Ms. Oakley's Classroom Edit display name

Current requests

Past projects 13

• Coats for Care!

  Funded Nov 28, 2023

  Thank you so much for your generous gift to Miller Elementary School. Starting a care closet from scratch can be a daunting task. Deciding which items to choose to make the most impact is challenging to say the least. Not to mention deciding where to store all of these items can be a great deal to think about. This project is ongoing and evolving. I am pleased to report that the impact of your donations is far exceeded our expectations.

  Coats for Care has been successful in distributing jackets to students who arrive to school on chilly desert mornings without warm clothing. Since learning about the addition of these coats, students are seeking out these items as they are needed. It has been extremely satisfying to distribute these items to our students. Thank you for your support to our special school in Tucson.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Oakley

  This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 9 other donors.

• Mustang Care Closet!

  Funded Oct 3, 2023

  Thank you so much for your generous gift to Miller Elementary School. Starting a care closet from scratch can be a daunting task. Deciding which items to choose to make the most impact is challenging to say the least. Not to mention deciding where to store all of these items can be a great deal to think about. This project is ongoing and evolving. I am pleased to report that the impact of your donations is far exceeded our expectations.

  Items like bows, lip gloss, brushes, toothbrushes and toothpaste have flown off our shelves. Since learning about the addition of these items, students are seeking out these items as they are needed. It has been extremely satisfying to distribute these items to our students. Thank you for your support to our special school in Tucson.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Oakley

• Mustangs- Looking Good and Learning

  Funded Sep 20, 2023

  Thank you so much for your generous gift to Miller Elementary School. Starting a care closet from scratch can be a daunting task. Deciding which items to choose to make the most impact is challenging to say the least. Not to mention deciding where to store all of these items can be a great deal to think about. This project is ongoing and evolving. I am pleased to report that the impact of your donations is far exceeded our expectations.

  Items like bows, lip gloss, brushes, toothbrushes and toothpaste have flown off our shelves. Since learning about the addition of these items, students are seeking out these items as they are needed. It has been extremely satisfying to distribute these items to our students. Thank you for your support to our special school in Tucson.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Oakley

  This classroom project was brought to life by Home Run Inn Pizza and 5 other donors.

• Play is Work!

  Funded Sep 18, 2023

  Thank you for your generous support in the project, Play is Work. Students were so excited to see all of the new board games and learning games that were added to the counseling classroom and shared with other interventionists at school to use during the teachers Professional Learning Community (PLC) time.

  Students are building friendship and teamwork skills weekly by playing these games with one another. They are growing skills in communication and problem solving all while having fun together.

  Students are building confidence and look forward to the days when we can put aside traditional lessons and allowed the freedom of structured games.

  Thank you for making a huge difference at Miller Elementary.

  S”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Oakley

  This classroom project was brought to life by Panda Cares.

• Takis for Testing 2: The Sequel!

  Funded Mar 29, 2023

  The idea for Takis for Testing was simple, find an incentive to reward students for attendance during testing. Takis for Testing turned out to be much more than a simple reward for our school. Historically, our school has struggled to get students to school during crucial testing days. Students are more successful when they test with their teacher and class and it is easier to maintain testing fidelity when all students are present. Not only that, but the time and resources that it takes to conduct make-up exams with missing students can be overwhelming. Thanks to your generous donations to Takis for Testing, our school was able to achieve a 99% testing completion rate! Even better than last year.

  At our Takis for Testing event, students who had completed all of their mandatory state tests were invited to attend. Students participated in an extra recess and were delighted to receive their treats. They could not believe that people cared enough to donate to our school so they could have a fun break following the stressful testing season.

  Thank you for supporting me with this project. This event was great for the morale of our school and will be repeated in the future.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Oakley

  This classroom project was brought to life by Panda Cares and 5 other donors.

• 4th and 5th Grade Care Kits

  Funded Nov 6, 2022

  Thank you for making this project a reality. Fourth and Fifth graders at Miller Elementary take the Family Life Curriculum and as a support to this class, I wanted to provide essential hygiene items for their classrooms. Students have easy access to soap, wipes, pads and extra clothes thanks to this project. Students have access to these items in the classroom which eliminates the need for trips to the school nurse and leaving class for extended periods of time. Students are able to keep themselves clean and fresh throughout the school day. Thank you so much for your support with this project.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Oakley

  This classroom project was brought to life by The Arizona Department of Education and 17 other donors.

• Merits for Amazing Miller Mustangs!

  Funded Aug 10, 2022

  At Miller Elementary, students strive to show excellence in three areas- Be Caring, Be Respectful, and Be Responsible. Teachers and staff alike use the phrase the "3-B's" as a reminder for students to meet and follow expectations around our school. As an added incentive for students to follow this mantra, students showing exceptional behavior at school are rewarded with yellow tickets called Miller Merits that can be traded for prizes at the weekly store. In the past, the store was stocked with items purchased by the admin or other staff/teachers. This could be an expensive undertaking throughout the year, so this project was designed to fill the store with items that would excite the students to meet their Tier 1 PBIS goal without passing the cost to the staff.

  Thanks to your donations, we have been able to stock the store with amazing prizes that have students talking! They are working hard on campus to earn these tickets and are having fun in the process. Students and staff have been impressed with the variety of items and have even chosen to save their tickets for some of the more special items featured. Thank you so much for supporting our school and our efforts for our students.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Oakley

  This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and 41 other donors.

• Flexible Seating for All!

  Funded Aug 25, 2022

  Creating a warm, comfortable, accessible classroom was one of my top priorities when I became a school counselor. Having a space for kids to come and feel safe to share was extremely important. I quickly learned that items necessary to create these spaces are both expensive and not always made to last for daily use.

  Thanks to your generous donation, I was able to purchase new cushions that are both attractive and durable for use by my kindergarten -5th grade students. These cushions are easy to clean, stack, and are soft enough to make sitting on the floor easy work. I was also able to buy a new bean bag which is absolutely the most popular seat in the house.

  Thank you for supporting my students and helping create the counseling space of my dreams. My students love coming to my room and it is due to the wonderful backing you gave to this project.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Oakley

• Super Small Groups!

  Funded May 7, 2022

  I could not be more pleased with the materials I received for the Super Small Groups project. Each set of puzzles, cards, or game boards has found a home in my classroom and has been put to use as I have started to work with students. The best part is that some of the materials are not limited to a small group setting. The social-emotional photo library was used during whole group lesson on feelings for Kindergarten students. They loved the pictures of real kids and were able to talk about the different emotions with their peers.

  Another surprising discovery was the Grab and Write Social Emotional prompts as topics for restorative circle discussion for 3rd-5th graders. The quality of conversation the students are engaging in is extremely exciting.

  I am excited to keep finding new ways to use these materials with students and see how they are interacting with the activities. Thank you for your interest in my counseling classroom. I am so grateful for these donations and what they are adding to my students' experiences.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Oakley

  This classroom project was brought to life by Neukom Family Foundation and 13 other donors.