Past projects 10
Engaging and Organized Literacy Corner
Funded Dec 4, 2023Thank you so much for your donation of the graphic novels and organizational bins. The students have a difficult time finding books on topics that are truly engaging and the bundle of graphic novels really excited them. Working at a school that has a variety of learnings in regards to academic abilities, you were able to gift us books that are accessible to ALL of my students, no matter their reading level.
A few of my students who are struggling readers were especially excited to see the Pete the Cat stories and my higher learners loved the Big Nate books.
The organizational bins were also needed to create a beautiful learning space in my library where I can not only store books but other materials that help with teaching my literacy groups.
Because of donors like you, we are able to have an exciting and organized literacy block. Thank you so much for considering donating to a Title 1 school, where a lot of our funding needs are not met. My students and I really appreciate you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Marchio
This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and 2 other donors.Flexible Seating, Successful Learners
Funded Aug 29, 2023Thank you so much for your donation to my classroom. Many of my students experience trauma and have some attention issues because of that. The weighted lap blanket, social emotional writing prompts and fidgets are all different ways for them to help cope during the day. We teach a 40 minute social/emotional learning block and the items you donated will help students to take care of themselves and feel successful.
The students' favorite items are definitely the new fancy wooden stools! They love being given different options of seating, especially since in third grade being at your desk and on the floor need a switch up from time to time with their growing bodies.
You have truly made such an impact and we appreciate you so very much.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Marchio
This classroom project was brought to life by Colorado Department of Education.Headphones for 2nd Graders' Technology Use
Funded Nov 8, 2019We are so grateful for your donation of headphones to my second grade classroom. Being a ECE-8th grade school, many of the resources are spread thing and shared amongst many grade levels. With your headphones, my second graders are able to have a better quality pair to help with their online learning.
The students use computers for their reading practice, listening to stories on websites, and math practice lessons. With 23 students, the noise can be disruptive and make it difficult to hear the stories and math lessons. Headphones allow for a quieter learning environment to help all learners.
The students love that the headphones are adjustable, brand new and they are more sturdy than the headphones we share within the building. It makes them feel special that they have school supplies that belongs to just our classroom.
We appreciate you so so much! Thanks for caring about my second grade class.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Marchio
This classroom project was brought to life by Verizon and 3 other donors.Flexible Seating and Movement
Funded Apr 1, 2019Thank you so much for the great donation items! My students were SO excited to see everything, especially the wiggle seats (their personal favorite). The unifix cubes will help students in building math and number skills when it comes to counting and putting numbers into groups of 10. The 3 wiggle seats allow students to have choice when deciding which space and seat is best for their learning at any given time. It is challenging for students to be seat in a desk or on the floor all day - so these seats are especially helpful for my students will a lot of energy. Lastly, the drum is an item I have been wanting to help with my yoga classes during the day and after school. Students have even been able to drum and be a helper to create musical noise and sounds when doing activities. Thank you for your generosity in helping classrooms like mine that do not have adequate funds to purchase materials.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Marchio
This classroom project was brought to life by The Ned and Nathalie Fund and one other donor.Flexible Seating for 2nd Graders
Funded Jan 18, 2019My students are SO excited about their new seating. They have learned all the rules on how to handle them with care. They are so exciting to sit on them during literacy centers and when working at their seats. A favorite is the jelly fish chairs with the bouncy ball inside. We are working on different non verbal cues so students can get up during a lesson and use that form of seat if that will be serve their body and their learning in that moment. Thank you so so much for your contribution to my classroom. It's people like you that make classroom materials great and accessible for all.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Marchio
Technology in Our Classroom
Funded Sep 6, 2018The second grade students are expected to take monthly tests, in which the district monitors their scoring. The students take these tests in groups of 5 because we do not have enough headphones to create a quiet environment, with only 5 headphones per class. By having headphones, the students can work independently on their assessments and practice tests/games to fully prepare to do well, without distraction.
Although we put headphones or earbuds on our supply lists, many of our families cannot afford such items. The students are so excited to be able to still use headphones to feel successful, even when they were not able to purchase their own for school.
