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Ms. Ortiz's Classroom

  • Ricardo Lizarraga Elementary School
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • Nearly all 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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Make a donation Ms. Ortiz can use on her next classroom project.

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show projects from all time

Past projects 3

  • Our Smart Cookies Need Your Sweet Help!

    Funded Dec 3, 2024

    Thank You for donating to our preschool special education classroom. Our students have been enjoying their new toys and resources every day thanks to you. The Marble Run, Squish & Squeeze Sensory Beads, Out of This World Fidget Board, and the Weighted Washable Calming Book have been very popular with the kids as it keeps them calm and engaged.

    The Giant Soft Blacks are in use every day more so now that we are learning about buildings. The children love to build houses and re-enact the story of The Three Little Pigs. They're now beginning to use their imaginations and imitate what they hear and see so the Doctor's Office Kit has been seeing a lot of use. Some kids like to pretend they're doctors while using stuffed animals as their patients.

    We love to make crafts for holidays and unit studies so the construction paper has come in handy every week when they make crafts based on stories and science topics such as sea animals.

    We hope to continue adding to our already colorful classroom thanks to you. You've definitely started the ball rolling with all these great toys and resources for our kids!”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Ortiz

    This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 12 other donors.
  • If You Give a Preschooler a Calming Corner

    Funded Apr 9, 2024

    Thank you again for donating to my early childhood special education classroom. They have enjoyed being the first students to play with the soft blocks, kitchen toys, and aprons (they use them when painting and when playing at the water table). Most of my students are currently non-verbal however they express their content by constantly using their toys and taking care of them. The dramatic play area they had last year was not as fun as it is this year since now they have pots and pans, utensils, and food to pretend-play with. As with the blocks- they enjoy building with blocks that are new, clean, and soft (the wooden blocks they had last year were too noisy and dangerous).

    My students will continue to enjoy their new toys and expand their imagination with them. As for the canopy- we're still waiting for them to acquire a love of reading/looking at books so we hope they will sit under the canopy at some point during the school year. I will continue to use the felt board when reading aloud to them. So far, some of them have enjoyed helping me read the story by placing the felt puppets on the large felt board.”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Ortiz

    This classroom project was brought to life by PNC Grow Up Great® and 2 other donors.
  • Preschool Yoga!

    Funded Aug 5, 2018

    When the children first saw their new equipment they were excited to try it all out. Unlike equipment or materials used in bike riding or a general sport like soccer or baseball, the materials used in yoga were unknown to them so when they saw them it sparked an interest.

    Since receiving our new yoga resources my students have enjoyed using their new exercise mat, yoga mats, and blocks. They often ask if they will be next on the class list to have a turn using them. The experience has instilled a sense of maturity and kindness in them. They know that one of our yoga rules is to be kind so when they see that their classmate is struggling with a pose they sometimes offer to help them which is great to see. One moment that has stood out the most was when a boy was determined to get the Table Pose just right but was struggling. His classmate got off her mat, walked over to his side and told him she would reposition his hands, and then tried her best to raise his hips higher, and she timed him for 5 seconds. Our yoga sessions have brought about instances of team work over individual competition.

    The other day after school one of my students had not been picked up by his parent so I had to take him to the school's main office. I left him there with the office manager to run back to the classroom to get his homework folder and when I came back to the office I saw him doing some yoga in the office. The office manager said, "He asked me if I did yoga and I said no. He said he does and he started showing me some poses." She was impressed with his concentration and I realized that our little yoga sessions had managed to bring out confidence in even the shyest students.

    I will continue to teach students basic yoga poses that will help them develop more flexibility and balance. As their attention spans continue to improve over the course of the school year the sessions will be a little longer so that they are given more time to improve body awareness, manage stress through breathing, build concentration, and increase their confidence. By the end of the year the goal is to have them make up their own pose to teach their peers. Most importantly the goal is for them to have fun in a physical and mental practice that will inculcate patience and discipline.”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Ortiz

Every week I introduce one new yoga pose such as Tree Pose, Windmill, and Table Pose to name a few. I introduce the pose by describing it and they guess it. I pin the yoga card on the front bulletin board so students use it as a reference. Due to time we only have 10 minutes in the morning to do yoga as a class on our carpet, but during free-choice time some students choose to do yoga with their peers instead of playing with puzzles, play-dough, blocks, or whatever we have out during that time. They decide amongst themselves who the teacher is and who the students are and have their own little yoga session. Yoga has been really beneficial for children who have a lot of energy, children who seek tranquility, and who also simply just want to challenge themselves in terms of balance and strength. Having the proper mats will enhance the student's overall yoga experience and hopefully instill interest in a tool that they will be able to use as they progress to the next grade levels. I would like to use yoga mats inside the classroom instead of our carpet which can be rough on their hands and knees. Moreover, we would love to have exercise mats to use outside for Outdoor Yoga as a surface to place our yoga mats. It would help us keep our yoga mats clean and intact.

About my class

Every week I introduce one new yoga pose such as Tree Pose, Windmill, and Table Pose to name a few. I introduce the pose by describing it and they guess it. I pin the yoga card on the front bulletin board so students use it as a reference. Due to time we only have 10 minutes in the morning to do yoga as a class on our carpet, but during free-choice time some students choose to do yoga with their peers instead of playing with puzzles, play-dough, blocks, or whatever we have out during that time. They decide amongst themselves who the teacher is and who the students are and have their own little yoga session. Yoga has been really beneficial for children who have a lot of energy, children who seek tranquility, and who also simply just want to challenge themselves in terms of balance and strength. Having the proper mats will enhance the student's overall yoga experience and hopefully instill interest in a tool that they will be able to use as they progress to the next grade levels. I would like to use yoga mats inside the classroom instead of our carpet which can be rough on their hands and knees. Moreover, we would love to have exercise mats to use outside for Outdoor Yoga as a surface to place our yoga mats. It would help us keep our yoga mats clean and intact.

About my class

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