Past projects 11
We Want Worms!
Funded Nov 16, 2021Thank you so much for all of your generous donations to our worm project! Shortly after the Worm Factory arrived, I was able to pick up a big bag of Red Wrigglers from City Farmers. We set the bin up in December and have been enjoying the worms ever since.
We spent some time observing the worms and taking notes on what we saw. We also completed a few Mystery Science lessons about worms and were able to learn more about their role in ecosystems. We have been feeding the worms food scraps and old veggies from our garden, and just today we were able to harvest our first batch of worm castings!
It has been such a fun experience to have these critters in our classroom where we can observe and learn from them, and it has also helped students understand the way our food waste can be broken down and essentially recycled into our soil. Today we started some new seeds and were able to add in a generous layer of worm castings, and pretty soon the students will be able to see the magic in action. We have already been able to see how worms are helpful in breaking down waste, and now we get to see how the worms can help create nutritious soil for our garden as well!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Saldaña
This classroom project was brought to life by San Diego Gas & Electric and 5 other donors.Garden Gear-Up
Funded Mar 15, 2022I want to express so much gratitude to each and every one of you! This was made possible thanks to several donors, including parents and school community members as well as donors with no connection to our school at all! Thank you to all of you!
The students are going to be so excited when we return from spring break and they are able to start their own seedlings that they will be responsible for. We are looking forward to starting seedlings in the pots and using some in the garden at school and having some to take home too! It is also going to be so exciting to have the succulents set up for success.
I appreciate so much each and every donor who made this possible and who has consistently supported my classroom and our school. Your help provides so many wonderful opportunities for our students.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Saldaña
Talented 5th Grade Artists Seek Deluxe Materials
Funded Sep 1, 2021Thank you so much again for all of your support. My students were over the moon to receive so many art materials that we otherwise would not have had. So far we have done nearly one art project each week, including some more involved projects that took several days to complete. It has been such a wonderful experience for the students and for myself to be able to work with such a variety of materials.
So far, we have used these materials to create so many different works of art. From studying weaving by making woven baskets out of the chenille rods, to making paintings that represent the physical features of the different regions of the U.S., to using pastels and watercolors to create a coral reef, we have been able to tie in our art projects with our regular curriculum. By pairing scientific phenomena or social studies topics with a work of art, my goal is to help students to remember topics more deeply, so that even decades from now when they think about coral reefs they'll remember the paintings we made, or when they think of the Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands, they'll remember when they learned how to weave a basket.
Of course, on top of all of that, the ability to incorporate art into our weekly routine has really benefited the students emotionally and has contributed to a peaceful and welcoming classroom environment. So many students are at peace when they are painting, when they are focused on creating something. It also gives students a chance to shine in another area when they might not feel they have many strengths. Helping students find a talent they didn't even know they had, that's magic. Thank you, donors, for helping to make this magic happen.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Saldaña
This classroom project was brought to life by The Mo & Cher Willems Foundation and Disney and 8 other donors.Let's Get This Garden Started!
Funded Nov 21, 2021Hooray! I am so excited that this project was funded so quickly! My students are going to be so happy when they see that our raised beds are ready for planting. They are already researching which plants grow best during this time of year and have been enthusiastic when clearing the old plant matter from our beds.
Thank you so much for your contributions. You are helping to instill a lifelong love and respect for gardening in our students.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Saldaña
This classroom project was brought to life by San Diego Gas & Electric and 2 other donors.Let's Take This Outside! P.E. Equipment, Please!
Funded Aug 17, 2021I cannot thank you enough for your support with our P.E. supply project. We went from having a mishmash of balls and ancient jump ropes to having all the P.E. supplies we need!
My students were so excited to see all of the options we now have for our P.E. time. So far, we have used the equipment for learning soccer skills like dribbling and passing, playing soccer matches against one another, playing kickball and working on our sportsmanship, and most recently, jump roping. We are looking forward to having our turn with the basketballs as well.
The pinnies made it so much easier to play team games, especially games like soccer where it can be hard to tell who is and who isn't a teammate. The kickball bases have been a huge hit, as these kids would gladly play kickball all day if given the chance.
Thank you again, so much, for all of your donations and support. P.E. has been stress-free since we got all of these fantastic supplies. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Saldaña
Watercolors? Woohoo!
Funded Feb 22, 2021My students absolutely loved being able to work with watercolors. I was able to deliver a watercolor pan and a stack of watercolor papers to each of my students, so we could work on paintings together doing our live online class sessions.
Students used their watercolors to paint flower vase paintings, mothers day cards, and signs for the nearby national wildlife refuge, too! Some kids used them to paint in their free time as well. Almost daily, I would be asked, "when can we paint again?"
The watercolor paper included enough that I was able to give each student 10 sheets along with their watercolor paints, and there was enough left over that we will have plenty for this school year as well.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Saldaña
Making Learning Stick With Flocabulary
Funded Sep 16, 2020Thank you so much for all of your support in helping our class access Flocabulary. We have been doing school virtually since the beginning of the school year, and it can be a struggle to get students engaged. Flocabulary has been a big help in that regard.
