Past projects 9
Help Us Show Our True Colors!
Funded Jun 10, 2022The 5th graders you supported with your generous donation have been busy at work showcasing who they are and what they are all about. The paint and brushes you bought have allowed them to showcase their similarities and differences and have allowed them to shine in our classroom.
When I opened the boxes with all the art supplies they were amazed at your generosity. Their understanding that people they have never met believed they would do great things with these materials was so heartfelt.
I have attached pictures of our beginning-of-the-year artwork around identity. We are learning who we are and thanks to you are able to surround our school and classroom walls with beautiful artwork that brings joy to all that see it.
We cannot thank you enough for believing in this incredible group of 5th graders, and for all those who will benefit from these materials after they move on to do incredible things.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Brugger
Hear Here! Headphones for Everyone!
Funded Apr 30, 2019Everyday students in 5th grade are working and learning about the world and how it works. Students are taught in a variety of ways, one of which involves technology and laptop computers. It is vital that with a large group working and learning about different things, that we have quality headphones to drown out the classroom noise, as well as to enhance the use of the computer.
While some students have the resources to bring their own headphones, others are not as fortunate. Before your donation and the gift of a class set of headphones, students would have to borrow a set from the class bin and it was obvious to others that there was inequity.
Having a class set of "cool" blue headphones that everyone wanted to use, allowing everyone the chance to feel included and accepted, was amazing. I cannot thank you enough for allowing all students in my class to have what they need to succeed.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Brugger
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 12 other donors.Books Against Bullying
Funded Dec 2, 2018Thank you so much for supporting our class with quality literature. We are currently expanding our social emotional learning by using the class novels you provided for us. Crash, by Jerry Spinelli, is an highly engaging book that allows us to connect with both the bully and the victim in a heartfelt way.
We have been busy over the last few weeks reading, writing, and making connections and comparisons to characters and situations in this funny and entertaining novel. We cannot thank you enough for contributing to our learning and opportunities as 5th graders. Without your donation to this project this learning would not be as engaging or as meaningful.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Brugger
This classroom project was brought to life by CRUNCH and 6 other donors.Fingers on Fractions
Funded Mar 27, 2018Thank you so much for the math manipulatives. We are using them to build our math skills in the area of fractions. Fractions are such an important part of algebra readiness. Algebra is important, as it is the gatekeeper to higher level math success.
With the math materials you sent, we are better able to see how fractions can be added and subtracted. We better understand how to create common denominators and use those for comparing fractional parts.
We are so fortunate to feel the support of the work we are doing to better understand our world and of mathematics overall. By supporting this project we feel like people in our world and community understand our needs and believe in our success.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Brugger
This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple and one other donor.Enhancing Our Stories Using Digital Media!
Funded Nov 8, 2017Thank you so much for your generous gift of Ipads and cases to our classroom! We have been busy learning how to use them to help us read, write, draw and present our work. There are so many ways that we are able to showcase our learning while using an iPad. There are times that we record ourselves in preparation for oral presentations, and others times we use them to display the slide shows we have made to share our learning or teach a new concept to our peers.
Whenever students are given an iPad over a piece of notebook paper engagement skyrockets! 5th graders in my class are so motivated to use these devices they are even willing to stay in from recess in order to get a chance. We are so thankful for your donation and for believing in our ability to learn in new and exciting ways!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Brugger
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Donor and 3 other donors.Clipboards and Dry Erase Boards Make Learning Mobile and Fun!
Funded Dec 14, 2016Thank you so much for your generous donation of clipboards and dry erase boards for our 5th grade classroom. We have been busy drawing models of fractions to show our understanding in math! We have been collecting data in science and recording our observations using our mini clipboards. We even plan to take them with us tomorrow on a field trip to a historical park called Champoeg State Park where we will observe nature and sketch what we see. All of these activities would be much more difficult without your support.
We cannot thank you enough!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Brugger
5th Graders to Move!
Funded Oct 11, 2016Dear Donors,
Thank you so much for donating an amazing wobble stool to our 5th grade classroom. We have had to create a system for who gets to sit on it for the day because it has been so helpful in allowing us to move while we work.
The day the big box arrived was something special. I told the students that there were people all over this country that believed in them and wanted to make sure that they had what the needed to be the best learners they could be. We talked about how the stool would help us concentrate and build our core muscles while we built our brains. The excitement was felt by every student who watched the unveiling of this new amazing stool that they would soon get to put to use.
Since the first day of its use, it has not gone without attention. Students have set up a system in which students can check out the stool and share it with one another when they get tired and need to move back to their regular chair. I would say it is something in our room, of 30 students, that never goes without use.
Thank you again for believing in us as learners, and trusting us to use this gift wisely.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Brugger
Literature to Help Us Understand Diversity
Funded Aug 11, 2015I want to start with a huge thank you to everyone who donated to this project! I am so fortunate to have the support of all of you while I attempt to open 5th grades minds to a safer, more compassionate, are more equitable world.
5th grade is an amazing grade level to teach students about multiple perspectives. Ten and eleven year Olds are starting to question the world they live in, as their awareness of life outside their own homes is developing. They are ready to start putting themselves in other people's shoes, which is so exciting! The books that you donated have allowed us to dig deep into issues of equity, bullying, individuality, acceptance and fairness.
We are looking at issues from multiple perspectives and asking how these situations in literature connect to our personal experiences. I have heard my students say, "Hey, that recess problem is just like that kid we read about in..." or "I remember when that character thought this, but really it was just because they didn't know the whole story." Students are beginning to ask about what others think of situations, and asking questions about whose perspective we are hearing, and whose we are not. My hope is that by continuing to teach with this focus, students will better understand each other and better support one another as they develop into young adults, and eventually leaders in our community.
I cannot thank you enough for your donation to our classroom. Every time I introduce one of the books you donated, I remind my students that this is a book given to us by people in our community who care about kids learning to be kind, accepting and curious. Thank you for being those people!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Brugger
Perspective Detectives
Funded Apr 21, 2015Thank you so much for your kind donation of a class set of Sign of the Beaver books for 5th graders at Ardenwald Elementary School. Students in my class were so pleased to hear that someone in our community believed in them enough to buy them brand-new novels! Many of the students at Ardenwald often do not have high quality literature in their homes, and thus depend on school to provide that to them. Thank you in helping us do that!
Students in our class are reading the books in partnerships, small groups and individually. We are learning how to read a historical fictional text and keep track of our thinking on post-it notes. We then use the notes we take to better our group discussions and bring our understanding to life. The pictures I have attached show us talking about our reading, finding partnerships to discuss our favorite parts of the story, ways that we take notes while reading, and finally doing the actual reading itself.
I cannot thank you enough for your generous donation and for believing in the ability of these kids. We are working hard everyday to become better readers, communicators and citizens of our community.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Brugger