Past projects 200
Stuffed With Kindness and Love for Our Community
Funded Jan 8, 2024Our hearts are filled with warmth seeing this project fully funded! Each year our Kindness Squad takes on many different missions to help serve our school and community. We usually focus on a Winter Clothing Drive, but this year we have gone big and added essential hygiene items and food to help fill the gap of warmth, care, and hunger.
Teaching kids to give back to their community is so powerful and will make a long-lasting impact that will help to instill kindness. Our students are learning how to show compassion and how to be appreciative of what they are given. This project will also teach them to minimize waste to help maximize essential living resources.
We can’t thank our donors enough for making this project possible for our community. The values are students will gain from this will be something they carry throughout their lives. Thank you for helping our kids feel empowered to make a difference in their community!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Edwards
This classroom project was brought to life by LOFT and 2 other donors.Shaking Off All the Dust in the Library!
Funded Jan 2, 2024We are shaking in our boots with excitement receiving the message that our library transformation project has been fully funded! We haven’t had a school librarian or access to our school library in over six years so students rely on their classroom teacher’s individual library. While I do my best to survey my students and get their input on titles to add to our library, our shelf space is limited.
These new rotating shelves will be a dream come true and will allow my students to see books easier when checking out a book. The floor seats will help add more room to our library area to allow for more students to enjoy this space at any given time. Additionally, the new books will help fulfill some of my students book requests and allow for my non-English speaking students to have access to books in their native language.
I am so grateful for all the help and generous support to bring this project to life for my students to start the second half of our school year. I cannot wait to share the news with my students when we return on Monday and get the library transformation underway! Your kindness means the absolute world to me and my students!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Edwards
Teamwork Makes the Dreamwork Part 2
Funded Dec 31, 2023Oh my goodness! I just finished picking up my jaw off the ground! I am floored by everyone’s kindness in helping us replenish supplies and replace broken items that we use on a daily basis.
Since focusing on small group stations, students need to be organized in having all the supplies needed for each station. We currently have two broken storage bins that each student stores supplies in one drawer that will be replaced. We use frisbees as mini-whiteboards and our frisbees get lots of love from students. I promised my students that I would find a way to replace them over break and now I can share the good news.
In addition, we complete many hands-on projects that require supplies such as flip books, interactive notebooks, and journals. My goal is for students to be engaged in learning and be able to learn from one another. Building a sense of teamwork at each station goes a long way. I am constantly switching groups on a monthly basis so students get to experience working with all their classmates at some point. I love seeing all the responsibility my students take for learning as well as students developing their leadership skills.
This project is a dream come true and will fulfill so many needs. Thank you does not even scratch the surface in expressing my gratitude for every single donor in helping to make this project possible for my deserving fourth grade students. I appreciate everyone’s generosity and thoughtfulness in making sure we have everything we need to start out the new year!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Edwards
Survey Says...LEGO Bricks are Awesome! Part 2
Funded Oct 11, 2023Hooray! We are so excited that our project to support our enrichment programs has fully funded!
Again this year we surveyed students on what program offerings they would like to see and LEGO Club had over half the submissions! Our amazing teachers took this into consideration and we have LEGO Clubs from 1st grade to 6th grade. The LEGO storage bins and containers will be a big help in keeping all the LEGO bricks organized for play!
Additionally, our Crochet Club was also a student favorite last year and will now be meeting two days a week. The yarn and hooks will be help students to create many beautiful gifts for their families and/or community.
Lastly, we know our world has become more digitally engaged in play, but bringing back some of the classic board games and puzzles will help provide students socialization time without being on a screen.
We feel that when class offerings are student-driven, then this amps up the engagement factor for our students which is a huge priority. We are so appreciative of every single donor and their contribution to help us launch these amazing programs this school year!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Edwards
This classroom project was brought to life by United Airlines and 8 other donors.We've Got This School Year in the Bag!
Funded Aug 2, 2023Hooray! We are jumping for joy receiving the good news that this project has been fully funded! We start school in less than three weeks and these Chromebook bags will be an essential item in helping to set up our students for success!
Starting in fourth grade, students are given the responsibility in taking their Chromebooks to and from school. In the past, students have been seen struggling to carry their supplies with trying to juggle their books, lunchboxes, and Chromebooks. Once I saw this dangerous pattern, I had to think of a solution. It’s been three years since I first started writing this project for my grade level and it’s made a tremendous difference for our students!
Students will be so proud to carry their Chromebooks safely with a reliable case that helps protect their technology. Thank you to the many generous donors that have chosen to support our school. We are blessed by your generosity and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Edwards
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 23 other donors.We Are All Stars in Our Own Way!
Funded May 9, 2023Woohoo! We were able to celebrate the end of the school year with shiny and happy smiles because of all of our incredible donors! We had our last classroom meeting of the school year and I presented our class with celebration medals! Some students have never received a medal in their life and this was such a special moment for them!
This year was a challenging year because our class sizes continued to soar and it was important to me to make sure all students felt special in their own way. Giving students a little token of appreciation for their hard work was definitely necessary! Our school had an assembly again this year and teachers were able to pick students that exemplify different character traits such as empathy, kindness, citizenship, and many more! I loved seeing this continued to be expanded because in the past we only celebrated those students that received honor roll and perfect attendance. Slowly, but surely, I do think there will be some future changes schoolwide to help celebrate children! I personally decided to create a class tradition where every single child is celebrated because I really think it means so much to each child and their family!
