Past projects 15
Snacks for Student Council
Funded Sep 19, 2024We are beyond thrilled about this project being funded so quickly! Thank you to everyone who shared, contributed, and has supported us on our journey to make our school the best, most welcoming, and inclusive space for kids! This project is going to allow our newly elected student council some well deserved snacks for their meetings while they collaborate on student created projects to upgrade our school community! We are so fortunate to have generous donors like you! Thanks again!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Jones
This classroom project was brought to life by The Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation and 16 other donors.Help us update our Cozy Corner!
Funded May 20, 2024Words cannot begin to describe how this small project has changed my classroom, but I'm going to try. First off, the new chairs have been such a hit that I have to enforce time limits for some students so that everyone can enjoy them. The students have even shared with other teachers and staff about how amazing and comfortable the space is now!
In terms of the cell phone lockers, the students in my room have transformed - socially, emotionally, intellectually - all of it. They look at each other now and work together and don't escape gritty moments by scrolling social media. I am shocked that when we rolled this out not a single student had an issue with the cell phone lockers - I think deep down they appreciate the break from their phones and the expectations set of them when they're on their phones by the outside world. Far fewer students are leaving to go meet friends in the bathroom or checking out when their partners need them to help set up a class lab. Overall, I really can't say enough good things about these new resources we have in our classroom and the impact it has and will continue to have all year long. Thank you thank you thank you!!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Jones
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Supporter and 15 other donors.Scientific Formula for Organization
Funded May 11, 2023This project has totally changed the dialogue with students as they enter my classroom.
Instead of asking them to find class materials, we get to greet each other and talk about personal things like their weekend, birthdays, and how they're feeling today since all the materials are organized and readily available for them.
Our routines were quickly integrated in the class and students just enter, grab their binders (complete with pens, pencils, paper, dividers, and a folder) and are ready for the lesson each day.
I can't describe how such a little thing can make such a tremendous impact and also level the playing field for students to be able to focus on the learning rather than the materials. Many many thanks for those who donated to our project!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Jones
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Supporter and 11 other donors.Personal Hygiene Bathroom Carts
Funded Nov 4, 2022Our personal hygiene carts have been beyond helpful in giving our students resources they need. We have set up our carts just outside the two sets of bathrooms on each floor of our school and students have been using the materials as needed. It's been especially beneficial to those students who may be living in temporary locations, are lacking supplies, or simply forgot personal hygiene products that day.
We could not be more thankful for your generosity in helping us receive these carts and all the amazing materials they are filled with! Thank you a million times from both myself and all of the students who use them regularly.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Jones
This classroom project was brought to life by Panda Cares and 12 other donors.Alternative Social Space
Funded Jun 29, 2022The materials purchased from this project have created a cozy corner for our students and they absolutely love using it both during and between classes. They use the area to work collaboratively on projects or activities, independently review or complete assessments, as well as just hang out and socialize! It's truly a multi-purpose space and the only of its kind in our school's classrooms. Students have taken responsibility over the upkeep of the space as well, given their respect and appreciation for it. One student will vacuuming the floors weekly, all students know to keep shoes off the rug and will let someone else know (even the principal once!) when they accidentally step on the carpet with their shoes! Haha! The storage cubbies have been great to store supplies, fun activities and games for during lunch, stuffed animals (yes high school kids like stuffed animals too!), as well as other classroom materials like tape, clip boards, etc. We really cherish this space and are so immensely thankful to the support you have given us! Without donors like you, we wouldn't be able to use our classroom in this incredible way so thank you thank you thank you!!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Jones
You said WHAT???
Funded Sep 23, 2021We were so excited to see this project get funded and to get our Qballs! These have been a lifesaver in the time of Covid-19. Since all staff and students are in masks, it's so hard to hear each other and be able to communicate well with one another. This of course limits the ability to both build community as well as learn from one another.
Students love the Qballs because they can throw and pass the ball around the room, as they share questions, thoughts, or other ideas. It makes learning more interactive and all voices get heard!
Because the project funded several Qballs, we were able to share one ball for each subject area teacher in order for it to be used in multiple classrooms and diversify it's use. So they may be used to share observations before a science lab, opinions during a socratic seminar in history, or read alouds of a novel in English class.
Thank you again for making this happen for our students! We really appreciate it!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Jones
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 11 other donors.Making Remote Learning Work
Funded Jan 30, 2021Your very generous donations have helped our students become more efficient and productive in their remote learning practices. When the pandemic struck, our technology resources were very limited and students were set up with iPads to learn online. Unfortunately for a high school student, their academic course load involves lots of typing and and the only way to do that on an iPad is to limit the (already small) screen size. Students became frustrated, resistant to school, and disengaged in classes.
