Mrs. Stafford's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 9

• Help the Sewing Club Serge Ahead

  Funded Sep 18, 2024

  Thank you all for your generous donation. I'm sure the students will be so excited when I tell them about it at our club meeting tomorrow. We really appreciate having the machines that will hopefully jumpstart a lifelong love of sewing, quilting and garment construction. We couldn't do it without you!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Stafford

  This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community & an Anonymous Partner and 3 other donors.

• Cosplay and Quilting Club

  Funded Oct 7, 2021

  I am always astounded at the generosity that comes pouring in when I put out a request for supplies for our classrooms and clubs. When the students saw the supplies, they immediately wanted to know what everything was for. We started out simply with some quilt squares, but just learning techniques for pressing and basic sewing inspired them to continue. Together with the fabric donated from the Philadelphia Modern Quilt Guild and friends, we've been able to make masks, scarves, quilt squares and learn basic applique techniques. The students can't wait for club day to see what we'll be working with next!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Stafford

  This classroom project was brought to life by Clorox and 6 other donors.

• Save the Cat! (And My Students)

  Funded Mar 6, 2020

  Thank you so much for all your help in providing resources for my students. Save the Cat is a great book that is accessible for all levels that I have in my Creative Writing for English Learners class. I can't wait to see what final movies and TV shows my students create as their final projects!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Stafford

  This classroom project was brought to life by A group of anonymous donors and 9 other donors.

• Teach Kids How to Sew

  Funded Oct 15, 2018

  My students are having a great time using the sewing machines and making their costumes for different events. They were jumping up and down and cheering when I opened the closet and showed them the two sewing machines and supplies that you helped us purchase. Already, they have begun new plans for the next series of costumes that they will make. One student was overjoyed with being able to take the over-sized costume that he had purchased and learning how to tailor it down to side. Thank you for all the support that you provided our club. You've enabled our club to not only learn how to make costumes, but also to let our imagination soar.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Stafford

• Film Analysis Class Needs a Big Screen

  Funded Sep 2, 2016

  This television has been an absolute necessity in my classroom. With blinds that are older than I am, the afternoon sun sparkles my white board with happy twinkly light, which is fine if one likes watching a light display, but difficult when one is trying to appreciate the genius of Stanley Kubrick's cinematography and use of color in The Shining. The ability to stream movies has also opened up so many more options for me to choose from, as well as kept the cost down, resulting in having to put less of my personal funds into providing the films that cannot be accessed through the school.

  Thank you again for your generous donation that will benefit many more years of students.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Stafford

• Technology for English Learners

  Funded Oct 28, 2014

  Thank you so much for funding a laptop for my class. The Yoga tablet computer has brought an added flexibility to my classroom. It has allowed me to work more on the go than being stuck behind a desk or platform. My students have been able to complete lessons or search for information from their desk. I appreciate the flexibility of not having to rely on the old dinosaur desktops that are nearly as old as my students for bringing English alive for my students. I truly appreciate the continued support of my classroom.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Stafford

• The Jungle Will Make Them Think

  Funded Oct 20, 2014

  With the changes and challenges we've taken on with the Common Core Standards, finding resources has been a seemingly never ending search. Books appeared on the course outline over the summer that we didn't get to order the previous year.

  The Jungle is a challenging book that is so useful in bringing today's issues to the forefront. We used it as a springboard for our policy debates where students really got to dive into an issue and defend their point of view. It was the perfect piece to pilot with the students and the class set provided me with a chance to prove to the other English teachers in my school that we could change up the curriculum and increase the rigor of our classes without leaving students behind.

  Thank you for your support.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Stafford

  This classroom project was brought to life by College Football Playoff and 2 other donors.

• Container Garden for Urban High School

  Funded Dec 19, 2013

  Any time I can bring real world experiences AND math and science into my English Language Development classroom is a blueprint for a great lesson. With enough supplies and seeds to plant five hundred seedlings, each student felt ownership over what we planted in the garden.

  We practiced both English and practical planning skills, as students had to plan their section of the garden, deciding what to plant by how big each crop would be and how much they wanted to produce. We had to work on not over watering the plants, as the first thing they wanted to do in the morning was check on their tray and pour water into it.

  Now that most of the plants are in the ground, they have the opportunity to water the garden liberally and the waiting game is in full force. More learning is to come when they see what happens if they mislabeled or over-plant a crop.

  Once again, thank you for all your generosity. As a teacher who is used to paying for most of these types of activity out of pocket, let me say you earned a gold star in my book!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Stafford

• Books for ELD Students

  Funded Nov 5, 2013

  When the students saw me opening the boxes that came like Christmas presents, they followed in my excitement. I showed them the multiple copies of Bunnicula that I had read to them aloud before Halloween from the one copy that I owned. Then I showed them "The Fright Before Christmas" and they wanted to take and read it on their own before I had them scheduled to read it. They like the Bunnicula stories and having something easy and fun to read to break up the heaviness of struggling through grade level texts. The books give them a place where they can be successful at reading and enjoy the story.

  "The House on Mango Street" is the next stop on our curriculum for ELD 3. It also gives students a story that they can identify with, and is complex in theme and symbolism, but not in reading level. It will give me a chance to provide students with Common Core aligned tasks to prepare them for the grade level instruction they will receive next year without frustrating them with texts too far out of their grasp.

  Again, my students and I thank you for your generous donation of books.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Stafford