Ms. Vanderpuije's Classroom Edit display name

Current requests

Past projects 6

• Garden and Grow!

  Funded May 25, 2022

  Thank you for contributing to our school garden. Students and families in our community will get so much out of this program. It will help our community come together for a common goal. It will also help students learn valuable lessons about science and the natural world. Thank you again for everything that you have contributed to our school.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Vanderpuije

• Decodable Books Create Successful Beginning Readers!

  Funded Jan 12, 2022

  As adults, we take reading for granted because we have been doing it for so long that it is second nature to many of us. The truth is that reading requires many smaller skills in order to be possible. It requires understanding letters are symbols and that each symbol has a unique name and sound. Of course, some letters make more than one sound. The list of what a child needs to learn to become a reader is extensive.

  In kindergarten, children learn each letter and their corresponding sound as well as how to blend them together. In the beginning, it is important to set students up for success by providing them with decodable texts - books that have the letters and sounds that they have been explicitly taught.

  These decodable texts allow our kindergarten teachers to provide students with books that are aligned to what students know, which allows them to feel successful. This builds children's self esteem and self efficacy. The texts that the Donors Choose funds provided are colorful and engaging books that children are excited to read while practicing the skills that are the foundation of a lifetime of learning.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Vanderpuije

• Book That Kindergarten Kids Love

  Funded Sep 19, 2019

  Every week, our class does an activity called "shared reading." During shared reading time, we read an engaging and repetitive children's book to together every day for the entire week. Each day we all read the book out loud together and do different activities based on the book. By the end of the week students have the confidence to "read" the book just like the teacher. They love feeling like a grown up with a book in their hand while reading to each other. Unfortunately, I rarely had enough copies of the book so all the students who want a copy could have one. This influx of reading materials has increased engagement and learning for my students a great deal.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Vanderpuije

• Wanted: Non-Fiction Books

  Funded Dec 3, 2013

  Few things make me as happy as seeing a child get excited about reading. This is exactly the response I witness when our new non-fiction books arrived. As I handed the books out, they were so eager to begin reading the books. Each child was pointing to the book they wanted and grabbing them excitedly as I distributed them. I would later hear the students discussing what they learned about sharks from their book.

  I want to thank you for allowing that experience to occur in my classroom. Before this donation, the "fun-o-meter" for my non-fiction library was reading pretty low. The influx of new books spiced up my non-fiction library and increased student interest and engagement in those books.

  Thanks to you, both the size and the fun factor of my non-fiction library has increased greatly. My class is so excited about reading all of the lovely new books. Moreover, future fourth grade classes will be able to enjoy these books. My students and I appreciate all that you have done to make reading more fun and engaging for all of them.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Vanderpuije

• Classroom Computer Needed

  Funded Dec 3, 2013

  It is truly a wonderful thing to see the light in a child's eyes as they when they are learning in something new. When my students saw their shiny new iPad I literally heard a roomful of "oohs" and "aahs." My students were so eager to begin taking turns using the iPad mini to do math practice! I was able to download several nice apps. The students all eagerly awaited their turn to go on the device. Even students that are generally reluctant and scared of math were eager to engage in mathematics when it was done on an iPad.

  I want to thank you for allowing that experience to occur in my classroom. Before this donation, my classroom was extremely low-tech. There weren't computers that functioned well enough that students could use without becoming frustrated. Now, I have a valuable, modern tool that my students love to use. The work on apps, or go online to Brain Pop and other educational sites when to supplement our regular curriculum.

  I have told my students that they may use the iPad mini in groups soon to do projects on Colonial America. My class is so excited about doing research because they love the iPad. Moreover, I'll be able to use the it to teach students in future years. We appreciate all that you have done to make teaching and learning easier and more fun.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Vanderpuije

• Help Us Get Books About Explorers

  Funded Oct 10, 2012

  It is truly a wonderful thing to see the light in a child's eyes as they open a new book for the first time. When my students saw their shiny new explorer books I literally heard a roomful of "oohs" and "aahs." After I handed the books out, they were so eager to begin reading the books that there wasn't a sound in my room for a very long time. Even students who generally don't get engaged in reading were excited at the prospect of reading about history from a graphic novel.

  I want to thank you for allowing that experience to occur in my classroom. Before this donation, my class only had a handful of books about explorers. They were old and many of them did not appear very appealing. Now my classroom has several bins worth of books categorized by individual explorers – from Ferdinand Magellan to Lewis and Clark. My students are now reading several books (instead of only one) about an explorer of their choice. After they conduct their research, they will create independent projects based on their research.

  Thanks to you, my library of explorer-related books has more than doubled. My class is so excited about doing research because of the lovely new books. Moreover, I'll be able to use these books to teach many students in future years. We appreciate all that you have done to make teaching and learning easier and more fun.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Vanderpuije

  This classroom project was brought to life by Kia Motors America and one other donor.