You're on track to get doubled donations (and unlock a reward for the colleague who referred you). Keep up the great work!
Take credit for your charitable giving! Check out your tax receipts
To use your $50 gift card credits, find a project to fund and we'll automatically apply your credits at checkout. Find a classroom project
Skip to main content

Help teachers & students in your hometown this season!
Use code HOME at checkout and your donation will be matched up to $100.

Ms. Birch's Classroom

  • Alice Ott Middle School
  • Portland, OR
  • More than three‑quarters of students from low‑income households Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more

Support her classroom with a gift that fosters learning.

  • Monthly
  • One-time

We'll charge your card today and send Ms. Birch a DonorsChoose gift card she can use on her classroom projects. Starting next month, we'll charge your card and send her a DonorsChoose gift card on the 17th of every month.

Edit or cancel anytime.

cancel

Support Ms. Birch's classroom with a gift that fosters learning.

  • Monthly
  • One-time

We'll charge your card today and send Ms. Birch a DonorsChoose gift card she can use on her classroom projects. Starting next month, we'll charge your card and send her a DonorsChoose gift card on the 17th of every month.

Edit or cancel anytime.

Make a donation Ms. Birch can use on her next classroom project.

https://www.donorschoose.org/classroom/3945686 Customize URL

show projects from all time

Past projects 7

  • Husky Hut and Reward Positive Behavior!

    Funded Mar 3, 2025

    Our project got funded!! Thanks to you and other generous donors like you, our students will be able to have amazing incentives and rewards for their expected behaviors. We are so grateful for your willingness to invest in our students and their futures. They are not only learning academics but also how to be good citizens. Thank you again for your donation!”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Birch

  • Reward Positive Behavior 2025-26!

    Funded Sep 20, 2024

    My project got funded because of YOU!!! Thank you for your generosity and belief in rewarding students for the good they are doing!! And thank you for empowering me to motivate my students, reward them, and create positive relationships with them in order to TRULY make a difference in their lives!”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Birch

    This classroom project was brought to life by The Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation and 11 other donors.
  • Reward Positive Behavior!

    Funded Mar 14, 2024

    Thank you so much for your generous contribution to this project. Knowing that we had an iPad secured was an amazing motivational tool for our students! Specifically, it motivated students to get involved, improve attendance/punctuality, do well academically and follow the expectations of our schoolwide community.

    The iPad was the grand prize in our locker sticker sheet drawing. Throughout the year, the students try to fill as many locker sticker sheets as possible and turn them into the office for the drawing. Each locker sticker sheet has room for 9 locker stickers. Students earn locker stickers for perfect attendance (monthly), no tardies (monthly), GPA (quarterly), following school expectations like technology off and away (quarterly), participating in spirit days, etc. We do a drawing at the end of the year with all the locker stickers. There are lots of prizes from school attire/gear to Lego sets to sports equipment. But the thing all of the students really want is the iPad!

    Thank you for providing our students with something that motivates them to come to school, get involved and do the right things!”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Birch

  • Reward Positive Behavior

    Funded Mar 30, 2023

    As you read from my project, this iPad was used as an incentive to reward positive behavior. Throughout the school year, students were informed that whenever they turned in a locker sticker sheet (a tracking sheet that showed positive behavior), it would be entered into a drawing for the end-of-the-year assembly. During that assembly, rewards ranged from school spirit gear to giftcards to the grand prize, an iPad.

    Students were so excited about these rewards throughout the year that they continued to display positive behavior and turn in multiple locker sticker sheets. Rewards for positive behavior have proven much more effective than punishments for negative behavior.

    You should've heard the chatter at the end-of-the-year assembly when I said it was time to draw a name for the iPad. Students were almost sad when they won a different drawing because they wanted that iPad. Finally, the winner was announced and celebrated. It was a wonderful experience--THANK YOU!!!”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Birch

  • Reward Amazing Students!

    Funded Dec 30, 2022

    Thank you so much for your generous donations to help our school purchase Amazon giftcards for our students! The joy we see in their faces and verbal responses is immeasurable. In fact, multiple students came to my office after they made their purchases to tell me what they got and how excited they were about it.

    After other students saw our winners in the assemblies and the rewards they got, we have seen an increase in engagement with our positive behavior reward systems. Students are trying to fill their locker sheets and getting them turned in to be entered into the drawing.

