017: Yves Hart, Julie Matthews, and Chelsea Olsen, Universal Design for Learning – Social Justice, University of Massachusetts, Boston 2017: Line Marshall, This World Music Summer Study in Cuba, University of Massachusetts, Amherst 2016: Diane Leick, American Speech Language Association (Remote learning) 2016: Kristin Pei and Suzanne Lanzafame, Reading and Writing Project, Columbia Teachers College, NY 2016: Danielle Perrotta, National Science & Technology Association STEM Forum/Expo, Boulder, CO 2016: Claire SInclair, Melissa Koes, Christine Fischetti, Martha O’Connor, Jessica Wheeler, Rebecca Vezza, and Laura Verniero, Handwriting Without Tears, Princeton, NJ 2016: Christy Skawinsky, Summer Institute on the Teaching of Reading, Columbia University Teachers College, NY 2016: W. Scott Stornetta, Drew AP Institute in Computer Science Principles, Madison, NJ 2015: James Cotter, College Board AP Annual Conference in Austin, Texas 2015: Lynn McGlotten and Liz Harris, MathCamp: Integrating the Common Core Shifts Into Math Instruction in New York, N.Y. 2015: Bebe Greenberg and Donna Grohman, Summer Institute at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project in New York 2014: Victoria Schodowski, Universal Design for Learning, Center for Applied Special Technology in Wakefield, Mass. 2014: Debra Cecacci, Elizabeth Frascella, Susan Froelich and Mary Leocata, Authentic Feedback with Grant Wiggins, Authentic Education, in Hopewell, N.J. 2013: Arlene Aguirre and Katherine Fearon: Center for Applied Linguistics’ What’s Different About Teaching Reading to Students Learning English as ELL’s in Washington, D.C. 2013: Mark Richman, College Board AP Summer Institute in Statistics at Middlesex Community College in New Jersey 2012: Mark Harley and Heidi Welner, NASA’s Johnson Space Center Clouds Zero Gravity Program in Houston, Texas (program later postponed by NASA) 2011: Ann Bodnar, Joseph Ferriero, Yolande Fleming, Shea Levin and Marian Power, NCTM Algebra Readiness for Every Student Institute in Baltimore, Md. 2010: Patricia O’Connell, Scholastic Read 180 National Summer Institute in Nashville, Tenn. 2010: Phillip Lester, National At-Risk Conference (March 6-9, 2011) in Savannah, Ga. 2009: Mary Brancaccio: Creative Non-Fiction: Telling the Truth at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y. 2009: Cathrine Evans, Maureen Davenport, Sue Donatelli, Kathy Shelffo and Lisa Heumann, Responsive Classroom Institute in New York, N.Y. 2008: Bebe Greenberg, Donna Grohman and Jennifer Smalletz, The August Institute on the Teaching of Writing at Columbia University, New York, N.Y. 2006: Peter Trebour and Thomas Whitaker, Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Conference in San Diego, Calif. 2005: Noah Brauner, Computer-Aided Design Technology at New York School of Visual Arts in New York, N.Y. 2005: Kate Pfiefer, Counseling in Culturally Diverse Communities, Minuchin Center for the Family in New York, N.Y. 2004: Eve Kingsbury, Angela Medise and Valerie Sharp, National Differentiated Instruction Conference in Las Vegas, Nev.
Administrator Grants Awarded:
$165,500
for 49 grants from 2004-2020
Teacher Grants Awarded:
$1,035,650
for 1,039 grants from 1999-2020
Reicke Fellowships:
$83,500
for 68 educators from 2004-2020
Guidelines and Criteria for Achieve Foundation Teacher Grants
10 Tips for Writing a Successful Achieve Foundation Grant Application
Tips on Creating an Itemized Budget Teacher Grant Application
Achieve Volunteer Tutor Program
Achieve’s acclaimed tutoring program improves the academic performance of children who are struggling with their schoolwork, by pairing them with adult and peer volunteers. Begun in 1997, the initiative based on the notion that free tutoring, offered by trained volunteers, might help many children, who otherwise would not be able to afford this service, to advance toward their full academic potential. District teachers refer students, who they believe would benefit from the help of a volunteer tutor.
Last year, over 350 adult volunteer and student tutors were trained to assist more than 350 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Achieve’s tutors help students overcome academic challenges and gain confidence. Moreover, the students who serve as Achieve tutors reinforce their own learning and develop leadership skills. Achieve’s Volunteer Tutor Program coordinator, Amy Forman, ably manages the program and arranges tutor-tutee matches. Teachers in the school district lead required training workshops and supervise tutoring sites in district schools.
Testimonials
