Past projects 4
Ready to Roll in Kindergarten!
Funded Dec 16, 2022Our Kindergarten playground time has somehow become even more fun thanks to you!! I wish you could have seen the twinkling eyes and awe struck faces as our students learned the tricycles were for them and were here to stay.
Since the arrival of the tricycles our students have improved their communication with one another, oftentimes working out who is next in line, where the line begins and ends, navigating which direction traffic should be flowing, and how to safely pass one another. There is so much that goes into riding a tricycle–strength, balance, coordination, motor planning, and body awareness—and we've seen all of these skills grow and improve with the help of the tricycles on the playground.
Confidence has also been built, bit by bit, each day. One little girl who initially needed help getting started pedaling when the tricycles arrived kindly told the adult who went to help her the other day, "No thanks, I've got this." And that's just one of many instances of how our students have grown with this gift!
Our playground time is such that each class has two opportunities to play: Recess, where all 100+ students in kindergarten are out, and Private Playground time where each individual class of morning or afternoon students has the entire playground to themselves. When Private Playground time occurs the students all have the opportunity to ride the tricycles without having to wait more than 1-2 minutes for a turn! During Recess more patience is practiced as the tricycle lot is a popular spot and quite full!
Thank you for your generous donation and helping to support our students. This project has not only had an impact on the students of our current year, but will continue to have the same long-lasting impact on those that matriculate through each year. The response from current and former kindergarten families, close friends, personal family members, a former Hope teacher, and personal business contacts has been incredibly humbling and we are grateful beyond belief. Thank you for helping these sweet kindergartners rock and roll around the playground!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Flores
This classroom project was brought to life by an Anonymous Classroom Supporter and 27 other donors.Power, Please!
Funded Apr 24, 2017Thank you for your generous donations! Thanks to you our classroom now has two power strips that allow each Chromebook to charge from one simple and easy location. Although seemingly simple, these power strips allow us to save our classroom space for student work areas, our library, etc. Without the power strips, students would have to plug in their devices, two at a time, throughout various outlets in the room and would never be able to charge their devices as a class.
Students are excited that their devices are ready to go from the moment they walk in the door to the moment we end our day. They never have to worry about running out of battery life. Additionally, these power strips allow us to keep all student devices in the same area so students are able to develop a routine for maintenance and retrieval of their device. And we all can appreciate how important a routine can be to helping a 7-year-old's day run smoothly!
Thank you again for your generosity and for helping us fund this project so quickly. My students and I truly appreciate you and your kindness!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Flores
Hocus Pocus, Help Us Focus Part II
Funded Mar 22, 2017Thanks to you we now have enough Wobble Chairs for each group in my classroom to share throughout the week! Students have access to flexible seating with these chairs in our reading groups and in their small groups. Students are thrilled to be able to use these chairs whenever they want and their concentration and focus have improved because of the choice they're given.
My students were ecstatic when they realized that we'd raised the money to provide each group with a pair (or more) of Wobble Chairs. Their faces lit up, some jaws actually dropped open, and everyone cheered when the reality of this gift sunk in.
Though we are nearing the end of our school year, there is still much to teach and much to learn. Thanks to you my students will be able to channel their end-of-year excitement wiggles into productive movement, allowing them to finish our year as strongly as possible. From our classroom to you, we thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Flores
Hocus Pocus, Help Us Focus!
Funded Feb 4, 2017Thank you for your generous donation and helping to support our students' need to focus and move! We currently have seven wobble chairs thanks to you. Students utilize these during our small group reading rotations, allowing them to concentrate on the text we are discussing and the activities that accompany each text. Our conversations and engagement have improved immensely as students are able to meet their needs of movement while still participating within the group. Additionally, we use the wobble chairs as incentive for making wise choices, demonstrating best effort, and focus. Each day 3-4 students are chosen based on their previous day's behavior and choices and are allowed to use the wobble chair for the remainder of the day. In addition to my students, this donation has also helped reach other students who work in my classroom during grade level rotations.
When the wobble chairs first arrived I cut the boxes open, turned the packaging label so my students couldn't see it, and left all seven packages in the front of the room for them to find after an assembly. When we returned to the classroom I explained that we had been given a very special gift thanks to the generosity of those who understand and see the value of their hard work and efforts. I told them to explore and see if they could figure out what we had received. It was a matter of moments before their faces began to light up! As they pulled the pieces of the chairs out and worked together to build them they realized what they'd been given. The energy was palpable and the excitement was contagious!
The response from parents in my class and friends in the community has been outstanding. Many have expressed interest in funding more of these chairs so that we may eventually have a class set. It is my hope, that with the help of the Donors Choose community, moving forward we can help each child in my room find the balance of movement and focus that they need in order to find success throughout their day.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Flores