Past projects 46
You Belong: Supplies to Build Community
Funded Oct 16, 2024Wow, this got funded so quickly! I’m excited to tell my students tomorrow. I can’t wait to get these resources into the hands of my students. Mahalo for supporting teachers like me and classrooms like mine through the amazing DonorsChoose.org.
I have used DonorsChoose since 2007 and tell folks all the time, I could not teach, the way I teach, without them.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Milianta-Laffin
This classroom project was brought to life by Hawai'i State Dept. of Ed and Marc & Lynne Benioff.Super Supplies to Finish the Year Strong!
Funded Feb 15, 2024I'm so grateful for your support of my classroom. These supplies not only enriched my students' learning experiences, but they also saved me from putting classroom supplies on my credit card. If you didn't know, adjusted for cost of living, Hawai'i teachers are some of the lowest paid teachers in the country. So every penny I save, not spending money on my classroom, takes care of my family.
During COVID, everyone at school was allowed to get meals, even if they couldn't pay. Since that program was taken away, you can see students on our campus standing around trash cans during meals, asking kids who are throwing away sometimes half-eaten food, if they can have the item. As a teacher, it is so frustrating to know that a policy decision leads to hungry kids. The bill for free school meals also died in the legislature this year. I share this to say that many teachers like me, buy food for our students. Your generosity by funding this grant saved me about $200 in food this semester.
It's really hard to teach without basic supplies. If you tell students, "please take out a pencil," and they don't have one, you can't do the learning activity. The supplies you provided with this funding, like markers, glue, pencils, and more made multiple learning activities happen for my students, from unplugged coding lessons, to lessons that focused on social-emotional learning.
Since 2007, I've helped my schools get over $100k in supplies from DonorsChoose. I say it all the time, and it's true -- I could not teach, the way I teach, without them. Thank you so much for supporting my students, by supporting me on DonorsChoose. Mahalo nui loa!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Milianta-Laffin
This classroom project was brought to life by Hawai'i State Department of Education.No Toner, No Printing
Funded Feb 11, 2024It's no secret that teachers like me spend a lot of money out of our own pockets on classroom supplies. Unfortunately, expensive products like toner are quickly becoming too expensive for teacher to purchase, so many teachers share printers, or just do digital work so they don't have to print at all. My classroom budget is $150 per year from the school, and the toner cartridge that goes in my printer is $240.
I still believe it's helpful for students to do some work on paper, and therefore toner is a pivotal school supply for my classroom. Your generous donation of funds to DonorsChoose allowed me to get a toner cartridge that will last for a full school year in my printer, which allows me to spend my money on immediate student needs like food and less expensive school supplies.
With your toner donation this semester, we've completed social-emotional learning activities, unplugged coding activities, learned about women in STEM, and so much more. It gives me so much peace of mind to know that I have this crucial school supply in my classroom. I am so grateful for your generous support of my students.
I say it all the time, I could not teach, the way I love to teach, without DonorsChoose. Mahalo nui loa!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Milianta-Laffin
Moveable Murals for Mental Health
Funded Mar 4, 2023I am so grateful for your support of my classroom. It's no secret that since the pandemic, many students have been encountering mental health challenges. I have found that using energy to paint and create works of art have helped students channel their feelings in a positive way.
Quotes and saying have always inspired me as an educator, and when my middle school students are given time, they often find words that are meaningful for them. In the photos you'll see some examples of the signs we painted to encourage others.
Often as a teacher, when students are struggling with non-academic realities, I feel helpless on how to support them. This project was just a small way to give them space to be themselves, and help others. Mahalo for your support of my students and the amazing folks at DonorsChoose.org.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Milianta-Laffin
This classroom project was brought to life by Hawai'i State Department of Education.Stem Challenges Need Supplies!
Funded Dec 16, 2022Aloha! To begin, I'd like to apologize for the lateness of this letter. I was on maternity leave for the birth of my first child. She's awesome, but I was also excited to get back to work to use the materials you helped to provide to my class.
