Mr. Sender's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 5

• Equipping for Excellence: Outfitting Our Volleyball Team with the Best

  Funded Apr 18, 2023

  I hope this letter finds you well. On behalf of the Baldi Middle School Volleyball Program I would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to you for your generous donation of volleyball equipment. Your support has had a profound impact on our IM program and teams of the nearly 200 students we serve.

  Your contribution of volleyball equipment, including the net, spike assists, and cart, has allowed us to enhance our training programs and provide a better experience for our members. The equipment you provided has not only improved the quality of our practices and games but has also created a sense of pride and enthusiasm among our students.

  Your donation has made it possible for us to offer opportunities for young athletes to develop their skills, foster teamwork, and cultivate a love for the sport of volleyball. It's incredible to witness the positive transformation and growth in our students, both on and off the court, thanks to your generosity.

  Once again, thank you for your invaluable contribution. Your kindness and support have made a significant difference in the lives of our students, and we are truly grateful for your partnership.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Sender

  This classroom project was brought to life by Mission Tiger and 3 other donors.

• Spring Scales for Measuring Force for Project-Based Learning of Physics

  Funded Aug 14, 2019

  I'm sorry to be late in getting this thank you note out to you! I'm happy to report that though the spring balances have been very helpful already, the best uses for them are just now about to take place. My students remain extremely grateful for the gifts that you have generously donated and always appreciate the idea that people that they may never meet have taken an interest in providing them with a richer educational experience.

  Students started the year out with a mini-unit on technology, studying the structure and function of the spring balances. Since that time, they have used the balances to study the forces of drag and gravity on rockets, the mass of their lunar lander protection systems (egg drop projects), and more recently to study balanced and unbalanced sets of forces pushing and pulling on objects as we begin our force and motion unit in earnest. Students really have fun with these tools and appreciate the ability to apply pushes and pulls, as well as having varying levels of precision in the different balances that you donated.

  Thanks for giving the tools that inspire my scientists and engineers of tomorrow!”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Sender

  This classroom project was brought to life by J.W. Couch Foundation and 3 other donors.

• Project-Based Learning Using Lego Mindstorms

  Funded Aug 14, 2019

  Thank you so much for the extension systems for the LEGO simple machines. So far we have used them in our robotics club to help extend student's expertise. Later this school year in the Spring, I hope to update again when I introduce the extensions to my whole class during our energy unit. I was able to do a little pre-teaching to get the kids excited.

  My kids light up with pride when I'm able to tell them that people they have never met, and probably never will, care about them and respect them enough to donate towards becoming the engineers that solve tomorrow's problems. Teaching about windmills will fit in very nicely with simple machines and energy and will serve as a great bridging example.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Sender

  This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 2 other donors.

• Starting a Club Volleyball Team

  Funded Aug 14, 2019

  Thank you for your donation of the volleyballs and nets to help us start our volleyball club program at our school! Each year we have about 80 students trying out for the team, over 60 of which need to be turned away during tryouts in order get to a manageable sized team. This year was different thanks to your generous donation!

  With your donation of volleyballs and a new net, we were able to tell the girls from the point of tryouts that anyone that was interested in learning to enjoy the wonderful game of volleyball would have options to play. This helped to take the pressure off some of the girls during tryouts, as it let them know that no matter what their experience and starting level was, they would have an opportunity to improve themselves. Many of these girls, and some others that were not able to make it out for tryouts showed interest in the club.

  In terms of the benefits, we have been able to enjoy the benefits of the new volleyballs on club days and with the travel team on non-club days alike! Sadly though, the net ripped, I will be contacting the company to ask for a replacement! Thanks so much for all of your generosity! I look forward to the club program for boys in the Spring as well.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Sender

  This classroom project was brought to life by Mission Tiger and 3 other donors.

• Baldi Robotics/ ELL Parent Communication iPad

  Funded Aug 31, 2017

  Thank you for the wonderful blessing of having mobile technology that we can use in our classroom! Both my students and myself have been working with the iPad to communicate both through translation (Google Translate), parent communication applications (like Class Dojo), exploring non-language based spacecraft design for my language learners (Simple Rockets) and recording and capturing data for our underwater robotics adventures!

  I am now able to communicate in real time in the classroom with parents, regardless of language spoken at home. The apps that I am now able to use while walking around the classroom help me communicate student progress and behavior in the classroom. Parents and guardians can see daily reports of their child's values growth, and I can answer questions or ask them in seconds!

  My beginner ELL students have loved using the iPad for communicating during group projects! It is used when necessary to translate complex texts and provide appropriate extension activities that are aligned to instructional goals without requiring a high level of English proficiency.

  My robotics students have been documenting their prototypes and test runs as they build underwater robots. When I see them using this technology to assist their engineering design process, I am hopeful for their future careers creating robots to solve the world's problems!

  Thank you very much for your donation!”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Sender

  This classroom project was brought to life by Sergey Brin Family Foundation and 4 other donors.