Past projects 3
iPads for our Success!
Funded Aug 21, 2015Thank you so much for your generous donation to my project, iPads for Our Success! Thanks to your contributions, my classroom now has 4 iPads with protective covers to use for educational purposes.
Technology plays a big part in my students' lives. It has been wonderful to be able to link what they already know about technology to education. Thousands of books are available to my students with the swipe of their finger thanks to an app called EPIC! Books for Kids. "Boring" math facts have turned into a fun, engaging activity thanks to apps like Manic Math and Mental Math. I am able to use the iPad apps to enrich higher level learners and support lower level learners. Any activity that includes QR codes becomes an instant favorite in my classroom. Using a QR code scanner app, my students are able to work out math problems, scan the matching QR code, and check to see if their answers are correct. In reading, a QR code turns into a question that is essential to their learning and that my students can't wait to answer.
Thank you again for your contribution. It is exciting to see education and technology work hand in hand!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Jefferies
Help Give Us the Freedom to Move!
Funded Aug 25, 2014Thank you so much for donating to my project, "Help Give Us the Freedom to Move". Thanks to your donation, I have multiple items in my classroom that allow my students to move, wiggle, and fidget quietly and inconspicuously while they learn.
One of the items I originally ordered (wiggle seats) were out of stock, so I replaced the item with Cando exercise bands. The bands are tied around the front two legs of student desks, allowing students to put their feet on the bands and bounce. The students LOVE the bands, and my "wigglers" have been especially appreciative to have an outlet for movement. I truly do not have any issues with fidgeting in my classroom this year!
Some of the other great items I purchased were soft mazes, squeeze balls and fidget bars. I have four inclusion students in my room, and they benefit greatly from the soft mazes (a small pillow with a round ball inside that they move around sewn "walls"). Many of my students that show aggression have benefited from the squeeze balls as it helps release their stress. The majority of my students have used one or more of these objects, and have expressed how easy it is to concentrate while using them. Giving students the freedom to move while they work has greatly enhanced the learning environment in my classroom!
Again, I thank you for your donation! 52 students this year, and many more for years to come, will benefit from your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Jefferies
This classroom project was brought to life by Gates Foundation Back To School and 4 other donors.Engage, Inspire, Teach And Wiggle!
Funded Sep 4, 2013Thank you all so much for your donation to my classroom project, Engage, Inspire, Teach and Wiggle! These wiggle seats have made a huge difference in my class. So many of my students have an urge to fidget, tap, or talk during instruction and many of them cannot control this urge. Thanks to the wiggle seats, my students can quietly squirm to their hearts delight while still paying attention!
I have one student in particular whose classroom behavior has improved greatly thanks to the use of a wiggle seat. This student has a very rough home life and yet comes to school each day with a hunger for learning. At the beginning of the school year, he would be all over the classroom - standing at his desk, getting up to use this or get that, talking to his neighbors- he truly could not sit still. Now that he knows to get his wiggle seat as soon as he enters my classroom, his ability to sit and learn with the rest of the class has improved immensely! He absolutely adores his wiggle seat, and I've made it very clear to him that friends and strangers from across the globe have donated to help his learning. My only regret is that you cannot see his sweet smile when he realizes complete strangers care so much for him, or the happiness in his eyes when he grasps a tough math concept because he's able to concentrate!
Thank you again so much for your kindness and generosity!! You have made a huge difference in my classroom this year, and for years to come!
"No kind action ever stops with itself. One kind action leads to another. Good example is followed. A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves." - Amelia Earhart”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Jefferies