Past projects 254
Shielding Our Face and Supplies to Stay Safe
Funded Aug 12, 2020This is a year like no other but we are going to do our best to give our students the best education possible. I am teaching the families who have chosen to keep their kids fully remote this year. Although I had planned to have children in our classroom, things change and we are doing our best to keep do what is right for our children. It has been a monumental task reaching out to our families to get them connected and organizing a time for them to pick up materials that will help keeping things consistent in all homes.
We run into an equity issue when it comes to remote learning. Those who have the resources will always be better equipped than those who do not. Thanks to your support, all of our families have the basic materials to learn at home. Thank you so much for supporting this project in these dire times. We are just starting the school year but at least it will start off on the right path.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Andy
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 18 other donors.The Best Remote Classroom
Funded May 5, 2020Thank you so much for helping us make remote learning so much more fun and entertaining. We are making the best of the situation we are in. There was a lot of trial and error in the beginning but we are getting the hang of it and making it super fun thanks to our new camera, green screen, and headphones for those one on one conferences.
Changing the background is super entertaining can keeps our kids laughing and also wondering if Mr. Andy is really on the set of Blue's Clues or living under the ocean with Sponge Bob. It's the little moments that allow children to be children that makes it so worth it. Hearing a child laugh, even through all the terrible things happening around us, gives me hope that things will get better. Thank you.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Andy
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and one other donor.Distant But Always Together: Supplying the Remote Learner
Funded May 6, 2020There aren't enough words in the world to express how much gratitude I have for your support in funding our DonorsChoose.org project. When we were in the classroom, everyone had access to all the materials that were in our classroom. After transitioning into remote learning, we as teachers need to understand that not every family may have access to materials, supplies, or books that we have in our own homes or think it is in every home. This project helped ensure that these materials are in every household.
It felt amazing to see how happy our children are by getting the awesome Elephant and Piggie Biggie book and Art-ivity book, art supplies, and snacks. Thank you again for your amazing support and kind words.
I am speaking on behalf of my students and their families to let you know how much we appreciate your generosity and support to make such a wonderful thing happen in such uncertain times.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Andy
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 14 other donors.E is for Eva, the Amazing Author!
Funded Mar 2, 2020Thank you to all who supported this project to bring such wonderful books to all the classrooms in our school. Eva Chen is an amazing author whose books have such a positive message and is an inspiration to girls AND boys. When I bought my own copy of A Is for Awesome!, my students LOVED it. The cover is so inviting with its illustrations by the very talented Derek Desierto. My pre-k students would flip through the book over and over. When they finally wanted to listen to the words written on each page, they would call me over.
I knew this book was magical and I wanted every classroom to experience its power. The second copy I got was lent to Ms. Reilly's 2/3rd grade special education class. The book made such a positive impact on the girls in the class but what was even more surprising is how one boy fell in love with the book. He had permission to borrow it to take home and the wear and tear the book received showed just how much it was being read at home.
Now, every classroom has a copy of this AWESOME book. That was right before our schools closed for the rest of the year due to the current events. I know for a fact that once the buildings open up again and we all get a chance to settle down to get adjusted to whatever the new norm may be the magic of A is for Awesome! will call to the students in every class in our small school.
When I posted this project, I was super excited to see Eva Chen and Derek Desierto had a new book coming out, 3 2 1 Awesome! I was so excited to add it into our cart that I totally did not see when it was coming out. I had to select replacements for the funds raised but you can bet that when it does release, another project will be posted to bring more magic into our classrooms. Thank you all so much for supporting this project and thank you for your patience for the impact letter and photos. We are settled down from our transition to remote learning and are doing well. I hope you and your families are safe, healthy, and happy! Thanks again!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Andy
This classroom project was brought to life by A group of anonymous donors and 4 other donors.Sensory Stimulation for Special Needs
Funded Dec 27, 2019Thank you so much for helping us fund "Sensory Stimulation for Special Needs." I know it took a while to get the impact letter and photos to you. Things have been quite busy as we transitioned into remote learning. My regret is that I did not take enough pictures to show the amazing impact your donation has made on our classroom and our kids when we were in school.
The weighted vest had been an incredible resource for our students who needed it when their bodies had too much energy. Children do need to get up and move their bodies to get their wiggles out but there are times where that energy is too great in the classroom and the vest had been there to help calm them down.
The sensory pillows have the same affect. Placed in our book nook, the pillows are very comforting as children read books on their own and hold onto the pillows. It has really made our nook area a safe space and a place of comfort for our kids.
Thank you so much for helping make this project come to life. I eagerly wait for the day we can go back into our classroom and use these amazing resources you helped us get! I hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Andy
Beautiful Beginnings at the Buddy Bench
Funded Dec 3, 2019Our beautiful vibrant buddy bench has been in our playground for a few months. When it was first introduced to our children, there were long lines as kids wanted a turn to sit on the colorful bench. But that's not the purpose of the buddy bench.
