As a Board member since the founding of the foundation, I have been proud to be associated with an organization that seeks to support the students and staff across the district. We support staff through mini-grant proposals that individual teachers initiate as well as teacher enrichment and continuing education programs. We provide enrichment to the curriculum through everything from our mini-grant projects to major projects which enable classes to be held in area such as Synergistics at the middle school level to access to Virtual classes, including a broad array of AP classes at the high school. All students in the district are touched by projects funded by the foundation.
We moved to this area from NYC mostly because of the successful schools. When I heard about GREF, we made a donation toward a cause our family feels deeply about in the Sciences. We saw first-hand how 100% of our donation went effectively to the students' needs in the most meaningful way. I was so impressed with GREF, I became a Board Member immediately when invited.
The GREF has supported educational initiatives benefitting students of all ages as well as their teachers.
The efforts of the GREF have played a critical role in allowing this small public educational system provide a high quality education.
I have worked with the GREF as an individual who received grants, an administrator who was part of the grant review process, and the district superintendent who serves on the Foundation. The GREF is dedicated to providing the students with unique learning experiences. They have made a significant impact on every school in the district. Recently the GREF has contributed to several professional development programs for the teaching staff. These programs have enhanced instruction to hundreds of students. The Glen Ridge School District is appreciative of everything the GREF has donated to the schools.
Thank you for all of your support and funding in the CAD and Engineering classroom. With the aid of GREF we have been able to purchase a uprint SE plus 3-Dimensional printer, CNC equipment and shop tools, a flight simulator and supplies to build autonomous cars, drones and microprocessors for programming. The 3D printer and other equipment has made a huge impact for the education of many students at Glen Ridge. Students have been able to 3D print many Engineering and Architectural projects including assemblies of a plane, train engine and structural testing for the engineering class. 3D printing and CNC cutting has been an integral part of the CAD and engineering courses. Students are able to print their working models and check for true fit and interaction. They are all so excited to have this technology in the classroom.
Thank you for sponsoring our robotics team. Through your donations we have been able to be a competitive club in the state First Technology Challenge. We have been able to buy supplies necessary to build a robot and test the functions using the field kit and scoring elements that are new each year. We have been able to stay current with the new electronics and programing and integrating these new technologies with our hardware kits. Students have engaged in a real life experience of working together to create designs and solving problems as a team. It has truly brought programming to life at GRHS.
I have been involved with GREF since inception almost thirty years ago . The board represents a cross section of the community and has been a source of empowerment to the teaching staff and a catalyst for educational innovation . It has had a consistent focus in assisting the professional staff with improving the educational experience at all age levels while recognizing the unique roles and contributions of other educational constituents ; whether the Board of Education , parent groups or professional educators on staff . It is an important institution in a community that values a quality education for its young
The GREF is widely appreciated and respected in our small town. It is an organization that my neighbors and I support because we know and trust that funds raised are carefully managed, and will for sure be used to benefit all students throughout the district.
GREF provides much-needed support to the school district. We are fortunate to live in an area where education is so valued and the educators so committed.
I have been on the Glen Ridge Board of Education for many years and value the partnership that the board has long had with GREF. We are a small district and while we provide high quality programs and facilities to our students, there are many things that we simply cannot fund. GREF has always come through generously. I am especially pleased that they have continued to fund the Virtual High School (VHS) program, which allows high school students access to courses, including AP courses, that we cannot provide. Without a doubt, GREF has made a valuable contribution to the success of the Glen Ridge Public Schools.
I was one of the first recipients of a Mini-Grant over 25 years ago! The Glen Ridge Educational Foundation has continued to support the teachers and students over the years with funding many new and innovative projects! Thank you for continuing to support our staff!
The Glen Ridge Educational Foundation (G.R.E.F.) has been an incredible support system for all staff in our schools. As a Glen Ridge Public School employee for almost 20 years, first as a staff member and now as an administrator, I have been witness to so many of the amazing resources that the foundation has backed. G.R.E.F. has supported countless new equipment, initiatives, and programs that benefit our students. I cannot even begin to describe how thankful we are to the foundation – or imagine how many students' lives they have impacted over the years. I am thankful that we have the Glen Ridge Educational Foundation and for all of their support.
The GREF has supported educational initiatives in our district for over 27 years. Our community is grateful for the Foundation’s support and willingness to fund a multitude of diverse programs benefitting our staff and students. No project is too big or small! GREF has funded classroom projects and equipment, teacher enrichment programs, literacy training, a major one-to-one device initiative and full-scale renovations of science labs and performance spaces.
As a founder and board member since 1993 I am immensely proud of the educational opportunities we have been able to provide the town's public school students. We have never turned down a teacher's mini-grant request for lack of funding and I honestly can't recall ever turning down a request for a major project either. Our supporters are generous and we work hard to be fiscally responsible which has enabled us to continue providing the requested increased support this year despite the challenges of COVID.