Past projects 101
ELD Student Research and Innovation
Funded Jun 15, 2016Wow! I'm am extremely surprised and excited to know how much my English Language Development students grew, academically and personally, last year. Students who began the school year with limited language skills were able to engage fully in the process of doing research and presenting their findings, not only to their peers, but also the rest of our leaning community.
Students engaged in research regarding higher education. They were expected to produce questions, methods of collecting data, compiling information, and exposing their work to the public. This included an oral presentation. Many of them were nervous, but pulled through like champions.
Thank you for allowing my students to feel empowered by their work and helping them develop as young people ready to face high school, college, and beyond.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Santos
This classroom project was brought to life by Gates Foundation & Think It Up Supporters and 3 other donors.Read, Write, Think...College
Funded May 19, 2016Thank you for donating 30 copies of "Return to Sender" by Julia Alvarez to our 6th-8th grade English Language Development class. We have started to read this book already and my students are absolutely captivated by the story. This work of fiction very vividly describes the experiences of many immigrants in the United States. It also highlights questions, concerns, and ideologies of Americans regarding immigration. This book's plot closely mirrors some of the stories that our students share in class. All of the students are immigrants to this country with many hopes and dreams that closely resemble those of this book's characters.
I'm sure that students will learn life-long lessons and be able to relate to this story of resiliency and acceptance. We have you to thank for this opportunity and learning experience.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Santos
Ready, Set, College!
Funded Mar 11, 2016Dear Donors,
Thank you all for our classroom materials. With the markers, paint, paint brushes, and posters, we were able to complete our final projects for seventh grade. The project consisted of engaging in research about college. We learned about preparing for college during high school--classes, extracurricular activities, and G.P.A. We learned that we have to prepare now for college.
Then, each of us was assigned a research project about a college or university. We spent a lot of time searching for information regarding our particular college/university.
Lastly, with all of our information gathered, we created posters that we presented to the rest of our class.
They looked awesome!
Again, thank you for providing those resources to us. Now, we are excited to go to high school and see what college has in store for us!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Santos
This classroom project was brought to life by Gates Foundation & Think It Up Supporters and 3 other donors.Malala and Me
Funded Aug 28, 2015I would like to thank you immensely for providing this wonderful opportunity for our students. We took 50 middle school students to view the "He Named Me Malala" film and our students were marveled with all that they learned.
Our students derive from a hard-working community that, unfortunately, is plagued by social ills such as poverty and violence.
Since violence is so normalized in their daily lives, students don't often get to see what other children their age have done to stand up against violence. We believe that since viewing the film our students have changed their perspective on violence and have taken a stance to not accept it as a normal part of their lives. Seeing Malala's struggle has inspired students to attain an education and better their communities.
In addition, after seeing the film, our students lead a campaign through which they asked local businesses and community members to donate copies of Malala's book, "I am Malala." Students aimed to get a class set of books (30), but seeing the impact that Malala's story had made, the community came together and donated more than 70 copies. Now, not only does each student get a book to use in the classroom, but also a book to take home on certain days to complete homework assignments.
Seeing the film spiraled into a massive avalanche of positivity and we have nobody else to thank, but you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Santos
The Spirit of Inquiry and Research
Funded May 19, 2015Thank you dearly for donating a new lap top to our classroom. My students have been able to engage in research projects that, otherwise, they would not be able to participate in. Students recently did research on social movements that have helped shape humanity. They first learned about some of these movements in class, but then they were in charge of performing further research about how these movements shape the world as we know it today and how these movements help answer some of the questions about life that intrigue 7th graders.
The pictures that have been included in our Thank You Packet are of students working arduously after school to complete their projects. They learned to use Power Point and are currently preparing to present their findings in front of their peers. These students are hard-working English Learners who are willing to spend a lot of time during class and outside of it to show how much they have learned.
I am grateful for your contribution since it allows my students to access information that is not readily available to them. Most of these children do not have computer or internet access at home and have to rely on the little resources that our school provides. Now, these students have another place to turn to when they need to access the world wide web for information and prepare class assignments.
Finally, they are learning to be media and technologically literate, skills that will prepare them to be college and career ready.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Santos
Technology Gap No More!
Funded Mar 9, 2015The staff, faculty, and students at our school would like to extend our gratitude for your contribution of an iPad to our school community. With this technology, our teachers have been able to engage in meaningful professional development that will definitely benefit our student population. Instead of having to miss instructional time to attend seminars and/or conferences, we've focused on efforts on online professional development. Most of our teachers have used iPads to take part in these classes that have allowed us to grow as educators. Not only have we learned about best practices and trends in education through this method, but we've also been able to share this newfound knowledge with our students.
Again, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your kind donations!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Santos
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 5 other donors.We Create, We Learn, We Succeed!
Funded Jan 25, 2015Thank you for your generous contribution. Having enough ink in our classroom's printer has provided us with the opportunity to show our work in ways that are aesthetically appealing. We feel proud of our work and enjoy showing it off to the rest of our peers, other teachers, teaching assistants, but most importantly our families. We've been able to create research projects that are related to our Marine Science theme that look amazing. During Back to School Night and Parent Conference Night, guardians are happy to see student work that shows creativity and not simply a black and white piece of paper.
Thank you once again for your amazing contribution!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Santos
This classroom project was brought to life by Quill.com FY15 and 8 other donors.Multimedia Projects to Close Technological Gap!
Funded Sep 15, 2014My students and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your generous donation to our classroom. The materials you donated make a difference in our learning everyday. We have access to technology that we didn't think possible before. We can engage in research at the tip of our fingers and can now work more effectively in groups.
As English learners, your donations have helped make us more confident readers and writers. We can now create multimedia projects that make learning fun and engaging.
We truly appreciate you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Santos
Technology: Our Universal Language
Funded Sep 15, 2014Thank you for your great contribution to our classroom!
The resources you provided have greatly impacted our learning. We now have access to technology that we didn't think possible. We no longer have to be tied to our old classroom computers and can work in groups more effectively. We can also print out or projects and have creative work to show our parents/guardians at Back to School Night and parent conferences.
We know you did not have to donate and that you did so out of the goodness of your heart. We truly appreciate all that you have done for us!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Santos
Baseball In April
Funded Sep 15, 2014My students and I are extremely thankful for your generous contribution to our classroom. The book that you donated to our class has allowed my students to practice their reading, speaking, writing, and critical thinking skills. As English Learners, they have benefited greatly. I can already tell that their confidence as readers has skyrocketed. They now are eager to raise their hands and volunteer to read, whereas before students would attempt to hide when time to read out loud came. Now, my students are asking to take the books home to do independent reading.
Students have, on their own, engaged in research about Garry Soto and have looked up more of his work. Some of them have used their library cards for the first time to check out more books by this author. Students have stated that the stories in these books are very similar to their own lived experience and have capture their attention.
Again, thank you for your generous gift that I am sure will impact the lives of countless students to come.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Santos