Past projects 16
School Supplies for Stellar Students
Funded Aug 5, 2024Thank you SO much for your support of our classroom! It means the world to us! The classroom supplies have helped our school year begin to a great and productive start!
Each student was ecstatic to get their own personal dry erase eraser to keep with them and use. It has made the transition time between whiteboard work and paper-based work seamless as students are no longer constantly searching for a way to clean their boards. Students also love the bookbags! Each student was able to get their own zipper bag. In their bag they always keep a fiction book and a nonfiction book. They bring the book bag to and from school each day, allowing them the opportunity to read at home. The bags help to keep the books safe and neat in their backpacks and school bins throughout the day. Similarly, the label maker has been such a great help! All the bookbags were neatly labeled with their names, which has helped ensure they never get lost. I have also been able to label other items around the classroom, as well as their classroom tools, so that there are no misplaced items.
I am so grateful for your support of our classroom. These items have had a huge impact on our year. Your donation has helped to make our classroom community more organized and inviting. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Provo
School Supplies for Stellar Students
Funded Jul 22, 2023Thank you SO much for supporting my classroom! Your generosity has made this school year off to a great start! The school supplies have helped to make this classroom community efficient and organized. The pencil sharpener works so well and quickly, which allows students to sharpen their pencils and get right back to work in a timely manner. The shoe rack has been extremely helpful in organizing our headphones each night. There have been so many less entangled wire messes or broken headphones this year and I can contribute that directly to this organizational rack. The Swiffer Heavy Duty Duster is a classroom favorite with all children vying to use it. It has become so popular that I had to add it to our jobs list! The dry-erase markers have been equally helpful. I let students who did not have markers of their own use them, and they work so well! We love to use whiteboards to show our work and these markers are very popular.
Finally, I would like to thank you for the science books. They are intriguing and on topics of high interest for the students. I am continuously trying to grow my non-fiction library and these books have been such a huge help.
My students and I are so grateful to you! Thank you for supporting us! We appreciate you more than we can say.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Provo
This classroom project was brought to life by Kleenex and one other donor.School Supplies for Stellar Students
Funded Aug 25, 2022Thank you SO much for supporting my classroom! Your generosity has made this school year start off to a great start! The binders have been so helpful in organizing all of the students' data. I meet with each student every week. We look at test data, we look at their writing and we set goals for the upcoming week. We graph each unit of data and color code it. This visual representation of their grades helps students to see where they are and to set a goal for where they want to be. It gives us one-on-one time to discuss their data, their challenges, and their strengths. It has been such an amazing opportunity to connect with my students. I feel like I know them so much better than in years past, and that they know me better too. When I started these data meetings this year, the students were so excited! I even had one student say, "I like this grade so much! I love knowing how I am doing!" It is so powerful.
I want to also thank you for the erasers! We do so much work on whiteboards, not only in an effort to save trees, but also because it is just so much more fun to do work on a whiteboard in grade 4! With your help, each student in my class was able to have their own eraser for their daily work. They were so excited to have them, and it has made whiteboard work a much smoother working time!
Similarly, we are so grateful for the shoe rack. I have used it to hang and organize our classroom headphones. It has been so helpful! This organization has also helped to protect our headphones from breaking, which has been such an additional benefit!
Again, thank you SO much for your support of my classroom and my students. We are so grateful for your support! It means the world to us!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Provo
Inspiring Books for Stellar Students!
Funded Aug 12, 2021Thank you so much for supporting my classroom! My students and I are so grateful for your generosity! Two of my favorite parts of the school year are my biography unit and read-aloud time. With your help, this project has allowed me to combine both and made for the return to in-person learning so enjoyable!
During read-aloud time, I have chosen a different book each week to highlight a new and inspiring person to my class. They have enjoyed learning about people they did not know before, and discussing how seemingly ordinary people invent things that are still used and enjoyed today. Our conversations have been so rich and the students have been practicing so many of our non-fiction reading skills without even realizing they are doing so!
Thank you so much! Without your help, none of this would have been possible.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Provo
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and one other donor.Books Galore!
Funded Aug 7, 2021Thank you so much for supporting my classroom! My students and I are so grateful for your generosity. With your help, my students now have access to so many great stories about people from all over the world who have made such an impact on the world as we know it. We read these books together during story time, but they are also available afterwards for students to reread during independent reading time.
