Past projects 66
More Books Please
Funded Jan 14, 2021After my first book project of this year, I realized I needed to be more inclusive in the types of books and book levels I was providing for my students. However, that wasn't the only reason we wanted another one. They were craving more! With this project, that was so quickly funded thanks to amazing donors like you, each student was able to get 3-4 books each to add to their home libraries. The timing was perfect since my school was doing a supply drive and I was able to get the books to them faster and more efficiently.
It was refreshing to see that I could really take into consideration what kinds of books they preferred since there were more options for them to choose from, and this book set that was funded was the perfect fit for that! We are all excited that the students have more opportunities to sit down and be enveloped by a new picture or chapter book. Thank you again for your dedication to making virtual learning better.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Alston
Teaching From Home and From the Heart
Funded Dec 2, 2020As the school year continues with virtual learning I am growing more and more accustomed to working from home. For that reason, a standing desk became a necessity for me. When I received the box in the mail, I was jumping for joy and instantly put together my new standing desk. My days have already been better for me as I haven't been feeling as sluggish and fatigued sitting in a chair all day. I am so grateful that I was able to get one funded. I didn't realize how much more effective it would help make my teaching day go.
Virtual teaching requires much more planning than teaching in person does. Therefore, a Teachers Pay Teachers gift card is one of the most essential things a teacher needs. It has made planning so much faster and easier for me because I don't have to reinvent the wheel. I love being able to support the teachers who have worked hard to create lessons and materials that fit into my curriculum. The gift card will always come in handy for that. My students and I are very appreciative that we can continue to have wonderful donors that support teaching and learning in our class. Thanks!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Alston
This classroom project was brought to life by FamilyAlbum and 4 other donors.The Next Chapter
Funded Dec 1, 2020Thanks to your donations, virtual learning has really been much more enjoyable than ever. My students haven't had the same access to books since learning at home. That's why when I asked them what they wanted to help make virtual learning better for them, they specifically asked for books. Once I told them I was able to order 60 new books that will be personally delivered to their doors, they were stoked! Their reaction to seeing the big box I received from AKJ went something like, "Wow! That's a lot of books," and "When are we going to get those!?"
These books were requested for the intention to give my students something tangible to sit down and read during independent reading time at home, since most of our books are online now. We are all excited that the students have more opportunities to sit down and be enveloped by a new picture or chapter book. The looks on their faces were priceless when I handed them their two books, all thanks to you! We are very appreciative of this gift.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Alston
This classroom project was brought to life by FamilyAlbum and 2 other donors.Books That Inspire!
Funded Oct 22, 2020My students and I are so excited for the newest additions to my classroom library! Unfortunately, due to the fact that we are currently learning remotely and from home, I can't share the books directly with my students. However, reading these amazing and inspiring stories to my students through the screen brings us closer to the classroom. My students truly enjoy hearing a new and different story each week.
Currently we are doing a book study as a class with a great chapter book, but because of the limited amount of time we have and how tight our pacing is, we are unable to steer too much away from the curriculum. Although the book we are reading is a great story, it can become a little mundane because of the lessons. It is a great refresher to read a different story, even if it is once a week.
The best things about the books I chose is that they are relatable to my students, and feature characters that look like them. That is what makes the books much more enjoyable to my students. It's awesome to see how much they like to share ways that the stories connect to their lives and other stories they may have read or heard. Again, we are so grateful and will continue to look for opportunities to add to our library.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Alston
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Donor and 3 other donors.We're Basically Virtual!
Funded Oct 23, 2020Thank you so much for helping bring my project alive! With our new online resource, whole-group instruction has been a breeze. My students enjoy using Pear Deck to learn as much as I love using it to administer lessons. With the premium account I am able to easily assign slides and give students the opportunity to participate in class without the pressure of answering incorrectly. It makes it easy for everyone give input and show me what they know. It is one of our favorites to use.
My students were more excited about the supplies they knew they were getting to supplement their learning. For a while many of them were telling me about the lack of supplies they had for some of the activities we did remotely, so I wanted to give them one less thing to worry about. The original plan was to mail them out to students, but it was more assuring to deliver them or pass them out during supply distribution days at school. They were very grateful.
