Ms. Levinson's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 65

• There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed Our Library

  Funded Sep 18, 2012

  Each day I have been able to go into our classroom library and pick out a fun, enjoyable, memorable book to read to the children. They are taken away into a world of imagination, adventure, and fun. My students enjoy a program we have that is called DEAR. This means to Drop Everything and Read. Whenever the children have a chance to read independently, they love to pick up one of our newer books and retell the story. They love to draw the characters, write journals about their favorite parts and act out the stories. These books are really good to help these new readers read and comprehend.

  Thank you so much for taking the time and compassion to help my students develop such a love for reading and a sense imagination . Thank you for caring and helping out others. Sorry this took so long, we have been so busy with learning new things and creating memories each day.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Levinson

  This classroom project was brought to life by Teachers Rock and 2 other donors.

• Leaping Into The New Year With Leap Frogs

  Funded Oct 22, 2012

  One of the best resources I have in my classroom are the Leappads and all Leapfrog products. My students love using them so much to help them read, write, do math and more. They are great for little fingers and are very durable too. Whenever the children are done with their work, they love to grab the little headphones and read and explore on their pads. Thank you so much for helping our classroom get a few more Leappads which makes the availability more accessible to children. I am constantly stocking up on batteries, but seeing their enjoyment is well worth it. I have been able to bring in more stories and lessons and visuals thanks to the amazing help and support you gave us.

  I am very sorry this took so long to be written. We have been so busy learning, creating, the holidays , testing and more. But each day I see those smiling faces, please know you helped make that possible.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Levinson

  This classroom project was brought to life by First 5 LA and 4 other donors.

• Cut, Glue, Paint And Create In TK And K

  Funded Nov 4, 2012

  To our amazing supporters and friends to begin I would like to apologize for the long delay in sending this message. I am so grateful for the help and donations to the classroom but so busy with the little munchkins. We have been so busy painting (pumpkins for Halloween), designing Train Frames for Christmas gifts, beaded necklaces, feather turkeys, hand print menorahs , stockings and so much more . Each week we have been able to create special art projects and had a great time doing it. We connected fantastic stories and lessons to each art project. And had great experiences doing this.

  This week the children are learning about animals and are going to create their own little animal sculptures with the clay we received. As the children will get messy (with clay) they will get to explore their imaginations and show their artistic sides. This is one area that is taken away in the public schools and is still crucial to their success.

  I have so many fun projects in the works, and with all the materials I received I can make this happen.

  When I go down to the teachers workroom and see how bare it is (no more paints, construction paper, etc) I am reminded how grateful and thankful I am for having donors like you all. Thank you so much for caring and being a huge help to te”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Levinson

  This classroom project was brought to life by Kia Motors America and 16 other donors.

• Starting The School Year Off Prepared

  Funded Jun 29, 2012

  Thank you so much Ms Economidy for helping out my students with a great school year. Each child was able to have their own boxes, name tags, desk tags, journals and supplies when they started the year. These are all things we used to come to expect, when we started the year. However, now these are all luxuries that make a child feel special. We are now months into the school year and my students still have all their tags and boxes and such. They cherish them and take good care of them. For a TK or Kinder that is a lot to expect. Their first journals went home ( as they completed them) at the holidays and these are life long keepsakes for the families.

  My students are very lucky to have donors like yourself. They are reading and writing sentences( attempting) and just developing each day. They do not get told, most of the time we can't do something, because we do not have materials. Thanks to great donors like yourself, I was able to put my own funds (which I normally spend on monthly supplies and materials) to buying winter clothes and some toys(played Santa) for some really needy families in the school. So you helped more then you can imagine. Thank you so much for caring. I am so sorry for the delay, with moving and holidays and such it has been busy school year. I am grateful for your help and I agree they are cuties..”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Levinson

• Keep Creating.. Don't Start Hating!

  Funded Mar 22, 2012

  Thank you for all the unbelievable support you have given my students this year. My students have learned so much about Bullying and what to do if someone is bullying them. They come up to me quite often and tell me, if a bigger child or even a peer bullied them. They also know why bullying is bad and why they will not become bullies.

  Throughout the year, TP has provided my students with many books, art supplies, dramatic play materials and writing materials, all to bring out the creativity and uniqueness in each child. My students love to create and do crafts. They have also done so many art projects with their big buddies, thanks to your great opportunities.

  Thank you so much for the new name tags and journals. The children loved writing in their (Big Kid ) journals. Their favorite thing was to write about whatever they wanted. The children were really able to express themselves.

  Magna tiles are now the most popular center. The children love to go there and build together. They are so proud of their creation. We now have enough to build some great things. These are all materials I would never have been able to provide my students.

  With the furlough days and cuts, I know I am struggling to provide basics for my students. However, ttmy students will never know, as they never are losing out. Thank you to the wonderful support of Amazing organizations like Townsend Press.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Levinson

  This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and one other donor.

• These Kids Can't Wait For Kidspace!

  Funded Oct 3, 2011

  What an amazingly, fantastic, memorable opportunity you helped offer provide my students. Our original field trip was scheduled December 1st, 2011. The children were so eager, they had a countdown on the calendar and it was all they could talk about. For most it was their first ever field trip and their first time on a bus. The parents were all heartbroken at the start of the year, when we told them due to budget crisis, there were no more field trips. So to have a special trip, for many , was unbelievable.