    Students earn sticker through positive behavior including attendance, participation in extracurricular activities, exceptional GPA, Student of the Month (student displays monthly character trait i.e. supportive, respectful, kind, perseverance, etc.). Students' positive behaviors are increasing and improving and the rewards that are given to them--intrinsic and extrinsic--are especially motivating. Thank you so much!”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Birch

  • Reward Amazing Students!

    Funded Oct 27, 2022

    I am beyond grateful for your donation to my Donors Choose page! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

    The giftcards have made an immediate impact among my middle schoolers! This month, we did grade level drawings for a giftcard. Students had to earn a "PAWS Pass" from a staff member by acting respectfully, working responsibly and/or staying safe. Student could then enter those PAWS Passes into the drawing in the front office. Our drawing containers were packed full! We drew a winner from each grade level container at our monthly recognition assembly. Kids, parents and staff were all very excited!

    Because of your donation, students were motivated to earn PAWS Passes by behaving appropriately. We had the opportunity to reward students doing the right thing! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Birch

  • Compasses, Calculators and Patty Paper -- A Geometer's Best Friend

    Funded Dec 8, 2016

    Thank you just does not seem adequate! I can not thank you enough for your donation to our classroom project. Because of your donation, our classroom received graphing calculators, compasses, and patty paper. Although this might seem small to some, it has made an immediate impact on my students!

    When I opened the box during one of my classes, the students were surprised and grateful for the tools that would help them be successful in the classroom. For instance, the patty paper was used immediately in our transformations unit. The patty paper made it much easier for students to "see" the transformations happen. I heard some of my favorite words, "OH, NOW I get it!" It was music to my math teacher ears.

    The difference that has been made that will continue over a long period of time is the addition of 5 graphing calculators to the classroom. For the first time in years, I did not have to see the look of disappointment on a student's face when I told them that I didn't have any more calculators available for the final exam. I didn't have to see that look because I am quite close to having a class set of calculators. With the few students who have their own calculators, I had enough for each of my students. The reduction of stress and increase in confidence was palpable in the classroom!

    Again, I can not say thank you enough. Please know, your donation is making a difference every single day in the lives of hundreds of students!”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Birch

When I tell people that I teach high school Geometry, I get all sorts of responses. The one thing all the responses have in common is that they are negative. Math has a bad reputation because people have had a bad experience when trying to learn it--we can create positive math experiences through hands-on learning! Having a class set of compasses and access to patty paper will give all of my students the opportunity for hands-on learning. Moreover, I do not have a full class set (40) of calculators. It forces students to share calculators which leads to a big issue on test day. We need graphing calculators, compass pack and patty papers - tools to better understand Geometry concepts like congruence, transformations, trigonometry and constructions! Past students have talked about the lessons with patty paper and compasses being their favorites. Additionally, the units where those hands-on tools are available are the ones where students achieve the highest scores. It is no coincidence that our students perform better when they have access to resources that improve learning.

About my class

When I tell people that I teach high school Geometry, I get all sorts of responses. The one thing all the responses have in common is that they are negative. Math has a bad reputation because people have had a bad experience when trying to learn it--we can create positive math experiences through hands-on learning! Having a class set of compasses and access to patty paper will give all of my students the opportunity for hands-on learning. Moreover, I do not have a full class set (40) of calculators. It forces students to share calculators which leads to a big issue on test day. We need graphing calculators, compass pack and patty papers - tools to better understand Geometry concepts like congruence, transformations, trigonometry and constructions! Past students have talked about the lessons with patty paper and compasses being their favorites. Additionally, the units where those hands-on tools are available are the ones where students achieve the highest scores. It is no coincidence that our students perform better when they have access to resources that improve learning.

About my class

{"followTeacherId":3945686,"teacherId":3945686,"teacherName":"Ms. Birch","teacherProfilePhotoURL":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/136/teacher-placeholder-4_136.png","teacherHasProfilePhoto":false,"vanityURL":"","teacherChallengeId":20852812,"followAbout":"Ms. Birch's projects","teacherVerify":960664727,"teacherNameEncoded":"Ms. Birch","vanityType":"teacher","teacherPageInfo":{"teacherHasClassroomPhoto":true,"teacherHasClassroomDescription":true,"teacherClassroomDescription":"","teacherProfileURL":"https://www.donorschoose.org/classroom/3945686","tafURL":"https://secure.donorschoose.org/donors/share_teacher_profile.html?teacher=3945686","stats":{"numActiveProjects":0,"numFundedProjects":7,"numSupporters":72},"classroomPhotoPendingScreening":false,"showEssentialsListCard":false}}