PTO Mini-Grants 2021-22
Dear Bowen Community,
Thank you for continuing to support Bowen. Every year you help by contributing to the community by volunteering; donating time, money, and resources; and by participating in our events. Your help allows the PTO to run programs like Creative Arts and Sciences, Safe Routes to School, Bowen Moves, the raffle, and so much more. What you do and who you are makes this community so warm, caring, and vibrant.
Some of your donations are used for the mini-grant program. The PTO is excited to report back on the over $1800 given out in teacher-initiated projects this year. Please take some time to read through the thank you notes below, written by Bowen staff about the impact these programs have had in their classrooms. It’s your participation in the Bowen PTO that makes this possible. THANK YOU!
Resources for ELL
We want to extend our gratitude for purchasing some new games for our ELL classroom! One way we are using these games is to help support students’ social-emotional needs by helping them to develop friendships with their classmates while also practicing social language skills. In addition, the toy family figures and animals that were purchased are helping students to enhance language learning and vocabulary development. The students have been very excited to explore these new materials and we are seeing students use more language while engaged with the games. Thank you for this important addition to our classroom!
The Bowen ELL Team
Caryn Fitzgerald, Marla (Yanovitch) Sweeney, Mayumi Tamaki
Skill-building Supplies
I want to thank the PTO for supporting Bowen’s PEHW and purchasing some much needed new equipment for our program. We’ve been able to use all of the equipment purchased in various ways to support our lessons and ensure all students find success with a skill or activity. This is the first year I’ve had this many students in K-2 be able to add their names to a jump club for 5,10,or 15 consecutive jumps. I have no doubt this was due to offering more equipment choice to help them find success.
Alex Smith PEHW Teacher
3 Different Requests for Alternative Seating
I’d like to thank the PTO for funding flexible seating options for our classroom. Students love to sit on the comfy grey chairs during lessons on the rug and independent reading or ST Math time. They are so popular, we have a daily rotation of who can sit on them. The chairs provide comfort and support when sitting on the rug for an enhanced learning experience. We are also grateful for the wobble cushion that students can sit on when feeling fidgety and need to let some energy out. Both seating options help students stay focused and engaged during academic times. Thank you!
Adina Levitt, Grade 4
We are so grateful for the PTO grant that allowed us to purchase three wobble stools. One way we use the wobble stools is for flexible seating during mini lessons to help support students’ attention and participation. In addition, the wobble stools are used during reading groups, math workshops, and writers workshops. The students are always so excited to use the wobble stools, throughout the day I see them safely “speed walking” to sit on them.
Thank you so much for this wonderful addition to our classroom!!
2B Students and Ms. Burgos
The third grade is loving their new equipment to support their attention and self-regulation. One third grader sits on a wiggle stool at his desk and reports, “It is comfortable and wiggly so I get my work done easier.” Another third grader reports, “I can wiggle and it helps me concentrate.” A third grader who uses a kick band on the legs of their chair reports, “I like to kick it when I’m listening to the teacher and it helps me focus.”
Amanda Caramanica
Fundations Resources
The first-grade team and students are grateful to the PTO for funding the purchase of additional Fundations materials. The Trick Words cards have been very useful in helping first graders build automaticity in reading. They love flipping through the cards to see how quickly they can read the words. Students use the Word of the Day cards to play games and practice marking up the words.We are able to use the Fundations Posters flipchart in small groups to review and practice different skills we have learned in class.
Thank you for your support!
Helen Peters/Megan Swaim, Suzie Noyes, and Janet Lee – First Grade Teachers
