Adam Lambert Trespassing On Our Hearts

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First, I want to apologize for the delay in my completion of this package. This year has been professionally challenging because I am teaching new curriculum at a new school. When I first posted my project last year, I was looking for a way to play music in my fourth grade classroom. Then, I was transferred to a junior high school where I teach the Title 1 Reading Learning Assistance Program. LAP provides additional academic support to eligible students who are making progress towards meeting state reading standard requirements. Most of my 7th and 8th grade students are struggling in most of their classes due to their reading level.

Your donations came at a great time. I was able to get the iPod Nano this fall, which has helped struggling readers. I downloaded the audio for The Giver, which is a required novel for all 8th graders. My language arts students have been able to listen to the book on audio while following along. Also, I have allowed my LAP students to come in before/after school to listen. This has been very helpful to many of them.

Thank you again for supporting my classroom.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Riley

Dear Amazing Kind Souls,

Watching my students participate in literature circles has been an experience that I will cherish in my heart for a lifetime. As a student of pedagogy, I have often read of these best practices that sounded like they could only work in fairy tale classrooms, but now I can say that I am a true believer in fairy tales...because literature circles are ROCKIN in my class thanks to you all.

It took us a while to get to the Roald Dahl books because I underestimated the amount of time it would take to get my students ready to take control of their own learning again. We had to do a lot of prep work reactivating those brains and self-monitoring skills, but now we are finishing up the Roald Dahl books in my class. From the first day we began, their excitement, engagement, and motivation was unlike anything I have seen in my class before. You can hear a pin drop during silent reading in our class while these students are reading these books. They take their books to lunch, stand in line during class change reading their books, and even getting in caught reading under the table during other classes!

My students are falling in love with reading, and critically discussing these books with their classmates. We have ALL fallen in love with Roald Dahl and his humor and imagination. We are able to use context clues to figure out his crazy language, identify figurative language on almost every page, and truly connect with characters as they go on a journey. The students are LOVING that these books are theirs to keep forever. Being able to interact with the text by writing in the margins, circle unknown words, and write questions/predictions/comments that add so much to their peer discussions.

I can't thank you enough for helping to make this dream come true! My kids are addicted to reading. I have the highest AR points I have ever had, students are borrowing books from each other, and I am one incredibly happy teacher! Keep giving because you made this all possible!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Owens

My students love all the materials you have provided us. The science center is one of the most active and engaging areas in my classroom. It is amazing to see how they participate in inquiry together without being aware of it. The materials you funded are perfect for them because they are able to engage in self-guided exploration. Their natural curiosities are so apparent as they explore different aspects of physical science. Teaching at its best is an act coming from the heart. It is also an act of giving that is reciprocated back to me from my students. They give to me as much as I give to them, if not more. You are an extension of this act of giving from the heart. Thank you. Your support for education is inspiring.

Best,

Muquita Rodriguez”

With gratitude,

Ms. Rodriguez

I really appreciate your kind donations to the "Paintbrushes for Art Class" project. The new brushes are very good quality and will benefit hundreds of students for years to come.

So far, my fourth grade students have used the new brushes for paintings inspired by the art of a local artist and for a rotational symmetry project. They are learning to mix light and dark versions of colors. These students are also learning to hold their brushes in different ways to paint details and larger areas.

The students were delighted to use brand-new brushes and they were very grateful that you all would donate money so that they could have the brushes.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Kohlmeyer

Thank you so much for donating electricity supplies to my classroom. Because of your generous donations, I was able to provide my students with an exciting and hands-on electricity unit. During this unit, my students completed a lab almost everyday and were able to see the concepts they were learning about in action.

My students learned the basic components of an electrical circuit, explored the difference between conductors and insulators, built parallel and series circuits, and explored how to strengthen and weaken electromagnets. Without the use of these materials, my students would not have been able to experience these concepts first-hand and they would not have learned as much.

My students had a ton of fun during this unit and truly looked forward to what we were going to be doing in class each day. This would not have been possible without these materials. Thank you again for bringing electricity alive for my students!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Baxter

I am so happy to be writing this letter! Last year, our school started our band program with the help of grant money and donations. Our program grew within one year to lengths I have never seen before with first year students! The enthusiasm and joy in each rehearsal is what keeps me going throughout the day and brings a smile to my face! Last year, we were invited to march in a local community day parade. I really wanted to give my students this opportunity but didn't have much in terms of marching percussion. We were successfully able to pull it off with just one marching snare and one marching bass drum. Your donations have helped me bring another snare into the mix!

Although parade season hasn't officially started yet, my percussion students see the marching drums and carriers on a daily basis and request to work with them. Even during rehearsals for concerts, the students want to use the marching equipment! We are in the process of developing a percussion ensemble rehearsal to give our percussion students more opportunities to play. After the holidays, I am hoping to have this ensemble up and running! I know our students will be so happy!

I have to apologize for the delay in this letter. After the project was funded, I was informed that the powerlite series was being discontinued. We are happy to say that we were able to get the requested drum, even though the line will not be available in the future.

I am looking forward to our marching season this year, as we hope to be involved with 2 parades, as opposed to just one. The growth in our music department can not be credited to just me and my students though. It is people like you who have faith in music education that help our program and I thank you from the bottom of my heart!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Giammattei

I would like all of you to know that our supplies arrived right on time for this new school year. We are off to a great start in science thanks to your generosity. The students in all of my third and fourth grade classes are proceeding with their scientific investigations, using all the materials you purchased for them, and they are really loving their new and improved science lab!

The prisms and magnets are excellent, and the children have already learned how to take care of them and use them in our physical science unit. The ants have created amazing tunnels, and the tadpoles should be here in about two weeks. We are planning to bring in the caterpillars in the Spring, and their house is already hanging up waiting for them to turn into butterflies! My students know that YOU have donated these supplies, and they are very grateful, as am I. Please know that we will put the new equipment to very good use for many years to come. Thanks so much for supporting public education and our children.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Bernstein

It takes a lot to ponder the effects of the pencil in First Grade. Thank you for having the kindness and foresight o understand the benefits of this simple act. But, seriously, thank you for contributing to my project that makes the most basic tool of the day more accessible and easier to use. The 'issues' erupting over broken, no-eraser and dull pointed pencils have gone by the wayside. Getting started on the right foot (or hand) makes the day a little easier to tackle.

Thank you for recognizing a need that supports a basic need in our classroom. You have made learning a little easier for our students!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Kowal

I would like to thank everyone for helping my classroom to receive all these new and cool resources for Science for our classroom. My kids were so excited to open the large box that came for them.

It is because of kind and giving people like yourselves that teachers are able to provide better resources for our classrooms. I cannot wait to use all of the resources that your donations helped us to get this year!

My students are always eager to use new things and do new things in class and these Science items will be enjoyed by many students for years to come.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. REESE