Past projects 11
Gaining Skills and Banking Bling!
Funded Mar 22, 2018Now that the beads have been in use for a several weeks - we are continuing to see gains in the areas of pass rates and stamina.
The beads are a great way for families to know who has passed lessons when students return home from school - an added bonus that we did not anticipate!
Also, some of our students were reluctant to work hard on iReady and the beads were a quick, fun, tool to help us persuade everyone to work their hardest!
We will have some beads left over to start our next school year with and the incoming second graders are already asking about them!
Thank so you much for your help!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Mikesell
This classroom project was brought to life by ExxonMobil and 5 other donors.Bunches of Books by Request!
Funded Oct 9, 2017The books have arrived and the students are digging in!
There were so many smiles when they realized that the books they wanted were really in our classroom!
"Smile" and "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" have been read several times each already. They are a hot commodity!
We are using some of the "Captain Underpants" books for classroom read aloud stories - and the kids love to hear me use silly voices with them.
One student even said, "These books are my new best friend!" What a great compliment!
Thank you again!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Mikesell
Bookworms Need Book Bins!
Funded Aug 23, 2017Right after Hurricane Irma blew through town and we missed 7 days of school - the students returned to class and each got a shiny new book bin.
It was the perfect way to welcome back to school.
They each got to pick books that they wanted to read to "keep safe" in their bins.
They are also using them to keep any reader response information from the books they are digging into.
One student said, "I will always know where my books are - because I dream about by book bin!"
Another student, after being out sick for a few days, walked into the classroom, right past all of her friends and went straight to her box and whispered, "I've missed you!"
The students love them.
Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Mikesell
Handwriting Without Tears
Funded Nov 6, 2011Thank you so much for donating to this project.
When the books arrived the children were all excited to see how bright and child-friendly they were.
We all took a 'picture-walk' to see what they were all about. There were many "Ohhhh's!" and "Ahhhhh's!" when they realized it was going to help with handwriting.
I have several students who are self-conscious about how their writing looks and they were excited to jump in.
Now that we have been using the books for many weeks - I have noticed a huge improvement in the readability of my students work.
I even had one parent say, "Wow! It looks like a different kid wrote this!"
Thank you again for your help! ”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Mikesell
Life's Easier with an Easel!
Funded Sep 18, 2011Wow! I still can't believe that the easel is in our classroom!
It arrived right at dismissal one day - and the kids saw all of the boxes coming... and coming... and coming into the classroom.
I couldn't wait to put it together.
It was quite an adventure! It took me about 4 hours to finally get the whole thing assembled and ready to roll.
When the kids walked into the room the next morning they were amazed. They all wanted to open and close the drawers and see how it rolled around the room. It was so exciting!
Now that we've been using it for a while - I can't imagine ever going back to a broken easel.
All of my students can see it from all over the room - and it ROLLS, so I can turn it and move it where ever the kids need it to be.
I love that I can use magnets on it.
The children love that it is stable and low enough for them to write on.
We all love that it holds our big books and everyone can see them.
Thank you all so much for you donations to this project. We are extremely grateful! ”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Mikesell
Awesome Authors and Crafty Characters
Funded Mar 23, 2011If you could have only heard the squeals of joy when I opened all of the boxes and let the kids see the new books...
One of my babes said, "Those are some of my favorite books to get from the library! Are they really going to stay in our room?" This is when I knew I made the right choices in titles and authors.
We have started reading them, doing some really fun character studies and 'setting them free' into the classroom.
The kids have figured out that the big, colorful pile of books on my desk is all of the new stories and they have taken to trying to figure out which two we will read each day.
These books have brought so much excitement already.
My most sincere "THANK YOU!" to you all”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Mikesell
This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and 12 other donors.Fantastic Flora and Fauna
Funded Apr 15, 2011We are well into our rainforest unit now and I cannot believe how much the children are learning, laughing and loving it!
So far we've learned about the four main layers of the rainforest, kapok trees, ants, butterflies, ladybugs and praying mantis.
With each new discovery we add it to the rainforest on the wall. The new art supplies are making our room a feast for our eyes!
Every morning when the kids come in they ask, "What are we learning and making today?"
It's making the end of the year a memorable, academic joy.
Thank you so much for your contribution to our happiness!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Mikesell
Book Bins for Better Book-Learning!
Funded Mar 23, 2011Thank you so much for your kind donations to our book bins!
They arrived yesterday and before we opened the boxes I had the children predict what was inside. They had great ideas - all things that we had talked about writing grants for!
Once we opened them up and started handing them out - it was a buzz of excitement in the room. The kids loved putting their favorite books and centers work in the bins.
To be honest, a few kids just walked around the room carrying the bin like a baby for a while. It was adorable.
This morning we used our bins for "Read to Self" and the loved them.
We've also notice how nice they look in the room - bright and cheery!
Thank you again for your support! ”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Mikesell
Stories and Sums - Integrating Literature into Math
Funded Feb 9, 2011Once again I'd like to sincerely say "Thank you!" for your kind donations to this project. When the first few boxes showed up at our classroom door - the children squealed with delight!
We had to open and preview all of the books right away. The kids found them to be engaging and exciting - they love how 'cool' they are!
So far we have read 5 of the books and did some exciting activities with them. They really liked "Tally O'Malley" because we did a game where the children divided into teams to see who could "tally" the most laps.
These are going to be a fantastic resource to prepare my students for the Stanford standardized testing coming up next week.
I am overjoyed with this project. The children are excited and want to learn more”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Mikesell
This classroom project was brought to life by Gates Foundation and 7 other donors.Photos, Folio Formulation, First Grade!
Funded Dec 9, 2010Once again I'd like to sincerely say "Thank you!" for your kind donations to this project. When the first few boxes showed up at our classroom door - the children squealed with delight!
We had to open and preview all of the books right away. The kids found them to be engaging and exciting - they love how 'cool' they are!
So far we have read 5 of the books and did some exciting activities with them. They really liked "Tally O'Malley" because we did a game where the children divided into teams to see who could "tally" the most laps.
These are going to be a fantastic resource to prepare my students for the Stanford standardized testing coming up next week.
I am overjoyed with this project. The children are excited and want to learn more.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Mikesell
This classroom project was brought to life by Bing and 14 other donors.