I love being a STEM teacher. We build and create everyday. The hardest thing about being a STEM teacher is the need to stock and have a variety of "STEM challenge" resources. That's why this proposal was so special. The items provided by this grant have given me the supplies to do 8 different STEM challenges, and some of the supplies can even be re-used for other investigations.
I deeply believe in the AMLE (Association for Middle Level Education) standards that say my job as an elective teacher is to "get students excited to come to school" so they can learn in every subject. The materials your funding provided have helped my classroom become an exciting place where students want to be, and for that, I can't thank you enough. Mahalo!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Milianta-Laffin
This classroom project was brought to life by College Football Playoff Foundation.Finish The Year Strong with Art, Snacks, and Brain Breaks
Funded Mar 6, 2022Even as a veteran educator, school year 2021-2022 was one for the books. We navigated coming back from the pandemic, but realized that students had more than simply academic gaps that needed to be addressed. Students were dealing with mental health and social skill challenges.
The gift of this funded proposal was that I was able to create fun brain-breaks for my students where they could bond with each other through play. This helped rebuild many of the social skills that were lost or underdeveloped during pandemic learning. The snacks also served as positive rewards for a job well done, and facilitated an environment for calm chats during lunch and recess over snacks.
The beauty of these resources is that I'm still using many of them into the following school year. Mahalo for supporting my students.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Milianta-Laffin
This classroom project was brought to life by Hawai'i State Department of Education.Rainbow Fuel for Rainbow Students
Funded Oct 29, 2022As we know, the pandemic has taken a toll on the mental health of all students but the social isolation was particularly tough for LGBTQ+ students, many of whom lost their "safe space" of coming to school in person.
It's important to me that my classroom is always an inclusive place for all learners, but I pride myself on caring for LGBTQ+ students by being the faculty sponsor of the Gender Sexuality Alliance club. In club, students can share their feelings, create art project, and just be themselves.
With your generous donations, they've been able to have snacks, paint inclusive signs to hang around our school, observe LGBTQ+ events with GLSEN, and so much more. Mahalo for the support!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Milianta-Laffin
This classroom project was brought to life by Hawai'i State Department of Education.Earth-Friendly Eating Tools
Funded Sep 19, 2022As I shared in my proposal -- we're an island community, and sustainable living is something we're always considering in school. During COVID, all students were given free school lunch, and it was amazing because "No Hungry Kids" should always be the goal of a functioning democracy. Unfortunately, with the end of this policy, many of my students have lost access to this free lunch.
Noodles are a very cheap way for students to get free lunch. I stock up on noodles at Costco to make sure students aren't hungry. These chopsticks have been a huge help to my classroom, and are better for the planet than plastic alternatives. Thank you for providing these to my students, and helping them stay fed at school. The support means the world to me and my students.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Milianta-Laffin
Basic Supplies to Start the Year Strong!
Funded Aug 10, 2022I've taught for 17 years, and after teaching that long, you have "favorite" school supplies. Ticonderoga Pencils are the GOLD STANDARD of classroom pencils. They're reliable, easy to sharpen, and the lead doesn't break in the middle like other pencils. Students have even shared, "Go to Mili's room, she has the "good" pencils!" Thank you for providing this basic but critical tool to my classroom. We are still stocked with pencils thanks to your generosity.
We have used the pencils daily since they arrived and the same goes for the markers, and scissors. Thanks for supporting classrooms like mine through the amazing DonorsChoose.org!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Milianta-Laffin
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and 5 other donors.Rainbow Kids Need Rainbow YA Books
Funded Apr 11, 2022My students are obsessed with the "Heartstopper" books. Thank you for gifting them to my classroom. If you aren't aware, "Heartstopper" tells the story of a budding romance between 2 gay teenagers. It's also a popular show on Netflix right now, so the I'm using that connection to encourage my students to read the books.
Over 35 students have borrowed and returned Books 1-4 this semester alone, and I have a current waiting list of an additional 20 students who would like to read them. I can't thank you enough for providing these texts to my students. When kids see themselves reflected in literature, they're more likely to read, and have a higher sense of self-worth by seeing that "different" does not mean "wrong" or "bad." (A lesson that everyone needs!)”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Milianta-Laffin