Past projects 19
Show What You Know!
Funded Nov 26, 2018As soon as we opened the package with our new hand-held whiteboards my students were thrilled!! "Look, they have lines on one side so we can use them for reading too!" "There are markers too...and they even have erasers on them!" were two comments I heard:) We are so thrilled to have these new hand-held whiteboards! Each afternoon during our math problem of the day, as soon as we return from recess, students know to get our their whiteboards. They solve the problem then "Show what they know!!" Everyone is eager to share their answer...with the whiteboards, each of them has a chance to shine! If I don't call on them to share with the class...they still have the opportunity to share with a neighbor:)
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts:)”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Keller
This classroom project was brought to life by Atlantic Coast Conference.Hearing is Believing! Part 2!!
Funded Dec 31, 2018WOW!!! Just wow!!! What a way to come back from Christmas beak! My students will be thrilled tomorrow when I give them the news that our new headphones are on their way! "Hearing is Believing -Part 1" was fully funded last year around this time. At that time I had 16 students in my classroom...so I did a project for 18 pairs of headphones. This year I have 22 students so each day some of the students must rely on the old earbuds the school provides. They rarely work and my 2nd graders understandably get very frustrated. Because of your generosity, each and every one of my students will have headphones that actually work! Thank you from the bottom of my heart:)”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Keller
This classroom project was brought to life by Verizon and one other donor.LISTEN, READ, REPEAT!
Funded Mar 27, 2018When we opened the box containing the wireless headphones, my students were shocked that someone would actually care enough to purchase these for our classroom! "Mrs. Keller, they bought these for us?" "No wires?" "Can I use them first?" They eagerly await their turn to use our listening center now! In the past, we had a CD player that didn't always work, headphones whose cords were always getting tangled up, and only a few texts for them to listen to.
Listening to fluent reading is a strategy used to improve fluency rates. In 2nd Grade, my students are expected to read 52 words correct per minute at the beginning of the school year. Out of my twenty students this year, sadly, only three met that goal. This listening center has helped boost their confidence AND improve their fluency rate. I am happy to say that after only 26 days of using the listening center, I now have nine students who have reached the goal of 52 words read! They are beyond proud of themselves:)
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generosity:)”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Keller
This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple and one other donor.Stressed Out!
Funded Feb 26, 2018When my students first saw their new stress balls their eyes lit up with excitement!! Finally, they had a positive way to let go of the stress in their little lives. No more punching walls, kicking chairs or knocking over computers...now they simply take out their stress ball and squeeze and stretch away!
The change in my students has been nothing short of amazing! With a way to manage their stress, they are now able to concentrate on the important business of learning while at school. Test scores have improved, their focus has been enhanced, and their behaviors outside of the classroom...while in specials, at lunchtime, and recess, times that used to be a struggle for them have become so much better!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving my students a way to manage their stress :)”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Keller
HEARING IS BELIEVING!
Funded Dec 30, 2017From the bottom of my heart I thank you for your generosity. It was like we won the lottery in my classroom the day our headphones arrived! Each and every student was wide eyed and giddy:) Some comments overheard were "Oh look how shiny and new they are!!" "Feel how smooth they are Mrs. Keller!" "Look, there is even a microphone!" " Now when we go to the computer lab ALL of our headphones will work!" It was so frustrating to have the luxury of a computer period, only to arrive and spend the first 30 minutes trying to fix the headphones. Now we simply go in and get right to work, maximizing the time we have in the computer lab. I have seen an increase in both their math and literacy technology based learning! Again, you will never truly know the impact you have had on my students, but I see it each and every day.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Keller
Help Our Class Rock the 21st Century
Funded Mar 3, 2016Dear Donors,
When I found out that Google had funded our project 100% I was speechless. Of course, because of the donation, but even more important was the donor, GOOGLE. My district provides one iPad to each classroom teacher, but it is more for our use than for the students. I am a teacher who uses the iPad more for my students. Whenever my kids have a question they will look at me and excitedly say..."Google it Ms. Sullivan, Google it!" When I told them our project had been funded by Google 16 sets of eyes opened widely and there were loud shouts of excitement! "Really? "No way!" "You're joking with us" Even though they are only 2nd graders, my students, like me, understood the connection between how often we Google information, and you being the sole donor. One little girl said "Ms. Sullivan, it's like they have cameras in our classroom and they watch us and KNOW how many times we Google things☺"
Your donation could not have come at a better time. We are writing a research report on the solar system. One search method suggested in the curriculum is using specific websites. I have 4 student computers in our classroom, but often they don't get an Internet connection. The 3 iPad minis allowed my students to quickly search websites and get more than enough information to complete their report!
My students and I are so very grateful for your donation. This year my classroom serves 16 eager, inquisitive students. Your donation not only affects this class of students, but will have an impact on all of my future classrooms as well. I can't thank you enough for your generosity, for having faith in the Public School System, and most of all, for giving 16 students the chance to "Rock the 21st Century".”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Keller
Help Light the Fire of Reading with a Kindle Fire!
Funded Mar 1, 2015Thank you so very much for your donations. My students are thrilled to have this resource! I hear comments such as "It's so easy to use", "It makes reading fun!", "It makes books come alive!", "I stayed on task and read for the whole time" (during Daily 5). Two of my favorite comments "I really felt like I was part of the book I was reading" and "I didn't want to stop." The Kindle Fire is one more way to expand our knowledge. We use the Kindle Fire every single day to research facts, play spelling and vocabulary games, and read and write stories. It is a perfect resource for Daily 5! My students can read to self, read to someone else, work on word work, and write! I will definitely be posting another project for more Kindle Fires for my classroom!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Keller
Help Supercharge Ms.S.'s Class With Technology
Funded May 17, 2014Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the iPad you so generously donated money for. I cannot even begin to explain the impact having this iPad has had on my classroom. When we are waiting in the hall for anything, I bring along our iPad. My students anxiously await their turn to hold it. Then, the other students wait patiently to see what "game" we will be playing today. Will it be a memory game with our sight words? Will it be a phonics game with long and short a? Will we be practicing our handwriting, or our sight phrases, or our spelling words? The list goes on and on. My students don't even realize they are learning when they are having so much fun!
Back to the classroom and we are talking about covered wagons. Out comes the iPad to share images and tales of covered wagons, something many of my urban students have never seen. When we read a poem about whales singing, they were confused. My students were mesmerized when the iPad played the sounds of whales communicating. "They really are singing" said Imani! Next we read about baby seals being rescued. Again, the iPad added another dimension to their learning; we watched a video documenting the successful rescue of a baby seal named Sidney.
We set a timer on the iPad to let us know when our small groups are over, and a noise-o-meter lets us know when our voices are getting too loud:) The class Dojo is one of our favorite apps! Each of my students has their own Avatar, and I can instantly send messages to their parents about their progress in school!
Every day I discover a new app for our learning! This is a gift that MANY, MANY students will benefit from through the years.
Again, this gift has greatly improved the lives of my students who have so little! Thank You!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Keller
Please Help Ms. S's 1st Grade Class Learn
Funded Mar 1, 2013This is just a small token of my appreciation for your generous donations to my classroom project. I wish you could see the faces of my students when we use our projector! They LOVE it! It is used for SO many activities! We use it for practicing and reviewing both reading and math lessons. We have Googled many things that the students have questions about. Some facts we have researched are: What is a Redwood Forest like? And what does a real heart look like? At the end of each day we use it to practice our math skills using a fun website called First In Math.
A new projector was not in our school districts budget this year, so your donations were especially crucial.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Keller