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Randolph Foundation for Education hands out grants for teachers


Click here for original article in the Randolph Journal-Sun, Jan. 21, 2020

The Randolph Foundation for Education (RFE) presented four checks totaling more than $2,200 to four Randolph Public School teachers at an award ceremony at Town Hall.

The checks were for the RFE’s “Teacher Mini-Grant” program, which funds teacher’s classroom expenses that are outside of the school budget.

Melissa Martinez, a teacher at the Young Elementary School, received a grant for $554.87 for her Grade 2 & 3 Listening Center. The grant will allow Martinez to purchase additional printed copies of books to supplement the audiobooks already in use in the classroom.

“The Learning Center will help my English Language Learners read and understand what they’re learning,” said Martinez, who said that ELL students benefit by following along in a printed text, with one copy per student, but audiobooks only come with one printed copy per audiobook. Up until now, Martinez, “I am often visiting several libraries in order to obtain multiple copies of books.”

The Teacher Mini-Grant program was initiated as the first program of the Randolph Foundation for Education at its founding in 2017, with the first awards granted in the spring semester of 2018.

“This sort of creative teaching is often paid for by teachers contributing cash out of their own pockets,” said RFE President Jesse Gordon. “Our goal is to let every teacher in Randolph know that, when they see a need for something to help with their students learning, that they can come to us to help, instead of paying themselves.”

Gordon noted that almost every elementary school teacher pays personally for classroom expenses, and a major purpose of the RFE is to alleviate those costs.

The other grants awarded in this round include:

• Susan Rudden Horgan, Young School, grade 2, $350 for Enrichment Mentor Connected Text
• Alexa Rigali, Randolph High School English Department, $570 for Grade 10 ELA MCAS Bootcamp
• Christin Brink, Young School Special Ed, $789 for “Grade K-5 GROW Program”
The Randolph Foundation solicits donations from private sources to fund Randolph’s public schools.

“We have been fundraising in December from Randolph businesses, and have seen a generous response,” said RFE Director Judy Conway. “Our local businesses recognize the value of helping schools in their town.”

Conway said all businesses and individuals can donate by sending a tax-deductible check to the RFE at P.O. Box 530, Randolph MA, 02368.

Donor businesses during December include: The Randolph Animal Hospital (South Main Street), Todd Sandler Realtors (North Main Street), D & H Multi-Services LLC (North Main Street) and Shaw’s Supermarket (Crawford Square).

Photos: Mary Barrett, RFE board member; Judy Conway, RFE director; Melissa Martinez, Young School teacher; Jesse Gordon as Santa Claus, RFE president