Past projects 101
Graphic Novels for Budding Readers
Funded Dec 17, 2021We appreciate your donation to our project. Students appreciate being able to choose the books they read during their leisure reading time. Most of them have asked to keep their selections and I've gladly allowed them to.
Please know that your contribution has helped convert struggling readers, most of them English Learners, into avid readers. They have already started to ask if they will be able to get another book to take home during the summer and we are currently collecting books to make that happen.
We have seen such a difference in their commitment to reading when they have the ability to choose for themselves. Thank you for helping our kiddos find an unexpected love for reading!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Santos
Printing Goals
Funded Nov 30, 2021Thank you for your generosity. Our students now have a place to print their work with colored ink that is not constantly running out.
The majority of my students do not have printing access at home and being that many of their classes are project based, the inability to print student projects in color hinders students' ability to truly demonstrate what they have learned in its full splendor.
Having an accessible color printer has allowed our students to feel proud of their academic work.
Thank you for helping our student show what they are capable of!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Santos
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 4 other donors.School Supplies to Spark Our Minds
Funded Aug 29, 2021Thank you so much for your generous gift to our classroom. Students have been able to engage in creative projects using the crayons, colored pencils, construction paper, and glue that you helped provide.
After more than a year of online learning, students missed using their hands and creative minds to create. Students have shared that working kinesthetically has helped them as they transition back into the classroom. One student suggested that working with her hands is almost therapeutic.
Thanks to your contribution, students are beginning to feel a sense of normalcy and we appreciate that very much!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Santos
Social-Emotional Learning for All!
Funded Aug 12, 2021Thank your for sponsoring highly-needed materials around topics of mental health and wellness. I have started to read the texts provided and it has impacted the way I engage with students. I feel that I am now more in-tune with how I can engage students in terms of their mental health and wellbeing. In addition to helping me help students, the information shared through these resources have helped me feel grounded when, for example, we are notified of positive Covid cases in our student population. Anxiety raises all around and feeling grounded helps all of us.
Thank you for your kind gift!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Santos
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and 2 other donors.Graphic Novels for All!
Funded Jul 15, 2021Wow! Students have taken all of the graphic novels and read them through in a record amount of time. At home, during distance learning, many of our students did not have access to high-interest texts and many of them were eager to get their hands on physical books. The graphic novels that you helped obtain have encouraged even our most reluctant readers to engage with grade level reading materials that are not dull or boring, but fun and creative. Many students have expressed that reading these graphic novels "doesn't feel like reading."
Thank you for allowing our students to find joy through reading.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Santos
Safe Return for All
Funded Aug 13, 2021I cannot begin to describe how important your contribution to our classroom has been. With items like hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies, face masks, and disinfectant wipes, students feel safer. Truth be told, it is difficult to maintain a safe physical distance from others when our classrooms have more than 30 students that rotate in-and-out all day long. With those conditions, the only thing we can do is make sure that we are being responsible in keeping our entire school community safe.
While there have been some cases of Covid-19 at our school since our return, they have not become wide-spread. Most have been contained to one or two people, instead of entire classes. That is because we have extra masks, we have soap for hand washing, and we constantly keep our physical spaces sanitized.
Thank you for providing the resources that keep all of us safe.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Santos
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and 3 other donors.Books That Speak
Funded May 16, 2021I am glad to share that the wonderful, culturally relevant books that you helped attain for our students were distributed to them before the last day of school in June.
Many students were glad to have kind gift from you as they ended this tumultuous school year. Many of them saw themselves and their lived realities in these books, something that doesn't often happens. These stories of resilience and perseverance "spoke" to my students in ways that not many books are able to and encouraged them to be the best version of themselves.
We truly appreciate you great contribution to our classroom library!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Santos
Books That Speak
Funded May 4, 2021Thank you for your generous gift. These books have been a hit with my students. Students, for the first time for many of them, have felt connections with literary works that they hadn't before. During this pandemic and virtual learning, they yearn for activities that take them away from the screen. My 11th graders, specially, have found themselves reading for fun, something that they didn't do before.
Thank you for allowing them to find their voice in these novels and to see themselves as life-long readers.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Santos
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and one other donor.Mindfulness Is What We Need!
Funded May 4, 2021Thank your for allowing my students to each have a copy of this very important journal. Mindfulness is a topic that is greatly needed during these times of crisis. Many of my students and their families have been directly affected by the COVID virus and all of them have felt the social as well as mental health ramifications of this pandemic. Learning about and employing mindful actions has allowed students to better cope with all of their feelings and emotions.
Many of these bright 11th graders have already started writing in their journals and others have made it a goal to start during our summer break. I can't wait for next fall when they share their key takeaways from these activities.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Santos
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 2 other donors.Books that Speak
Funded Apr 17, 2021This week we transitioned from full distance learning to hybrid learning. As students enter our classroom, they are greeted with an abundance of books. Many of them have shared their surprise to see brand new books awaiting them and not just any books, but books that speak to them and their experiences. I don't think any of my students had ever been exposed to a classroom library that highlights mostly author's of color and issues faced by people of color around the world.
Already, I've had students select the novel that they will read next. When I explained to them that these books were for them to select and read at leisure, smiles immediately were drawn on their faces. I could tell even with their masks on!
Thank you for making these moments of joy possible for my students.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Santos
This classroom project was brought to life by Chevron and 2 other donors.