Mrs. Hays' Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 10

• Class set of Read Alouds for Gifted Intermediate Students

  Funded Jan 30, 2025

  Thank you so much for selecting our project to fund! I'm so excited for the students to be able to use copies of these books in their literary analysis as we dive deep into story and structure. This year we've had trouble accessing online versions of these books and the physical copies will also solve that problem. Additionally, in gifted we repeat a unit every three years and these will get so much use as we cycle through the units. We are so thankful for your support!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Hays

  This classroom project was brought to life by Pinellas Education Foundation.

• Class Set of Novels for Primary Gifted Students

  Funded Sep 22, 2024

  Thank you so much for graciously stocking our classroom with a class set of our read alouds and the book bins to organize the books and materials used in class. We've just finished reading the Magic Tree House book, "#3 Mummies in the Morning." Not only did the students love the characters and adventure they went on, but they were able to really engage with the story in a more meaningful way by holding and following along with a copy in their hands. They used their books to learn new vocabulary, to go back and reread any parts they needed to gain a better comprehension of, and to answer my many questions for them about the text.

  When we return from winter break, we will start the other book you provided, the Magic Tree House Merlin Missions book, "#6 Season of the Sandstorms." The students are excited to learn what happens next with these characters they are now invested in.

  These books will get a full life as they continue to be used in the primary gifted curriculum as we rotate units of study every three years. I want you to know that we cherish your contribution to the classroom and that your gift will continue to be used for years to come.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Hays

  This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community & an Anonymous Partner and 3 other donors.

• Classroom Novel Sets for K - 2 Inquisitive Minds

  Funded Sep 22, 2022

  Thank you so much for providing a class set of each of our read aloud books! It has made such a difference in our days and the quality of engagement with the text. My students were so excited to be able to hold in their hands a copy and follow along. We were able to incorporate more students reading the passages aloud to the rest of the class as well. Previously, that was a little cumbersome and time consuming as we had only one book to share.

  Not only did my students love having a class set but as we use this curriculum again in gifted, each incoming class will benefit from your generosity. We rotate the curriculum every three years and you have helped ensure that future classes will also benefit from having books in their hands.

  We can't thank you enough for all that you've done!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Hays

  This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and 8 other donors.

• Classroom Novel Sets for 3 - 5 Inquisitive Minds

  Funded Aug 18, 2022

  Thank you so much for helping provide books to our classroom. It means so much that you selected our project and helped place books in the hands of our students.

  When we receive a new curriculum, the read alouds are provided in the form of one book for the teacher. However, students benefit from not just hearing the story be read aloud but also from being able to follow along in the text and even being able to volunteer themselves to read aloud as well. Because of your generosity, our students were able to do just that. It made our time with the text that much richer. Students were more engaged, focused and had better comprehension than in read alouds of the past where they didn't have a copy of the book in their hands.

  Additionally, I was able to share our class set of books with another teacher, thereby doubling the impact of your donation.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Hays

  This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and 3 other donors.

• Talent Development STEM Materials for Project Design

  Funded Apr 7, 2022

  Thank you so much for your generosity and commitment to our school, program, and students!

  When I first introduced the students to our box of supplies, they were excited to no longer have to borrow project materials from other classrooms or schools. We now had a class set for ourselves!

  Once I left the students start to use the supplies, that excitement quickly became surprise and elation when they discovered all that they were now capable of. The cardboard scissors and saws were a game changer for our last project in which students built working balloon engine powered cars based on "If I Built a Car" by Chris Van Dusen.

  This STEM project, rooted in literature, was a great opportunity to introduce the students to simple machines like wheel and axel, inclined plane and screw. However, these introductions would not have been so powerful without their ability to properly apply them in successfully creating a moving car. And without your generosity, their success would have been more of a struggle as cardboard is a plentiful material for STEM builds but rather challenging to manipulate for elementary students.

  Once the build was complete, students then raced and measured their cars distance of travel and drew comparisons to others. I don't know if I have seen students as excited to measure as I did when they got to use the measuring wheel and the open reel measure tape. These tools help expose them to tools professionals use and aid in discussing STEM careers.

  Thank you so much for all that you have done. I can't wait for the students to get to use more of the materials next year and for years to come!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Hays

  This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose community & an Anonymous Partner and 4 other donors.

• Supporting Diverse Needs Through Flexible Seating

  Funded Sep 8, 2021

  Thank you so much for your belief in my students and the power of this project. Over the years I've been able to collect a few flexible seating options here and there but now with your help, every student has multiple options.

  This choice is so powerful - students come in each day and select the type of seating that will best support their unique needs and learning styles. Some like core movement as provided by the wobble cushions and donut ball chairs. Others like to fidget with their feet and the kick bands quietly come to the rescue. Still others will choose one spot for one activity and switch throughout the day.

  No doubt, our room looks unique with all of these supports. When the students first saw them, they were so excited. One student in particular let out a drawn out, "Cooooool!" That excitement still hasn't died down. They love coming in each week and having both the responsibility and freedom to choose what best suits them for the day. Several students have decided favorites and surprisingly there aren't any conflicts as we now have enough options and multiples of them to accommodate all - all thanks to your generosity.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Hays

  This classroom project was brought to life by Salesforce and 8 other donors.

• Walsingham Gifted Family Game Night Enrichment Bags

  Funded Sep 3, 2020

  My students absolutely love the game night materials! It very quickly became apparent that I would need to modify my original plan of delivery in order to reach all the students each time. No one wanted to wait weeks for a turn with the materials, and I couldn't blame them! We now have a check out system where each week every student gets to take home a game and then the following week they return it and check out another.

  This system has allowed my students to each bring an activity home every week to share with their families. Many of their siblings have even commented to me in the halls about how much they enjoy their siblings "homework." A parent even adopted my class and donated funds to make a further purchase of materials.