  So December 1st arrived and the weather was horrible. The wind was so strong and especially where we were going. We ended up being met with a State of Emergency (exactly where we were going) http://articles.latimes.com/2011/dec/01/local/la-me-wind-damage-20111202, so it broke my heart to tell the children we had to postpone. Kidsspace was closed, due to damage.

  We rescheduled for later in January and the countdown began again. This time the children got to go in the big/new bus and the 20 minute drive (in a five year olds eyes) seemed forever. We sang songs and played. When we got there the children were greeted by some great guides. They were told they can touch anything. And we basically had the whole museum to itself. At first the children were iffy about touching and exploring, as they were used to always having hands off. But as soon as we entered they explored magnets, fake bug food, crafts, antholes to climb down, bikes and paths their size, cars and jeeps to drive, bee hives to observe and long tall play structures to climb. Next they saw a show about dinosaurs and than explored the outside. There were water activities to make music, webs to crawl on, hands on lessons on the water cycle, jumping fountains and streams to play in. They got a little wet, but the parents knew ahead and were ok. Finally we ended with a hands on show about Creepy Crawlers. The children were able to hold and touch cockroaches, spiders, and more, with the help of a great guide. Next we ended with lunch at the park and a quick bus ride home.

  The children were so excited, almost all fell asleep five minutes out of the museum.

  This field trip was a dream trip for a kindergaretner. We are never able to go to Kidspace, as it charges admission. When the district helped fund trips, they were only free locations. Some locations are good, but not really appropriate for a kid to be a kid and explore. Kidspace was a memory I am eternally grateful for and I can't thank the donors enough. Thank You Myra, Hilton and Yahoo for the great day. Sorry there are not tons of pictures, I was so involved with the kids, I held my camera, more than using it. ”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Levinson

  This classroom project was brought to life by Hilton HHonors and 2 other donors.

• Create...Don't Hate

  Funded Feb 1, 2012

  What a great feeling it is to seem my students decompress after a long stressful/full day of academics, by opening their minds and creating. We grew up with Lincoln Logs, Legos and more. We could sit with a friend or just play alone. Now with these great materials my students have the same opportunities. Kindergarten is very academic now a days. I have children reading over 200 words, weekly spelling and writing tests and they are writing multiple sentences. Many of the students are going through divorces or challenges at home, so the stress builds. Some students cry and others may do negative things to seek attention. I make sure the children have the last part of the day to create, explore and learn. The children are loving the Magna Tiles so much. The houses with the Lincoln Logs, remind me of my childhood. The Zoobs are helping the children create while following directions. All the materials are helping the children create and relax.

  The books are wonderful tools too. We are using the books now with our big buddies and using them for discussions. The children are aware of what a bully is and how to deal with them. They are also learning why it important not to bully or be mean to someone. I think most importantly they are understanding acceptance and overcoming diversity.

  Thank you so much for bringing such fulfillment to these wonderful children.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Levinson

  This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and 7 other donors.

• Big Buddies n Little Buddies Anti Bullying #2

  Funded Dec 5, 2011

  The unbelievable joys I get when I read to my students and they can't stop laughing. Books written by Robert Munsch seem to really do that to a 5 year old. Yesterday I read a book called Murmel Murmel Murmel I received in this order and the children were cracking up. During independent reading time, all the children wanted to read it. And they wanted to read another Robert Munsch book called Stephanie's Pony Tales. They didn't want to draw or play, they wanted to read. My students love all the books we received in this donation. They are fun, entertaining, exciting and different from the boring core lit books our school adopted program offers. The amount of pressure on someone so young is incredible right now. They have to sit all day and test and write a lot and they get stressed. I am so pleased the children have great books to offer them , for times they just want a quiet time to escape. Thank you so much for this opportunity. ”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Levinson

  This classroom project was brought to life by Wasserman Foundation and one other donor.

• Buddy Not Bully 4.. Visual Arts

  Funded Dec 23, 2011

  Crayons, colored pencils, markers and oh the smelly markers are the highlight of the class. Before I was so limited on art supplies, that I could only do a project once a week. Now with so many great resources available my students are able to do Art daily as a center. They are able to created whatever they want and are not limited to crafts. My students are able to be relieved of stress after a long day and just be free and have time to explore colors, textures and more. For some children this is very necessary and helps avoid them doing negative things like bullying and hurting others. The children love all the materials and I am very grateful for your constant support and help. The parents really like the books about bullying in schools. This will be a helpful resource for them to use over the next 13 years. ”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Levinson

  This classroom project was brought to life by Wasserman Foundation and one other donor.

• Bullying is Bad.. Reading is Good

  Funded Oct 14, 2011

  My students have learned so much about protecting themselves and bullying from all your great books. Not only did my students learn to tell someone, to talk to adults and what exactly bullying is, they also learned how they can be bullying someone and not even realizing it. My students are young so the characters in their books really help keep them motivated and excited to learn more. They are sharing out their feelings more and we are spending a lot of time discussing similarities and differences. The class loves the big book holder. Our books are read for all to see and the children can participate in reading big books more. The children have a very nice library now of books they love . A year ago I didn't have so many great books to offer. Thank you so much for enriching my students with great works of art.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Levinson

  This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and 2 other donors.