Documents › Board of Education, 2026-11-05

application 4 pages Scanned/OCR — text may contain errors

Also attached to this agenda item: Donation - CHEF Grant - Beyond the Scroll Donation -CHEF Approval - Beyond the Scroll (76 KB)

w~ CHEF Grant Form This form is "read-only". To make it editable for Microsoft Word, save the application to your personal drive by clicking "File, Download as, Microsoft Word" OR GoogleDocs users can click "File, Make a copy” "which will create an editable copy in your personal drive. Please submit all grants to grants@crotonfoundation.org. Grant Name: Beyond the Scroll Date Submitted: 10/9/26 Applicant Name and Position: Jessica Butts, PVC Health Education Teacher, and Nichole Kelly, Assistant Principal Applicant Email Address: jessica.butts@chufsd.org and nichole.kelly@chufsd.org School(s): PVC Please answer the following questions. Use short sentences and/or bullet points. The goal is for us to understand your idea, not for you to spend a lot of time crafting a formal document. Description of Idea:* - 1. Describe your project/program idea. If you received funding from CHEF, what would the funding let you do that you can't do now? Students will explore why notifications, novelty, social feedback, and endless content make phones so difficult to put down. The science will be presented in accessible language without blaming or shaming students. Through guided questions and reflection, students will consider when they are most likely to reach for their phones. Students will learn why stepping away from constant stimulation. can initially feel uncomfortable. Students will also explore what happens in the brain and nervous system when the expected stimulation is no longer available. Students will participate in short practices using movement, breath, sensory awareness, and focused attention. These exercises will give them practical alternatives to automatically reaching for a device whenever they feel uncomfortable or distracted. Further, students will learn strategies for beginning a task, reducing distractions, focusing on one thing at a time, and creating manageable periods of concentrated work. Each student will select one realistic change to explore. This might include keeping the phone away during homework, creating a screen-free transition before sleep, taking a movement break instead of scrolling, or spending a short period of time without digital stimulation. 2. Who/what would be involved with bringing your idea to life? (i.e. teachers, staff, students, guest artists, vendors, equipment, etc.)? Jennifer Monness, JLM Wellness, 7th grade students and teachers We have been working with Jennifer with 6th grade PE/ Wellness & Fitness on breath work and mindfulness. This would be an extension of that foundation. 3. What learning and/or district goals does your idea support? Wellness, deeply connected to the goals of the committee on technology use In Croton, we are working diligently to develop adaptable, discerning learners who use technology as active contributors, not passive consumers. Understanding the nervous system reset aspects will only benefit our students. This experience will help students ground relationships and interactions in human connectedness as outlined in the CHUFSD Technology & Innovation Vision. At PVC, we are working to “Make every DAY count’ and this experience will ideally assist in increasing stamina and time on task. This will undoubtedly help achieve the District's goals of increased rigor, accountability, and achievement. 4. Which students would benefit from your idea? How will receiving this grant change the educational experience of the students? 7th grade students completed multiple mindful movement experiences last year; however, this is an extension of their learning and will provide them with: © How digital stimulation can affect attention and the nervous system e Why putting down a phone can create restlessness or discomfort e How screen habits can influence sleep, energy, learning, and mood @ How to recognize their personal patterns without judgment e Practical ways to regulate stress and restore attention e How to make more conscious choices about when and why they use technology 7th grade Is an ideal time during adolescence to make these connections and explicitly teach into them. §. Ifyou are a teacher, how will this grant impact your teaching? This can provide more evidence as to why boundaries with screens are so important for all of us. This work is also deeply connected to the skills of self-management, analyzing influences, and making health choices- all essential for health and well-being and a major focus of the Health Curriculum at PVC. iS 6. What about your idea is new or innovative for our district? How might your idea be used as a model for other teachers or classes? This opportunity parallels our goals to model and teach about boundaries relating to technology and to provide students with useful strategies they can try now and in the future. 7. What is the projected start date and/or time frame of your idea? January-February 2027 8. (optional) |s there anything else you would like us to know about this idea? About Jennifer Monness: Jennifer Monness is a Stress and Performance Specialist and the Founder and Director of JLM Wellness. She has more than 25 years of experience teaching meditation, therapeutic movement, breathwork, and practical nervous system regulation. Jennifer works with schools, healthcare organizations, corporations, and community groups to translate the science of stress, attention, and recovery into tools people can use in everyday life. Her school programs are engaging, experiential, and designed to help students understand how their brains and bodies work so they can feel steadier, focus more effectively, and make more intentional choices. ° Budget: Please list below each item or service required for your idea, the quantity, the unit cost, the total cost of each item or service, any shipping/handling costs, and the total amount requested for the grant. Add more rows as needed. Name of Item / Service Required | Quantity Needed | Cost Per Unit | Total Cost Guest Speaker from JLM Wellness, Jennifer Monness | 12 sessions (2 per 7th grade health class, 6 total class sections) | 350 | 4,200 Shipping/Handling (if applicable) | [blank] | [blank] | [blank] Total Amount Requested | $4,200 Questions? We're here to support you. We welcome communication and collaboration during the application process. If you have questions, need help, or just want to start a dialogue about an idea, please email us at grants@crotonfoundation.org. *CHEF will follow up with grant recipients so that we can share the grant in action with our donors and community. CHEF post-grant follow-up may include photographs and/or a follow-up conversation or informal feedback/reflection. If you have anything you would like to share with us so we can showcase your work, please send it our way! Grant Type: [checked] Seed Grant (Under $5000) [unchecked] Program Innovation Grant (Over $5000) [unchecked] School/District-Wide Grant (Implemented Across School or District) Faculty/Administration Grant Sponsor: (for community and student applicants only) [blank] Principal Approval: (Required for all applications) Signature: [signature present] Date: 10/9/26 For Internal Purposes Only (Required for all applications after CHEF approves grant) Superintendent Approval of Grant: yes [checked]; no [unchecked] Signature: [signature present] Date: 11/3/26