Letter from the President
Bring on spring! I am ready to shed my winter coat, embrace the warmth, and have my kids spend more time playing outside!
It’s exciting to see Falmouth Schools moving towards more normalcy. Last year FEF responded to grant requests directly related to the pandemic, and we bridged the gap between available pandemic funding and immediate needs. If you’ve wondered about the impact of your donations, as of February 2022 just one of the three FEF funded water bottle filling stations at FHS has saved 43,000 plastic bottles in a few short months. And that number goes up by the hundreds every day!
This school year FEF has received more grants focused on ingenuity and innovative ways to promote learning. In the fall, FEF awarded grants for alternative seating for guided study students, a trout tank for 7th grade science, and multi-lingual books for the FES library. FEF was also able to fund adaptive materials and equipment for special education and occupational therapy students across all Falmouth Schools.
For those looking for grant request information, the spring grant application window is open until April 25th. You can go directly to the FEF web site to submit your applications. The FEF board looks forward to receiving grant ideas that support learning enrichment in creative ways.
As we turn the corner on Covid, FEF looks forward to hosting events soon, both in-person and virtual. It was so much fun to host the snowman building contest again this year. FEF is currently planning a virtual trivia night on April 28th. More details are in this newsletter.
None of this would be possible without the donations from FEF supporters. Thank you! If you haven’t made your annual tax-deductible donation to FEF, it’s not too late. You can make your donation now by clicking this link.
Wishing you a healthy happy spring!
Mary Reany
Make Your Mark at FHS
Looking for something special to do for your graduating senior? An engraved paver installed at the entrance to Falmouth High School is a wonderful way to honor not only your student, but also an alumnus in your life, a special teacher, or community member. All proceeds from the sale of these pavers go toward enriching the lives of our students. Stones will be installed at the entrance of Falmouth High School and are available in three different sizes. Fill out this form to submit your order.
More information is available on our website:
Please order by Friday, May 6.
Grant Spotlight: FMS Trout Tank
This past fall, FEF awarded a grant to Kyle Magaliff, 7th grade science teacher, for the installation of a trout tank that will become part of the FMS science curriculum. Mr. Magaliff has connected with the Portland Water District which helps guide classrooms in the trout tank program and helps them get set up. The trout tank will be central to lessons about clean water, healthy watersheds, human impact and environmental conditions needed to support life.
Two trout tanks were installed in the classrooms of Ms. Stuart and Mr. Magaliff. In February, the PWD delivered 600 eggs to the tanks. The tanks were set up with foam panels on each side to block out the light, which helps to mimic trout’s natural habitat at the bottom of a river. You can see in the photos below that the students were very engaged and curious about the eggs and their survival. At this early stage, trout eggs are very fragile and there can be high mortality rates. The teachers were also excited to be able to connect this experience with their unit on photosynthesis, cellular respiration and the cycle of matter and energy.
A month and a half later, the trout are in alevin stage. Mr. Magaliff explains: “In this stage, the trout's bodies have moved from the inside to the outside of their egg sac. The egg sac is now being used as a source of nutrients so the trout can grow into a fully developed fry. Once the fry stage is reached, the egg sac is fully absorbed into their bodies, and they better resemble fully formed fish. We will start to increase the tank temperature day by day to mimic the natural increase in springtime river temperatures in Maine.
Come the middle of May, they will be ready for release! Students are excited to come into class each day and check on their development.”
FEF is proud to be able to provide the funds to make this part of the middle school science program. Thanks to Mr. Magaliff for taking the initiative to reaching out to the Portland Water District to collaborate and submit this grant application.
We can't wait for the release in May!
FEF ANNUAL FUND
It's not too late to donate to FEF's Annual Fund and support our schools and community in innovative ways. Thank you for your support!
FEF Virtual Trivia Night!
April 28, 2022
FEF will be hosting an hour-long virtual Trivia Event on Thursday, April 28th at 6:30 pm! We are excited to announce this virtual event in partnership with Trivia Hub. Come share your knowledge about Disney Tunes, Women's History Month, Science and more!
Please stay tuned to our social media posts and email communications, etc. for more details about this fun and exciting event for families. We will have more details on teams and registration soon! Hope to see you all there!
Thank You Sponsors!
Thank you to our Corporate Sponsors!! We appreciate their generosity and hope you will thank them as well by patronizing their businesses as opportunities arise.
Maine Orthodontics is once again our Platinum Sponsor for 2022. For 6 years in a row they have been instrumental in supporting our students at this level. Thank you!
Also a big thank you to Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Associates! As our Gold Sponsor this year, they have also been an important supporter to our mission for the last 6 years. Thank you!
Is your business interested in supporting FEF and our schools? Contact us to learn about sponsorship opportunities!
View the full newsletter here:
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