Ms. Freitas' Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 9

• Science Comes Alive with Ecological Studies

  Funded Jul 4, 2022

  The materials your support enabled students to actively participate in science classes in a sustained and interactive way. We started the year planting crops. Students choose from an assortment of seeds, they nurtured their crops through the fragile seedling stage and are now harvesting herbs, flowers, lettuce, while they watch their cucumbers and tomatoes mature . They have discovered and shared recipes for kale salad, pesto and herb dressings. Growing their own mushrooms was challenging and exciting. The students learned about the crucial role of fungi in our ecosystems and how delicious and nutritious they are in our cooking experiments.

  When we unpacked the supplies in July the students were so excited to start the new year and to focus on nurturing living things in our lab. We have started with plants and mushrooms which is and continues to be a success.

  Our next steps are to start our fish tank and our frog environment. This will enable students to learn about water quality, fish and mollusks while simultaneously increasing their sense of responsibility and nurturing their curiosity. These opportunities are incredibly important in their adolescent years. Hands-on experiences engage our students in applying their knowledge while increasing their agency and commitment to community.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Freitas

• Remote Climate Justice Activism

  Funded May 5, 2020

  Transitioning to remote learning was a real challenge. Creating a remote "internship" that engaged students to be activists for addressing our climate crisis was a real learning experience for me and the students. With the supplies: color printer ink, a whiteboard and Teaching Climate Change to Adolescents book I was able to inspire the students to take action remotely. Students created art to send to their local government officials to pressure them to support the policies that promote climate justice and green infrastructure. I was able to print their art thanks to your support. We used the white board to remotely collaborate on ideas since we were not in the classroom. Finally, the book was useful in generating creative lessons to explore climate change science and politics in a way that inspired the students to consider ways to address the climate crisis both as individuals and as members of their communities.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Freitas

  This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 5 other donors.

• Fish Aquariums Make Learning Fun.

  Funded Feb 22, 2017

  Having this aquarium has brought me and my classmates together and taught us to be responsible. Ever since we started this project we have all been enthusiastic to come into school and keep building our perfect fish tank.

  Over the last month of decorating, checking water quality, and putting together our brand new fish tank, we are finally done and have created a great living space for our new fish that we have selected to live in our beautiful tank. Some of our favorite materials that we received from Donors Choose are the castle with the bubbler and the driftwood that really brings our tank together and makes it look great.

  Throughout this project, we have come to understand that putting together an ecosystem is complicated, and everything is codependent and interconnected. Along with all the scientific things we learned, we have also learned how to work together as a team and the responsibility and importance of maintaining a healthy fish tank.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Freitas

• The Science of Stress and How to Deal With It

  Funded Mar 24, 2016

  The Yoga / Tai Chi class with Julie was very interesting. It's not like anything that I've done before. It was very relaxing and comforting . Some of the moves that we had to do were different and it was great to learn how I can do these moves at home or when I'm feeling down and stressed out.

  We did a variety of poses and moves, some of them were stimulating and some of them were really relaxing. There was this one exercise that we did you had to bend at the waste and like spread your legs and balance on the block with your head. It felt great to have all of the blood circulate to my head. Julie was very cool and nice. She helped us through every move by showing us how to do the right position so our body wouldn't react the wrong way . We also did deep relaxation WHICH WAS THE BEST PART OF THE WHOLE CLASS! Everyone was so relaxed it felt like the whole world stopped. As soon as she said, "OK start coming back," everything felt normal again but I felt refreshed. I felt like I had a good nights sleep; very calm and focused.

  I use this deep relaxation technique before I go to sleep to relax my body and shut my brain off so I can get a better sleep. I was surprised that everything went the way it did and all of the students focused and didn't giggle. I think we all needed to learn how to breath and stretch! We learned a lot from this class. I think everyone should do tai chi and yoga it's so worth it.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Freitas

  This classroom project was brought to life by Gates Foundation & Think It Up Supporters and 4 other donors.

• Sound Garden

  Funded Feb 22, 2016

  This resource had a profound change on my school I did not expect. Not only has it helped inspire the creativity of students, but it has brought them together. Many students gather regularly to enjoy the musical instruments and art utensils together. It has created new friendships within our school and helped promote a stronger sense of camaraderie amongst students. Personally, I have been able to teach myself guitar and it's so empowering! I used to take a guitar class in my old school but was never able to continue learning as I had no means of getting a guitar of my own after I left my school. Now I am able to practice every day, and seeing myself improving from my work motivates me to try harder in class, too, which I didn't expect, honestly. I even made friends with another boy who is teaching himself harmonica. Even though it's a simple thing, it kind of touched me because I know that I would probably have never met him otherwise-I hadn't even noticed him around school. At lunch time, kids get together and color while they eat and chat in the courtyard garden in front of our school, it creates a really pleasant atmosphere and I'm so grateful to be able to have that, especially in the middle of Manhattan, where such a relaxed environment is rare.

  So far, our shed is set up and so are all of our instruments. Students have started really coming together and using the instruments and art utensils frequently. There are now a few kids who have volunteered to be in charge of unlocking the shed for students and making sure all the instruments and art tools are locked in the shed after they are used. Next in store for the Sound Garden project is to orchestrate an event where students can get together and paint the little shed in which we keep all the musical instruments and art utensils, as we have noticed how popular the art utensils have become. I hope that this will bring kids together and offer them a new opportunity to experiment with art, as well as help more kids become aware and get involved with the Sound Garden Project. We are also planning on orchestrating a talent show later on, when the weather gets warmer, in the courtyard garden, featuring music and art from the Sound Garden project.

