4 Lakewood Teachers' Requests Get NJ Pandemic Relief Fund Boost
LAKEWOOD, NJ — Wobble chairs to help fidgety students. Amazon Kindle Fire tablets for reading.
Those are just a couple of the items Lakewood teachers have requested through the DonorsChoose program. And now they are getting a boost from the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund, which has promised to match donations to four requests from Lakewood teachers.
The New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund is a nonprofit organization created to address the health and economic crisis in the state caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The matching grants are among $250,000 being offered for teacher projects in underprivileged school districts around the state.
"Teachers know best what their students need to continue learning during this unprecedented time," said First Lady Tammy Murphy, the founding chair of the organization. "We are thrilled to help support teachers at schools with 90 percent or more students receiving free or reduced lunch thus enabling our most vulnerable students to have access to the best educational materials possible."
"We are happy to provide matching grants to give teachers the resources they need to connect with and continue teaching their students," said Josh Weinreich, the organization's CEO.
The projects funded through DonorsChoose range in cost from as little as $154 for a gift card to as much as $4,700 for an Apple Macbook Pro.
Many of the teachers’ proposals are for technology to help students to learn remotely, though teachers are also asking for supplies that can be used in the classroom.
In Lakewood, the district's 6,000 public school students returned to full-day in-person instruction on Sept. 4.
The Lakewood projects being matched are as follows:
Flexible Seating Works, requested by Ms. Bender, a third-grade teacher at Oak Street School. She seeks three wobble chairs, which help students stay focused while reading and learning.
Ignite a LOVE of Reading, requested by Mrs. Banka, a fifth-grade teacher at Oak Street School. She seeks Amazon Kindle Fire tablets for each of her 20 students to allow them to "safely continue exploring various books and comprehension reading materials at a time when immediate sharing of paperback books will be challenging." The goal is to help improve their reading skills by having them able to read extensively.
Future Scientists, requested by Mrs. A, an English Language Learning teacher of second-graders at Oak Street School. She seeks scientists' lab coats to help her students feel like real scientists and keep them engaged as they strengthen their knowledge of the English language through earth, life and physical science studies. "I purchased disposable ones last year and would like to have ones that are washable for year-to-year use."
Listening to our Fired Up Tablets!, requested by Mrs. Kesulak, who teaches third-grade students at Oak Street School who have multiple disabilities. She seeks headphones for her 12 students to pair with Amazon Kindle Fire tablets so they can focus on their math and reading lessons and not get distracted by others in the classroom.
The projects must be funded by Oct. 11 for the teachers to receive their requests.
Laura Overdeck, the founder and president of Bedtime Math and a member of the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund board, said the grant helps ensure that teachers have the tools they need to educate students during the pandemic.
"The diversity of the projects being funded really illustrates the upside of working with DonorsChoose to support our teachers, rather than trying to find a one-size-fits-all solution for classrooms across the state," Overdeck said.
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This article originally appeared on the Lakewood Patch
