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Mrs. Torres' Classroom

  • Donald Stewart ECC 51
  • Elizabeth, NJ
  • More than half 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

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Past projects 23

  • Physics Project Approach in PreK

    Funded Jan 30, 2024

    The Getting Out of Space project was indeed a great success. Our students created spaceships, made blueprints for the design, and utilized the new material donated by you to create futuristic designs. During the process, our students integrated new vocabulary words like rover, gravity, oxygen, energy, blueprint, magnetic field, attraction, communication. Our students created a spaceship made with recyclable material, wore astronaut uniforms and pretended to walk in space. This experience took my students to a different dimension and I'm grateful for it.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Torres

    This classroom project was brought to life by Optimum and 3 other donors.
  • A New Carpet To Create The Magic Of Learning

    Funded Oct 5, 2023

    Your generosity and benevolence shine brightly through your support. Your contributions have transformed our educational space with a new carpet, allowing our students to engage in activities safely and joyfully. The former carpet was compromised by mold, posing risks to our learners. But now, they can gather, create, dance, and learn without worry. This carpet isn't just a floor covering; it's a vibrant educational tool. With neatly defined squares for each child, the alphabet adorning its surface, and a kaleidoscope of colors, it's become a cornerstone of learning and safety. Your wonderful gift is more than a carpet—it's a foundation for growth and joy. Thank you for this precious donation.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Torres

    This classroom project was brought to life by LOFT.
  • Safe Furniture Essential for Learning!

    Funded Apr 3, 2023

    Your generosity has truly made a difference. Thanks to you, our students now have a comfortable place to rest and recharge. The timely arrival of the vibrant new cots replaced our worn and nearly broken ones, providing each child with a personal space of their own. They took delight in labeling their cots and choosing their preferred colors. It's a joy to see their contentment at naptime. I've observed them waking up more refreshed and attentive, which correlates with a noticeable decrease in illnesses. For us educators, the ease of managing and storing these cots has been immensely beneficial. These new cots aren't just a place to sleep—they're a foundation for new dreams. Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to you, our donors, for enhancing our daily routine with comfort and ease.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Torres

    This classroom project was brought to life by PNC Grow Up Great®.
  • Busy Spider Relaxing Spot!

    Funded Apr 3, 2023

    We are immensely grateful for your generous contributions; they have made a significant impact on our students' lives. The arrival of the large boxes filled with furniture sparked a festive joy among the students, reminiscent of Christmas morning. I took the opportunity to draw parallels between the spirit of giving inherent to the holiday and your graciousness.

    The furniture was put to use instantly, becoming a sanctuary for our students as they tackle challenges, engage in thoughtful dialogues, listen to enchanting tales, indulge in daydreams, and enjoy profound exchanges. In our dramatic play space, the furniture transforms the area into a bustling coffee shop where students emulate baristas, crafting coffee and sandwiches with their new play kitchen equipment.

    We are deeply appreciative of your assistance in fostering a warm and tranquil environment that enhances learning and promotes serenity. Your support is the wind that lifts us higher.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Torres

    This classroom project was brought to life by PNC Grow Up Great®.
  • Crawling Caterpillars for Curious Kids

    Funded Apr 3, 2023

    Your generous contributions have been deeply appreciated. The journey with the caterpillars provided an enchanting educational experience for our pupils, one that will leave a lasting impression. The arrival of the caterpillars sparked great enthusiasm among the children, who initially mistook them for mere bugs. Through close observation, they discovered these 'bugs' were in fact butterflies in the making.

    Our young learners engaged in an array of activities, from drawing caterpillars and butterflies to embodying them through dance, and even recounting 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' story. In a hands-on approach, they nurtured the butterflies, mixing sugar water to feed them. This project was a gateway to learning about various insects and their distinctive features, differentiating spiders from bugs, and understanding terms such as metamorphosis, antennae, thorax, and more.

    Furthermore, the project extended beyond the classroom through a home-school collaboration where families were encouraged to craft 3D insects, leading to an array of imaginative butterflies and stories. The impact of this butterfly endeavor has been truly extraordinary. We are immensely grateful for this magical gift.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Torres

    This classroom project was brought to life by PNC Grow Up Great®.
  • Let's Bring Stories Alive!

    Funded Sep 7, 2022

    Thank you for allowing us to spread the magic of opening a book and understand the message. Understanding a book message is very powerful but difficult at a PreK level and the new props created the magic especially with students with special needs. Since we received the new props to bring our stories alive, our students are developing better language. Students have been able to use props to follow directions and develop a higher thinking order. Props are allowing students to develop creativity by creating their stories with the props or changing the beginning or ending on the stories we read. Students are able to take the props home and families can work together retelling the stories too. Props are available during work time in the cozy area, and I've seen so many students using props to tell stories to stuffed animals and other friends pretending to be teachers. Props have been helping students to draw pictures of their favorite character, setting or part of the story. Of course, this is the beginning of a collection of props that will be extended with additional titles. Thank you, donors, for opening a treasure box full of learning possibilities for our students.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Torres

    This classroom project was brought to life by Valhalla Foundation.
  • Blast Off the Science Fun!

