Past projects 24
Becoming Our Best Selves
Funded Feb 25, 2021My kiddos have come such a long way in their ability to listen to each other, empathize with one another, and regulate their own emotions. I love hearing them articulate how they feel, share their understanding of where that feeling came from, and witness their friends respond in supportive and encouraging ways. The books and tools with which you provided us have made a tremendous impact in their social and emotional awareness! I am so grateful to you for helping me lay this foundation of emotional health in their lives!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Lenihan
This classroom project was brought to life by Allstate Foundation and 9 other donors.Kindergarten Basics
Funded Oct 22, 2020I want to thank you for helping replenish some of our basic classroom needs. They are not very exciting, I know, but they keep our little train chugging along. My kids do love brainstorming their ideas onto an anchor chart, and seeing it displayed in the room. We are getting spoiled with these sticky back pages, which provide great flexibility, and we can place just about anywhere! Thank you also for the markers which we will always need, and for which we will always be grateful. They help us to organize our thoughts, and brighten up the room!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Lenihan
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Donor and 3 other donors.Better With Books
Funded Oct 22, 2020My kids and I have been enjoying the stories you gifted us every day! They loved getting "spooked" by The Scariest Book Ever, were charmed by Dasher and shared in the excitement of 5 More Sleeps 'til Christmas around the holidays. The A little SPOT books have been a valuable resource in our Social Emotional Learning, encouraging my students to understand and name what they're feeling, think about why they might be feeling that way, and develop strategies for managing their emotions. I can't overlook how Dr. Seuss continues to make rhyming and reading fun after all these years!
We are still making our way through the adventures, the laughs, and important lessons you've shared with us. Thank you for all the gifts you gave!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Lenihan
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Donor and 7 other donors.Keep Learning Fun... And Safe
Funded Sep 23, 2020My kids have been so excited to get their hands on all of these fun tools and materials, regardless of subject area. Connecting cubes and counting bears are a hit both in class and at home, and have allowed for concrete experiences to solidify new concepts. My students love the trays which allow them quick, easy access to alphabet cards and Math boards. And of course, nobody can argue with the fun to be had when creating new art crafts to enhance learning! Thank you for giving us the opportunity to engage in hands-on learning, and demonstrate the responsibility it takes to care for personal materials and manipulatives. And thank you for adding a dash of fun to our learning!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Lenihan
Safe and Learning, Near or Far
Funded Sep 3, 2020As you can see, our new tools have promptly been put to use around the room. Thank you so much for helping us extend and improve our instructional and learning space! Magnets have helped me use our whiteboards to model lessons I normally would have shared with my students at a carpet learning circle. They've given us a new way for students to share their learning with one another as well.
I was also able to create bundles of materials for at-home learners! They received journals, math boards with number paths, ten frames and work space, as well as manipulatives for concrete learning experiences. They are so excited whenever I ask them to get one of their tools ready for our lessons. I can see how proud they are in their ability to organize themselves, get work ready, and participate in our lessons.
I can't thank you enough for helping me provide these learning moments and materials for my kids!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Lenihan
This classroom project was brought to life by Kleenex® Brand and one other donor.A New Kind of Learning
Funded Aug 29, 2020I knew the materials you provided for our class would have a great impact, but not even I appreciated just how indispensable they would prove to be.
The rolling laptop stand has allowed me to give students at home access to the entirety of our class, including anchor charts and Smartboard lessons. It has also made it possible to include at home students in Morning Meeting, and helped them to feel part of the group, seeing and interacting with in-school friends, while being part of each activity we tackle.
I did not fully appreciate the impact of our desk-top laptop stand until we were forced back into full-remote learning. Suddenly all of my students were available to me only via my computer screen, and once again instruction and learning needed to adapt to new circumstances. Thanks to the laptop stand I can keep my students and materials within reach to make learning as familiar and accessible as possible during this time.
Other tools, like our books and project cases, have encouraged and improved safety within our classroom in a big way. I cannot thank you enough for helping us adjust every time we are faced with new changes. This would all be so much more daunting without friends like you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Lenihan
This classroom project was brought to life by Fairfield County's Community Foundation and 3 other donors.Back to Basics
Funded Apr 25, 2020My students were able to start the school year off right thanks to the materials you gifted us! They each have their very own pencils, scissors, erasers, crayons, and glue. All safely contained in their own pencil boxes.
After last spring, when I sent my kids home with our class materials, I did not have a long term plan, I just knew my kids needed to be able to hit the ground running from home. Thanks to you, my new students have been able to do the same.
From daily tasks like letter practice, to fun crafts like building your name and a Chicka Chicka Boom Boom coconut tree, our new materials have been put to good use from day one! You took away the worry of replacing our materials and allowed us to get down to the business of learning! Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Lenihan
Books Bring Us Together!
Funded May 5, 2020The books you gifted my class were a lifeline this spring, and continue to be even now! Finding ourselves unexpectedly cut off from our classroom library took away one of our favorite things about Kindergarten-- getting to explore books together! With your help I was able to record and share read alouds with my students, allowing us to reconnect over shared stories, and escape into one good book after another.
Your gift continues to be indispensable this school year. Our new environment has many limitations, one of which is having our classroom library remain beyond our reach. I know the reason many of you gave to this project is because you share my love of books and reading. So allow me to once again thank you, truly, for helping me share this joy with my students!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Lenihan
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 7 other donors.Splendid Storage
Funded Mar 27, 2020So much has changed in the time since we funded this project, including the safe set-up of our classrooms. I want you to know that even though I have had to temporarily pack these materials away, they are going to have a tremendous impact as soon as I am able to make more of our tools, books, and games available to my kids! Our classroom library and game center had fallen into disrepair, with chipped and broken bins doing their best to hold it together. Our new storage will transform these areas, making them safe and accessible once again! I can't wait to use this storage to house new learning stations and activities, which I know the kids will love! All of these items will help my kids feel like the room is theirs, and I so look forward to the day I get to enjoy watching them putting it all to good use!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Lenihan
Step Up And Listen
Funded Dec 3, 2019My students have so enjoyed receiving the new materials you made possible!
The new step stool has facilitated all my students' involvement in activities which could be out of reach, especially for my very littles. They love being able to get up and around the room for various class routines, from Morning Meeting to SmartBoard Math.
Our work on the SmartBoard work has also been enhanced by the speaker you gifted us. We are now able to hear instructions which guide us through SmartBoard lessons, we can listen to music for relaxation and enjoyment, and engage in mindfulness and focus activities. We love being able to practice for school performances with our speaker, too!
My kids have really put their new tools to good use, and we can't thank you enough. We are all grateful for your generosity towards us!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Lenihan
This classroom project was brought to life by An anonymous classroom supporter and 2 other donors.