Past projects 9
Let’s Grow Their Library: Decodables On the Way
Funded Dec 8, 2024Thank you for the books that you helped buy for our classroom library. Our students love books and look forward to reading with each other. Thank you for providing interesting, diverse and engaging books for these young readers. I can't wait to see their faces when the books arrive.
I appreciate your generosity and caring support.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Rutledge
All Kindergarteners Aboard - Books Books Books!
Funded Oct 21, 2021Thank you so much for your donation toward the decodable books and headphones. These books are wonderful and have added to the choices my students have when selecting reading books. My students also love reading on their iPads. The headphones you provided make it possible for my students to select and enjoy audio books.
In kindergarten reading is so important because children are just discovering the wonder of books and are just learning to read. Thank you for helping to provide a rich and diverse reading environment in our classroom.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Rutledge
This classroom project was brought to life by Dollar General Literacy Foundation and 7 other donors.Kindergarteners - Growing Skills Through Play
Funded Sep 17, 2021Thank you for your generous contribution to our Donors Choose project, Kindergartners - Growing Skills Through Play. Our classroom received activity sets, puzzles, books and building toys with the help of your donation.
We are creative learners and using these activities and toys helps us express our learning through play in our classroom. We can design and play alongside each other. We can engage in imaginative play while fostering positive relationships and friendships.
Thank you so much for your generous donation to our classroom.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Rutledge
Centers of Color and Wonder: Kindergartners Learning STEAM Ahead
Funded Oct 14, 2019Thank you so much for your generous donation to my classroom. We continue to have awesome lessons learning letter names and sounds on our new alphabet carpet. The children love hopping from letter to letter as they generate words associated with each letter. Additionally, we could not have asked for a more welcoming meeting place. The students are captivated by the wonderful colors and graphics in our new carpet. It is a wonderful place to begin each day together!
I cannot thank you enough for your generosity and wish you could have been there to see the smiles on their faces when we first turned on our new light table. This wonderful light table continues to help all my students actively create and design using 2 dimensional shapes in a way they were not able to before. Thank you for helping to make math more fun and exciting.
Because of you my students are continuing to strive and love school. Thank you for everything you donated. Your support has contributed to our fun and exciting learning environment.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Rutledge
This classroom project was brought to life by Volkswagen and 17 other donors.Kindergartners at Work - Keeping it Fun, Fresh and Exciting!
Funded Jan 26, 2018Thank you so much for your generous donation to my classroom. We have had many lessons learning about the number "10" using various types of 10-frames and counters - magnetic, plastic teddy bears, beans, and shells to name a few. However, the greatest cheer came as I unwrapped our new 10-Frame carpet and explained to the students they would each have an opportunity to be a "counter".
I cannot thank you enough for your generosity and wish you could have been there to see the smiles on their faces. This wonderful 10-Frame carpet continues to help all my students access and actively participate in math lessons in a way they were not able to before. And, it has stimulated my creativity to incorporate other whole-body activities into my lesson plans whenever possible.
Because of you my students are developing a love for math. There is not a week that goes by without a request to roll out our 10-Frame carpet. Thank you for all the math and reading materials and activities you donated. Your support is helping to create a fun and exciting learning environment for my students.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Rutledge
This classroom project was brought to life by The First Million Fund and 8 other donors.Kindergarten Mail Delivery
Funded May 14, 2016Dear Donor,
Thank you so much for your generous donation to my classroom. Because of you, my students are developing a sense of responsibility for their school materials and homework folders. We continue to benefit from the time gained by using this centralized cabinet.
Your donation has helped to make our classroom run more efficiently. The mail folder cabinet makes it possible for students to stay organized and easily access their materials. It is a wonderful visual reminder, prompting students to complete their beginning and end of day tasks.
Additionally, because of your donation, we now have a gathering place where students both start and end each day. It is the place where they can be found checking-in with each other and on occasion slipping a note or drawing into a friend's mailbox.
Thank you for your investment in our children and thank you for your overwhelming generosity.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Rutledge
"Just Right" Tools and Furniture for Special Students
Funded Oct 5, 2015Thank you for your generosity. The money you donated provided books, cozy library seating and tools that continue to make learning fun.
The children have created several games with the giant stepping-stones. One of which requires stepping backwards by twos, which is very impressive kindergarten counting. Reading skills are soaring. With reader's eyes, students are re-discovering our classroom library. The comfy chairs are so inviting, soft and cozy. Students L O V E reading in the library! If left undisturbed some would get lost reading there the entire day.
With your help our classroom provides a challenging, exciting learning environment that is full of surprises. Thank you so much for your help and support.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Rutledge
STE 'M' is for Math - Kindergarten Style
Funded Apr 21, 2015My students and I are excited about the awesome resources we have received - chair caddies, math activities, tools and resources, and a storage/teaching cart. When my students arrived and saw the chair buddies they excitedly asked a flurry of questions. They couldn't wait to learn more about how and why they were going to use them, "Where did they come from?" "What can I put in them?" "Can I take it home?" As we began loading our chair buddies with counters, 100 charts, math workbooks, and whiteboards, my students could not wait to begin our math lesson. As I introduced my students to the math centers, magnetic tools and resources we received they were so excited and eager to work with the materials. Everyone wanted to be selected first! The storage/teaching cart has created a math center in our classroom that has stimulated interest and confidence in math. The storage/teaching cart provides students with access to the many math tools and manipulatives used during our math lessons. Students are able to 1) move throughout the classroom as they access the cart, and 2) engage in peer-peer math conversations as they share their thinking and questions. It has frequently been referred to as "so cool"!
The math centers are used during whole group, small group and independent instruction. Prior to placing the math centers out I introduced each center and together with the whole group, modeled each activity. Students later would self-select activities from the variety of centers and also choose to work with a small group or independently. The magnetic math tools were incorporated into small group and independent tray work that students could choose from. These magnetic materials made it easier for students to describe, share and reference their thinking. The chair buddies have reduced transition and off-task time by providing students with immediate access to the materials needed for math instruction and lessons. The storage/teaching cart houses the materials students need and has become a hub and center of math discussions in our classroom.
This project impacted my instruction by providing me with new and interesting materials and tools to introduce to my students. Our math lessons became more visual and less abstract. Students were able to work in groups and regularly began engaging in collaborative math thinking and discussion. While at the storage/teaching cart I was able to create visual representations in ways I could not before – displays of grouped objects, place value, addition and subtraction. My students' increased understanding of place value and decomposition of numbers 1 – 20 is directly attributable to the hands on practice provided by the resources we received per your generosity. Thank you for your support of our students. It would not be possible to prepare them for the future without your support!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Rutledge
This classroom project was brought to life by South King County STEM Network and one other donor.Seedling Care: This Kindergarten Teacher's Honor
Funded Sep 15, 2014Thank you so much for your generous donation to my classroom. Because of you, my students are enjoying a warm and exciting library that sparks their imagination and beckons them to cozy up and read. The couch and rug are simply wonderful! My students find them to be irresistible, and frequently there is a debate over who arrived first and how many students will comfortably fit at one time.
Every item you donated has helped to make our classroom run more efficiently and/or provide my students with opportunities to wonder, explore and grow. The baskets and file holders are bright and cheery and they make it possible for students to stay organized and easily access their folders. The animal doll furniture provides the perfect extension to many of the animal based stories they read independently and as a whole group. The balance boards allow students to release energy after a long hard day of learning. And, the math and literacy activities are helping students master kindergarten standards, evident in the growth measured in the classroom and on standardized tests.
Thank you for your investment in our children and thank you for your overwhelming generosity.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Rutledge