Coming together for story time was one of the parts of a "typical" school year I missed the most during the pandemic and remote learning. Students love to learn about new people and places. When we read these books together, the students have so much fun and can practice many of the skills we have been learning without even realizing it! They have such rich conversations about the people in the books, their actions, the lessons they learn, and even how some of these people are young just like them and making a difference!
Your generosity means the world to us. Thank you for making our transition back to in-person learning so enjoyable!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Provo
Outstanding Organization for Supremely Stellar Students!
Funded Jul 27, 2021Thank you so much for supporting my classroom! It means the world to my students and me! All of these organizational materials have made such a difference this school year. As part of a dual language program, my students learn in two classrooms each day. These materials have benefited both classrooms and made the transition back to in-person learning very successful.
With your support, each student was able to have some of their own materials which made them feel so special. Each student was given a large Glad bag that they use as a book bag, helping to preserve the books as they transition between classrooms each day. They were each given their own binder to organize and showcase their writing assignments in both languages. They also each received their own whiteboard eraser for assignments on their whiteboards, their favorite way to practice the skills we learn each day. The shoe racks have made organizing student headphones so much easier and end of the day clean-up much quicker. The paper-cutter has also been greatly appreciated as it has helped me to create new bulletin boards for each of our units.
Your support has meant the world to us. Thank you so much for your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Provo
This classroom project was brought to life by Kleenex® Brand and one other donor.Confessions of Avid Readers: We Need More Non-Fiction!
Funded May 26, 2021Thank you so much for your donations! The books have been a treasured and much appreciated addition to the classroom this year! The students were thrilled to have brand new books to read and to hold. I have been so impressed with the great care in which they have handled the books each day! I asked for these books originally to help with a research assignment we were completing in class; however, the learning went farther than I ever could have imagined and hoped.
With these biography books, students completed research assignments on the person they chose. First, students read the book making sure to take careful notes on the topics of early life, family life, professional life, and current/end of life. After they had finished reading the books, students were able to go online and research their person further, filling in gaps in their notes and learning as much as they could about the person they chose. Once students had enough notes to be confident writers, students wrote a multi-paragraph essay detailing the life of their person and even got to type their final projects on the computer! In addition to the research and writing components, students created a replica of their person using a Flat-Stanley cut-out. The replica had to be made entirely from different materials commonly found around the house. The final products were hung outside the classroom for all to see. Students and teachers from other classrooms would stop by to read the projects and admire the amazing replicas the students created.
My students were beaming with pride throughout the whole experience! They had a blast! When the project began, students would be reading silently and get so excited that they would turn to their neighbor and start sharing an interesting fact about their person, engaging the whole table in a conversation about the amazing things their person was accomplishing. It was great to see them so excited to read and to learn! After the project was complete, the students did not stop there. They asked to keep reading the books, checking out book after book from the classroom library, learning as much as they could about as many people as they could. My favorite part of this whole experience was to listen to the students discussions about the person that they were reading. Students were fascinated by them; eager to share, connect with and learn more about.
Thank you again for your generosity! These books have been such a blessing in my classroom and the students and I are beyond thrilled that we have had the opportunity to learn and grow through the trials and triumphs of the inspiring people before us and around us still!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Provo
This classroom project was brought to life by Target Corporation and 2 other donors.Rad Rugs for Flexible Seating
Funded Nov 14, 2017Thank you so much for supporting our classroom and the diverse learners inside of it with these incredible rugs from Nasco! They have been a treasured commodity in the classroom, and everyone wants to use them!
Many of my students have trouble sitting in a regular chair at a desk for extended periods of time. While I do my best to try to get them up and moving as often as possible, fourth grade is full of lots of wonderful, yet demanding work that often requires students to stay in one place for a while. Although I do allow them to stand, or sit on the floor when appropriate, those options can become uncomfortable. I needed another, more comfortable, option for my students.
