Past projects 4
Creating Classroom Systems and Organization for Success!
Funded Jun 21, 2022Thank you so much for funding my project for the upcoming school year. I know my students will thrive with these classroom systems in place, and these tools will help me to create an orderly and efficient classroom environment. With generous supporters like you we truly are a community that supports education for all!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ruiz
This classroom project was brought to life by Dollar General Literacy Foundation and 12 other donors.Dynamic Distance Learning!
Funded Aug 20, 2020Thank you so much for your generous donations! These donations allowed my students to have a successful school year, despite COVID 19 restrictions. While this year was definitely the most challenging of my 23 years of teaching, I was amazed at the progress my students made despite the challenges! The majority of my kindergarten students continued with Distance Learning for the entire school year, with about a quarter of the classroom returning for the in person hybrid model in April of 2021. My use of technology enhanced instruction for both in person and distance learners.
One way I was able to utilize my new Dell Laptop was through our daily Zoom sessions with my students. Although my students were only 5 and 6 years old, they quickly learned to mute and unmute themselves, write on the communal white board, and navigate break out rooms successfully. Some of my more savvy students even engaged in the chat function! On Zoom, I tried to include typical kindergarten activities like the daily calendar and corresponding songs for the alphabet and counting as well as utilizing Google Slides to enhance our lessons. I made many slides interactive, often allowing students to give me ideas to add to our slides. My students also loved to do scavenger hunts in their homes to share items for the letter of the week! I also utilized my new Dell to create online assignments using various apps such as See Saw and Benchmark. My students used various apps daily for their independent work.
Overall I was extremely pleased with my students' growth this year and know I could not have been as successful without your generous support! I am looking forward to what is in store for the 2021-22 school year as we return to a sense of normalcy in our schools and am sure you are as well.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ruiz
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 24 other donors.Future Engineers
Funded Aug 16, 2019Thank you so much for contributing to my classroom project! My kindergarteners have been so excited to explore some of these new materials. Every two weeks I introduce different centers and my students overwhelmingly love the building materials. Out of all of the exploration areas, this one is always the most sought after. The building materials have had a positive impact on my classroom in many ways.
One way the building materials have had a positive impact on the learning climate of my classroom is to allow busy five year olds to engage in hands on learning. With the introduction of the more rigorous common core standards there is much more seat work required in kindergarten compared to previous generations. As a result, kids can become restless. What a perfect way to break up the day with hands on exploration! I have also witnessed students working together cooperatively and helping one another, which is essential to be successful in the 21st Century. Lastly, some students who may be struggling in language arts or mathematics have had the opportunity to show their skill set in a different content area, earning praise by both myself and their peers. This has increased their self esteem ten-fold.
These materials have also impacted me as a teacher. I have been able to see which students are artistic or have an eye for engineering and building. It has helped me to learn more about my students and given me insight into how to reach them as learners. Overall, these materials have been a wonderful addition to my classroom this school year.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ruiz
This classroom project was brought to life by Kathleen and Chip Rosenbloom and 5 other donors.Tennis Playing: Now and Forever
Funded Mar 9, 2016Dear Donor,
Thank you so much for your generous contribution to our classroom! Your contribution is helping my students in more ways than meet the eye. Going to an urban school outside of the city center of Los Angeles, my students do not have a lot of opportunities for extracurricular activities or exposure to leisure sports such as golf or tennis. These very leisure sports are the gateway to success for career and college. Even when our students are academic success stories and make it to college and career, they often fail to succeed because they lack the cultural capital that others have grown up with. These feelings of being an outsider or not belonging can have lasting effects to ones success and graduation from college or ability to move up within a business environment. It is my hope that exposure tennis at a young age will help generations of my students to develop a love of the game and more importantly a feeling of belonging no matter what social, academic or career settings they find themselves in during their lives.
Since receiving our donation, playing tennis is now the number one request during PE time. My students get so excited when it is time to go out to play that the only problem I have is not enough rackets! So this leads me to my next goal, purchasing the other 12 rackets so that I can round out a full class set.
With practice my students have now learned how to hold the racket appropriately and are attempting to volley back and forth with a partner. It is not an easy task and definitely a work in progress, but what is important is that my students are loving the game of tennis!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ruiz