Newton Schools Foundation

Advancing Excellence and Equity in Newton Public Schools

CONTACT Donate
  • About
    • Overview
    • Impact
    • Board & Staff
    • Join Our Team
  • Educators
  • Support
    • Ways to Give
    • Annual Appeal
    • Boston Marathon
    • Honor Thy Teacher
    • The Calculus Project
    • Trivia Night!
    • Volunteer
  • News
  • Contact
Using a Trauma Informed and Culturally Responsive Approach for Behavioral Interventions

Using a Trauma Informed and Culturally Responsive Approach for Behavioral Interventions

This project will extend training provided through a 2023 NSF grant to increase the knowledge and skills of staff in selecting and implementing behavior interventions that are Trauma Informed, Culturally Responsive, and Neurodivergent positive. Many …

READ MORE

Using a Trauma Informed and Culturally Responsive Approach for Behavioral Interventions

This project will extend training provided through a 2023 NSF grant to increase the knowledge and skills of staff in selecting and implementing behavior interventions that are Trauma Informed, Culturally Responsive, and Neurodivergent positive. Many practices used to address students’ behavioral challenges are no longer appropriate because they do not consider the cultural variables, cognitive variations, or potential trauma histories of students. This project will allow NPS to target professional training and support to specific staff (with a focus on Unit C staff) to ensure that they have the skills and knowledge to select and implement interventions that are Trauma Informed, Culturally Responsive, and Neurodivergent positive.

Applicant: James Ellis

Schools: District Wide

Date Approved: Spring 2024

Amount: $8,350

Igniting a Writing Revolution

We will conduct a book-study on “The Writing Revolution 2.0,” with the aim of developing consistent writing scaffolds that can be explicitly taught in the special ed. classroom and generalized to the general ed. setting. 

Igniting a Writing Revolution

We will conduct a book-study on “The Writing Revolution 2.0,” with the aim of developing consistent writing scaffolds that can be explicitly taught in the special ed. classroom and generalized to the general ed. setting. 

Applicant: Caitlin Irwin

Schools: Oak Hill & District Special Ed. Programs

Date Approved: Spring 2024

Amount: $245

Psychology Department Book Study

Psychologists will continue our goal of reducing bias in assessment & counseling by reading over the summer and meeting in the fall to discuss and apply learnings in order to design more inclusive comprehensive evaluation …

READ MORE

Psychology Department Book Study

Psychologists will continue our goal of reducing bias in assessment & counseling by reading over the summer and meeting in the fall to discuss and apply learnings in order to design more inclusive comprehensive evaluation and counseling processes. Earlier this year we read Systemic Racism and Educational Measurement: Confronting Injustice in Testing, Assessment, and Beyond, and met with the author for discussion. This led to additional thoughtful departmental discussions about bias in psychological assessments, and allowed us to review our practices and to collaborate on best practices for inclusive, comprehensive assessment and counseling practices which creates more educational equity for all students. We want to continue this work.

Applicant: Jordanna L'Esperance & Toni-Marie Kelly

Schools: District Wide

Date Approved: Spring 2024

Amount: 1,000

Including Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students in Middle School General Music

DHH students in the general music classroom pose a unique challenge. All activities related to listening need to have additional visual and tactile components. We want to provide more percussion activities and instruction. We are …

READ MORE

Including Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students in Middle School General Music

DHH students in the general music classroom pose a unique challenge. All activities related to listening need to have additional visual and tactile components. We want to provide more percussion activities and instruction. We are bringing music education- a historically hearing based activity- to deaf and hard of hearing students through visualization, vibration, and physicality. Like all adaptive lessons, these adaptations will also benefit hearing students by being more multisensory and multimodal learning activities.

Applicant: Jaime Alberts

Schools: Bigelow

Date Approved: Fall 2023

Amount: $1,225

Cultural Kaleidoscope: Researching, Designing, and Promoting the District’s Monthly Heritage Celebration Resource

A few years ago, DEI began the Monthly Heritage Celebration document, and going forward, I’ll expand it for the District. This resource helps educators, students, and families as they look for ways to celebrate and …

READ MORE

Cultural Kaleidoscope: Researching, Designing, and Promoting the District’s Monthly Heritage Celebration Resource

A few years ago, DEI began the Monthly Heritage Celebration document, and going forward, I'll expand it for the District. This resource helps educators, students, and families as they look for ways to celebrate and learn about different heritages. Activities I will engage in include: evaluating needs assessment, setting a timeline, researching and curating resources, evaluating for quality and inclusivity, organizing the document, managing copyrights, designing layout, gathering feedback, promoting awareness, evaluating impact, and planning for long-term sustainability and growth.

Applicant: Eileen Keane

Schools: District Wide

Date Approved: Fall 2023

Amount: $1,600

Futuring: Developing the Next Strategic Plan for the Newton Public Schools

After a 4-part session to develop a Profile of a Newton Graduate, the district and stakeholder groups will work to develop a 3-5 year strategic plan for the district. The entire school community would be …

READ MORE

Futuring: Developing the Next Strategic Plan for the Newton Public Schools

After a 4-part session to develop a Profile of a Newton Graduate, the district and stakeholder groups will work to develop a 3-5 year strategic plan for the district. The entire school community would be affected and enhanced by a new strategic plan, but we aspire to 50 community members participating in the stakenolder engagement part of strategic planning.

