Past projects 8
A Mindfulness Counselor's Wishlist!
Funded Dec 9, 2018Thank you for supporting me in this endeavor of spreading mindfulness practices to my school community! Your help is truly appreciated. Through this project, I will have the opportunity to help my students embrace yoga, meditation, aromatherapy, and self awareness through the counseling games! I am really excited for this. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Paula
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 7 other donors.Book Club Celebration Vouchers
Funded Mar 4, 2014Being able to offer International Book Club to my students this year was both rewarding and inspiring. The young women got to know each other as a community of readers and visit a woman-run book store. Following their passion and choosing their own book was a highlight.
Thank you for making this possible!
"Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another's skin, another's voice, another's soul." â Joyce Carol Oates
A note from my very grateful students:
Thank you for the books: They are so awesome!!
"We will really enjoy the books."
"Have a great summer!"
"I can't wait to read them."
With appreciation and joy for reading,
The International Book Club
The Young Women's Leadership School of the Bronx”
With gratitude,
Ms. Paula
Keeping Up with Current Events
Funded Feb 10, 2012Due to video games, computers, and instant messaging, students have lost interest
in independent reading and keeping up with current events. In my classroom, I
have worked very hard to engage my students with reading. I really appreciate all your help and support in education. Your effort has helped me introduce current events through the use of non-fiction magazines.
My students are excited about the weekly articles that arrive every week. They
cannot stop talking about all the new information they learn. They have become
so interested in current event topics. I am able to incorporate class discussion
and it is amazing to watch them engage in conversation while demonstrate critical
thinking skills. This has encouraged them to write their own classroom magazine!
As their teacher, it feels good seeing their enthusiastic smiles on their face
as they talk about the topics and creating new ideas. They genuinely show an interest
in learning.
I am very thankful you have given my students this opportunity. You have given them an advantage that they may otherwise not have had. Thank you for this opportunity. My students appreciate your kindness. We are thrilled to know that people like you care for them. As a teacher, I am pleased to know that you have made it possible for my students to have the resources they need to excel in today's society.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Paula
Reading is Cool!
Funded Dec 28, 2011Words cannot express the gratitude I feel. My students LOVE reading and it is because of your help. It is an amazing feeling as an educator when my students ask me for independent reading time because they enjoy it. I find it cute when they get upset when its time to stop reading and continue a lesson. I am so happy that they have the resources they need to help them with their academics.
The collection of the books Bones and Goddess Girls were an instant success in the classroom. The students with low reading levels have made progress because they have been engaged with those books. The index cards allowed me to create individualized vocabulary ring cards to help build my student's vocabulary. The cube reading comprehension set has made reading responses fun! The students look forward to rolling the cubes to see what what their daily response is. It built excitement in the classroom. It is easier to provide my students with incentives with my new teachers reward kit. It really has motivated my students.
I am so excited and grateful for your help! It is a wonderful feeling observing the excitement, engagement, and the new found love for reading in my 6th grade classroom. This was made possible with your caring dedication for improving the lives of students whose resources are limited. They LOVE to read. Thank you for your help!!!! ”
With gratitude,
Ms. Paula
Memories That Will Last A Lifetime
Funded Apr 17, 2011A child's transition from elementary school to middle school can be a scary experience because they fear the unexpected. As their teacher, it is my responsibility to make sure they feel confident and provide a positive environment and experience their first year. I feel that capturing lots of memories during the school year make my students feel important. I love taking pictures of my students from the first moment they enter my classroom and during the school year.
I am extremely grateful for your donation of a camera to my classroom. I have taken so many pictures and short videos of my students doing classwork, poetry slams, talent shows, and other events. At the end of the year, I will surprise them with a movie that I will create with all their pictures and memories. I will burn them each a copy. I will have a little ceremony and give them this movie as a surprise. This little act of kindness makes a big difference in their lives.They will know that I truly cared for them and will have this memory that will last a lifetime.
Thank you for your help and your donation!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Paula
Love For Reading!
Funded Apr 21, 2011Reading provides students with a world of imagination where they could escape and become whoever they want and explore any world. As a teacher, I want to build a true love for reading within my students. I found it difficult to engage my students because they were extremely reluctant to read. I was sad by this because reading is the foundation of education. It is needed in every subject and for life skills. When my students, came to me in the beginning of the school year, they were below grade level. I knew that their academic ability was not the problem, but the fact that they did not enjoy reading was the cause. I soon discovered that once my students related to the material, they were interested and engaged.
I began looking for urban fiction and introduced them to it. They really enjoyed authors like Walter Dean Myers, Sharon Draper, and the Bluford Series. Once I brought the books you donated to our classroom, they were hooked and could not put the books down! They could not get enough especially of the Bluford Series! They have increase their love for reading. All my student cherish the opportunity to have these books in their hands. Words cannot express the gratitude I feel towards your help. Thank you! Thank you!!
My students have increased their reading levels and have reached the 6th grade reading and writing level!!! They have progressed so fast and are excited for reading! You have made this possible. I could end the school year knowing that you and I have instilled the love for reading to my students! Thank you! ”
With gratitude,
Ms. Paula
This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and 2 other donors.Instilling the Love for Reading
Funded Sep 7, 2009I am overwhelmed with gratitude. The moment I brought the books you helped purchased into the classroom, my student were extremely happy! They were fighting over the books especially, The Diary of a Whimpy Kid Series. One student read the whole series (Book 1 - Book 4) in one month and his reading level increased tremendously. This was amazing. In the beginning of the year, it was difficult to engage my students and get them to read. It was difficult because I did not have the necessary resources. With your help, my kids have been engaged in reading because they were given books of their interest. It is amazing because they look forward to independent reading time and get highly upset with me when time is up. I love it!
Once again, I would like to thank you for making a difference in my student's lives. I love them very much and want the best for them. I am extremely grateful for all your help. You have encouraged my students to believe in their reading abilities which in turn has had a positive effect on their education. You have made an impact on inner city children's lives. Thank You”
With gratitude,
Ms. Paula
The Future of Literacy
Funded Sep 11, 2009Your help has made an impact in my students lives. I want to share a story with you. We were editing and publishing our memoirs. My students took the initiative on their own to use the dictionaries and thesaurus you have provide for my classroom. They were excited to see how a thesaurus can help make their writing more interesting. One student kept finding synonyms and was so excited, when he handed me his final copy, he said "Here Ms. P, my masterpiece, I am going to use a thesaurus for the rest of my life!" It was so cute.
I feel very lucky to teach my students everyday. I feel even more lucky that they have the resources that they need in our classroom. It is all because of you. You have made a difference. They have learned the skill of looking an unfamiliar word up in the dictionary when they do not know it's meaning. They get excited about learning new vocabulary words. It is amazing.
I could not have done this without you! Our kids need more people like you who care about them! Your help and kindness is greatly appreciated! Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!!!!!!!!! ”
With gratitude,
Ms. Paula