During these difficult economic times I am thrilled at the opportunity of sharing some positive and exciting news with all of you. Recently, I was informed that Side by Side’s co-application for a 21^st Century Learning Environment Grant has been accepted and will be awarded for the 2010-11 year.

This grant application was conceived and created in collaboration with The Bridge Academy Charter High School in Bridgeport. Through this $111,000+ award we will be working to create a virtual community built around computer-supported collaborative learning within the social studies curricula. The initial implementation for this grant will take place during the 2010-11 school year and will have a significant impact on the technological-learning opportunities made available to all 6^th, 7^th and 8^th grade students at Side by Side, as well as professional development opportunities for our teachers.

During the next several months and throughout the summer we will work together with the staff at Bridge Academy to coordinate our shared plans for making this vision come to life. Although many of the details have yet to be worked out, some of the general provisions and opportunities of this grant will include:

• Netbook Computer, MP3 Player and Flash Drive for EACH child in 6^th, 7^th and 8^th grade:  All 6-8 grade students at Side by Side will receive and make use of a personal “Technology Learning Tool Kit.” Tool Kits will include a personal Dell Netbook computer, a Zune MP3 player and a flash drive. Required use of these tools will be necessary for students to complete various projects.
• Mentorship Program: Collaborative program between Side by Side 7^th and 8^th graders and Bridge Academy charter schools—High school students from Bridge Academy will act as mentors to middle schoolers; joint-collaborative performance based projects and assessments will take place throughout the year; and peer evaluation models to assess one another’s work.
• Teacher Professional Development: Staff from both Bridge Academy and SBS will be provided with intensive training during the summer and throughout the school year focusing on project-based learning and instructional technologies used in a learning community

As you can imagine, we are very excited about this endeavor and look forward to seeing our students taking part of this amazing opportunity. A lot of time and preparation was dedicated to this application without any guarantee of receiving an award. Specifically, I would like to thank Mary Newbery, our Student Services Coordinator, as well as Kevin Klemme from C.E.S. and the staff at Bridge Academy for helping to make this happen. It is my sincere hope that this joint and unique plan between two charter schools will not only have an immediate and positive impact, but that it will pave the way for many more future opportunities.