Past projects 13
Outside Activities for Recess and Play
Funded Dec 31, 2024What an unexpected surprise this morning to receive word this project has been funded. Thank you so much for your generosity and belief in public education. Our students are extremely lucky that there are such caring and kind individuals in the world who want them to have what they need to succeed. Happy New Year!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Micherone
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community & an Anonymous Partner and 3 other donors.Creating Learning Magic Through Play in My Kindergarten Classroom!
Funded May 17, 2024After watching my students engage with these new materials during Choice Time in our Kindergarten classroom, I cannot possibly be more grateful for your generosity and support of play in early childhood classrooms. Our packages arrived over the course of multiple days, and each day, we would open a new package together. You would have thought it was Christmas! They were so excited over each new thing and could not wait to have the opportunity to use and play with them. There were cheers and applause and "ooooohs" and "aaaaahs" as each box was carefully opened and the contents revealed. Thank you for helping to create so many smiles and joy in some of our youngest, most deserving students.
As a new year approaches, I am certain that my new group of students will be overjoyed as well when given the opportunities to use the resources from this project. Please know you are making a difference with your support of public education.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Micherone
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Supporter and 5 other donors.Centers and Storage to Start the Day
Funded Feb 2, 2024Thank you again for donating to my classroom project "Centers and Storage to Start the Day." Our morning routine has been running much more smoothly since the addition of the new storage materials which have allowed for each student to have their own activity bin in the morning. The new activities added to the bins are being used everyday. The children love the Wikki Stix activities which allow for them to build the letters of the alphabet along with a corresponding picture. Students have been able to use the number pegs to work on their number identification, counting, and one-one correspondance. Both activities allow for students to work on their fine motor skills.
I believe that play is the way to start the day in an early childhood environment, and your donations and support have helped me to be able to achieve that in my Kindergarten classroom. Thank you again for supporting public education and my students.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Micherone
This classroom project was brought to life by A family that cares about Boston and one other donor.Choice Time in Kindergarten: A Daily Dose of Fun!
Funded Oct 28, 2023I want to start by again thanking you for your generosity and kindness. We received these new materials almost two months ago, and whenever I pull them out to use, the children are so excited. They've each had a chance to use all of the new manipulatives, and I am seeing incredible things. Their imaginations and creativity are wild and so fun to observe!
Along with their blossoming creativity, I am watching students as they share, take turns, and work together. Cooperative play in Kindergarten is so important for students' social-emotional development, and these new manipulatives are giving us many opportunities for this.
I am also seeing the benefits in my students' language development. As all of my students are emerging multilingual learners, they need ample opportunities throughout the day to practice using language. Providing time for structured play gives them those opportunities.
Your support of my classroom and public education is admirable. Teachers everywhere are grateful for Donors Choose and for the kind humans who believe in it.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Micherone
Choice Time in Kindergarten: A Daily Dose of Fun!
Funded Sep 20, 2022Thank you so much for your contributions and donations to my classroom project, "Choice Time in Kindergarten: A Daily Dose of Fun!" My students have been enjoying our new materials immensely and love to choose them during Choice Time.
We have put our new letter beads in our morning tubs. The kids are making the alphabet, building their names, making patterns, and working on their fine motor skills as they string the beads together. The blocks have been added to our choice time bins and are favorites of the students.
The paint sticks and dot painters are being used in a variety of ways. We have used the paint sticks not only during choice time but for various arts & crafts activities. The dot painters are used to make pictures as well as to practice letter and number formation and identification.
The sensory viewers were placed in our Calm Corner as a tool to guide students in relaxation and emotional awareness. Each color corresponds with a different "big feeling."
Thanks to special people like you, we were able to add these materials to our classroom to bring joy and choice to our youngest learners.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Micherone
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 10 other donors.An iPad for Math Workshop
Funded Dec 29, 2018Thank you for choosing my project, an iPad for Math Workshop, out of all the wonderful projects here on DonorsChoose to support. Because of you, we now have three iPads in our classroom, and I am one step closer to having enough iPads to use as a full rotation during my Math Workshop block.
Tablets have become the go-to technology resource in elementary schools. Students entering school are more familiar with navigating tablets and iPads than they are traditional desktop computers. Using a mouse can be quite the challenge for little hands, but swiping and touching are no problem! Because of this, I prefer using iPads when I need my students to be independent as desktops can lead to many interruptions.
During Math Workshop, I am now able to have three students use iPads and three use desktop computers while I work with a small group or one-on-one with a child at the teaching table. On the iPads, students are practicing their addition and subtraction facts along with tasks based on the Standard we are currently learning or ones that students need additional practice to master. All of the students love using the iPad to learn and improve their mathematical practice!
