New Additions & Fun Activities at The Foundry

Hello Everyone! I am excited to introduce myself to this wonderful Maker Space community. My name is Nicole Pertillar and I just began working with The Foundry this month. As a former Guidance Counselor and Behavioral Therapist, I am a huge proponent of anything that will enhance the education of and subsequently the well-being of children. I believe building the capacity to conduct Maker Space Projects within the school setting does just that.

I am currently a Fellow at Downey Elementary School working in partnership with Brenden O'Neill on the NBA Math Hoops project. I'm having an excellent time learning the students and teachers and look forward to continuing on at Downey in the Fall and becoming involved in more projects.

As someone who used to work in an elementary school setting on a regular basis, I know how important it is to collaborate and tie different aspects of learning together throughout the school whenever possible. One of the projects I am working on now is an all school scavenger hunt. I am partnering with Sam Alderfer, who is a Vista at Downey, on this project. We are pulling our creativity together to see how many aspects of STEAM we can involve in this super fun activity that will also involve parents! I'm a firm believer in the importance of parent involvement. As educators, it's critical that we encourage parent participation and equip them with the necessary tools.

I look forward to continuing this work on an even deeper level as I prepare for the 2017-208 school year.