Past projects 15
Seated For Success!
Funded Sep 6, 2023We are so grateful for the monetary donation that you made on our behalf. We are thrilled to have all the different seating options to help us as we learn.
When we first brought materials to the classroom there was a buzz of excitement and lots of anxious students to try the different seating. Already the kids have found their preferred seats and love to take them around the room or even outside to do their group work. Many students enjoy the seats for independent reading time and writing time.
We have many diverse learners in our room and lots of students who like to move. Our wobble stools and bucket seats plus the kick bands really help them stay focused on their tasks.
We are always astonished that complete strangers and friends would be willing to help us be successful in the classroom. Thank you so much.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Forsyth
This classroom project was brought to life by Panda Cares and 14 other donors.Honoring Hispanic Heritage
Funded Nov 17, 2021There is always excitement when that box of books gets delivered, solely because other people were generous and cared about your passion for literacy. This box of books that highlights Hispanic Heroes from our past and our present was so enthusiastically received.
All of our books will be available to ALL of our student at Cypress Ridge Elementary School. We will be placing them in our library not just for Hispanic Heritage Month but all year round. We want all of our Latino community to see themselves in the books on the shelves in our school. We want to eventually have an even amount of all cultures and races represented in our library because each and every student matters. Each and every one should be inspired by a character that they connect and love. Books can be a window to someplace or someone different, or a mirror a beautiful reflection of ourselves. Our goal is to have an even amount of both. Thank you for helping us get a little bit closer to our goal.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Forsyth
This classroom project was brought to life by Dollar General Literacy Foundation and 7 other donors.Growing Into A Good Book
Funded May 27, 2021I cannot express the gratitude I have for your contribution in making this project possible. As a primary teacher, I have the amazing opportunity to cultivate a love of reading in ALL students. Each day, my students receive 15 minutes of independent reading time, where they are given the freedom to explore books that interest them. This project has added a variety of books to our classroom library that not only builds confidence in my emergent readers, but has also increased their excitement to have a book in their hands.
Although independent reading time is a fan favorite amongst my students, it has not always been sunshine and roses. I have had a plethora of students who have expressed frustration from "not being able to read." The books from this project have helped my students increase confidence in their reading. It is the most rewarding feeling to see these students burst with excitement each time they read me pages from the emergent readers all on their own. These books are such important tools that they will use on their journey of learning to read. This project will reach hundreds of students as years pass.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Forsyth
This classroom project was brought to life by Panda Cares and 7 other donors.Growing Naturalists in the Everglades
Funded Nov 12, 2019It really has brought me so much joy as the kids begin to use the books, brochures and naturalist guides you helped purchase. Their knowledge about Florida plants and animals are growing by leaps and bounds as we prepare for our Everglades Field trip.
The students are researching and creating a mini posters on the wildlife that surrounds us and are using the materials to find information and facts. We currently have all the posters hanging up on our walls and their artistic ability as well as their science abilities are shining bright. We are integrating this with our writing, reading and science standards.
By far the students favorites are the tracks and brochures. They pour over them looking at each specimen, curiosity is bubbling up in my classroom. We are so grateful for your generous donation.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Forsyth
Learning Financial Literacy, Through Florida History
Funded Nov 29, 2018After attended the Get Your Teach On! conference, my colleague and I have been inspired and motivated to create a fun and engaging atmosphere for our students. Our first goal was to tackle our 41 Financial Literacy Standards - and we sure did! We create a giant game of Monopoly Florida Style, and our questions all dealt with our financial literacy standards. The places on the board were all Florida landmarks and cities plus even our Chance and Community Chest Cards were all based on Florida history. We paired the kids up into teams and set them off buying properties, charging rent, talking about investments and creating a budget.
One of my particular favorite moments was when each group was cheering for each other and answering the questions correctly. They were encouraging and helped each other answer every question. Because of this conference I have felt like my students and I are enjoying school even more than before. My classroom is a fun and safe place to learn hard things!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Forsyth
This classroom project was brought to life by Charles Schwab Foundation and 2 other donors.Everglades Literature Experience
Funded Dec 30, 2018These fiction and non-fiction books that were purchased to enhance our Everglades Experience field trip were greatly appreciated and used a great deal on our long bus ride from Clermont to West Palm.
Forty five students had time with books on subjects that we would see on our trip! We read and saw about ecosystems, loggerhead turtles,egrets, manatees and every other wetland creature!
We encouraged even our chaperones to partake in this reading time and were delighted to find them enjoying the books as well.
Overall, everyone benefited from these enriching literature sets. We will use these books the rest of the year for research projects and next year again on our field trips.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Forsyth
Let Them Play Ball!
Funded Nov 20, 2018The state of Florida has mandated that children play outside at least once a day. Most teachers are super grateful for this time that their students can release energy and practice gross and fine motor motor skills. The equipment that you provided allowed my students to engage in a variety of multiple activities and enjoy their recess time by playing football, kickball, foursquare, jump rope, Frisbees and much much more.
When my students first saw the materials come in they were so excited to try out all the different size balls and equipment. We use our balls every day at recess and sometimes at the end of the day for some extra PE time. We are becoming more coordinated every day!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Forsyth
This classroom project was brought to life by Nickelodeon and National Fitness Foundation and 4 other donors.I See Me! Books That Reflect All Learners!
Funded Sep 7, 2018This project is near and dear to my heart because my own beautiful son is brown and growing up in a majority white school. I am so grateful that my students have been exposed to books that look different to them. My students were excited and anxious to read books like "She Persisted" about the women who have made the world a better place. The boys even were curious and loved "The Name Jar" a book about a Asian girl that is hard for her English classmates to say. We all enjoyed reading, "Those Shoes" about being generous and observant of others and their needs. All in all we have used these books to enrich our curriculum, teaching empathy and emphasized diversity. Thank you so much.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Forsyth
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 7 other donors.The Hidden Voices of the Native Americans
Funded Aug 17, 2018The materials that you all provided for my classroom and my students are going to be used to promote equality through novel studies and read aloud. In Florida our standards in Social Studies cover a great deal of our states history. This being said our adopted curriculum only tells one side of the story. We must dig deeper to find truth from others' perspective. These books written by real Native Americans about their lives and struggles, will give us a more well rounded view of history and also build empathy in my students lives as we learn about racism and discrimination.
All my students will leave this year with a heart and passion for truth and will have learned how to find it by using books as a jumping off point. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Forsyth
Ready? Set? Seated to Learn!
Funded Jan 25, 2018Our new chairs are bringing smiles to my student's faces! They are rotating weekly seating arrangements and sharing them daily during our station rotations. As we celebrate Black History Month with projects on a famous Black Americans, I see the students sharing ideas and collaborating around these chairs. My students have more than one choice for where they can sit and we have eliminating 4 desks and 4 regular chairs! The space we have now is a great relief to us. Our cozy portable is a little more spacious now. We are are grateful for you and your generosity. I am always anxious to tell my students where these gifts come from, it spurs them to be more generous as well. You are role models in my eyes.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Forsyth
This classroom project was brought to life by The First Million Fund and 6 other donors.