Enfield Foundation for Excellence in Education www.efeeofenfield.org

Funding Inspired Educators Transforming the Enfield Education Experience

Newsletter: February 12, 2014

IN THIS UPDATE * Connecticut Invention Convention – judges, sponsors and community awards needed * Enfield Idol * No-Show Gala Auction * EFEE Scholarship * Educator Appreciation Certificates * Show your Support * Enfield Public Schools Payroll Deduction Option * Grant Spotlight – Kindergarten Learning Stations

Connecticut Invention Convention program is underway! As you have probably heard, EFEE, in partnership with the Enfield Public Schools, Educational Resources for Children and the Enfield Child Development Center to bring the Connecticut Invention Convention (“CIC”) curriculum to Enfield intermediate and middle school students. There are currently more than 240 kids participating in the program either in the classroom or during after school clubs. On March 22, approximately 100 of those students will participate in an Enfield Community Invention Convention. The purpose of the event is to bring together our creative students and showcase their talents where they can be celebrated for their commitment to entrepreneurship and ingenuity. During the event, 10 of our students will be chosen to represent Enfield at the CIC State event, which will take place on Saturday, May 3, 2014 at Gampel Pavilion on the UConn Storrs Campus. There, our student representative will compete with like-minded students from across the State for prizes, which include major corporate acknowledgments and, in some cases, patents for their invention!

Community Involvement: There are three ways YOU can help make this successful!

1) EFEE is looking for 9 individuals from our community to participate in this year’s local event as judges. Our community judges will be paired with an educator judge and training will be provided the morning of the event – no special skills, ability or prior experience is necessary to be a community judge.

2) We are also looking for businesses and organizations who would like to present a

“community” award to one or more of our student inventors. Your organization or business can determine the award criteria and provide a modest award to a student who best meets your chosen award criteria. This is a great way to showcase your business or organization, as you not only get advertising exposure, but have the opportunity to share about an issue important to your cause, business or industry.

3) Putting together a program like this requires a significant amount of funding. We are

looking for individual and business sponsors for the Invention Convention initiative. The funding collected through sponsorships is applied toward our budget for materials, training, awards, supplies and other necessities to run a superlative program, which these superlative students deserve for their efforts. This is another great opportunity to demonstrate your support for innovation in education.

Please visit EFEE’s webpage for more information about these opportunities.

Enfield Foundation for Excellence in Education Newsletter: February 12, 2014

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EFEE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Shannon Grant President Roberta Ladd Vice President Fundraising Ellen Platt Vice President Fundraising Sandy Donelan Secretary John Foxx April Mattoon Sean McGuire Mathew Post Lisa Rogers Elizabeth Windsor-Post Ex officio: Scott Kaupin Town Council [Pending] Board of Education Amy Witbro Enfield Public Schools

Enfield Idol Planning for Enfield Idol 2014 is in the works. Enfield residents (11 years old or older) interested in participating in our 2014 program will need to audition to participate. Audition dates and details about the event this year will be posted on our website and our Enfield Idol Facebook page within the next few days. There are a couple changes being made, which will further improve our event experience for both the contestants and our attendees!

No-Show Gala Auction EFEE will host its inaugural goods and services online auction “No-Show Gala Auction” from April 20 to May 15, 2014. Get dressed up in your high heels (or your slippers, your choice) in the comfort of your home and place bids for items and services up for auction to benefit our local Invention Convention Program and EFEE’s scholarship fund. We have items coming in every day, with donation commitments to date from the award-winning Frank Pepe’s Pizza, Feng Restaurant, the Boston Red Sox and New York Giants. Instructions on how to bid and a complete list of auction items will be posted on EFEE’s website in the coming weeks.

