Ms. Gamboa's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 28

• Watch Us Grow!

  Funded Mar 13, 2017

  Thank you for the plant cart, peat pots, seeds, and soil. Because our school is basically a concrete jungle, we have no outside space to plant. The plant cart has been a most welcome addition to our classroom. My students were so excited when the boxes arrived. They could hardly sit still while I opened the boxes to show them what had arrived. They were thrilled to start their own "garden". So far we have planted kidney beans. We plan to plant peas soon. We have learned about seed parts and seed growth. We have learned about nutrients plants need and about providing the proper amount of water needed by the plant. My students have learned that if a plant does not receive enough water or receives too much water it will affect whether the seed sprouts or how the plant will grow. This has been a most enjoyable learning experience for both myself and my students. Once again, We would like to thank you for donating to our classroom project and supporting public education.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Gamboa

  This classroom project was brought to life by Tom's of Maine and one other donor.

• Backpack Bound!

  Funded Dec 7, 2016

  Thank you for your incredible generosity. My students were so thrilled when I told them they were going to receive a gift from a very generous donor. When I brought out the over-sized box, they could hardly contain themselves. They kept trying to guess what was in the box. They grinned and giggled the whole time, as I opened the box. When I pulled out a backpack to show them, their faces were full of smiles. They kept asking, "Are those for us?', and "Do I get to keep it?"

  The students couldn't wait to show their friends and family their new backpacks. They were so excited. Each day my students walk into class with a big smile on their face and a new backpack on their back. They happily place their work in their backpacks before leaving for home. Each morning after arriving back at school, they open their backpacks to pull out their homework.

  My students are now able to be a little more independent and are learning to organize their materials. They are no longer bringing homework to school in plastic grocery bags to keep it from getting wet in the rain. They are not dropping papers as they walk out of class. They ask if they can put their work in their backpacks to take it home. They feel proud wearing their new backpacks. They are happy to come to school and learn, especially now that they have new backpacks!

  Thank you again for helping my students learn a little organization and independence. Thank you for donating to our class project. Thank you for supporting public education!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Gamboa

• Write On!

  Funded Mar 9, 2016

  Dear Donors,

  Thank you so very much for donating to our class project. Through your generosity, we have been able to provide my students with various writing tools which are empowering them and encouraging them to be better writers. My students were so excited when I told them our project had been funded. Smiles lit up their faces.

  When the boxes arrived they were filled with enthusiasm to see the contents. They wanted to dig in right away. They have been having fun creating sentences and becoming more familiar with the parts of speech using our giant magnetic words, as part of a learning center focused on writing complete and interesting sentences. The magnetic, dry-erase writing posters, and markers, have been very helpful in instructing and demonstrating writing skills and strategies. My students have been using their new writing journals to analyze stories from different genres. Of course, their pencil leads keep breaking or getting dull, as they are writing so much, so they are very pleased to have a new pencil sharpener that sharpens all of our pencils regardless of the pencil's thickness. (This was a problem for us previously).

  My students are finding their new writing folders very helpful, not only for helping to keep their pre-writes and drafts organized but the folders include resources such as lists of commonly misspelled words and overused words. They also line up to check our new Revising and Editing Guide, making sure they have corrected mistakes and assured their writings make sense.

  Thanks to you my students are excited about writing. They are enjoying using the new resources which are both inspiring them to write and helping them become better writers.

  Thank you again for supporting public education. Together we can make a difference!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Gamboa

• "Time" to Learn!

  Funded Nov 20, 2015

  Thank you so very much for your generosity. We appreciate your assistance in helping to fund our class project. We have been using our new time telling tools, our clocks, in a variety of ways. We have used them with the whole group for instruction and demonstration. We have used the new time telling tools individually, to demonstrate new skills learned. My students love having individual clocks that they can work on while learning time skills. We have also used them at learning centers, where the students can explore and practice what they have learned with partners.

  So far, we have practiced hour and half hour skills. We are also learning how to figure out the passage of time. For example, this week we looked at time skill problems that tell us what time an activity started and how long it lasted. My students had to come up with the time that the activity finished. We started out with a teacher demonstration using the large model clock. The students were then able to try it on their own, using individual clocks. This week our learning center will also give them opportunities to work on various time passage situations with partners, practicing what they have been working on.

