Our Impact

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Our District’s Accomplishments

GREF collaborates closely with the Glen Ridge School District to support and inspire both staff and students. The achievements of the District are celebrated as a reflection of the Foundation's success.

The GRHS Computer Science program was recognized as one of 225 schools nationwide by the College Board with its AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award for the 2022-23 school year. The award is for reaching 50% or greater female representation in the APCS-A classroom

U.S. News & World Report recognized GRHS as the top regular-admission public high school in the state in 2022 and 2023.

GRHS earned Platinum-level AP School Honor Roll recognition from the College Board for developing an AP program that creates a college-going culture and allows students to earn college credit and maximize their college outcomes.

  • "Today we started “Letter P Week” and I was thankful to be able to take out my Fishing for Patterns activity that I was fortunate to receive from GREF. It has been so useful to have such materials that are engaging for the children yet easily cleaned! We are so lucky here in Glen Ridge to have the continued support of the Foundation. I was going through some files and came across mini-grant paperwork dating back to 2001! I so appreciate the decades of support that I have personally received."

    -Kindergarten Teacher

  • “We saw progress firsthand and are grateful to be in a district that supports differentiated learning styles and takes action to give our teachers and students the best educational programs.  We wanted to personally thank GREF for our daughter's reading success.  We sincerely hope the district is able to incorporate Orton-Gillingham into the general education curriculum so that all students can benefit from the incredible program.”

    -9th Grade Parent

  • "I took a VHS course last year as a junior and learned a lot about the material but I also learned about time management and to not put off work. It’s not like an in-school course where the teacher is always helping keep you on track. "

    -Glen Ridge High School Senior

Past INNOVATion MINI-GRANTS

Semiannually, we award funding to Glen Ridge Public Schools staff members or groups who propose projects that enhance learning.

Funded 2023-2024 SCHOOL YEAR

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SuperFlex! Nurturing the Developing Child by Building their Executive Functioning Toolbox   

This project integrates Executive Functioning (EF) support into K-2 education to foster holistic development. By enhancing the existing Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum, students gain essential skills for success in academics and life through fun and engaging EF instruction.

Breaking Barriers and Empowering Teachers: Accessibility and Inclusive Education at GRHS

This grant will fund Universal Design for Learning (UDL) training for Honors, AP, CP, and elective teachers, and Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) training for special education and co-teaching teams. The goal is to support students with diverse learning needs, including IEPs, Multilingual Learners, and those with 504 or I&RS plans.

Flowing Wellness: A Study of Freshwater Stream Health

Tony’s Brook near Ridgewood Avenue School offers 6th graders hands-on science learning. They will measure water quality and study biological indicators. The grant funds necessary equipment for these experiments.

SEL Space

Social and emotional learning (SEL) helps develop healthy identities, manage emotions, build relationships, and make decisions. New Jersey promotes SEL to improve school climates and support youth. This grant will create an SEL Space for students to decompress, address emotional challenges, and work through crises in a supportive environment.

Math Medic Core

Math Medic Core is an online platform following the Building a Thinking Classroom Model and the EFFL model, where students collaborate to understand topics before formal instruction. It addresses the lack of supplementary material by providing resources for Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, and Pre-Calculus, benefiting multiple teachers and their students.

Harmonious Innovation: Bringing Arcade Synthesizers to the Music Classroom

RAS music classes will use arcade synthesizers to teach 8-bit music production, enhancing the curriculum and helping students blend technology with musical expression.

Funded 2022-2023 School Year

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Wee Deliver

Pre-K to Second Grade students at Linden Avenue School participated in the Wee Deliver program to enhance writing, reading, and communication skills.

Daily Dos Life Skills Boxes

Daily Dos Life Skill Boxes provide kits to teach various life skills including setting the table, sorting laundry, and tying shoes specialized instruction and practice.

3-D Pens

Students had access to 3-D pens to render architectural designs for tower buildings, create windmills for sustainability projects, and design airplanes for aerodynamics studies.

The Bookworm Vending Machine

The Bookworm Vending Machine (BVM) at Central School incentivized literacy by rewarding students with tokens for positive actions.

I See You and Me

Providing books and ancillary classroom materials presented students with additional resources selected to provide greater exposure to people of diverse backgrounds.

Kindle Reading Opportunities

The Ridgewood Avenue School library purchased ten Kindles for student use. Not all students can access online reading sources at home, and the Kindles will enable them to maximize opportunities to reinforce literacy skills.

Funded 2019-2020 School Year

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Engineering and Programming with Arduino Quadcopter

Students learned to build and control drones using Arduino boards, programming, and quadcopter parts.

Soft Starts for School Success

Through Soft Starts third-grade students engaged in activities to spark enthusiasm, creativity, and social-emotional learning.

Literacy Circles for the Curious Kindergartener

This grant established an age-appropriate environment for kindergarten literacy, providing suitable seating to encourage shared thinking and create a comfortable atmosphere

March Book Madness

K-2 students at Linden Avenue School engaged in a shared reading initiative called March Book Madness. The event featured 16 picture books read aloud to students, who then voted for their favorites in a bracket-style tournament to crown a school winner.

Hygge - The Cozy Nook

A small storage area was transformed into a cozy nook for independent reading, writing, and quiet study.

“Forest Flies” Around the World 

Pre-Kindergarten through 2nd grade students embarked on a global journey to explore countries and cultures, deepening their understanding of the world's diversity.

UNICEF Kid Power

Linden Avenue second graders joined UNICEF Kid Power, wearing special bands to track their movements.

Technology in the Spanish Classroom 

A Promethean board enabled all Ridgewood Avenue School students to benefit from short educational videos, songs, and interactive games for learning and reviewing concepts.

“We Need Diverse Books”: A Celebration of Our Differences

By incorporating diverse books into the Ridgewood Avenue School library, students gained exposure to a broader range of narratives, fostering empathy and breaking stereotypes.

Creation Station

Ridgewood Avenue teachers were granted a Makerspace to craft engaging classroom materials.

Many Cultures, One School

Linden Avenue School students took a cultural journey, learning about each other's family backgrounds through various educational activities.

Innovation Mini-Grants from the Archives

  • Art for One: Art for All (Kim Waldron, Julie Burns, Lisa Jacobsen)

  • Efficient Technological Tools in the Classroom: the Portable Electronic Whiteboard (Nolan Erickson)

  • Teentech ™ (Myra Bachrach, Winnie Boswell)     

  • Integrating Technology into the Classroom for Improved Student Engagement and Motivation (Laura Heber)

  • REACH for a Cleaner, Greener Lifestyle (Jaclyn Sibilia)

  • The Autonomous Highway (Andrew Shohen)

  • Building Our Brilliant Brains with BrainPOP! (Kelly Kren)

  • iFeedback: Meaningful Monitoring of Student Progress (Stephanie Pollack)

  • Glen Ridge on the Same Page (Jody Hackmeyer)

  • Odyssey of the Mind (Michael Donovan)

  • Using Caldecott Award-Winning Books to Enhance Student Learning (Alyssa DeSimone)

  • Books for Boys (Yvonne Bouknight)