THE MONTCLAIR FUND FOR EDUCATIONAL

Judy weston awards for inspired teaching - josh and judy weston established the judy weston awards for inspired teaching in 1991 to acknowledge and celebrate montclair public school teachers who stand out to parents/guardians and students as creative, talented, supportive, and inspiring.

Educational excellence grants - mfee awards grants to montclair public school faculty and staff for innovative projects that will have a direct impact in the classroom. Proposals are evaluated on the quality of the application, demonstrated need for the project, and the extent to which the project presents a creative way to enhance grade level curricula and support current district goals. Projects funded include everything from innovative tech tools to hydroponic gardening to culturally responsive writing projects.social and emotional grants and projects - social and emotional learning grants are awared to montclair public school faculty for projects that enhance students' social and emotional competencies, including their ability to manage emotions, develop positive relationships, and initiatives to support student self-expression.greenwald professional development grants - gdp grants are awarded to mps faculty for unique pd that strengthens their skills to imporve student achievement. It represents a new idea that may not have been tried at all or in this way, and/or addresses a specific, compelling need. It clearly articulates the potential to impact student learning in a significant way.excellence in equity grants - mfee is awarding one-time significant grants to each of the montclair public schools to adress issues of racial and socio-economic inequity. Proposals are evaluated on the quality of the project, demonstrated need for the project, and demonstrated buy-in across a wide swath of the school community. Applications must be collaboratively-shaped by a diverse group of school stakeholders, including (but not limited to) teachers, administrators, parents, and students (where applicable).teacher learning cohorts - mfee collaborated with montclair public schools to launch teacher learning communities (tlcs) in december 2022. Tlcs are small professional learning communities to boost teaching. Cohorts of teachers come together to learn, support each other, and to create a local community of professional learning. The first tlc was for educators of multilingual learners (commonly known as "esl students") eleven teachers from 4 schools met over six weekends throughout the school year for workshops led by the sife equity project. The highly-skilled coaches have over 20 years of experience teaching multilingual learners with particular expertise in working with students with interrupted education. They are designing curricula for districts across the country.arts open hearts - mfee launched the arts open hearts campagin to fund arts programs that nurture social/emotional and teen mental health. Donations fuel ballroom dance residencies, poetry slams, and intergenerational story slams that foster connections, nurture self-esteem, and provide an outlet for self-expression.entrenadores escolares provides after school bilingual tutoring and social support to multilingual middle and high school students. "entrenadores" means coaches, and the mhs teen mentors help with homework, provide extra tutoring, and overall build friendships and relationships among all the students. Entrenadores escolares also provides enrichment activities to the students.oruguitas offers bilingual after school programming for our youngest ell students. The goals are not just to support students academically but to create meaningful connection and community. Using play based activites, k-5 students work with intergenerational learning coaches to boost their english, math, and social skills.unmute - mhs (montclair highschool) teens, like their peers across the country are facing increased mental health stressors. Mfee and jared's fund are working together to bring together mhs administrators, students and staff with the jed foundation to build a more supportive mhs. The jed foundation is strategically working with our mhs team as they develop short and long-term goals to boost mental health resources, policies, and practices.amazing fundracer 5.0 the quintessential race 2024 - the montclair fund for education excellence (mfee) stages a town-wide event that brings out the spirit of community -- an competition -- in montclair. Teams of two audilts will race around montclair in a mini-version of the tv competition show amazing race, competing in fun challenges against friends and neighbors, all in support of the 6,000 students who attend montclair public schools. The first team to cross the finish line wins major bragging rights and the gratitude of everyone who champions public education in our community.sabor montclair - sabor montclair is a fundraiser that celebrates the unique "sabor" that our latinx community members bring to montclair. Our families have helped design this event which features tasty take-out meals that highlight their culture and family stories. Tickets purchased and donations support all of mfee's programming and to help fund navegadores escolares.john joyce american sign language fund - the john j. Joyce american sign language (asl) fund was established by the joyce family in loving memory of john - a staunch supporter of the montclair public schools and advocate for equality in children's education. Donations fund initiatives to teach asl to montclair children and their families through a variety of experiences, including after school activities and community programming.life after highschool - for teens and caregivers, thinking about life after high school can feel overwhelming. And scary. And exciting. And mysterious. And perhaps back to exciting. No matter what comes next - college, work, art, exploration, training - teens will be moving from a world they know to one with new challenges and opportunities. And caregivers of teens are shifting their role - and their identity! - from one of "primary-needs fulfiller" to "life coach".this conference is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for teens to connect with and learn from folks who are living life after high school - with successes, with regrets, and, most importantly, with some lessons learned along the way.jackson lightfoot whitsett memorial fund award - the inaugural recipient of the jackson lightfoot whitsett memorial fund award, was a middle schooler who received a $100 cash award for embodying the spirit of jackson lightfoot whitsett, for whom the award is named.jackson lightfoot whitsett attended glenfield middle school, was active in dance and cheerleading at montclair high school, and inspired others to unapologetically celebrate their unique identity. Lightfoot whitsett co-founded the glenfield gay/straight alliance (now known as the gneder and sexuality alliance). The memorial fund was established in 2023 to honor his life and legacy.