Attention all Students! ORANGE FOUNDATION MINI-GRANT PROGRAM      Are you community oriented?  Do you want experience coordinating projects? Do you want to work with a friend?  A group?  A class?  Independently?  Want to develop your character?  Learn about careers? Here is your chance to have a positive civic influence that can be on school grounds, in the community or a project that benefits a cause, that reaches the Orange community.  The Orange Foundation is generously providing funding for a Mini-Grant program.  Open to all AMITY MIDDLE SCHOOL students in ORANGE. Grants awarded are up to $200.00. There is an application process and a committee will read and screen each completed proposal. Grants are awarded twice a year, in October and January.  You will get the opportunity to describe your completed project at a celebration in the spring.  Take the summer to think about what you want to do for your school, community, neighborhood, or town. Applications and sample project proposals can be found on the Amity Website: www.amityregion5.org Click on Orange, then click Character or Career Education. They may also be obtained in the Main Office this summer, or from Mrs. Gibbons, Assistant Principal, or Mrs. Miller, Director of Guidance.

Click on the star to read about Career Development

Mrs. Vicenta Gibbons Character and Career Development

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"The final forming of a person's  character lies in their own hands."                                            -Anne Frank

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No child is taught to kill, but he has to be taught to love,respect, honor and value, not only his own life,but the lives of his classmates, parents and teachers. He has to experience love and acceptance. He has to know his life has purpose and meaning.No amount of money can do that.                               --Cal Thomas

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CHARACTERS AT AMITY Character Education is thriving at Amity Middle School in Orange. The seventh grade teams are implementing Character Development as their theme this year.  Teachers are incorporating many activities related to honesty, integrity, perseverance, responsibility and other traits into the curriculum.  All seventh grade students will benefit from the YOUTHCONNECT program which is a continuous "six minute" program in a class.  Situations are presented and students react and respond in order to gain insight into learning what it takes to "do the right thing."  Eighth grade teams are also busy with specific activities, team and individual work.  Students are sensitized to diversity in all forms. There will be an eighth grade local and statewide "Laws of Life" essay contest highlighting character development themes. Teachers have been very enthusiastic in developing a "bag of tricks," and multiple strategies relative to this theme and are very responsive to integrating activities into the curriculum. The motto on the  "Good News Gram" I send home randomly is  "catching kids doing good things."  Thanks to parents for and community members for your continued support and for being such great guiding lights. Your children are all our "characters."

The measure of a person's character is what he would do if he were never found out.                               --Thomas Macaulay

Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects  of you. -Henry Ward   Beecher

Children develop character by what they see, by what they hear, and by what they are repeatedly led to do.                                                                              --James Stenson

"What is CHARACTER?"  Click on the star to find out!

Click on the star to read about Career Development

Attention all Students! ORANGE FOUNDATION MINI-GRANT PROGRAM      Are you community oriented?  Do you want experience coordinating projects? Do you want to work with a friend?  A group?  A class?  Independently?  Want to develop your character?  Learn about careers? Here is your chance to have a positive civic influence that can be on school grounds, in the community or a project that benefits a cause, that reaches the Orange community.  The Orange Foundation is generously providing funding for a Mini-Grant program.  Open to all AMITY MIDDLE SCHOOL students in ORANGE. Grants awarded are up to $200.00. There is an application process and a committee will read and screen each completed proposal. Grants are awarded twice a year, in October and January.  You will get the opportunity to describe your completed project at a celebration in the spring.  Take the summer to think about what you want to do for your school, community, neighborhood, or town. Applications and sample project proposals can be found on the Amity Website: www.amityregion5.org Click on Orange, then click Character or Career Education. They may also be obtained in the Main Office this summer, or from Mrs. Gibbons, Assistant Principal, or Mrs. Miller, Director of Guidance.

