Have a Great Idea on How to Teach Math? These Teachers Do!

Many teachers have great ideas on how to make their classrooms a better place for their students to learn math.  The teachers’ ideas frequently outrun the budget schools have for supplies and their own ability to subsidize their classroom.  The Somerville Mathematics Fund tries to fill this need through the generosity of their donors:  John Bullock, Jay Landers & Jasper Lawson, and the Apple Tree Fund.  The following teachers won grants to encourage and support mathematics achievement in the classrooms of Somerville.

The Math Fund wants to thank John Bullock for generously underwriting the following teacher grants:

• Julia Allen & Aileene Martinez-Garced, East Somerville Community School Unidos (1st), Classroom Games and Parent Math Day

• Jason Behrens & Basha Goldstein-Weiss, Winter Hill Community Innovation School (K-2, 3-5 afterschool), Child Created Math Games

• Sally Birth, Next Wave (teacher/counselor), Pre-Algebra Curriculum Materials

• Matthew Burch, West Somerville Neighborhood School (5th), Fraction and Decimal Manipulatives

• Jayne Campos, Argenziano School (1st), Classroom Math Rug

• Frances Carino, Winter Hill Community Innovation School (4th), Math Manipulatives and Think Tank Materials

• Michelle Crawford-Cranford, Healey School (4th), Math Games and Activities

• Susanne Douglas, Healey School (4th), Math Interactive Software

• Donna Driscoll, Argenziano & East Somerville Community School (math coach), Family Math Nights

• Sandra Dumas, Brown School (5th), IXL Software

• Janice Fahey-Flynn, Argenzino School (ESL specialist), Math Manipulatives

• Michael Fitzpatrick, St Catherine’s of Genoa School (1st), Problem Solving Activities

• Jane Gardner, Argenziano School (1st), Classroom Math Rug

• Diana Garity, Argenzino School (4th), Math Manipulatives

• Lindsay Garofalo, East Somerville Community School (1st integrated SEIP), Math Night

• Ben Garton, Healey School (3rd & 4th), Math Games

• Rebecca Grunko, Healey School (ESL specialist), Family Game Breakfast & Math Games

• Tzu-Ting (Ting-Ting) Han, Winter Hill Community Innovation School (1st), Math Games and Think Tank Materials

• Denise Marie Lavey, East Somerville Community School (1st, SEIP), Game Night,

• Mary McGivern, Winter Hill Community Innovation School (inclusion teacher), K-2, 3-5 Math Nights

• Maria Medeiros, Winter Hill Community Innovation School (3rd), Dry Erase Boards & Cuisenaire Rods

• Julie Sahlas, Winter Hill Community Innovation School (3rd), Dry Erase Boards & Cuisenaire Rods

The Math Fund wants to thank  Jay Landers and Jasper Lawson for generously underwriting the following teacher grants:

• Hannah de Souza Rodrigues, Argenziano School (3rd Sheltered English Immersion), Classroom Math Rug

• Kristen Ryan, West Somerville Neighborhood School (SMILE), Pre-K, K, 3rd Grade Construction Project

• Tracy Selig, St. Catherine of Genoa School (2nd), Math Manipulatives

The Math Fund wants to thank the Apple Tree Fund for generously underwriting the following teacher grants:

• Kathleen Seward, Brown School (principal for instructional leadership team and PTA), Family Math Night

• Amanda Toro, Winter Hill Community Innovation School (SMILE), Math Manipulatives

• Linda Wiegenfeld, East Somerville Community School (4th), 2-4 Math Night

The Somerville Mathematics Fund, an affiliate of the national scholarship organization Dollars for Scholars, was chartered in 2000 to celebrate and encourage achievement in mathematics in the city of Somerville, Massachusetts.  Over fifteen years, the Somerville Math Fund has awarded $79,640 in teacher grants in the city of Somerville.

In early April, the fund will be seeking applications from students who reside in Somerville for college mathematics scholarships.  Links to the scholarship application form is available at  www.somervillemathematicsfund.org   For more information, to volunteer or to make a tax-deductible contribution, please contact Erica Voolich (617-666-0666 or mathfund@gmail.com).