Ms. Carpenter's Classroom Edit display name

Current requests

Past projects 9

• Reading Games

  Funded Oct 24, 2023

  My students are thoroughly enjoying the new educational games we received for our classroom. When they walked in and saw a huge box of new materials, they were so excited! They have been playing in their free time after finishing their work and are already learning new words and concepts. They have having so much fun!

  Hopefully, as my students continue to explore the materials, they will get better at reading and move toward the more complex activities and games we have received. In time, I am confident that they will all thrive and improve at their own rates. They are thoroughly enjoying learning through fun and exciting new activities that challenge them to be better and work harder.

  From all of us, thank you for making this project a reality. It has been wonderful seeing my students' eyes light up as they discover and learn new skills.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Carpenter

• Teachers Pay Teachers to Support Learners and Teachers

  Funded Aug 25, 2020

  Thank you so much for donating to our recent project. We were able to purchase interactive online instructional materials that allow our students with moderate/severe disabilities to access basic job skill lessons on topics such as determining appropriate clothing for work, reading common workplace signs, and general workplace safety. Students are also now able to work on some basic pre-employment skills such as sorting shoes by size, making sandwiches to follow and order, and following a grocery list all through online platforms for distance learning.

  This project has truly been a lifesaver to my students as they navigate unfamiliar ground. While we normally work in the classroom with hands on activities, working from home, online, using new technology has been a challenge for all of our families. It has been so nice to provide families with tasks that are simple, straightforward, and easily accessible to the majority of students.

  Many of our students are thoroughly enjoying the new materials we are using in class. They have been practicing extra hard on their skills and are truly learning to the best of their abilities from home. Thank you again for your very generous donations in order to make this happen.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Carpenter

• Skill Boxes for Students with Special Needs

  Funded Mar 27, 2018

  Thank you so much for helping us receive these resources for our classroom. With the addition of pre-vocational skill boxes, we are incorporating more skill training to help people with disabilities develop employable skills. Students are engaging in bundling flatware, preparing care packages, and many more great things.

  When my students and instructional assistants saw the plethora of new materials, they were thrilled. Our students are so excited to try new activities and explore.

  In the future, we are hoping to expand our job skills into a full life skills class, incorporating not only job skills but also budgeting and basic household tasks such as cooking, making beds, and washing dishes. We are all very hopeful that this will help pave the way to our students having full and robust lives after they complete high school.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Carpenter

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

• Technology and Science for Independence

  Funded May 8, 2015

  Thank you so much for supporting our project. We are all very excited to use the new resources provided including the iPad mini and the new science software. This project has given my students countless new opportunities that we could not have had without generous donations to support them.

  My students have already been testing out the new software and learning quite a bit about plants, animals, weather, and their senses. The iPad is providing them opportunities to grow even further as students who had not previously been able to access a computer are now using the touch screen to navigate a variety of activities and access communication apps that increase their ability to interact with the world around them.

  On behalf of all of my students, thank you for making this happen. They are all thrilled with the new opportunities in our classroom and have already started learning valuable skills for life.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Carpenter

• Cooking in the Functional Skills Class

  Funded Dec 4, 2013

  Thank you so much for your donations to our classroom. I am happy to say that our students have started preparing a variety of dishes including pancakes, spaghetti, tacos, and stir fry. They are truly enjoying learning to prepare or help prepare a variety of foods. And, they are learning to taste new things they have never tried before.

  It is so nice to finally have functional cooking equipment in our classroom. This will provide years of fun as we explore new dishes every week. I can't wait to see what other foods the class wants to prepare and try. They are all so motivated to work on our new cooking skills.

  Thank you again for your help making this project a reality. My students are thrilled to have the opportunities you have given them and are learning so much from our new cooking units. It is because of people like you that students with special needs thrive.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Carpenter

• Switch Activities For Students With Disabilities

  Funded Mar 21, 2013

  Thank you so much for your generous donations to our classroom. With the inclusion of switches, adapters, kitchen equipment, and instruments into our classroom, we have been able to better include our students in general education elective classes and teach some innovative lessons within our own classroom.

  Our students are throroughly enjoying these items. They have been engaged in a variety of activities including making smoothies and slushies, making salsa, and playing music in our own version of a drum circle. Our students are able to participate as never before because now even the students who have trouble moving their limbs can activate the machine.

  Thank you again for this amazing and wonderful donation. We are so grateful for all you have done for us.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Carpenter

• Modern Technology for Special Needs

  Funded May 18, 2011

  Thank you so much for your generous donation to our classroom. Once we received the iPad and programmed it, our students started using the device immediately. Students who have never qualified for funding for their own computerized communication device are now able to have a voice and students who cannot access a traditional computer due to movement restrictions are accessing games and instructional activities like never before. Your support has put a smile on the faces of every single one of our students.

  With the current budget crisis, students are hurting like never before. Materials, staffing, and instructional time are all being cut in order to make ends meet at the state level. It is because of people like you making donations that we are able to keep our school running and keep our programs as top-notch as possible. For students with moderate to severe disabilities, many of whom cannot speak or advocate for themselves, these donations are even more important, because they allow the students to be heard.

  Thank you again. Without you and other donors like you, this advancement in the classroom would not have been possible.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Carpenter

• Technology for Special Needs

  Funded Oct 14, 2010

  Thank you for your generous donations to my classroom. My students have begun to use the switch adapted CD players during recreational time. It has given them a way to be more independent and develop valuable switch skills, which can then be generalized to a variety of electronic devices. The students love listening to music on these CD players and they are one of our most popular choices for free time activities.

  In California, schools continue to struggle as the state's budget cuts more and more money from education. It is because of generous donors such as yourselves that teachers are able to provide students with exciting, innovative, and engaging lessons and activities that allow the students to reach their full potential.

  Thank you again for all you have done for my students.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Carpenter

• Special Technology for Special Students

  Funded Feb 13, 2010

  Thank you so much for your donations to our classroom. Since the arrival of our diji machine and interactive software, my students have been very excited about learning. We use the diji as a reward for students who are completing their work. At the end of an assignment, they have time to use the diji. Many of the students work harder than ever to earn it. And with games that are educational and customizable, students are continuing to learn while taking their breaks as opposed to wasting time. General education students have commented that they wish they could have something like that so they could learn from video games instead of their teachers. In a world where we're hoping our students with special needs will be accepted by their peers, hearing comments like that from the general education population is a promising step in the right direction.

  Again, thank you for all that you have done for us. My students are very grateful and if they could speak for themselves, I am sure every single one of them would thank you individually. Keep up the donations. It's because of private donations by people like you that schools are able to overcome the economic barriers we are currently faced with.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Carpenter

  This classroom project was brought to life by ESA Foundation and 6 other donors.