We have been using Flocabulary to introduce or review topics in science, social studies, and even math and reading. Whether we're singing along to the Life Cycles rap, or learning about current events with the Week In Rap, our class has been having lots of fun with Flocabulary. Some days, my students actually beg to listen to a Flocabulary. Fortunately, this program has tons and tons of videos for every topic you can imagine.
Learning online can be a drag sometimes. It is not the same, doing all of our teaching and learning from home. Flocabulary has made it easier to maintain a fun and "chill" environment in our online classroom, even when we are in all different places. This program has been an incredible addition to our classroom, and I cannot imagine teaching without it. The students and I really appreciate having access to this wonderful program and have gained so much from it as a result. Thank you all so much for your contributions and support.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Saldaña
This classroom project was brought to life by San Diego Gas & Electric and 2 other donors.Representation Matters Book Clubs
Funded Dec 26, 2019Thank you again so much for your kind and generous donations. We were able to receive many wonderful, diverse books that allowed students to see themselves reflected back in the stories, as well as seeing the lives and stories of those who are different from them.
We used these books to do a "book club" unit during our enrichment block. The students previewed the texts and then chose which book or books they would most enjoy reading. Over the course of a month, they collaborated with their book club to set goals for how much to read each night. They met every morning to discuss what they had read the night before, and kept each other accountable to make sure they did their reading assignment each night. I feel like this really benefited their goal-setting skills, collaboration, and made their reading feel more authentic.
Another wonderful thing about having these diverse books to read is that it allowed students to read about, identify with, and learn about a variety of realities. Some students read books in which they saw themselves - identifying with Jordan Banks in the book New Kid, who experiences what it's like to be one of the few black kids at his school; reading the story of Marcus Vega, who, despite his Latino heritage, knew very little about his family or his background; or in The Benefits of Being an Octopus, reading the difficult story of a girl whose mom is stuck in a relationship with a verbally abusive boyfriend and struggling with poverty. Others read books about situations that were pretty new for them - the story of Japanese internment written by the actor George Takei made one of my students say "I thought it was just us Black people that were discriminated against." The books allowed for some really in depth conversations that I had not previously seen my 5th graders having.
Thank you so much for contributing to our cause and allowing my students this opportunity to grow as readers and as human beings.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Saldaña
This classroom project was brought to life by CRUNCH and 2 other donors.Privacy Please!
Funded Aug 13, 2019Thank you so much for supporting our class! The privacy boards have been a wonderful addition to our learning environment and are greatly appreciated by the students (and me!). The rack allows us to keep them stored neatly in the back of the classroom, readily available for any student to grab when he feels like he needs some privacy or is having trouble focusing. They are also very useful to have on hand during any type of testing, since they make it harder for wandering eyes.
Some of the students have come up with some very creative uses for the privacy boards. One kiddo really struggles to focus, especially during writing time. She was instantly drawn to the privacy boards when they arrived. She took all of her writing supports - her writing checklist, her graphic organizer, and a few sticky note reminders - so she had them available at a glance while completing her story. Several of the students saw her idea and created their own versions as well.
Overall, these privacy boards have been a great support this school year. The students and I are extremely grateful. No longer do I see students trying to keep their bodies on top of their papers while they work so no one else can peek. Nor do I have as many students getting distracted by their neighbors' every moves, since the privacy boards serve as "blinders." We thank you very sincerely for your generosity, and your gift is used on a daily basis. Thank you.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Saldaña
This classroom project was brought to life by San Diego Gas & Electric and one other donor.On Your Marks... Get Set... Go!
Funded Aug 13, 2019Thank you again for your incredible generosity and support. These stopwatches have been a wonderful addition to our P.E. equipment this school year. As you may know, 5th grade is a "testing" year - in addition to your typical end-of-year tests, the 5th graders also have to take science and P.E. tests. One of our goals for physical fitness is to have all students running an 11 minute mile. With each student keeping track of his or her own time, we are getting more accurate numbers and more engagement from students.
Having requested 15 stopwatches for our 30 students, students take turns using the stopwatches one day per week each. This means, for example, on Tuesday, students 1-15 will time their run, and on Thursday students 16-30 will time theirs. The students are so excited to see their time (hopefully) increase each time. It also removes some of the challenges of using one timer to time the whole class. Previously, I would have the whole class start at the same time and shout out their time as they finished each lap. This meant that if a student had to take a restroom or water break, or joined us late, they would not receive an accurate time. That's not an issue anymore!
Additionally, these timers have come in handy outside of P.E. Students who need to practice their fluency have found these stopwatches useful for tracking how much time it might take them to read a passage. This also allows them to see how their reading speed improves over time with practice, just like their running times.
Your donation is something we have the pleasure and privilege of using on a daily basis, and it has been a real game changer. The students are excited about running because they can't wait to beat their previous time. They are taking ownership over their physical education and are engaged in a way they were not before. Thank you so much for your gift.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Saldaña
This classroom project was brought to life by Girard Foundation and one other donor.