Here is the opportunity to start the next school year with a fresh teaching idea!  Apply now for an ACE Teacher Grant up to $250.00 for a project you can begin when the school doors open in September. Go to the “Teacher Grant’ link above to complete the application and submit by June 14th.  Awards will be announced over the summer.

2012 – 2013 Projects Supported by ACE Teacher Grants

Christine Korney from Coggeshall Elementary School in Newport received an ACE Teacher Grant for her classroom project “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish”.  As part of the elementary behavior support classroom, Christine’s students follow a positive reinforcement program that emphasizes taking responsibility for personal actions.  Funded with an ACE grant, Christine engaged students in an ongoing program of personal responsibilities by building and maintaining a classroom aquarium.  In addition, Christine’s students were involved in activities that required scientific, creative and critical thinking about fish biology and aquarium care. 

ACE Teacher Tip! Check it out!  http://www.petsintheclassroom.org/PDF/FIC-Complete-Curriculum.pdf    for classroom aquarium basics, lesson  plans, and ready to use instructional materials.

Cheryl DeMenezes and Kate Sangster from Cranston Calvert School in Newport received funding for “SPOT Groups in the Class”.  Combining their individual areas of expertise, occupational therapy and speech/language pathology, Cheryl and Kate designed instructional activities to support the development of language and fine/visual motor skills in kindergarten students.  The grant money was used to purchase consumable craft materials for the activities.

Keri-Ann McLaughlin, a teacher at Forest Avenue School in Middletown was awarded an ACE Grant to support the inclusion of math and problem solving skills in the “Visiting Our Buddies” project.  Keri’s second graders walk to Forest Farm Adult Day Services once a week to complete community service.  The students use pedometers, purchased with the grant, to gather information about their walk to and from the destination and graph, compare, and interpret the data collected.

Rose Escobar, an art teacher at Portsmouth High School received an ACE Teacher Grant to support the Student Artists Showing Students (SASS) project through which her students learn and practice real life skills of selecting, preparing and advocating for their artistic accomplishments by means of community exhibitions.  In partnership with a local coffee shop, Rose’s students are engaged in building, advertising, and hosting the monthly exhibits.

Diane Sheehan of Cranston – Calvert Elementary School, received funding for the “Projection in the Palm of My Hand” project to purchase technology that allows her to bring art images and events online to students in every classroom.  The enhancement to her instruction increases student understanding and engagement of art and art history.

Barbara Wonderler, a Rogers High School Art teacher received an ACE teacher Grant to support a class visit to the Newport Art museum.  Art 1 students were introduced to their local museum during the annual members show so that the students viewed, reflected and responded to exemplary works of art by living, local artists.

Friday, March 1, 2013

Author & illustrators school visits Friday March 1, 2013

  Saturday, March 2, 2013

Children’s Activities, Author and Illustrator Presenation, Books Sales and Signing

9:30 am – 1:00 pm

O’Hare Academic Center, Salve Regina University

9:30 – 1:00 Children’s Discovery Rooms  

Outer Space,

Once Upon a Time,

Super Heroes

Macaulay’s World a Discovery Zone for middle school age children    

10:00 – 10:45 Presentation by David Macaulay

Book signings

10:00 – 10:45    Ann Hood, Laura Backman , David Biedrzycki

11:00 – 11:45     David Macaulay, Laura Gates Galvin

12:00 – 12:45    Mark Peter Hughes, Marc Tyler Nobleman, Lucinda Landon 

The Reading Room for Young Children Guest Readers

10:00 – 10:30 Laura Gates Galvin

11:00 – 11:30 Laura Backman & Lemon the Duck

This program is made possible by grants from

The Hamilton Family Foundation, Peoples Credit Union, Newport Public Education Foundation,Portsmouth Public Education Foundation, Middletown Education Collaborative

And contributions from

Island Books, Newport Hotel Group, RI United Way Women’s Leadership Council, Viking Tours, Newport Daily News

A Professional Development Series Designed to Meet Teachers’ Needs in the Classroom

This series of 3 interactive workshops will provide classroom teachers with effective strategies they can put to use the very next day!  Teachers will be presented with specific practices to enhance their instruction of linguistically diverse students.

3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

December 6, January 10, & February 25

The Young Building, Salve Regina University

518 Bellevue Ave. Newport, RI

The workshop is free for educators in ACE schools.  Attendance is limited. To reserve your seat for the series e-mail Kitty Rok rokk@salve.edu

Workshop Presenters:  Patricia Morris serves as the RIDE ELL Coordinator. Prior to her current position, Pat was a teacher and administrator in Central Falls for 26 years. Pat has extensive experience in ELL assessment, placement and instruction, including sheltered ELL, Dual Language and ESL support. Pat is a member of the board of RITELL, a frequent presenter at professional conferences and recently co-authored an article on ELL for TESOL Journal (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages)

Dr. Gia Renaud, is an Assistant Professor of Education at Salve Regina University. Dr. Renaud earned her D.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Johnson & Whales University.  Prior to joining the Education Department at Salve Dr. Renaud taught in inclusion classrooms in Fall River elementary schools.

Due to disruptions caused by Hurricane Sandy, ACE is opening another round of Teacher Grants.  Applications for up to $250.00 to support innovate teaching ideas must be submitted on-line by December 17, 2012.