Thank you again for your generosity and support of public school teachers who are striving to do more for their students.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Micherone
This classroom project was brought to life by Verizon and 4 other donors.Reading and Writing Easel Center for Young Readers and Writers!
Funded May 23, 2017I cannot sufficiently express my gratitude for your donations to our new classroom reading and writing easel center. It arrived just in time for our first day of school, and its impact has been amazing in just the few short weeks we have been using it.
Each morning we start by reading our morning message during morning meeting. Students have the opportunity to come up and help write the message along with the chance to be the "leader" who helps us read the morning message to the class. I am able to use the chart paper side of the easel to write our weekly poems, model activities, and teach whole group lessons. We are also able to read big books and store materials under the easel in the attached baskets. I really could not be happier!
The easel gives the students the opportunity every day to interact with language and literacy with various reading and writing activities. There is not a day when it is not in use in our classroom. I again want to thank you all for your generous contributions. It has made such a difference to have a modern, working easel in our whole group area!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Micherone
Hokki Stools for Busy Bodies
Funded Sep 3, 2016Thank you so much for your generous contribution to my classroom. Because of you, we now have six Hokki Stools at our small group table. These stools have been a blessing to my very active class and have greatly benefited them. They are able to focus and stay engaged for longer periods of time as they work and learn, and they love coming over to the small group table as it gives them an opportunity to sit on the stools.
My students are fascinated by our new seating in the classroom. Not only are they fascinated by the Hokki Stools, but other educators throughout the building are as well. This has led to purchases throughout the school and an increased interest in flexible seating within the school community.
When I first learned of Hokki Stools, I knew they would be perfect for my classroom. Thank you for making this a reality for my students.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Micherone
This classroom project was brought to life by Target and one other donor.Getting Mathematicians Fired Up With Amazon Fire!
Funded Aug 5, 2016Dear Donor,
I cannot sufficiently express to you how grateful I am that out of all the projects on Donors Choose, you decided to fund mine. When we received our new Amazon Fire tablets, my students were ecstatic. Many of them have tablets at home, so of course they were so eager to teach ME all about them. When I told them we were going to use them during math rotations, they were more excited about math than ever!
During my small group time in math, students are using the tablets to engage in various math activities independently. With such a wide range of apps available, I am able to choose specific apps for specific students in areas where they need additional practice. The tablets also allow for more students to engage with technology at one time. This helps to make my small groups more manageable, and I am able to differentiate my instruction to help students learn at their instructional level.
For students in my class who would rather do anything but engage in paper and pencil activities, the tablets have provided them with a new way to learn and practice their skills.
I once again thank you for your generous contribution to my classroom. Because of you, my math block is running more smoothly, my students are more engaged and more motivated, and most importantly we are having more fun!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Micherone
Books Can Change the World
Funded Aug 24, 2014My class was thrilled when we received our box of new books in the mail early in September. I had waited a few days to open the package with them. I wanted them to have time to adjust to the new school year, their new classroom, and their new teacher who is crazy about books and all things reading. Within the first few days, they had all commented on the number of books that lined the shelves of their new room. Some had ventured over to take a peek at them. Many had commented on how they didn't know how to read or didn't like to. Then one morning during morning meeting, I opened the package.
The "oooooooohs" and "aaaaaaaaaahhhhs" immediately filled the room. Even the students who wanted nothing to do with the classroom library had eyes wide open. I let each student smell the pages of the new books, something my mother always did when I was little, and something I always do with my students when we read a brand new book together. We read the titles of the books, and the students helped me sort them and set them up in the library.
Within days, we slowly added these books to our individual book bags. Some students were still apprehensive about books with very few pictures where they would be expected to try reading the words. However, the more they saw these new books with their crisp white pages, the more I noticed those same students pointing to the words in the new books as they read.
Now, in November, my students practice reading with books from their book bags every morning. We call this time in our room Daily 3. Students practice reading independently and with a partner. They choose the books they want to have in their book bag which makes it all the more exciting for them. Many students want to read during their free time as well or in the afternoon as they wait to be dismissed from school. These books have given my students confidence and increased their engagement levels. They are just the right levels for my students. Within these books, they are able to practice their sight words, reading strategies, and comprehension skills. These books have helped all of my students make progress in their beginning reading skills.
Thank you so much for your contribution to this project. I do not believe there is anything more important than teaching children how to read. I know for certain that my students' parents are grateful as well. We just finished two days of parent-teacher conferences, and every single parent commented on how much their children love to read now. They reported their children are always asking for books and trying to read everything they see. They thanked me for everything I had done to help their children make progress.
I thank you for helping to make it possible.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Micherone