Past projects 65
A Clean,Cute,Colorful Carpet for TK and Kinder
Funded Dec 10, 2015My students and I were so excited when our new carpet arrived. It is very unfortunate that our school is only spot mopped daily and vacuumed maybe once a week. If the person is out on your cleaning day, you wait a week. So needless to say our old classroom carpet was so dirty and nasty it was unfair for the kids to sit on it. They have to sit on the carpet at least 2 hours a day (it's their work space) and they deserved a clean and colorful spot. The children sit on the carpet each day , with the clipboard, mini white board, pencil and dry erase marker ready to work. Each child has their own square and it is basically like and office. They peer talk and share on the carpet. They listen to stories on the carpet. It is one of the most important things to a kindergarten class.. Now each day the children sweet the carpet and I vacuum it with our new vacuum as often as possible.
When they children saw the carpet they cheered. They knew it was coming, so when they saw it they wanted me to open it right away. They all helped as we unrolled it and saw the bright colors.
Our carpet is as important as our old desks. The district may not take care of them or prioritize them, but as an experienced teacher I know how important they are. My favorite thing to do is to read to the children on the carpet. We read at least 2 books a day. Now the children are reading to me and to their peers. Thank you for giving them a clean, quiet, safe place to read and share their learn”
With gratitude,
Ms. Levinson
Please Bring Back Visual Arts for TK and Kindergarten
Funded Dec 28, 2015Dear Donors,
I am really sorry this took so long to write. It isn't that we are beyond grateful, it is just non-stop family emergencies came up. My students created so many amazing masterpieces this year that couldn't have been available without your help. Each child had glue, colored paper, scissors and their own materials. Simple things like glue were rationed before your help and this year the children could explore. The children made tool boxes for their dads, flower decoupage for their moms, special memory boxes. Caterpillar Life Cycles, sunflowers, hot air balloons and more. Each week we made at least one new thing. This week we are making sock puppets, decorating aprons and making Paint Brushes for Father's Day.
When my students first saw the material they thought I had bought it. Usually I am buying everything we need for the class (Unless donated). So they expect me to buy the stuff, because I don't wan them to go without. This is important because on a single teachers income, I can't afford to always buy things for my class. So once my students found out some kind friends/strangers helped them out , they felt special. They used the words mindful, kind, respectful and special. You taught my students such a good lesson, I hope they pay it forward when they can.
My next steps are to continue the same great memories with my next class. This class struggled academically and shined at the end. Almost every child reached or exceeded the benchmarks. I believe they don't need just books and tests (as the district does), they can learn best through memories and hands on. We are ending the year with memory books and free art. I am putting out the leftover materials and letting the kids explore, create, experiment and have fun..
Thank you so much...”
With gratitude,
Ms. Levinson
Leaping into the Future with Great TK and Kinder Kids.
Funded Sep 15, 2014Our new favorite word this week was GOOGLE... My students learned how to spell Google in sign language and they learned how important and generous Google was to our class and all the classes in LAUSD.
Google impacted my class in more ways than imaginable. Thanks to prior DonorsChoose donations I was able to get my students a few computers and a few Leappads and Ipads over the years. I see how excited the children are to use them and how they each learn different things from them. Thanks to Google now double the amount of students can use each item. With the splitters and headphones each device can be used by 2-4 children at a time. Now daily almost all kids get to use at least one thing.
We had a few Leapfrog Leapster 2s and they are the best. They are ad free, grade level appropriate, fun, educational and more and sturdy. However, now with the donation of 2 more Leapsters and more games/programs for these the children are never limited. With these new Leapsters they recharge so I never have to say (No leapfrogs today , the batteries are dead).
Most of my students do not have technology at home and yet in the upper grades they are tested on technology. With the products Google provided I can help prepare more and more little students for the future in a high tech world.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Levinson
Future Artist in Transitional Kinder and Kinder.
Funded Sep 9, 2014You should have seen the excitement on my little students faces when the boxes of Art materials arrived. To this point all my students had really used was crayons and paper. That first day the children were able to go outside with the simplest of materials CHALK and create masterpieces. I was stunned when I picked them up from recess and saw all their amazing drawings. My 4-6 year olds drew Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, Sponge Bob characters, a portrait of me and more. Some of these brand new writers (only know how to write a few words) were so proud to show me their names and some of their sight words in chalk. Just learning how to write numbers 1-10 a few attempted to make a hopscotch court (minus the number 3). Their canvas was now open.
We also used the yarn right away to make fruit loop necklaces. The children had to sort the colors and string them on a pattern. This covered many math skills. The yarn with the eyelets at the end makes the hand-eye coordination so much easier.
During writing time yesterday the children were giving the Multicultural Skin Colors. I told them I can no longer see purple people and green hair. Now the children were learning to draw the right way and a few color options makes a difference. We haven't attempted the finger paint yet (soon), but we use the construction paper all the time.