  With this unique COVID year, I have made sure that the project also reaches my virtual students. They put in a request for a game and then I leave it for them at the front office for when their parents come to pick up their other learning materials.

  While I'm not always able to see the impact at home, I certainly hear about it. One of my favorite things the kids do is ask to have inside recess, where they then proceed to teach each other how to play one of the games or really dig into one of the more solitary logic/ strategy activities. I see their minds working and building and it warms me to know that they can find joy and still smile under their masks.

  Thank you so much for helping me engage our families by providing materials that transcend the classroom and curriculum. You are helping build lifelong learners who dive into new challenges with glee.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Hays

  This classroom project was brought to life by A Generous Donor and 3 other donors.

• Building an Inclusive Classroom Library for My Girls

  Funded Dec 22, 2018

  Thank you for your continued generosity! At first, my boy's library project was funded and then my girl's library project was funded shortly after! I broke up the projects based on series and books each group would benefit from, but within the classroom, I've seen everyone sharing and excited about what arrived for each project. The biographies and story books are especially a hit.

  As a new teacher I didn't come in with a funded or even established library and the library at my school is very small. I wanted to encourage reading and I knew that series reading has been shown to aid in comprehension and fluency. I've been able to see some of my highest readers really grab onto a character and see them through several books. For most of my students, however, they have enjoyed sampling from the many new series and characters that line the bookshelves.

  One unit of student in ELA for third grade was biographies. We were able to use many of the story books as introductions but "Little Dreamers: Visionary Women Around the World" and "Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History" were two favorites to pull from. Another teacher and I enjoyed finding and sharing with our students the accomplishments of people that were otherwise unknown to them. We also used many of the story books when celebrating Black History Month. Our students enjoyed learning about more people and their stories and I felt pleased when they made connections between the characters' lives and their own, seeing little glints in their eyes of aspirations for change and greatness.

  "Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls" and the second part of this collection have also been a hit. Sometimes it is so popular duding independent reading that we have to work out a sharing schedule. Of the series, the Lulu books are by far the most popular. My students love animals – especially babies – and they like reading about Lulu's adventures with her various furry friends. The wonderful thing about having multiple copies is that my students can buddy read with a friend or borrow two books to buddy read at home for their nightly reading homework. We also don't have to worry about waiting to borrow a specific book with multiple copies. My struggling readers can follow along with others and benefit from being able to take rich text home. I even have some students from other classes come to borrow from the library now that you have helped make it what it is – that being reflective, complete and fun!

  Thank you again for all that you did for my class and all that you have done for others. Education is truly a gift and you have helped make our year so much richer.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Hays

• Building an Inclusive Classroom Library for My Boys

  Funded Oct 17, 2018

  Thank you for your kindness and believing in this project and my students!

  This is my first year teaching and classrooms now commonly have their own classroom libraries in addition to the school library - which was not the case when I was a kid.

  All year during my student teaching I would scour thrift stores for popular used children's books. While I was able to amass a nice collection, I realized that my collection wasn't reflective of my classroom. The series I gathered and individual story books were full of predominantly white characters. Occasionally there would be a black supporting character or maybe a character of a different religion. I know how important it is for children to see themselves in literature and so I created this project so that my students could be provided with rich characters that look and sound like them in complex text.

  When the books arrived, some of the kids were already familiar with the "Julian's World" series from one of the books being used as a read aloud by their teacher from the previous year. That was the perfect jumping in point for them to get to know the other stories in the series and then the off shoots of stories from Huey and Gloria too.

  The EllRay Jakes series has been the most popular of the series requested for this project by far! Students routinely borrow these books to read at home and one student even brought one along on our field trip to read during the almost hour long drive. When I ask the students to begin silent reading, these series make up a lot of their selections. We even have a few students from other classes who come to borrow these books from our library.

  Even though this was intended to be a project to support my boys with male protagonists, the girls in the class love the books just as much, if not more.

  Thank you for providing culturally responsive books and series for the students! It's important that the characters lives they enter when they read sound and look like their own. Additionally, series reading can help move the students quicker since they are already familiar with the characters by the time they get to the next book. The classroom is much more inclusive and multicultural thanks to you.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Hays

• New Year, New Beginnings

  Funded Aug 23, 2018

  Thank you so much for your generosity! My students were able to have a successful start to the year and we didn't have to wait for materials!

  This is my first year teaching and I teach at a Title 1 school where we have 100% free breakfast and lunch. Unfortunately, I was hired last minute so I missed the first day with my kids. When I did get to meet them on the second day, they were eager and exited to be in third grade. Eager as they may have been, I didn't have an excess of materials from years of teaching and they weren't able to come with the general supplies requested on the school website. We struggled the first few weeks of school and made do with what we had - but I knew it wouldn't last the year and most of the materials donated from back to school drives had already been disbursed.

  Then you and Donors Choose turned that all around! I never expected my project to be funded so quickly - it was my first project after all and my first year teaching. The kids were ecstatic and the only thing we had to worry about when everything arrived was being able to ration it for the year - I had to remind the kids that we don't each need 20 pencils right now, but we can get more as we need them. They just wanted to open and get to work with everything you sent.

  The sanitizer helped get us through cold season, the pencils made it through FSA testing and the dry erase markers got so much love for daily formative assessments during math instruction.

  I think the most loved resources were the recess supplies. We aren't allowed to use the P.E. equipment during recess and the playground is only available to kindergarten and first graders. As such, the kids had a field to play on but nothing to play with. Creative as they are, I hated seeing them so limited. That changed when they could chase and kick the soccer ball and jump and chant schoolyard songs with the jump ropes.

  Thank you for letting them be kids and helping provide us the tools to learn.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Hays

  This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 6 other donors.