ACE Fall Grants Awarded to Middletown and Newport Educators

Keri-Ann McLaughlin, a teacher at Forest Ave. School in Middletown received an award to purchase pedometers that her students will use on weekly walks to visit their buddies at Forest Farm Adult Day services.  Students will apply math and problem solving skills to interpret, compare, and graph the data from the pedometers.

Christine Korney, a teacher at Coggeshall school in Newport received an award to support a classroom fish tank that her students will maintain.  Christine will involve her students in a variety of learning opportunities through out the project – Students will plan, budget and  purchase the fish and equipment, they will have the daily responsibilities of pet ownership, they will be exposed to  new vocabulary, and learn about the biology of the fish.

Cheryl DeMenezes and Kate Sangster, a SLP and OT at Cranston-Calvert School, received funding  to purchase materials to enrich fine/visual motor learning activities for kindergarten students in 3 co-taught classes throughout the year.

Educate to Innovate: Increasing the Participation and Performance of Students in Science, Technology, Engineering & Math thru Children’s Literature  [k-8]

7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.   November 13, 2012

Middletown High School

Free and open to the public 

 No reservations needed

Mary McCormick, an educational researcher, will share practical ways teachers and parents can engage children in STEM skills using advanced comprehension, problem solving and critical thinking.  She will help you identify engineering problems embedded in your students’ favorite informational and fiction books while addressing the common core.  Before you know it, your students will be engineering solutions for McCloskey’s ducklings, Charlotte’s web or Ron Jones’ acorn people!

Mary McCormick, is a Ph.D. candidate in the Math, Science, Technology and Engineering Education Program at Tufts University.  As part of the Integrating Engineering and Literacy [IEL] research project funded by the National Science Foundation, Mary has worked with teachers to craft activities based on reading comprehension topics tied to both literacy and STEM standards.

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ACE Teacher Grants APPLY Now on-line for an ACE Teacher Grants  Deadline 10/30

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SRU Teacher Scholarships       Jane Gerety, RSM, President of Salve Regina University has once again extended teacher scholarships to ACE teachers. Newport, Middletown and Portsmouth public school teachers should contact their Superintendent’s Office for information.

Teachers from ACE private, parochial and independent entities are invited to apply to ACE for a one course scholarship.  The teacher selected may take any course, graduate or undergraduate during the spring, summer or fall 2013 sessions.   Applications are to be submitted on-line by November 16, 2012. The scholarship award will be announced in December.

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Responding to ELL Students in the General Education Classroom,

3p.m. – 5p.m.  Dec. 6,  Jan. 10,  Feb. 25  Salve Regina University

Join Pat Morris [RIDE] and Dr. Gia Renaud [SRU] as they walk teachers through effective strategies that can be easily implemented to meet the needs of English language learners. Contact Kitty Rok rokk@salve.edu 401-341-3157 for more information

ACE supports teachers across Aquidneck Island.  We encourage you to  take advantage of the resources and opportunities presented by ACE this school year.

ACE Teacher Grants - We provide grants to strengthen teaching & learning.  Do you have an idea for a special  classroom project that could use some funding?  Consider completing the short on-line application. The deadline to submit your application is  Oct. 30, 2012.

SAVE THE DATE! for the  Critical Issues in Education fall lecture, Educate to Innovate: Increasing the Participation and Performance of Students [K - 8] in Science, Technology, Engineering & Math thru Children’s Literature      Please join us on the evening of November 13th from 7:00 – 8:30 at Middletown High School.    Mary McCormick, an educational researcher, will share practical ways teachers and parents can engage children in STEM skills using advanced comprehension, problem solving and critical thinking.  She will help you identify engineering problems embedded in your students’ favorite informational and fiction books while addressing the common core.  Before you know it, your students will be engineering solutions for McCloskey’s ducklings, Charlotte’s web or Ron Jones’ acorn people!

 Mary McCormick, is a Ph.D. candidate in the Math, Science, Technology and Engineering Education Program at Tufts University.  As part of the Integrating Engineering and Literacy [IEL] research project funded by the National Science Foundation, Mary has worked with teachers to craft activities based on reading comprehension topics tied to both literacy and STEM standards. 

This presentation is free and open to the public.  No reservations are needed.    

 ACE is a unique partnership of Aquidneck Island schools spearheaded and coordinated by the Education Department at Salve Regina University.  The ACE Executive Council is composed of representatives from member institutions that work to make ACE a valuable resource for you.  Want to know more?  Talk to your school/district Executive Council member.  

Janet L. Robinson Curriculum Resource Center at SRU McKillop Library

 The CRC summer newsletter  has something for every teacher – the newest titles, films on demand, and  ‘EYEtheseSITES’ links to teaching resource websites. Check it out!   http://library.salve.edu/newsletter/crc/CRCNewsletter.pdf

ACE teachers are granted borrowing privileges to Salve Regina’s McKillop Library and its Janet L. Robinson Curriculum Library, which houses instructional resources, reference materials and teaching kits, including the ACE “History of Aquidneck Island” teaching kits. Teachers must show identification and proof of employment at an ACE school to borrow items.

ACE Educators participated in a  professional development training at Salve Regina University presented by The Millitary Child Education Coalition on May 22, 23.