Mrs. Scoufaras' Classroom Edit display name

Current requests

Past projects 21

• Listen Up! We Need Headphones!

  Funded Jan 30, 2025

  At PS 125, our third graders LOVE computer time! We have been lucky enough to have been given class sets of laptops to use for enrichment activities, online programs and assessments, research and class projects. Unfortunately, we did not have access to headphones, making individual and group work LOUD and challenging when students have to listen during a virtual activity, watch videos, and/or hear music and audio.

  Our new class set of headphones are so helpful as they make our computers accessible for all. Students can now do their very best work! Also, thanks to your donation, families in our school community who were unable to provide a set of headphones for school, or purchase new headphones for school use, now have a brand new set!

  We cannot thank you enough!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Scoufaras

• Clean, Cool, Cozy Circle

  Funded Mar 3, 2025

  For this project we requested a new circular rug in order to establish a more comfortable, clean and inclusive space in my classroom for circle discussions.

  While we have designated a space and hold circle each morning, our rug was ripping and the material was sadly not conducive to daily cleaning in a school environment. Luckily our brand new rug does not shed and is strong enough to be used for years to come. We cannot thank you enough!

  Thanks to your generosity you have helped to bring my vision of creating a new circle time area for my third graders to life, giving my students more opportunities to come together in collaboration and discussion in a way in which they feel comfortable and safe.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Scoufaras

• Really Rockin' Rug

  Funded Nov 7, 2024

  We cannot thank you enough for our new replacement rug. It has been monumental in creating a clean, comfortable and inclusive space in our classroom for circle discussions.

  At our school, we feel that the rug is one of, if not the most, important spaces in a classroom and that it needs to be a priority when developing a classroom layout.

  Unfortunately, the space where we hold circle each morning was affected by a recent flood within our school building and our rug suffered from severe water damage. Thanks to your generosity, we were able to create a brand new circle time area, recreating our space for collaboration and discussion in a way in which we feel clean, comfortable and safe!

  Thank you so very much.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Scoufaras

• Mindful Morning Meeting

  Funded Apr 10, 2024

  Your donations are helping as we're focusing on student SEL strategies and tools for self-regulation as they learn to work through their big feelings.

  Thanks to you, we were able to build out our cozy corners and provide our students with a place in each classroom to take a few minutes, collect and center themselves and work through their (big) feelings, when needed, using the SEL strategies we teach them during morning meeting and circle time.

  The items in my project (string lights, baskets, breathing balls, pinwheels, and sand timers) will now help my colleagues and I support our students in learning the skills they need and putting them into practice throughout the school day.

  We cannot thank you enough for

  Your support!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Scoufaras

• More Morning Meetings!

  Funded Aug 28, 2024

  Picture this: It is a busy Monday morning. Students are filing into the classroom, unpacking and sharing with their peers. They join together at our rug for morning meeting, a time when we gather to share, prepare for the day and collaborate in daily lessons and routines. But something is missing! A child-friendly focal point and bulletin board to help ground us and organize our daily morning meeting routine. Thanks to your donations it is no longer missing!! Yay!

  In order to conduct a morning meeting, and to ensure routines are being met within a classroom throughout the day, several resources are needed such as a classroom calendar, a job chart, and a schedule chart.

  In addition, surrounding these resources with warm and welcoming materials like fabrics, lights, message boards and bulletin board borders which help to define the wall space, all make it a more welcoming and dedicated space for learning.

  Thanks to your donations, this project gave our classroom a much needed morning meeting facelift and upgrade. It provided new pocket charts and pieces for a calendar and schedule chart. A feelings chart, new job chart, a tabletop book display for our daily read aloud are also included. Finally, it provided cozy additions such as lights and a message board to make our students feel at home.

  Thank you so very much for helping our students come in on that Monday morning to a child-friendly morning meeting area so that they can start each day, month, and the entire year welcomed, ready and excited for learning at our circle.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Scoufaras

  This classroom project was brought to life by The Gates Foundation and 7 other donors.

• Come Sit Around the Circle

  Funded May 14, 2024

  For this project I requested a new circular rug, along with a class set of stools, in order to establish a more comfortable and inclusive space in my classroom for circle discussions. Thanks to you it was graciously funded! Hooray!

  Mary Davenport writes: "Circle discussions foster community and intimacy in a classroom, and can serve academic and social and emotional purposes." At my school, we feel that the rug is one of, if not the most, important spaces in a classroom and that it needs to be a priority when developing a classroom layout.

  While we had a designated a space and hold circle each morning, our rug was not conducive to collaborative discussions and lessons with the entire class. It also did not provide an alternative option for those students who would feel more comfortable engaging and participating in circle or lessons in a seat or chair, but by doing so would remove them physically from the circle in our space.

  Thanks to your generosity my vision of creating a new circle time area for my third graders came to life, giving my students more opportunities to come together in collaboration and discussion in a way in which they feel comfortable and safe. We cannot thank you enough!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Scoufaras

  This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Supporter and 9 other donors.

• Culture is Cool! (With a Cool Culture Card)

  Funded Oct 11, 2023

  Thanks to your generous donations our youngest scholars now have FREE access to New York's world famous museums, zoos, gardens and more! We are so lucky to be able to now give our school's prekindergarten and kindergarten students access to a Cool Culture card, an all-inclusive access card that can be used at hundreds of cultural institutions all throughout New York City. This project has also given students that might not normally get a chance to explore institutions due to lack of resources and access, their socioeconomic status and/or their financial burdens their ticket to our amazing city. Thanks to you, we are opening doors for both our kids and their families and we cannot express our gratitude enough. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Scoufaras

  This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community & an Anonymous Partner and 32 other donors.

• Help! Nonexistent Nonfiction!

  Funded Jul 20, 2023

  Thank you so much for our new nonfiction book collection! It has brought our classroom library to life with topics that are exciting for our diverse learners. Thanks to your generous donations, students now have a variety of nonfiction books to explore and learn with. This year, not only have I noticed more interest in nonfiction texts, but that our hesitate and struggling readers are more eager to book shop and sit to read with a book of their choice. We cannot thank you enough for this opportunity to expand our library and the minds of children.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Scoufaras

• Echo, Echo, Echo Dots!

  Funded Sep 29, 2022

  Ever have a question you wanted the answer to in a snap? Needed a timer in a quick second? Had a song stuck in your head that you wanted to hear? This happens in classrooms everywhere ALL the time, especially in ours at PS 125.

  Thanks to your donation, students and educators across our building are able to ask Alexa questions, set alarms, and provide student support with their work in a breeze.

  This project gifted our school community 20 Echo Dots for Kids, one for each classroom at PS 125. This year, it has expanded student inquiry work and allowed for students to enjoy kid-friendly books, music, and interactive games in the classroom. It also aids in educational skills, such as spelling and math, independently and in a snap.

  Thanks to you, the possibilities are endless for kids and teachers alike with this useful classroom tech tool. From all of us at PS 125, THANK YOU!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Scoufaras

  This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Classroom Supporter.