Past projects 4
The Wondrous World of Words is Waiting for My Students!
Funded Aug 14, 2024I am flabbergasted by the swiftness with which this project was funded! Many of you are also repeat donors - how fortunate am I?! Thank you so very much for your ongoing generosity. I love words so much myself, yet there are not always adequate ones to let you know what a substantial impact your donation will make for my students. I can’t wait to show you how much their vocabulary and communication have grown in a few months. Thanks so much again!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Regina
This classroom project was brought to life by The Gates Foundation and 6 other donors.Soaring High with Girls Soccer!
Funded Aug 3, 2023Thank you so much for your generous donation to this project. Because of you, we were able to purchase 18 new pairs of soccer cleats for our girls' soccer team. What makes this so incredibly special is the population that your donation serves. My team is made up of 21 third and fourth graders at an urban elementary school. Our school is composed of primarily low-income students from challenging multilingual home environments. In its second full year of operation, our afterschool program enables the girls to learn about the importance of teamwork, cooperation, skill-building, fitness and, really importantly, outdoor fun!
Because of your help, we got this year off and running (literally) in mid October. Cleats were distributed in session one; trying them on was like Cinderella and the glass slipper - so exciting. It is with tremendous pride that the girls come each week with cleats in hand and enthusiasm to boot. For a fun Halloween twist, we added mustaches to our "uniform." I hope the attached picture highlights the difference your donation has made and the joy it has created. We could not have done this without you.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Regina
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 8 other donors.Shooting for the Stars
Funded Mar 17, 2022Thank you cannot properly explain the impact of your donation for this group of young girls. I asked for the donations so that I could begin an afterschool girls soccer program in my urban elementary school. Most of our students lack exposure to recreational sports due to limited transportation and absent resources to access them. I wanted to change that because, along with my teenage daughter, we love sports and fondly remember those experiences with soccer, in particular, as a wonderful childhood memory.
The program began as an indoor soccer clinic in our school gym. Most girls could join in because they had sneakers. Hoping to expand this to outdoor soccer for spring, we knew that cleats, shin guards, etc. would be critical and that most of our families would not likely be able to make these purchases on their own. Having had a great experience with Donors Choose in the past, I was hopeful again about securing potential donors to this effort. How amazed I was at the speed and generosity of
your donations!
It was a wonderful thing listening to the girls squealing with delight when we finally got to share their new gear-and even more when we got outside to try it! Of course we saw their growth in skill. More importantly though, each week we witnessed tremendous joy and excitement playing together. It was such a wonderful bonding experience that the Fall 2022 program has already begun and we are inundated with members! Other teachers report each week how much the girls share their love of soccer and our program. None of that would be possible without your participation.
Again, thank you cannot possibly cover how grateful I am, and they are, for your donation. I hope the pictures make clear what a difference you have made.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Regina
Hands-On Projects Bring Remote Learners Together While Apart
Funded Oct 20, 2020First let me thank you again so very much for funding my request. My students have been learning fully remotely since September. Soon after school began, I felt they needed to do more with their hands than use a keyboard. We have been exposed to many wonderful apps and online tools to foster creativity and critical thinking. However, as third graders, I felt that hands-on craft materials were an essential addition in allowing them to express understanding and retain learning. In remote art classes, students were mostly drawing on paper as they lacked other tools at home to use. When they showed their work to me online, I began to notice how very talented, and invested in art, my students were. I felt frustrated that they lacked access to the hands-on materials I might have if we were together and/or part of a more economically stable community. At the time, I also fondly recalled having the opportunity to express my understanding of concepts with unique hands-on projects when I was a student. That's how the idea for the request originated. Getting this request funded so quickly brought tears to my eyes. My students too were incredulous! All but one of my students picked up their supply bags at school but not in my presence due to our remote situation. However, one child lives in a shelter a good distance away. I eventually made the drive out to drop the supplies off to her. She just jumped up and down with sheer joy when peeking in the bag! It was but one moment of many that highlighted the incredibly positive impact of this funded project for all of us.
Since receiving the supplies, they have been put to regular use on so many activities. After a long week of remote learning, Friday afternoons are set aside for science/social studies projects. Over the course of many weeks, while learning about weather and climate, we have made paper rollercoasters, wind and flood proof houses, windsocks and much more. One challenging, and sometimes uninteresting, topic to be covered is climate zones. However, when I informed my students that the "exit ticket" for the instruction was building a diorama on their "favorite" climate zone - polar, temperate or tropical - they were intrigued and highly invested. That would not have been possible without the materials funded through this project. We began these projects before the holidays but ran out of time to complete them then. I was a little concerned they might lose interest (or materials) over break. Not so! They were so motivated they collected more materials at home to add to these supplies and showcase their learning. It was amazing to watch via Zoom how focused they were and how they were able to articulate their process when sharing their unique creations once done. Photos got posted to our school website and Facebook page for the entire school community. The principal was so impressed she gave my students a hearty morning shout-out during Zoom announcements. Watching the pride beam on their faces during that time was priceless, a truly joyful moment during these tough times.
These donations have motivated my students tremendously and I know it has enriched their understanding of many challenging concepts. Perhaps most importantly though, my students have come to feel supported and part of the larger world community. I pledged in my request that your generous donations would lead us to pay it forward in some way. When the new year began after break, we started a kindness project tied into our learning about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the lessons of unity we were hoping to spread after other societal events. With this in mind, my students used their supplies to make cards of caring for patients in a local hospital who are isolated due to our health situation. According to my nurse friend who delivered these, the cards did a lot to brighten the lives of these lonely patients. Sharing that with my class provided them with amazing life lessons. At 8 years old, they now know that they too can make a huge positive difference in the world with just the simplest gestures. These materials helped them realize they matter. It helped them to know that they all have unique strengths as learners, and most importantly, that they have the power to make others feel valued in the way your donation did for them. I believe that being able to experience that in the midst of all of the challenges of this unprecedented and scary time, particularly for them, was life-changing. I can't thank you enough for recognizing them and making that happen.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Regina