Past projects 2
Flexible Classroom for the Win!
Funded Sep 5, 2019We truly can't thank you enough for the generous donation you made to us earlier this year! Your donation has literally changed the way our classroom runs. We start each morning choosing our seating tools. They all know that some students need tools more than others and they use the ones that help them to focus and engage more in the lesson. Through this project, it has become so apparent to me that certain students absolutely benefit from movement during work time. The ability to move their bodies while completing their work as decreased behavioral issues ten fold. I rarely refocus my students this year.
We also ended up with classes of 31 kids this year. Keep in mind, 32 is the cap...so this is a very large class. Having the new tables has opened up the room in a way I didn't think was possible. Before this year, we couldn't walk around the room to check in on our student's work and progress. Imagine teaching & not being able to pass by the desks. There were no spaces to meet together on the floor to have check ins and mini lessons. The new tables have given us room for not one but TWO meeting areas in our classroom.
The student's also have a real sense of community, independence and ownership in this room. They chose their seating every day, they move to an area they feel most productive and they use the clipboards, seating tools, tables & bands to stay focused while accomplishing so much! They tell me they are excited to come to my class each day because they love the way the room feels & the independence they are given.
I can't say it enough, thank you! It really has made a huge difference to my teaching & their focus. When behavior problems are down, teaching increases exponentially. This has been the real result of this project.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Daws & Sorrentino
We Love Listening To Books! Our Hope: A Listening Center
Funded Oct 29, 2013We can't thank you enough! All the resources have been put to great use!
We have a fully functioning listening center that has our audio books organized by level (which is more helpful than you might know!) into the cardboard shelving systems. The CD player is central to getting our listening center up and running and the students can't get enough of this center. They actually cheer when they are given the privilege of joining our listening center. We have the small table set up in a way that the students can sit around it when reading. Sitting around a mini desk is magical for students, they think it was made just for them! The pencils are now sitting in a 'borrow' bin where students borrow the pencil in the morning and return it at 3. The pencils are returned to our 'hospital' bin so our new pencil sharpener (a very important job) can sharpen them for the next day. We were really struggling at the beginning of the school year with our shortage of pencils and the amount of work we try to complete in a day! They have been a real luxury! The dry erase markers have only just arrived but they will also be put to good use on our 3 white boards that we use for our many small groups. We heard a lot of ooohs and ahhs when we presented them to the class. The students are excelling in school this year and having the additional supplies can only be helping them achieve such progress. We all thank you again for your generosity.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Daws & Sorrentino