Ilsa Gottlieb

The Bedford Education Foundation (BEF) is a community-based group dedicated to encouraging classroom creativity and innovation in the Bedford Schools. Bedford is blessed with a well-supported, fiscally responsible school system. Currently, Bedford's active school based parent organizations, BEST and the middle and high school PTOs, and interest based parent groups, i.e. POMS, SEPAC, and the Bedford Athletic Association, offer much support to the schools. While working collaboratively with these groups, it is the BEF's goal to provide additional resources for teacher initiatives.

Since our inception in 2008, we have raised nearly $40,000 in teacher grants that included SMARTBoard scanners, laptops, robotics, the Wilson Language System, Cattail corner science equipment, SMARTBoard at Lane, LCD projector, Bone Clones, Senteo Interactive Response System, RISE materials, Physical Education equipment, Music program equipment, flip video cameras, Shakespeare performance, Boston Lyric Opera, World maps, Kindle reader, digital cameras, Labquest devices, Audobon guides, foreign language programs and literature, reading scanner, high school engineering supplies, heart monitors, and more! We hope to continue to support the teachers and raise money this year to embellish the education for all schools in Bedford.

With President Kate Desjardins, I hope you decide to offer your skills to make this effort a success. Volunteers are welcome.

Sincerely,
Ilsa Gottlieb

LETTERS

We appreciate these letters of thanks:

"Dear BEF,

On behalf of the students, staff and faculty of John Glenn Middle School, I would like to thank you for your generous support of our academic initiatives, past and present.  I was in Social Studies class the day Allison Hammer unveiled the early human skulls; the kids thoroughly enjoyed their investigation using them.  I also know that Karen Burstein has big plans for use of the Senteo Interactive Response System. It is clear to everyone involved in education that to learn and develop one needs the knowledge and inspiration of people who are thinking beyond daily demands and have the potential to influence the lives of our students.

Sincerely,

Jayne

P. Jayne Viladenis, Principal JGMS"

"Thanks to a generous grant from the Bedford Educational Foundation we obtained a mobile science cart with eleven digital microscopes, three laptops and a growing collection of seeds, coins, feathers and insects for students to examine. In the computer lab, first graders are fully immersed in 21st century learning using a science technology program called Motic Play. Motic Play combines the science tool of a microscope with kid friendly software. Students can “ capture” images from their digiscope on a desktop computer, keep an album of their work, peruse their album, and then write directly on the images. This technology tool helps children develop science inquiry skills, specifically the power of observation. With the digiscope, children can view and hold an image and then revisit it at a later time to explore in depth. Students work as partners to share the tasks of focusing the microscopes and writing labels on the images. These lessons are team taught by the classroom teachers and Sue Collins, our Technology Integration Specialist. Over time each child has the opportunity to try both jobs and learn all the features inherent in the software. This opens up a myriad of learning opportunities for students to write about what they observed adding a literacy component to the lesson. Motic Play offers developmentally appropriate, relevant science and technology learning for our young students."

Phil Banios, Principal Davis School