Applicant: Anna Nolin

Schools: District Wide

Date Approved: Fall 2023

Amount: $16,800

No Red Ink: Personalized Grammar Instruction

No Red Ink is an engaging and pedagogically valuable tool for Grade 8 grammar instruction. It allows for differentiated grammar instruction and evaluation. We have seen its utility first hand for the past six months, …

READ MORE

No Red Ink: Personalized Grammar Instruction

No Red Ink is an engaging and pedagogically valuable tool for Grade 8 grammar instruction. It allows for differentiated grammar instruction and evaluation. We have seen its utility first hand for the past six months, and want to renew the license. Students' English grammar skills are widely varied, and with historically large class sizes in this year's 8th grade, providing targeted instruction for all students is quite a challenge, even for our veteran ELA team. Some families afford tutors to boost skills, and/or have native English family members at home, while others rely solely upon our instruction. No Red Ink allows us to tailor grammar instruction, which helps with engagement and skills growth overall.

Applicant: Becky Cohen

Schools: Brown

Date Approved: Fall 2023

Amount: $3,500

Professional Development and Alignment in Anti-Biased, Culturally Responsive Assessment for Psychologists

Book study of Systemic Racism and Educational Measurement Confronting Injustice in Testing, Assessment, and Beyond, by Dr. Michael Russell, culminating in meeting with the author in the spring and application of what is learned in …

READ MORE

Professional Development and Alignment in Anti-Biased, Culturally Responsive Assessment for Psychologists

Book study of Systemic Racism and Educational Measurement Confronting Injustice in Testing, Assessment, and Beyond, by Dr. Michael Russell, culminating in meeting with the author in the spring and application of what is learned in future years. Over the course of the spring of 2024 and the 2024-25 school year, the psychologists will read Dr. Russell’s book, participate in book groups designed to apply the learning to their own work, and will discuss as a department additional measures, statements, and methods to be added or changed in order to reduce the inherent systemic and build-in bias in assessment. The department will invite Dr. Russell to join for some part of the discussion.

Applicant: Laurie Paul, Jordanna L’Esperance, Toni-Marie Kelly

Schools: District Wide

Date Approved: Fall 2023

Amount: $4,037

Consultant on Anti-Ableism Work

Bring on regional expert to support w. engagement w. the district to leverage work of developing anti-ableist lens across district. Betsy Johnson would engage with the district in developing a critical lens through which to …

READ MORE

Consultant on Anti-Ableism Work

Bring on regional expert to support w. engagement w. the district to leverage work of developing anti-ableist lens across district. Betsy Johnson would engage with the district in developing a critical lens through which to examine our current practices for evidence of ableism. Once we can root ableism, we can work to dismantle it so we eliminate/minimize impact of unintended discrimination caused by implicit biases. This would lead to more equitable educational experiences for all students.

Applicant: Casey Ngo-Miller

Schools: District Wide

Date Approved: Fall 2023

Amount: $1,170

NPS Mental Health Summit

We held a district-wide Summit on 10/17, which was well-received. Feedback was so strong that we are looking to provide another SEL Summit in Spring 2024 based upon the significant and consistent needs of both …

READ MORE

NPS Mental Health Summit

We held a district-wide Summit on 10/17, which was well-received. Feedback was so strong that we are looking to provide another SEL Summit in Spring 2024 based upon the significant and consistent needs of both students and staff. During a particularly tough landscape with ongoing contract negotiations and work stoppage, over 100 (that’s almost 90%) mental health professionals attended the Summit. The feedback received was they wanted to come for their own development professionally but also their own emotional health. Post-pandemic support has been very hard on our providers.

Applicant: Casey Ngo-Miller

Schools: Districtwide

Date Approved: Fall 2023

Amount: $6,000

Middle School Students MakeMusic

Supporting student subscriptions to MakeMusic, a web-based instructional technology that fosters the musical growth of students enrolled in middle school choral & instrumental ensembles and aids teachers in leading more efficient ensemble rehearsals. Beyond the …

READ MORE

Middle School Students MakeMusic

Supporting student subscriptions to MakeMusic, a web-based instructional technology that fosters the musical growth of students enrolled in middle school choral & instrumental ensembles and aids teachers in leading more efficient ensemble rehearsals. Beyond the original NSF grant in 2019-20, MakeMusic was funded by the district, cut from the FY24 budget due to budget cuts. The current subscriptions end on November 9th. This request is intended as a stopgap measure to maintain access to the student subscriptions for all students enrolled in music ensembles at each middle school. The timeline would mean a temporary pause in student subscriptions until NSF funding decisions are made in December. No other funding sources have been identified.

Applicant: Richard King

Schools: Middle School

Date Approved: Fall 2023

Amount: $14,578

Career Day

This is a preventive mental health and community engagement event. Community members volunteer to speak about their career field. Students are surveyed about their fields of interest and then scheduled to hear from the most …

READ MORE

Career Day

This is a preventive mental health and community engagement event. Community members volunteer to speak about their career field. Students are surveyed about their fields of interest and then scheduled to hear from the most relevant speakers.   This is a preventive mental health  program designed to give students a  hopeful and an optimistic outlook of their own futures, which has been identified as one of the 40 Developmental Assets. By  ensuring a diverse range of speaker backgrounds, we are aiming to have professional mentors that represent  the diversity of our student body. This is also a community engagement opportunity for middle school students to connect in a meaningful way with positive role models.

Applicant: Jackie Mann

Schools: Day MS

Date Approved: Fall 2023

Amount: $2,000

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »

Newton Schools Foundation
P.O. Box 590020
Newton, MA 02459

info@newtonschoolsfoundation.org

Committee Resource Center

Join Our Email List

Copyright © 2025 Newton Schools Foundation
Site Credits

  • About
    ▲
    • Overview
    • Impact
    • Board & Staff
    • Join Our Team
  • Educators
  • Support
    ▲
    • Ways to Give
    • Annual Appeal
    • Boston Marathon
    • Honor Thy Teacher
    • The Calculus Project
    • Trivia Night!
    • Volunteer
  • News
  • Contact