  Aside from learning to play guitar, I learned a bit about responsibility, and I learned about community. I also learned about how creativity can affect ones mood, and how ones mood can affect ones motivation when it comes to everything-in particular, school work. It was impressive to see within myself and other students how coming together and making art and music made us feel happier, more relaxed, and more enthusiastic about going about our days at school. Personally I felt much less overwhelmed by my workload and every time I return to class after spending time playing guitar or drawing I always tend to enjoy my work and find it much easier. Being in charge of locking up the instruments after everyone uses them and unlocking the shed for students has taught me to be responsible, mindful and diligent. These newly acquired skills have proved to be helpful in most other aspects of my life as well. Ultimately I know many students have learned to play new instruments, and the art utensils have kind of awakened the inner artists in many kids, we're all learning to get along together better and to encourage each others creativity, we're learning to be more genuine...I'm really grateful to see how such a simple idea created such a change in our school's atmosphere.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Freitas

  This classroom project was brought to life by Ashoka & Think It Up Supporters and 9 other donors.

• Native Memorial Garden to Honor Rich

  Funded Apr 4, 2015

  I wanted to thank you for supporting my students' project to create a native habitat in our garden in honor of our former teacher Rich. With your support we were able to construct a beautiful, shaded gazebo that offers a peaceful place for our students and staff to gather. The gazebo has plants that are able to climb now offering a habitat for insects and birds. We also decorated the gazebo during our memorial event with thoughts of our former teacher written on strands of student decorated plastic butterflies. It is beautiful and the students were moved by your generosity and their part in making this beautiful memorial.

  Under the gazebo our students created a water Lilly garden using the materials you provided. This garden is a contemplative space for students who love to watch the new buds forming on the water lilly plant and the fish darting around. Since the creation of the water feature, students have researched the aquatic habitat and have learned about pH, Dissolved Oxygen, the nitrogren cycle, and the needs of the fish and plants.

  This memorial garden helped to boost student self esteem and created a beautiful opportunity for teamwork. Constructing the gazebo and pond was hard work but afterward, each student felt such pride. One student said, "It feels so nice because you can look at the work you have done and simply tell yourself that you did that." These garden elements will be a testimony to our teacher, who we miss and to the team work, effort and dedication that students demonstrated in creating the gazebo and water feature. Current and future students have the opportunity to continue to nurture, maintain and investigate our garden because of your support.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Freitas

• Living Environments: Plants In Soil And Water

  Funded Mar 1, 2013

  I am so honored and moved that you chose our project to support. I know there are many classrooms in need of supplies and I felt so supported and valued by your contribution. Many of our students struggle with science and my goal is to make it as exciting and engaging as possible. The materials that you helped purchase allowed my students to work together to investigate how plants grow, what they need and how to use the scientific method. This research will be useful in their lives as they can be more aware of the food they eat, the natural environment and also how real science is conducted.

  Students are now eager to get to the classroom to check on their plants collect data and see if their hypothesis about nutrient needs and plant adaptations are supported or not. What more could a teacher want? This is the beginning of what I hope to be a life long appreciation and interest in plants.

  Thank you so much for making my teaching satisfying and helping our students find meaning and relevance in their science studies.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Freitas

• Understanding Toxins

  Funded Jan 8, 2011

  This is just a short note to thank you again for your generous contribution. The aquarium is set up in the classroom and the students have been busy conducting experiments using the lettuce seeds and the daphnia.The students have mastered the scientific method by setting up numerous experiments testing the toxicity of substances ranging from personal care products and home cleaners to environmental samples. They have been able to evaluate their experimental design and refine their experiments and in this process have gained the confidence to pose insightful questions about each others' work and question and interpret scientific research from journals and newspapers.

  These skills are invaluable as they help students think critically and make important consumer and civic decisions based on credible evidence and knowledge.

  Again thank you for your support you have made a difference in my students' lives.

  ”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Freitas

  This classroom project was brought to life by American Express Members Project and 6 other donors.

• School Food Matters

  Funded Oct 9, 2010

  I am writing this letter to thank you for your support. The supplies that you helped fund have made my science classroom a more lively and engaging place. Unfortunately, my school has no budget for science this year and I have had to purchase most of the materials I use personally. I cannot tell you how honored, amazed and grateful I was when I opened the box of materials and started prepping for their use.

  The resources in urban agriculture kit has allowed my students to experience growing crops in the classroom. This has been a highlight of the course as Food Science really should include a "hands-on" component where students can understand what it takes to produce the crops they eat and rely on daily.

  The yeast observation kit has offered my students the ability to increase their understanding of the role of microorganisms in our food. Again, though food is something all children have in common, my students were unaware of how important microorganisms are for so many aspects of food production.

  The calorimeter will be used in my room for years to come. This activity empowers the students to really understand what a calorie is and to consider them when making food choices. This relates to the nutritional analysis kit as my students are now so much better equipped to read and understand food labels. As we seek to increase our understanding of the obesity and diabetics epidemic, students can now make well-informed decisions about their diet.

  In closing, I would like to sincerely thank you again for your support. it is a challenge to reach teenagers sometimes, but with the right materials it is so rewarding. The materials you have funded are appreciated by them regularly in the classroom and have helped make the classroom a space where students can practice inquiry-based science to understand the food system they are a part of.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Freitas

  This classroom project was brought to life by Perry & Donna Golkin Family Foundation and 5 other donors.