  My students absolutely love working with our new clocks. When the boxes arrived and the student's saw the new clocks, their faces lit up with excitement. They repeatedly asked for the next couple of days when they could use the new clocks. They shrieked with joy when they walked in one morning and saw the teacher model clock set up in the front of the room. Over the next week or so we will be reviewing hour and half-hour skills. We will also be learning 15 minute, quarter past and quarter to skills. We will also be learning to the minute skills in the near future.

  With your assistance, my students have become excited about learning. They don't even realize that they are learning because they are having fun! Thank you for supporting public education!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Gamboa

• iLearning With An iPad

  Funded Sep 15, 2014

  Thank you so very much for generously funding our classroom project. My students were so excited when our new iPad arrived. They have been so eager to get their hands on it. They love working on the various educational applications that I have already downloaded. The science applications are their favorites followed closely by mathematics. My students look forward to working on the iPad during their center time. Sometimes they work alone, sometimes they work with partners. When I inform them that I have downloaded a new application, they buzz with excitement. Our new iPad has been a great motivational tool! Thank you again for helping to bring a little extra excitement to learning in our classroom!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Gamboa

• Fun and Creative Learning

  Funded Sep 15, 2014

  Thank you so very much for your kindness and generosity in funding our classroom projects. My students were so excited to receive our new materials. They have been enjoying our new books and working hard on creating poster reports. They have enjoyed being creative in presenting what they are learning. By funding our classroom project, you have shown them that there are many ways to learn and that school doesn't have to be boring. With their new materials, they are creating fun and interesting reports and projects. These projects are encouraging my students to be creative and have fun with their learning. Thank you so much for supporting public education and being an important partner in the education of children.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Gamboa

• Who's Your Role Model?

  Funded Sep 15, 2014

  Thank you for funding our classroom project. We appreciate your kindness and generosity. By providing the educational resources included in this project, you have helped to open the door to a world of possibilities for my students. My students are learning about people who have made positive contributions to our world. They are reading about them, reporting what they have learned, and presenting to our class. My students need to know that there are people who have made a difference in the lives of others, and that they, too, can make a difference in the lives of others. They, too, can make important contributions to society. They are enjoying creating posters based on various heroes. They want to show off their hero. This has been a great learning experience for my students. Thank you so very much for making this possible. Thank you for supporting public education!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Gamboa

• Reading Is Fundamental!

  Funded Sep 15, 2014

  Thank you for funding our class project. My students were overjoyed to receive their new library books. They wanted to look at all the different books that we received. They were very interested in the high interest- low readability books, which were perfect for many of my students. These materials will provide equal access for all of my students, even those with lesser developed reading skills.We have used the books for individual reading, as well as group reading. My students are encouraged to read and learn.My students are spending more independent time in our classroom library than ever before. I am pleased that they are choosing to read! Thank you again for your generosity. Thank you for supporting public education!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Gamboa

• A Comfy Place To Curl Up And Read

  Funded Sep 15, 2014

  Thank you so very much for your kindness and generosity. By funding our classroom project, you have provided a comfortable place where my students can sit and read. My students were so excited to come into our classroom and see a nice new rug with beanbag chairs. They love selecting books from our spiral book rack. My students all want to sit on our new rug, or in our new beanbag chairs and read. You have given them a special place in our classroom where they can curl up with a good book. They are motivated to read. Thank you for helping to create an environment for fostering learning! Thank you for supporting public education!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Gamboa

• JUMPing Through Hoops for Math

  Funded Dec 9, 2013

  Thank you so very much for your kindness and generosity in funding our classroom project. My students were so excited to receive their new JUMP Math books. We have been working in our new books daily. JUMP Math has really made a difference for many of my students. JUMP Math breaks down procedures into a step-by-step process. It is allowing my students to grasp concepts that were difficult for them before using JUMP Math. These materials are helping to build confidence in my students who struggled with math. It is amazing to see the transformation in so many of my students who used to "hate" math. They are "getting it" now. The moans and groans have stopped when it is time to do math. Without your help in funding our classroom project, we would not have these new amazing math materials. Thank you for supporting public education, and helping to make my students feel successful.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Gamboa

  This classroom project was brought to life by Innovate Foundation and 6 other donors.