THE ORANGE FOUNDATION APPLICATION FOR STUDENT MINI-GRANT PROGRAM 1. APPLICANT Name:           Address:           City:                    Zip:           Telephone:                    Age:           School:                    Class Year:           (If there is a co-applicant, whether it be one student or an entire class, on a separate sheet provide the same information as above for each student.) 2. ADULT SPONSOR Each project must have an acceptable adult sponsor, such as a parent or teacher, who will supervise the project.  Please provide the following information: Sponsor's Name:           Relationship:           Address:           City:                    Zip:           Telephone:           3. PROJECT The title of your project is:           A list of suggested projects are on the last page of the Application.  IMPORTANT:  See the filing deadline in Paragraph "16. DEADLINE".  Also, the Application must be submitted before you begin your project. 4. AMOUNT The amount requested for your project is $___________________.  It is recommended that Paragraphs 10 and 12 be reviewed before deciding what amount to request. 5. DESCRIPTION Briefly describe your project and its purpose.  The project can be a study, experiment, structure, community service or other worthwhile undertaking that is challenging to you.  The project must benefit the Orange community in order to qualify for a grant. 6. VALUE What makes this project special to you?  What do you hope to learn or accomplish from doing this project?   How will your project be of benefit to you, others or the community? 7. EVALUATION How will you evaluate whether your project achieved the purpose you intended?  In other words, before you begin your project, we want you to think through how you will assess its outcome.  Describe, in detail, how you plan to do so. 8. TIME How much time will you need for each step of the project and also to complete the project?  In your answer, include a time schedule. 9. ASSISTANCE Will anyone be assisting you?  If so, please list their names and their relationship to you.  Your adult sponsor and any co-applicant need not be included. 10. BUDGET This is one of the most important questions to be answered.  For you to be eligible for a grant, we require a detailed budget listing each item you will need to purchase, rent or borrow to complete your project.  You are encouraged to think this through very carefully and research the cost of your materials.  For this reason, the Application must be submitted before you begin your project.  Your total request cannot exceed two hundred dollars ($200.00). Since your project will be considered only if you prepare the budget on the next page, we are providing some comments and also a sample budget, which should be helpful to you. An expensive budget will not necessarily result in the award of a grant with a high dollar amount.  The amount of the grant is based largely on the quality of your project and the effort needed to complete it.  The Orange Foundation is looking for a business-like approach to your budget.  In other words, you are encouraged to borrow or rent materials, instead of purchasing them, in order to reduce your project's cost. You may wish to consider the following when deciding upon your budget: A. What supplies will you use for your project and how much will they cost? Example:  paper, plastic bags, film, lumber, etc. B. Are there equipment or tools you will need to purchase, rent or borrow?  If you need to rent, what price will you be charged?  Example: dumpster, post hole digger, etc. C. Are there other expenses that you may not have considered since they are not directly related to your project? Example: film or food, such as a lunch or snack D. Will you need to hire someone to help complete your project? Example: for branch chipping or garbage pick up E. Do you wish to consider the value of your labor in finishing your project?  Since the cost of labor, i.e., wages, is a factor in preparing a budget, you may wish to consider your hourly rate at the current minimum wage and multiply it by the hours you expect to expend on the project. DESCRIPTION OF ITEMS                    PRICE                    QUANTITY                    AMOUNT                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Total budget for all items:                     $ To further help you in preparing the above budget, the following is a sample budget prepared by a student who carefully researched the items believed need to complete that student's project: DESCRIPTION OF ITEMS                    PRICE                    QUANTITY                    AMOUNT                                                              Rakes (Borrowed)                               $ -0-                               2                               $-0- Leaf bags (box of 15)                          $4.59                              2                               $9.18 Film (roll of 24 color)                          $5.29                              1                               $5.29 Developing of film                              $9.27                              1                               $9.27 Soda                                                   $0.75                              2                               $1.50 Labor (2 persons @ 5 hours)             $5.65 hr                    10 hours                         $56.50                      Total budget for all items:                     $81.74 11. ADDITIONAL SHEETS If more space is needed to answer the above questions, please attach additional sheets and label each with your name and the question number. 12.          GRANT           The grant awarded will be an amount up to two hundred dollars ($200.00), although you may apply for a lesser amount.  The amount of the grant is based in part on your budget.  It is not necessary that every dollar of the grant be used specifically for the project.  Money remaining after paying for supplies etc., can be used to purchase film to take pictures of the project, developing the film, charitable contribution or for needed school supplies.  Special consideration will be given to what you hope to learn or accomplish from the project and the benefit to be derived by you, others or the community through working at and completing the project. 13. ELIGIBILITY Any Amity Junior High School students grades 7 through 9. 14. AGREEMENT By signing this Application, you agree that if you are awarded a grant, it is your responsibility to proceed with the project as described.  Upon completion of the project you will submit a written evaluation of your project's outcome together with paid receipts for the budget items purchased.  You also agree to allow us to review the project while in progress and when completed.  We will invite grant recipients to a June breakfast or luncheon to discuss their projects. 15. SUBMISSION Return your Application to The Orange Foundation Mini-Grant Program, c/o Mrs. Gibbons, Assistant Principal, Amity Junior High School, 130 Ohman Avenue, Orange, CT 06477. 16. DEADLINE Applications are accepted and grants awarded in the fall and spring.  To be considered in the spring, The Orange Foundation must receive your Application no later than THE THIRD FRIDAY OF EACH JANUARY.  To be considered in the fall, The Orange Foundation must receive your Application no later than THE THIRD FRIDAY OF EACH OCTOBER.  Awards will be announced within 60 days after each deadline.