Once the hype calmed down a bit, the bench was a tool for the start of beautiful beginnings. Children knew if they had trouble making friends or needed someone to talk to or play with, they sought out the buddy bench for that purpose.
I've seen PreK children become sad because a friend wasn't playing with them. They were guided to use the buddy bench and within a few minutes, they were off playing again.
This beautiful bench has added a way for children to open up socially when social skills aren't their forte. It has helped our kids socially and emotionally.
We hope the buddy bench will create more beginnings this school year. We also hope everyone is well and safe in these uncertain times. Thank you so much for supporting this project.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Andy
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 8 other donors.Cooking Cart to Share Our Community's Cultures!
Funded May 23, 2019Thank you so much for helping us make this dream project come a reality. It's so difficult to think about the incredible things this project made happen given the circumstances we are in now.
When our children saw the cooking cart in the room, they knew something exciting was going to happen. They knew we were in for a treat and wondered what they would help prep. The ingredients would be introduce and we would learn what would be made. The children helping would roll up their sleeves and wash their hands thoroughly like all chefs do.
When we were fortunate enough to have parents come help and teach us how they made food at home, it made it extra special, especially for the child who had their parents or grandparents helping. We bonded over the making of food, and together we would get excited as the various foods we made was being cooked.
Whether it was dumplings, musubi, scallion pancakes, pizza, pies, or fries, the experience of sharing food from various cultures meant so much more when there's a story behind them. Our pre-K kids would simply share that their parents would make them at home. For our after school group, who were older, they shared heart warming stories about memories they had helping their families make food at home.
This cooking cart is special. It brings people together. It unites different cultures and allow us to bond over food. It was everything I imagined it would be and so much more.
My only wish now is that our children can experience cooking at least one more time before the year ends. Currently, we have moved to a remote learning situation. Although it's great that our children are spending time with their families, at the same time, they are afraid to go out. I am hoping everything will be okay for our families and to our amazing supports like you as well.
Thank you so much and please be safe.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Andy
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 28 other donors.Spark an Idea With Supplies From Ikea
Funded Dec 3, 2019Thank you again for supporting "Spark an Idea With Supplies From Ikea." The resources requested are not as exciting as some of the other wonderful projects on DonorsChoose.org but it makes a great impact.
It's amazing how a few strategically placed mirrors in our block center has expanded new ideas for our explorers to build. Bins have brought new ways to store and organize various materials in our classroom.
Perhaps the greatest resource we've received are the picture frames. Before the start of the day or the end of the day when there is no children in the room, their presence is still felt. Photos are posted all over our room displaying our children at work. When they are in the room, they look to the photos as inspiration and confidence boosters. They know the work they do is amazing and they continue to be who they are.
Thank you so much for supporting this project!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Andy
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 5 other donors.Ms. Chin's Pictures: Memories that Last a Lifetime
Funded Jan 2, 2020Pictures are worth a thousand words. They allow our parents to see what their children do throughout the day in our pre-K classroom. Quite often when parents ask their child what they did in school, a common response is nothing or they don't know/remember. In our classroom, the parents know what their child did each and everyday thanks to Ms. Chin's pictures.
When a child is absorbed in a good book, or filling a blank canvas with their ideas through paint, Ms. Chin is there to capture the moment. When cities are built in the blocks or puzzles are put together, Ms. Chin is ready with her camera to snap a shot. Precious moments are not lost in our classroom. They are captured and that photo is printed everyday and posted for parents to adore.
At the end of the year, the photos are sorted and each family walk away with precious memories. Stacks of photos they can take home and reflect on the memories of the awesome year they had in pre-K. These photos are printed on the papers we requested and you helped fund. Thank you so much for supporting "Ms. Chin's Pictures: Memories that Last a Lifetime."”
With gratitude,
Mr. Andy
A Home Cooked Meal in School
Funded Oct 6, 2019Thank you so much for helping us bring "A Home Cooked Meal in School" to life. This project was an extension to our cooking cart project that helped us get more appliances and utensils we needed to cook a food that our children are familiar with. When we originally started cooking, there were some things we left out of the initial project. Your support of this project helped fill in those gaps.
My pre-K students LOVED cooking and were eager to dive into making Musubi. Musubi is something different but also familiar when it came to the ingredients we used. All of our children were familiar with rice, seaweed, egg, and spam.
For my 2nd graders for after school, at first, they were a bit disappointed since they would rather play than cook food. Ironically, a lot of our students who wanted to play in the pretend kitchen center realized they could be doing actually cooking with real food! The home and family connections were also made but the conversations went much deeper. My co-teacher and I were able to make connections with our students because we were just like them when we were their age. Our parents worked long hours like they did and when they would make a home cooked meal, it was very special.
The Musubi making process reminded them of making and eating sushi, something they are very familiar with since some of our families cook for a living. It was a very special project that allowed our kids see things they do at home in the school setting. Thanks to your support, they were able to have a home cooked meal in school.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Andy
This classroom project was brought to life by Carnegie Corporation of New York and 4 other donors.