Past projects 19
TADA!: Live Theatre for Bronx Kids
Funded Nov 24, 2005I just wanted to send you a note right away to thank you for funding our class trips to TADA! Youth Theatre. I don't know if you are familiar with this organization's work, but they put on absolutely wonderful original musicals for kids. About half my class saw the shows last year and the other half will be experiencing live theatre at TADA! for the first time. They are already looking forward to the first show, which is not until February and, when I say "they," I am referring not only to the kids but also to the parent/chaperones who rarely, if ever, attend live theatre. The shows will be the highlight of the school year and will be an excellent reward for all the hard work my third-graders are doing right now to prepare for their first state-testing experience. In addition to the fun, the shows provide an excellent opportunity to explore all the main components of literacy, so this will also be a valuable learning experience for the students.
Unfortunately the students at my school truly miss out on a number of things that many of us take for granted and it is really great when they get opportunity to see something like live entertainment. It is your kindness and generosity that make this experience possible and, speaking on behalf of my students and their families, we are extremely grateful for your support.
Yours truly,
David L
PS 130”
With gratitude,
Mr. Levin
Remember the "Weekly Reader?"
Funded Jul 24, 2005I wanted to take a minute to thank you so much for funding my request for class subscriptions to The Weekly Reader and Science Spin. I apologize for not getting back to you sooner, but I have been out of town. These two publications will be a tremendous resource for my class. This year I am "looping" (moving up with my class) from second grade to third. My students grew to love both magazines last year and it will be great to have them again this year. They provide excellent topical, non-fiction reading that is written on grade level. In addition to being fun and informative, I think they will also help prepare the children for their first official standardized test. Once again, thank you so much for your generosity. You will hear from my students later, during the school year.
All the best, David L (PS 130X”
With gratitude,
Mr. Levin
Help Bronx Kids See the Stars
Funded May 31, 2005Thank you so much for funding our field trip to The American Museum of Natural History. The kids are very excited about going to the Museum. Only two students have ever been to a planetarium before and the rest are very intrigued by the idea of the sky as a dome over their head. They are also looking forward to seeing the machine that projects the images (which is quite a wild-looking apparatus). Because we have been studying space, most of the kids are now familiar with all the planets and several of them know them in order (from the sun). In addition they have some understanding of the size of the solar system (ie. really, really big) and the fact that each star is a sun like our sun. I think this trip is going to be extraordinarily memorable for them. I still remember the vivid impression the planetarium made on me when I was a child (it's really like no place else) and I imagine it will have a similar impact on my students. Once again thank you for making this experience possible for my students.
Sincerely,
David L
PS 13”
With gratitude,
Mr. Levin
See An Artist/Be An Artist
Funded Apr 13, 2005I want to thank you so much, in advance, for giving my students the opportunity to participate in The Whitney Museum's Classroom Collaborative program. Since I have already spoken with the Whitney's coordinator of school programs, I know that this will be a unique chance to customize the lessons to the needs and interests of my students. Since I wrote the proposal I have had the opportunity to do some fun art activities with my class. As part of an ongoing nutrition project (also funded through DonorsChoose), I had an artist come to the classroom and model still life drawing, with pencil and crayons. So far the kids have done peppers (red, green and yellow) and pears (greenish, reddish, brownish) and they have already shown some aptitude at blending colors, after seeing it done in the demonstration. I went to see the Tim Hawkinson show with my family last week (I strongly recommend it) and I'm sure we will be able to build an interesting curriculum around his artwork. Every single child in the class is fully engaged during our art activities and I know The Whitney program will be a great culminating artistic event for my students. Thank you so much this opportunity possible. I will let you know how it turns out.
--David L
PS 13”
With gratitude,
Mr. Levin
Never Been To A Movie?
Funded Feb 10, 2005Wow! Thank you in advance for supporting our trip to see "Because of Winn-Dixie. I am very excited about this experience and my kids are going to be thrilled when they hear the good news. As I mentioned in my proposal, we are already deeply immersed in the story. Truthfully, I've been taking my time reading it to the class, since it is the kind of book one can really savor. We have developed an elaborate character chart and the students know all the characters and their connections to one another. Now, of course, they have begun to see ads and promotional material for the movie so they are already gossiping about how the characters look, etc.