Fortunately through your generosity, we secured 30 iPad cases with keyboards so students could prop up their device when learning at home, and use the keyboard and the full size of the screen for their remote classes. Immediately, students were responding about how much better the setup was for learning (and they also really like the way they could select the background color of the light up keyboard too!). Students were able to reconnect with the learning that was happening and get back on track!
Without your help, we would still be struggling with remote classes and we are so grateful to get this opportunity! We are going to continue with lots of online learning activities next year and now are even more prepared to continue making it a productive and fruitful experience!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Jones
New and Improved Robots
Funded Aug 26, 2018I started our computer science program only about three and a half years ago and it now has grown into a multi-year track where students can explore, design, create, discover, collaborate, and problem solve. Students thoroughly enjoy these classes for their unconventional, hands-on lessons. One unit that is particularly exciting for students has been the robotics unit where students use computers to program small Edison robots to perform basic tasks like move, respond to light, respond to sound, follow a maze, and communicate with other robots. When the students first program their robot, their eyes light up at the excitement that they just wrote the instructions for the robot to perform its tasks.
In past years, we have had rather large groups completing this robotics unit, which limits the access each individual student has to learning the programming of the robot. Even in large groups, everyone is engaged and excited to learn! Having smaller groups this year to program the robots has been incredible! Now all students can work in pairs instead of groups of 4-6 and each student has access to the programming aspect.
We utilize a pair programming system where one student is assigned as the "driver" and the other is the "navigator" allowing both students each role for several minutes, then switching roles. Having more Edison robots means that all students get to program the robot and learn so much better. They get to debug their code when things don't go as planned and iterate on their program as they debug.
We are so appreciative of your support to get more of these robots (and the supporting batteries!) so that all students have equitable access to materials to learn real-life computer science in our classroom!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Jones
This classroom project was brought to life by Craig Newmark Philanthropies and 3 other donors.Everyone Needs the Basics
Funded Sep 5, 2018Thank you so much for this generous donation of materials! We immediately opened up the boxes and began using the cleaning supplies in our laboratory room, the writing materials in our lessons, and the other school supplies as classroom resources.
In our school, we work a lot on literacy and annotating text. This is often done with the use of highlighters, pens, and pencils, many of which my students do not have from their own homes. Having these materials readily available to put at each group desk station has been a priceless tool. Students love having resources at their fingertips, not having to rely on a friend or teacher or breaking the instruction at all to get a writing utensil.
Because we have a lab classroom, there are several sinks around the room (one of the few classrooms to have this!) and students often need to wash hands, use tissues, or clean up their work space. Having things like soap, hand sanitizer, clorox wipes, and paper towels has allowed students the freedom to just utilize these materials without needing to go to the restroom. Because they stay in the classroom to use the materials, they miss less class and feel like it's more of a community where we share supplies.
The folders have been so so helpful in organizing student work. During each unit of instruction, students receive a classwork packet, homework packet, and vocabulary packet. They also create and utilize vocabulary matching cards. Often times, students organization skills by their sophomore year are not that great so we have used the folders to hold all of these resources during each unit. It has also allowed us to have conversations at the end of the unit about what materials will be useful for studying in the future, as they need to remove the previous unit before the new unit can go in the folder. It allows for more organization within the classroom during lessons and outside of the classroom when students are studying.
Again, we are so fortunate to have donors like you supply us with these materials that otherwise would go without being purchased due to lack of funding. Thank you again for your donation!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Jones
This classroom project was brought to life by Neukom Family Foundation and one other donor.Computer Scientists in the Making!
Funded Nov 1, 2017Thank you so very much for your generosity for our project! The resources we received have been an amazing learning tool for my students. One example of how we used the Lego blocks was to model the differences between linear and binary algorithms in our computer science class. Students were given a problem to solve, regarding how to create a building most efficiently under specific requirements/limitations. The students used the legos to demonstrate the process of building under those conditions and to model for their peers their thought process. Because many of my students learn better with hand-held materials, this was an incredible asset to this particular project. The students then used the poster paper to express how their group solved the problem and share with their peers. This is a tremendously important step in computer science, as it is a field driven on community solutions.
Additionally, we use the rubber ducks every time we have an exam, to encourage students to talk to their ducks while working through problem, as a real computer scientists might do. The ducks excite the students, allow them to have a reason to get to class on time for a test day (if they aren't intrinsically motivated to do so on their own). The games also allow the students to express learning in a fun and new way. Students are starting to learn that challenges can be just as rewarding, if not more so, than the easy stuff that they might be familiar with.
Hopefully you can now see how critical these supplies are and will continue to be for our growing computer science classroom. We are forever grateful for people like you who believe in us and the potential we have for our futures.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Jones
This classroom project was brought to life by Con Edison and 4 other donors.