New Web Site Offers Help with Science Fair Projects

Scotch Brand and Discovery Education have partnered to launch a Web site dedicated to helping students, parents, educators, and coordinators prepare science fair projects and, in fact, entire science fairs.

Scotch Science Fair Central, located at www.scotchsciencefair.com, is divided into three sections: Getting Started, Projects, and Presentations. The site provides a number of tools for the various participants, including a database of project ideas and how to locate available resources; a worksheet for students to plan projects, take inventory of resources, and follow a project from conception to implementation; a presentation guide featuring display guidelines and insight on what judges look for; and a comprehensive checklist for science fair coordinators to make sure their fairs run smoothly.

Discounted Educational Software Available

Through a new initiative called Technical Learning Solutions (TLS), we are able to offer schools educational software at an average discount of 40%.

You can order software through this program by visiting the FAMIS portal or www.shopdoe.com.

To order through FAMIS, click on “Contracted,” then “E-Catalog,” then “TLS – Educational Software.”

To order through shopdoe.com, enter your e-mail address, choose “Computer Software” from the drop-down menu, click on “TLS – Educational Software,” place the software you want to order in your cart, and e-mail the card to the person who places orders for your school.

For additional information, visit http://schools.nyc.gov/Offices/DCP/BuyingTools/TLS, call (718) 935-3205, or e-mail software@schools.nyc.gov.

Gifts, Gifts and More Gifts!

The House and the Senate recently vied for the right to bestow a greater sum on the education community which is particularly good news as schools devise ways to tighten their collective belts in the wake of the current economic downturn.

Following are some ongoing federal grants and a few private donors that could bring joy to your hearts and keep you busy as bees as a result of a monetary Valentine's kiss!

• National Science Foundation promotes the progress of science and advances scientific knowledge in K-12 institutions.
• Twenty-First Century Grant funding is used to simulate before- and after-school programs.
• Title 1 funding are monies directed at helping high-poverty schools.
• Carl Perkins Funding are funds that lean heavily toward vocational skills.
• Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) grant is focused on ensuring a technologically literate student from grade school through high school.

The Fund for Public Schools Awards Library REACH Grants to Bronx Schools

The Fund for Public Schools has awarded Library REACH (Revitalizing Education for Adolescents and Children) grants to four Bronx schools. Schools applied for the grants last fall, and may request up to $10,000 each for library improvement projects. In the past, these projects have ranged from new computers and SMART Boards to updated book collections and comfortable couches and rug areas for students.

Library REACH grants are awarded annually, and are supported by Shop for Public Schools, a week-long partnership between New York City's public schools and the retail community. This year's Library REACH grants were also supported by Lexmark, Polo Ralph Lauren, and other corporate and foundation partners. To date, the Fund for Public Schools has awarded over 200 REACH grants, improving school libraries that serve over 150,000 students.

We congratulate the following recipients of this year's Library REACH grants:

• (07X005) PS 5 Port Morris Elementary School
  
• (08X100) PS 100 Isaac Clason Elementary School
  
• (08X560) Bronx Academy High School
• (10X439) Bronx High School for Law and Justice
  

Classroom Learning 2.0

Visit Classroom Learning 2.0 for a free professional-development tutorial on Web 2.0 tools.

Students Who Serve: A call to schools. Enter now.

The folks at SMART Technologies like to encourage you to get students excited about giving back to the community. So they're reaching out to teachers across the nation, inviting you to participate in the Students Who Serve Promotion. You could win a classroom technology package worth over US$12,000.

To enter, send them a lesson activity, created with SMART Notebook software, that teaches students the value of community service. You could focus on any related topic - how about the role of volunteerism in American history? Or what about a profile of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.?

Then show them how your students took action. They're looking for lessons that get students up and moving. So part two of your entry involves telling them about the fruits of your labor. Show them how your students learned from the lesson and tell us what action they took. They'd really like to hear about the people they helped.

To learn more, visit http://smarttech.com/studentswhoserve/index.html

McGraw-Hill: Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education

The 2009 Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education will be awarded to three individuals who have addressed innovation and education, focusing on the whole child, in one of three broad categories: professional development and teacher education (in school, only); pre-K-, elementary- and secondary-level education programs (in and out of school); and policy maker.

Maximum award: $25,000.

Eligibility: policy makers, leaders in higher education, and school-based
personnel.

Deadline: March 20, 2009. Click here for more information.