To top it all off, last week another teacher in my building showed me a copy of a book she had just bought about the making of the movie. Last year I had recommended the book for her grandson, who is now in fifth grade and he liked it so much that they ended up listening to it on tape, twice, during a summer car trip. Anyway she is taking Kyle to see the movie and bought the book for him. When she heard I was reading the book (Winn-Dixie) to my class, she immediately offered me the "Making of.." book to supplement our reading/viewing experience.
All in all it's shaping up to be a great activity. I am genuinely optimistic about this particular movie adaptation and I know it's going to be a memorable experience for the class. Once again, thank you so much on behalf of my students (and their families) for giving us this wonderful educational opportunity. A trip like this really means the world to them.
Sincerely,
David L
Oh, and by the way, in case you haven't read it, you should make a point of reading the book. It's written for kids but adults like it too. My Mom loved it”
With gratitude,
Mr. Levin
Nutrition in the Classroom
Funded Jan 25, 2005I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for your extraordinary support for my proposal. I sincerely feel this is one of the most important initiatives I have pursued in my 5 years of teaching. Just today I read my class a story about Anansi the Spider (An African Trickster Tale). In one of the illustrations a giraffe is walking with a basket of grapefruits on its back. Not one child could identify a grapefruit. I told them it is a fruit that looks like an orange only bigger and yellow. I started giving them the letters: G-R-A-P-E-F-R... When I got to R, one student guessed grapefruit. One other student thinks she once had it. The rest of them have never tasted grapefruit. I happened to be going to Fairway after school and tomorrow they will all try grapefruit for the first time. The idea that we will be able to: 1.Teach these children (and their families) about nutrition and the different food groups and 2.Give them a chance to taste foods they've never tasted and 3.Let them have the experience of shopping for food and making critical choices...well what can I say? It is going to be wonderful and I hope life-altering experience for them. I am practically bursting with ideas on all the things we can do and thanks to your support it's all possible. In fact we will start our food journals tomorrow with the grapefruit-tasting. I promise to send you a full and entertaining account of our experiences. You have my deepest gratitude and you will have the appreciation of all my students and their families as soon as they hear about this. Thank you so much for your kind and generous support. All the best, David ”
With gratitude,
Mr. Levin
Remember the "Weekly Reader"?
Funded Nov 12, 2004I just wanted to drop you a note to thank you for funding our request for The Weekly Reader Magazine. This magazine is a wonderful resource for younger school children. It is written specifically for each grade so the second grade edition is readable for most of my students. It covers a wide range of topics, many of which connect with our other reading and classroom activities (hurricanes, the election,how crayons are made, for example) and also comes with useful comprehension and phonics activities. Plus the kids are very excited to be able to bring it home since many of them do not receive magazines at home. We will use it every week for the entire year so your donation will literally provide hours of educational value. Once again, thank you for your thoughtful and generous contribution.
Sincerely,
David L
PS 130”
With gratitude,
Mr. Levin
TADA! Children's Theater Field Trip
Funded Aug 27, 2004I just wanted to write today to thank you so much for funding our TADA! field trip. This trip is always one of the year's highlights and I can't begin to tell you what a relief it will be to not have to scramble for the funding. After the event you will receive pictures and writing from the children which will demonstrate how meaningful it is for these kids to get a chance to see live theatre. Once again thank you so much for your kindness and generosity. Sincerely, David L PS 130, Bronx, N”
With gratitude,
Mr. Levin
Dr. Seuss Field Trip
Funded Aug 18, 2004Thank you in advance for funding our trip to The Dr. Seuss exhibit. New York is a city of almost infinite cultural riches. It aggravates me every year that my students are always limited to free or very inexpensive venues. It is going to be a tremendous treat to be able to take my kids to this activity, particularly when we spend so much time on Dr. Seuss, one of the greatest authors of children's literature. Once again, thank you so much for your support and I look forward to letting you know how the trip goes. All the best,--David L PS130”
With gratitude,
Mr. Levin