    Funded Sep 7, 2022

    Our new fish tank has changed our lives in a very positive way. We received an enormous box on Tuesday and the children were so happy and excited. It was hard to guess what was inside such a big box. Our students made many predictions about the content but couldn't guess that inside the box was a new water world waiting to be discovered. The fish tank was empty, and our students were asking where the fish were. I explained to them that I was going to the pet store to purchase the fish later on during the day. One of my students told me, I can ask mom to buy me a fish and that idea developed a home-school connection project that I called buy me a fish. Parents were invited to donate a fish to our class. The students were in charge of naming the fish and introducing the new member to all of our friends. Our students were very eager to participate during the activity while developing initiative, leadership and expressive language. Parents and students were very happy to participate. We have a beautiful fish tank full of many different fish that our students help to feed and take care of daily. Our fish tank is one of the most visited areas in the classroom and is helping our students to relax, learn and discover a special magic. Our new fish tank has also brought many visitors to our classroom that are impressed with its beauty and comfort. One day the sunlight was reflected on the water tank and one of my students put his hand on the side of the fish tank and said, "I have a rainbow on my hand. "My student described the colors reflecting on his hand and caught the attention of many of the other students who were trying to also get a rainbow on their hands. This rainbow discovery sparked the idea to develop further experiments about light, reflection and waves, this is only PreK. Thank you, donors, for being that beam of light in our lives, you shine.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Torres

    This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Funder and 2 other donors.
  • Sharing Toys? I Can't! Please Give Us a Hand!

    Funded Nov 15, 2021

    You made it happen, thank you! Our students were able to continue learning at home and in school with the vast selection of high-quality appropriate material donated by you. When we received the material, our students were overly excited and helped to open the boxes and bags. Their smiles were already telling a happy story. The material was equally distributed and sorted. Our students were able to complete assignments and projects with the materials. One project that we recently completed was the representation of a spaceship in honor Mae Jemison during our Black American History month. Thank you, kind donors, for your support and unconditional love to our future generation.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Torres

    This classroom project was brought to life by Valhalla Foundation.
  • Exposure & Practice Makes Perfect!

    Funded Sep 24, 2021

    Thank you very much for your kind donation. Our students are incredibly happy to be able to learn with the utilization of material made by teachers for teachers. Some of the applications purchased have been helping our students to sign their names, recognize colors, letters, and numbers. The utilization of the material has been at school, and it is shared at home with families for practicing and getting better. I see the difference that the products are making in our students; our students are more eager to learn and to practice because the material is age appropriate.

    In terms of the technological aspects of the purchased material, our students are exposed to high quality interactive problems to solve through games, open-ended questions, and very colorful presentations. Our morning message presentation includes information about the weather, celebrations, current events, rhyme, counting and daily comparison. All these resources have been making the difference during a particularly challenging period, and you made it possible. Thank you and a rainbow of hearts your way.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Torres

    This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 2 other donors.
  • ABC's for You and Me!

    Funded Apr 12, 2021

    It was so frustrating not been able to provide our students with basic material to learn basic skills during the pandemic. How was I going to be able to create or buy or materials for each student? I thought it was impossible until you, generous donors, gave us some hope. When our students saw the backpacks inside the boxes, they wanted to take then home right away. They loved the ball inside as much as the counting bears, journal, and markers. It was so emotional when one of our students was hugging the backpack; at that moment I knew that things would get better for all of us.

    The new material has facilitated the development of math skills like sorting, classification, counting and number recognition, skills that our students can practice at home because the material is conveniently organized and stored in a backpack. With the utilization of the journal, we can track students writing progress and we are also able to connect families to school. With the new backpacks full of wonderful learning material, our students were able to learn at home and at school necessary academic skills simultaneously.

    We are currently adding innovative ideas on how to utilize that math material to measure, create new shapes and structures with it. We are utilizing the letters to form words and write them. We are utilizing the numbers to form numbers from 10-20. We created books out of the completed journals for most of our students. This material created a bridge of academic hope and achievement, and I'm proud of the outcome. Thank you, generous donors, for making the impossible an achievable goal for students, families, and teachers. You are our rainbow at the end of the storm.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Torres

    This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Funder and 2 other donors.
It is alarming to see how many preschool students come to school with limited expressive language. I can attribute this reality to the fact that we are living on a technology era in which children are exposed to very abstract experiences through electronic devices instead of hands on activities and book reading adventures. Books are definitely the bridge to narrow the gap between school and home early connections and develop a stronger literacy foundation. Once the love for books is nourished in the classroom is easy to spread it home too with a classroom based lending library. The more books are read to our students and meaningful interactions are promoted, the more children learn expressive language, social skills, math skills and new vocabulary words. The more we read to them, the more places they will go.

About my class

It is alarming to see how many preschool students come to school with limited expressive language. I can attribute this reality to the fact that we are living on a technology era in which children are exposed to very abstract experiences through electronic devices instead of hands on activities and book reading adventures. Books are definitely the bridge to narrow the gap between school and home early connections and develop a stronger literacy foundation. Once the love for books is nourished in the classroom is easy to spread it home too with a classroom based lending library. The more books are read to our students and meaningful interactions are promoted, the more children learn expressive language, social skills, math skills and new vocabulary words. The more we read to them, the more places they will go.

About my class

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