During our last classroom meeting, my students were able to celebrate one another and were not only proud of themselves, but also proud of our accomplishments as a class this year! Some medals that were presented were: Fantastic Flipgrid Performer, Reading Specialist, Journal Leader Rockstar, Math Genius, Kindness Star, Outstanding Author, School Spirit, and many more! Students were able to reflect on their strengths and hard work throughout the whole school year!
It was incredible to see my students so happy on the last day of school! My favorite part was seeing their eyes after seeing that their actual name was on the medal. I even received an email from a parent shortly after school was out thanking me for going above and beyond with the personalization of the medals. Little things like this really do mean so much more than we ever think. It really helps empower students to continue to be the best they can be with the special personalization touch! Some students were so happy that they did not want to leave the classroom. Seeing the joy that this celebration brought to my students was very touching especially given how challenging this year was for all students.
Thank you all for ensuring that every child feels special and receives a token of recognition that I know they will always remember when they think of their fourth grade experience!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Edwards
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Foundation and 20 other donors.Welcoming More Students Into Our Class Family!
Funded Jul 6, 2023We are family and are so excited to welcome more students into our class family! It can be a bit scary coming from another country and not knowing the way of the educational system here in the USA. Giving students access to these tools will help teach them critical organizational life skills. This will be so helpful in all they do and will help with adapting to a new environment.
Thank you to everyone that helped to make this a reality for my students. Having all the supplies and tools we need from day one will help set my students up for success long-term.
All students should feel proud of who they are and being able to say and read one another’s name will be a great start in making connections. We are so appreciative of all the kindness that made this possible!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Edwards
This classroom project was brought to life by Kleenex® Brand and 11 other donors.Christmas in July!
Funded Jul 3, 2023Oh how it feels like Christmas in July receiving this amazing gift for my students that our project has been fully funded! Thank you for helping my students be prepared for the upcoming school year and for helping me give them the tools to provide them with fun learning opportunities!
As our class sizes continue to soar, our favorite tools and supplies have been well-loved and are in need of replacement. Headphones are used daily in all subject areas and students are more focused with comfortable headphones that fit around them. The frisbees will help replace our old ones that are marked up because of their daily usage.
Our floors are scratched and our chairs squeak when students move around our classroom. The new chair floor protectors will help students glide and move without causing damage to the floor or a classmates’ ears. Lastly, the Kleenex will help to start the year out with making sure students are reducing the spread of germs.
Thank you to every single donor for believing in my students and for giving them the supplies and tools they deserve for a great school year ahead! It sure will feel like Christmas morning on the first day of school!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Edwards
This classroom project was brought to life by Kleenex® Brand and 21 other donors.Snow Buddies for the Homeless for the Holidays!
Funded Nov 29, 2022They say Chicago has the most beautiful snow, but during the winter months it can be brutal for those that are in homeless shelters. Our kindness snow buddies care packages this year have made an impact because of all our amazing donors' generosity! Our students were so excited when the dental hygiene kits, gloves, hats, and bags arrived so they could start creating care packages for the homeless! This year students wanted to add a little creativity in creating snow buddies! They had so much fun creating these care packages and putting a smile on so many faces with this extra special touch!
After this project was funded, our Kindness Squad had an amazing idea! Why not hold a winter clothing drive to help the homeless? Our Kindness Squad led the morning announcements over the intercom for the one week drive and also went classroom to classroom with flyers to spread the word! We received an overwhelming amount of donations and it was amazing to see our school community come together for this great cause! Our Kindness Squad had so much fun creating these care packages and writing special notes on the bags to spread a blizzard of kindness to a local homeless shelter in need. We even had a parent volunteer and take her children to deliver all the care packages we assembled!
It is amazing what a little kindness can do and how kindness can have such a positive influence on others! Thank you all for being leaders of kindness by helping to support this worthy cause! We want our students to feel that they can make a difference and that they can donate their time while experiencing the joy in giving back! We are so appreciative of what each and every one of you did to make this possible! Let the blizzard of kindness continue to lift others and help bring positivity and happiness in our world! It all starts with one! Thank you for being the one!!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Edwards
This classroom project was brought to life by an Anonymous Classroom Supporter and 7 other donors.Survey Says...LEGO Bricks are Awesome!
Funded Oct 4, 2022What can we say....everything with LEGO bricks is AWESOME! Our afterschool clubs were a huge success this school year because of your kindness! Our students were so thankful to have a say in what programs were offered this school year.
When the LEGO bricks, bins, and STEM materials arrived, our students were ready to dig in and start creating! We ended up creating classes for six different grade levels because our LEGO STEM club was so popular! Students completed a variety of challenges and were able to use their imagination to free play with their classmates.
The Lysol was a huge help to wipe down all materials so that we could do our part in preventing sickness. Since COVID began, most of our students have had limited play exploration due to being isolated. Our clubs helped students learn how to be a friend again and interact with their classmates. It was a joy to witness their smiling and happy faces each day!
Additionally, the crochet club materials helped our students create earrings, scarfs, and memorable gifts for their family members. This was the first club to fill enrollment and students would even meet with their teacher before school while standing outside for morning line up to check on the stitches they created. It was amazing to see how this often called "dead art" was brought back to life by giving students an opportunity to create something special with their very own two hands!
Thank you to every donor that made these club experiences such a positive experience for our students. When students are eager to stay afterschool to learn, that is when you know you are making a huge difference in their lives! We appreciate every single donor in making these opportunities possible for our amazing students!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Edwards
This classroom project was brought to life by The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation and 4 other donors.