Needless to say the children and I are so thankful for donations and they will never forget your generosity. Also many parents are hanging their masterpieces on the refrigerators, thanks to awesome donors like you all.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Levinson
This classroom project was brought to life by First 5 LA and 7 other donors.TK and K Need Sharp Pencils and Great Books
Funded Feb 26, 2014What a year this has been with a class of basically three grades in one. I have had a class this year of students reading and writing almost at a preschool level all the way to students who are reading and writing at a second grade level. With all the challenges and different learning styles I can say the one thing they all have in common is their love and desire to read and be read too. With the fun books we added to our library, my students were able to predict, make connections, use their imagination, laugh and have fun. This author is newer to most teachers and it seems all the teachers keep borrowing the books from us. My students love to read and re-read all the books.
Also my students are now little writers. Thank you for the mini pencils and important tool for my writers with tiny hands. These have really made a big impact on so many. I am grateful for all the help and so are the little ones in my class.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Levinson
This classroom project was brought to life by First 5 LA and one other donor.Piggie And Elephant Books For TK N Kinder
Funded Nov 13, 2013What an exciting day for the children when the Amazon boxes arrived. They had no idea we were getting anything. When I opened the box the children ran over and went GERALD and PIGGY.. They saw the characters they love. They were even more excited when I told the children these books were for our classroom and didn't have to go back to the library. Oh they cheered and asked if they could read them now. We stopped what we were doing so they can see their two favorite characters.
Almost every child picked out a book and sat down and read it. They decoded a lot of words and had a fun time. One student even said she missed the Gerald and Piggie books. I was able to walk around and see the excitement on their faces and just hear the kids read (or try to read). You all helped bring joy to 24 little/new readers through characters they love. They had to tell everyone today about their books and we can't thank you all enough.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Levinson
This classroom project was brought to life by First 5 LA and 5 other donors.TK & Kinder Artists Need Paper To Create.
Funded Oct 6, 2013What an amazing month October was for my students thanks to your donations. We were able to create Bat Puppets out of construction paper, googly eyes and paper bags. We learned about autumn while making construction paper trees with finger printed painted leaves. We made witches out of different shapes they cut out on construction paper (and a few looked like Picasso created them). From black Construction paper and Q-tips the children made 3d skeletons. With tissue and construction paper the children made Jack-O-Lanterns and for DÃa de Muertos the children created skulls. All these crafts helped teach the children about art, science and helped them develop social skills. The parents have been bragging about how full their refrigerators are from all the creations and I have all my great donors to thank for it. Without all your help these would not have been possible. It takes a lot of paper and supplies to create and you helped me provide this. Thank you for helping my classroom and creating life long memories.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Levinson
This classroom project was brought to life by an anonymous donor and 5 other donors.Starting TK And K With A Class Of Materials.
Funded Apr 17, 2013As the school year gets closer to beginning my classroom is ready for my new group of first time students. It is a wonderful feeling to know I have everything I need and the children will need to begin and succeed in Kindergarten and TK. It is the first summer I am not running around and buying everything, it's already there.
This last school year I had my students scoring so high in tests, reading way above grade level and always motivated and excited to learn. I believe this was due to materials they were given that was not district provide. Journals, white boards, Sight Word Books, Sippy cups for bottled water, extra field trips and more. Having their own materials the children took great care of their things all year. Never lost a notebook and these things helped provide constant communication with the parents. Thanks to amazing donors like you guys, this next group will have the same opportunities. I can spend my money on additional fun things ( like letter Cheese-Its for Spelling and Shaving Cream and art materials (as in the pictures) as I do not have to provide the notebooks, folders,etc. One other great thing was when I got to let this years class take home all their books, pencil boxes and notebooks they were given this year. They were so proud and excited to be able to keep them.
Thank you for helping me get prepared and ready for August. It will be so neat to see the children when they see their first desks and all the things they have to help them learn.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Levinson
Chromebooks For Transitional Kinders And Kindergarteners
Funded Dec 18, 2012The new lap tops allow more of my students to go online and do reading programs at the same time. This is a huge help as the Kindergarteners do not get much time at all in the computer lab. We have a few programs on the Internet that really help the children with Phonics and Reading Skills. Now with a bigger classroom computer center, my students get to go online multiple times a week and work on these skills. I believe it is in a great part, due to the technology, that so many of my students read so well this year. All my students surpassed every goal I had for them and were reading at a 1st and some 2nd grade level. The laptops really bring in a lot of visuals and music and hands on activities that really motivate the children.
Thank you so much for your support and help this year.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Levinson
Help Engage Little Readers in TK and K With An iPad
Funded Oct 18, 2012I would like to begin by apologizing that this took so long to be written. I am so thankful for all the help and support this year. With the help of technology (the IPADS, computers and Leapfrogs) and support of the community and families, my students have become extremely successful readers. This year I have had more students pass their reading goal of 100 words and actually read over 250 words than ever before. My students have great reading tools at their fingertips, which I think helped make a big difference.
The children love to read stories by their favorite authors on the Ipad and do phonics games. Our struggling readers use the IPAD to help with letter recognition, sight word recognition and writing. The IPADS are great to help each and every child with their different needs.
Thank you so much for caring about my classroom, my newest readers and thank you for helping make this school year so special .
PS the pictures are of the kids getting medals and trophies for reading and writing so well, thanks to your help.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Levinson
This classroom project was brought to life by First 5 LA and 8 other donors.