My students who are unable to afford headphones are most excited to this new addition for our classroom technology because it gives them an opportunity to use the same materials as other students. Thank you so very much for your donation. It will benefit over 40 students throughout the next few years.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Marchio
Making Phonics Fun
Funded Dec 7, 2017Since you have sent your donation of bead string letters, lower case letter stampers, and stamping pens - my students have been using interactive ways to practice their daily word work. Each week they learn a new sound, these sounds help them to be better readers and recognize more words in their reading and writing. I also wait to open the packages with the students once they arrive from Donors Choose. They were SUPER excited to see that they no longer had to write their phonics words using pencil and paper, but they could actually build the words in a variety of ways. My favorite aspect is that all students of all reading levels are able to use these materials, which I am very grateful for.
Our phonics patterns are continuously growing and becoming more difficult, the next steps are to encourage students to take risks and come up with words on their own based on all the patterns they have learned. We are approaching a unit based on primary documents. With this new unit, the students will be learning four weeks of new patterns in which they can practice these with the new materials.
I so appreciate your donation, as do my twenty other students. You helped to making literacy fun and exciting - no more stapled packets for word work centers!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Marchio
Flashcards for Second Graders
Funded Mar 11, 2016I was so excited to see my flashcards project being funded on Donors Choose. I was able to supply my students with addition and subtraction flashcards to improve their skills at home and at school. Many of my students cannot afford resources, and being a young teacher myself with 31 students -- I cannot afford to purchase flashcards for each of my students, either. I encourage families to read to their child every night and to practice their addition and subtraction facts together -- this are interactive ways to learn and practice developing great skills.
My students received the flashcards and made up a game where they were able to challenge each other to see who could add or subtract their cards faster. When students are finished with their work or when they are eating breakfast in the morning, I allow them to practice using these flashcards with their table mates. Many students were so excited to receive something BRAND NEW that they could take home and call their own. Gifts, let alone learning materials often times are not given to them.
As third grade is approaching for my students, they need to be strong in their addition and subtraction skills. We will continue to practice as a class in school and I will encourage students to practice their cards at home. I want them to use the flashcards in fun, innovative ways -- by creating games and teaching each other how to play and practice at the same time.
I so appreciate your donation. My second graders are very grateful and excited to use the flashcards at home and school.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Marchio
This classroom project was brought to life by #BestSchoolDay and one other donor.Unifix Cubes
Funded Sep 4, 2015Thank you so so so much for your donation of the unifix cubes. Your donation is helping over 90 children in first and second grade! When I told my students the news of our unifix cube donations they were very excited to hear that people they have never met were interested in their education and learning. My students understand that teachers do not always have the funds to purchase supplies that we need, and they are very grateful for people like you. We are currently learning about communities. My students know that people who take their time and money to help others really make our communities amazing places! As a first year teacher, your donation means so much to me.
Many of my students are below grade level and have trouble understanding place value and counting. This is such a valuable skill to have. Many of them are kinesthetic and visual learners, so these unifix cubes are extremely important aids to help them count. When my students come to a challenging problem, they know to grab unifix cubes from the math materials shelf. Without these, they would have to rely on drawing pictures and counting on their fingers -- both strategies that do not allow them to understand the concept of place value fully.
Thank you so much for your donation. So many students are benefiting from these unifix cubes in their math development.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Marchio
Classroom Materials for 2nd Graders
Funded Aug 23, 2015I told my students today about your donation of math dice, clear plastic book bags, and magnetic alphabet letters -- and their mouths dropped. I told them that people they have never met decided that their learning was important enough. I recently moved to Denver from Minneapolis and was unsure about the cost of starting my own classroom. As a recent college graduate, I did not realize I had $100 of PTA money to put towards my classroom. Needless to say that money was spent at one single trip to Target. I am so grateful for your time and consideration in purchasing materials for my first classroom.
My students now have their own personal book bags (we moved on from the Ziploc bags -- yay!) so they can get excited about reading their books from the classroom library. My students now have dice to play math games each morning. Instead of doing traditional math problems or worksheets first thing in the morning, while students are becoming settled and eat their breakfasts -- we play math games. Dice are usually a crucial part of these games and now we have a class set! Lastly, my students now have magnetic alphabet letters to help them with their word work. Guided reading is critical to make reading progress, and this set of letters with allow me to work with small groups of kids to build words to establish phonemic awareness.
I cannot thank you enough. These resources will be used daily and appreciated by 28 second graders as well as a first year teacher. We are so excited to learn and this will make things much smoother and easier for all of us as we start the school year.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Marchio
This classroom project was brought to life by Tony and Nanar Yoseloff and 3 other donors.