Matt

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I want to take time to thank you all for donating to Garden Art, Dig It!, our class's Donor's Choose Project. It was a wonderful experience for students. They really take pride in work that goes beyond the grade. When they knew they were creating something to enhance our beautiful new garden, they were thrilled. It was a educational, artistic, and hand-on experience for them all.

We began the project by researching vegetables or fruit that we could grow in our garden. Students looked up information on websites that shared nutritional information and pictures of fruits and vegetables they liked, or were interested in trying. Each child chose their favorite and continued researching its benefits. They wrote a few sentences about the benefits of eating their healthy choice. They then shared this information with their kindergarten buddies. Kinder buddies worked together with third graders and drew a self portrait reaching out for their 3rd grade partners favorite healthy choice. We transferred these drawings onto 6 inch tiles. My third graders transferred their facts they had researched and their drawing of the fruit or vegetable they liked, and then painted the tiles.

We fired them and they are now ready for mounting. A parent volunteer is assisting and the project should be completed within the month. Students were very proud of their efforts, and I am very proud of them. We had some great discussions during the process about how vitamins and minerals help us stay healthy. Students are proud to know that their contribution to the garden will be visible for many years to come. Our project is the beginning of a tile project to allow students and their families the opportunity to contribute artistically to our garden. The extra tiles and glaze will be used in the future to replicate this project, so your donation will keep on giving. Thank you again!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Bamberger

Thank you for your generous donations to our PE class. The disc golf game provided the opportunity for many students to experience an activity which combines aerobic activity and a fun and exciting new game.

Disc golf also provides the chance for all students to participate, regardless of fitness level and/or special needs. It is an activity that can be played for a lifetime.

Without your support, our students would not have experienced the positive benefits of learning the fundamentals of this up and coming recreational sport. ”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Polley

I want to thank you again for the donations for our Go Green Team. My students are thoroughly enjoying this experience and it is all because of your generosity. Students have given their Friday afternoons and lunch hours to collect approximately 1500 pounds of paper from classrooms, thus far. This would not have been easy without the cart your donations provided. The paper has been sorted and used to make small note pads and flashcards. Our composting bin is started and we will soon be asking students for their lunch scraps. We are also using our gloves as we collect one-use plastic shopping bags, tin foil, drinking pouches and water bottles. We hope to make a mural with nonrecyclable bottle caps. A once unused green recycle bin (in our waste disposal area) has now been put into use and filled each week. Teachers and fellow students have commented on the work ethic these kids have shown. I really believe it has impacted each of these kids in a very positive way. They have a place to be on Friday afternoon, where they can feel connected to a positive cause and they can make a difference. "Even an inkling.." as Dr. Seuss would say. Their next message to their peers will be to communicate the idea of "closing the loop". They plan to put on a skit to communicate the message of reducing waste at the checkout counter. Some of my most introverted kids are volunteering to perform. First through fifth graders are asking to help and the Go Green Team has been asked to stand for applause at our Friday assemblies. How could this not help bolster the esteem of my students. Your donations have provided a very positive force for my students. It has validated their efforts and has enriched their lives and mine alike. Thank you for these priceless gifts.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Westbrook

What amazing support for our schools! I was shocked to hear how quickly we were funded! Thank you so much for your generosity! The children are going to be so excited to be able to use their new iPods this year!! The ability to be able to have a book come alive in a listening center will help the first graders with their reading comprehension and fluency. The fact that we will get these iPods so much sooner than expected means that we will be able to gain some extra reading skills before second grade!!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Vattuone

Thank you so much for helping my students create in color! All of the students here LOVE using their new KOH-I-NOOR woodless colored pencils and Crayola markers. You should hear their excitement when my students get to take out these new supplies to use them. They literally cheer! They love using their markers and pencils on class drawing projects and in their personal sketchbooks.

No longer are students frustrated with getting dry ink from old markers or the constant breaking of the old colored pencils. Also, there is now enough to go around. As our old Crayola markers would loose ink and "die", we would not be able to replace them, so often students would have to wait their turn to use a black or blue marker. The focus is now the art and the art is beautiful!

They take great care of their new supplies. As the students slide their KOH-I-NOOR woodless colored pencils from the cases, they do it with utmost care and respect. They truly understand the high quality of the supplies and are taking the initiative to learn to take great care of them. Using these colored pencils is now arguably their favorite activity in the art room. They love the bright colors!

Some of the projects students have already created using their favorite new supplies include: 2nd Grade 3D Positive Pyramids, 3rd and 4th Grade Landscape Reflections, 4th Grade Compositional Fish, 5th Grade Op Art Drawings, 5th Grade Bird Drawings, 1st Grade Architecture Drawings, and lots of independent choice drawings in personal sketchbooks. The 2nd Grade 3D Positive Pyramids were a great hit, and the students learned a lot. Each student received a paper template for a square-based pyramid. On each face, then wrote a positive "I AM" statement, such as "I AM strong", "I AM smart", or "I am artistic". They then decorated the faces of their paper pyramids using their choice of Crayola markers or KOH-I-NOOR woodless colored pencils. You would be happy to hear how many students choose to write "I AM artistic" and "I AM creative" on their pyramids. I then helped them construct their pyramids into a 3D geometric form, reinforcing their math standards and concurrent learning. They loved the hands-on nature of this math/art project. Our Positive Self-Portraits are scheduled to begin in a few weeks, as students return from their second trimester break. All students will create these self-portraits from observing themselves in mirrors. They will then color them in with vivid and bright colors, courtesy of the awesome pens and pencils you donated!

These supplies are truly an investment. Not only will they serve our students stupendously this year, but also next. Because of their high quality and our students' initiative to take such great care of them, they will serve them well into the year 2014!

In our classes, we have discussed your generous donations to give the students new drawing supplies. They are truly grateful of your help and wish to thank you as well. At a time when art programs and budgets are being cut nationwide, your commitment to this project serves as a poignant reminder that art IS important in our schools. They still mention how great it is that people like you donated to put great supplies in their artistic hands. So on behalf of the 270 students that use these two great supplies each week.....THANK YOU!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Peter

Thank you all so very much for your generous donations!

We received our box of card-making paper recently and the students were thrilled. We are learning to use a Cricut machine to cut paper in order to make greeting cards. We have already begun working on making cards. Once we get an inventory made, we will work on marketing, selling, and bookkeeping. These are all skills that can be transferred to other work environments, giving my students an advantage in their eventual job searches. Card-making gives my students a chance to learn these skills while having fun and expressing themselves creatively.

Without donors like you, I would be unable to give this experience to my students. Thank you again!!!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Clark