One Windsor teacher is getting some help making a lasting impact on students.
The Retired Educators of New York (RENY) has awarded Palmer Elementary 1st Grade teacher Sheri Abdullah a $1,000 grant to fund her purchase of math manipulatives for students.
“The math manipulatives will provide students with concrete representations of the mathematical concepts that we will be teaching. We should have these materials when school begins in September,” said Abdullah.
In her grant, Abdullah wrote that the COVID-19 pandemic increased gaps in learning for students, and sees this program as a way to close those gaps. Abdullah and fellow teachers Janice Sutphin and Lindsey Hendricks collaborated on the idea for the grant.
“One of the things we looked at was the impact it would have on students, and hopefully a lasting one instead of a one-shot deal,” said Gerardo Tagliaferri, President of RENY Southern Zone. “We were unanimous that her project was the best. When we went through the rubrics and looked through the scores, it was clear that hers was the best.”
A Tier 3 interventionist will use the math kits to help students in Windsor's three elementary schools master essential standards that have not been mastered in previous grades. A Tier 3 intervention can mean small-group, or individual support for a student.
“We are very excited to get number racks, ten frames and fraction sets into students’ hands. These tools will help to deepen our students understanding of number concepts,” said Abdullah.