EFEE Scholarships We are proud to offer our first EFEE scholarship this year. One Enfield High School senior and one Enrico Fermi High School senior will receive a scholarship award of $1,000 to defray the cost of their post-secondary education. Students must be committed to attend a post-secondary program at least one year in length and must demonstrate how his/her chosen field of study is creative, innovative and/or state of the art. Awards will be determined based on the following: Personal Essay (50%); Recommendation (20%); Application (15%); Resume (10%);

Class Rank/GPA (5%). Interested students can pick up a scholarship application in the school guidance office.

Educator Appreciation Cards Teacher Appreciation Week is May 5th through May 9th. From April 14th through May 2nd, EFEE will sell Teacher Appreciation Certificates. For a donation of at least $5, you can send a special message of appreciation to an educator or school staff member in Enfield who has made a difference in your child’s life. During Teacher Appreciation Week, the teacher or staff member will receive a beautiful certificate bearing your appreciative message. EFEE will award two prizes to teachers who receive certificates: one to the teacher or staff member who receives the most (in quantity) certificates, and all teachers and staff who receive a certificate will be entered into a raffle for the second prize. A webpage will be added to EFEE’s website where you can purchase the certificates.

Enfield Foundation for Excellence in Education Newsletter: February 12, 2014

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Show your Support There are many ways community members, businesses and organizations can help EFEE. Donating to our Invention Convention program is easy. EFEE set up a crowdsourcing website where donations and sponsorships are being collected: http://www.gofundme.com/6o89hk As in years past, we are selling advertisements in our Enfield Idol programs. The price for an ad in our program remains the same this year: $35 for a business card ad, $60 for a half-page and $100 for a full page ad. We are collecting ads now through April 11th. In the past two years, we have had over 240 attendees at each of our Enfield Idol events. Your business will receive great exposure in our program, during our pre-show slide show and on our website. Email info@efeeofenfield.org for information about purchasing ad space. If you cannot make a monetary donation to EFEE, perhaps you would be willing to make an in-kind donation of goods or services toward our online auction? Items and gift certificates are always appreciated, as are themed baskets. Perhaps you have a special talent, such as cooking, sewing, gardening or photography? Maybe you are able to offer something special, like a ride to school in a fire truck, lunch with a favorite EPS staff member, VIP priority seating to an event, for example. We are happy to talk with you about something you have in mind. Email info@efeeofenfield.org.

Enfield Public Schools Payroll Deduction Option Enfield Public School teachers and staff contributed more than $1,000 to EFEE in 2013 through the automatic payroll deduction program. We, again, want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who chose to donate through this program. A combined effort of small donations over time goes a long way toward helping achieve EFEE’s mission and bring valuable programs to your students. Thank you! Enfield Public Schools employees have the option to automatically donate a portion of their pay to EFEE. This new initiative will make donating within the school system seamless. Additionally, EFEE is a non-profit corporation, and as such, your donations are considered charitable contributions for tax purposes. Employees may enroll or terminate their contributions to EFEE at any time.

Grant Spotlight: Kindergarten Discovery Centers All Enfield Primary Schools

Grade: Kindergarten

In September 2013, EFEE, in collaboration with Key Initiatives to Early Education (KITE) and the PTOs from each of Enfield’s four Primary-level schools, created an account available to the Kindergarten teachers to purchase materials for project or theme-based learning stations in the classrooms. With the implementation of full day kindergarten, came curriculum changes to meet the needs of our young students. Real world learning through dramatic play is used in the classroom to reinforce academic concepts. These discovery centers provide accessible opportunities for our students.

Enfield Foundation for Excellence in Education Newsletter: February 12, 2014

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EFEE’s Mission: The mission of the Enfield Foundation for Excellence in Education is to collect and maintain funds, and distribute those funds through grants to support innovative projects and programs that enhance education for the benefit of the children of Enfield. The Enfield Foundation for Excellence in Education facilitates collaborative partnerships that advance education excellence and endeavors to promote a proprietary sense of pride within the Enfield community.

Contact us at:

Enfield Foundation for Excellence in Education

P.O. Box 146

Enfield, CT 06083-0146

info@efeeofenfield.org

www.efeeofenfield.org