When I found these round rugs on DonorsChoose.org I was so excited because I knew my students would love them, and I was right! As soon as the students walked into the classroom the morning after they had arrived, their faces lit up with joy! As we have been shifting our reading instruction to a workshop model, we have been spending more time together as a class in the center of my room. Not wanting to be limited by a large, rectangular rug, I opted to ask for smaller, individual rugs that could be used for our time together, and then easily be moved with the students as they break out into partner work or independent reading time around the classroom. These rugs fit our classroom really well! Since that first day, students have used these rugs when taking a test or a quiz, during center work with a partner, during independent reading time, and more! Another benefit of these rugs is there are enough for my entire class, so everyone has the opportunity to move around the classroom and find a flexible seat any time they want!
Words cannot fully express how grateful I am for your generosity. These rugs have had such an impact on my classroom, and continue to do so every day. From the bottom of our hearts, my students and I thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Provo
Independent Readers Are Lifelong Readers!
Funded Jul 2, 2017Thank you so much for your generous donations to my classroom library! The Lakeshore Learning Book Bins have been so helpful in organizing my classroom library! As the students walked into the classroom on the first day of school, they were immediately drawn to the many colors of the books bins adorning the far wall of my classroom. As they got closer, they were ecstatic to see that all of the colored objects held many different book options, all available to them! They couldn't wait to choose a book!
This year, my district's big initiative is for each child to pick the "just-right book." This means that each child will learn how to identify books that are at their independent reading level to help each student develop the necessary reading skills to continue learning and growing as a reader. With the help of these book bins, my classroom library has been organized by genre and by reading level. After many lessons on how to navigate the book bins, how to identify genres and genres that interest each student individually, I was able to conference with each student on how to pick the "Just-Right" book for them. Once I was confident each child understood how to do this, each student went into the library to peruse the bins at their appropriate level.
With their books in hand, students have been working to build their independent reading stamina. We started at 9 minutes of silent reading, and have already worked up towards 11 minutes, with the goal of reaching 30 minutes of silent, independent reading. As they read, I am able to move around the classroom and listen to each student read aloud for me so that I can monitor their fluency, and determine if they have truly found the "just-right" book. Additionally, this new reading model has provided students more opportunities to discuss the books they are reading with each other, since they are not all reading the same book. Students sit side by side, and hold honest conversations about the books they are reading. They discuss what they like and what they don't like, if they relate to the characters or not, how they would respond to situations put forth in their books, etc..
The results so far have been amazing! Students are reading more, discussing their reading more and enjoying reading! As they finish a book, they immediately ask to go back to the library to check-out another book. The school year has only just begun, and I cannot wait to see where the students end up. Again, I am so thankful for your generosity in donating to my classroom! These book bins have been instrumental in the organization and lending of the classroom library books. The labels have made it so easy for the students to find books that interest them and are appropriate for them. The students are confident when approaching the library and are able to spend more time reading, as opposed to searching for and returning books that they struggle to understand.
Thank you for your help and support! My students and I are beyond grateful to you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Provo
This classroom project was brought to life by Sergey Brin Family Foundation and 3 other donors.Wiggle With Me
Funded Mar 29, 2017Thank you so much for supporting our classroom and the diverse learners inside of it with these Kore Active Chairs from Kaplan Early Learning Company! They have been a treasured commodity in the classroom, and everyone wants to use them!
Many of my students have trouble sitting in a regular chair at a desk for extended periods of time. While I do my best to try to get them up and moving as often as possible, fourth grade is full of lots of wonderful, yet demanding work that often requires students to stay in one place for a while. Although I do allow them to stand, or sit on the floor when appropriate, those options can become uncomfortable. I needed another, more comfortable, option for my students.
When I found these Kore Active Chairs on DonorsChoose.org I was so excited! I have some Kore Active Chairs that are for taller students, so I was thrilled when I found these stools for my shorter students. I knew my students would love them, and I was right! As soon as the students walked into the classroom the morning after I had assembled them, their faces lit up with joy! They fit them really well! Every student was given an opportunity to practice sitting on them safely, testing the limits they would be able to rock back and forth, and side to side. Since that first day, students have used these chairs when taking a test or a quiz, during center work with a partner, during computer time, and more! The students who need the chairs most get first choice, but I have been so impressed with their ability to share these wonderful tools with all of their classmates!
Words cannot fully express how grateful I am for your generosity. These chairs have had such an impact on my classroom, and continue to do so every day. From the bottom of our hearts, my students and I thank you!
Sincerely,
Ms. Gerlach”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Provo
This classroom project was brought to life by Aspect Ventures and one other donor.