As we continue to navigate through virtual learning, my students and I look forward to upcoming projects that support their needs.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Alston
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Donor and 4 other donors.Special Delivery!
Funded Sep 2, 2020I want to start by thanking you for your support and thoughtfulness. My heart is always so full when a project gets donated. It's a great feeling to know there are awesome people out in this world who want to see students' needs being met. Whether those needs are academic or social-emotional related, teachers have amazing support, so thank you so much for that.
This was my second project for virtual teaching this school year, and my favorite to make. With this project I was able to attend to the emotional needs of my students by providing them with birthday surprises that I have been, and will continue, hand-delivering. These small, but special, packages show the students that although we can't be face-to-face in the classroom, I still care about and love them. The look of awe in their faces reminds me why I do what I do. The stamps will be used to send out cards later in the year, to remind my students that they haven't been forgotten.
My next project is already in action and I'm stoked about it! I have plans to use the stamps I got from this project to send supplies out to my students as they already need a refresh! I also have some new inspiring books coming my way that I can read virtually and add to my classroom library.
Again, thank you for your continued support and love for the success of students. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Alston
This classroom project was brought to life by Kleenex® Brand and 2 other donors.Keepin' It Clean!
Funded May 5, 2020My goal for this project was to be ahead of the game with the rise of Covid-19, but it turned out that I was too late. Shortly after this project was funded, schools were closed for good. I have received the items, but they have not been put to use yet. Luckily, when we return to school, I will be more than prepared to keep our environment clean and safe thanks to these thoughtful donations. I look forward to the day we can be back in person, but understand that this is the safest way to learn right now. When we do return, I would like to do projects that will help us stay close while still staying distant. I'm already thinking of pcv pipes, hand sanitizer, personal manipulatives, and personal supply bins/holders. Thank you for your continued support and love for student learning and safety.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Alston
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 3 other donors.It's a Virtual World
Funded Aug 7, 2020Virtual teaching has begun and it has been a roller coaster so far! However, one thing that has made me feel prepared for it is my at-home classroom being set up to maximize my teaching and my students' learning. Although it doesn't seem like much, the materials I received made it so that there was one less thing for me to worry about in this new virtual world. The ring light and mouse pad are the two most used items, but I have also made some helpful anchor charts with the markers I got. The highlighters have come in handy as I go through the teacher editions of two brand new curriculums. The fishing line was intended to be for hanging in my office room, but that was not successful. It will, however, become super useful once I'm back in the classroom, which I hope is very soon because I miss my kids terribly.
I want to wholeheartedly thank everyone who donated to this project. These materials were mainly to help me acclimate to the new way of teaching, and I'm so grateful that I was able to receive support in that. Look out for more projects that center around my students and celebrating them for their resilience during this time.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Alston
This classroom project was brought to life by A Generous Donor and 4 other donors.Books Wanted
Funded Mar 2, 2020The opportunity to get new books for my classroom is one I had to take. As soon as the books started rolling in, my students were all over them like syrup on pancakes! Most of them read them all before I got the chance to read them out loud to the whole class, so that's how I know they were a hit. I began getting recommendations on which books to read and which day to read them. Needless to say, my students appreciated the new reads just as much as I did.
I had ideas for using these books to tie to specific skills and lessons, but have not gotten a chance to implement that yet due to the pandemic that has caused schools to close for at least a month. My ideas are to tie the lessons of the story to topics such as theme, character development, cause and effect, and conflict and resolution. I also like to assign writing activities that tie into the theme of the story. It really gives the students a chance to connect to the story, as well as understand it on a level they can relate to.
I intentionally chose books with characters that look like the students in my class, as well as topics that they find relatable to them and their lives. I want to do another book project very soon, to introduce more stories that my students will enjoy.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Alston
This classroom project was brought to life by A group of anonymous donors and 3 other donors.Basic, But Busy!
Funded Feb 2, 2020Your items have served a great purpose in our classroom! So far we have played the bingo games, used the glue sticks for our interactive notebooks, and wrote responses to books we read during our independent reading time with the post-it notes. Out of everything we received, our favorite is the post-it note chart paper! It makes putting up anchor charts so much easier than it was before. It also allows me to quickly change the anchor chart that is being displayed since it can be taken down and put back up so easily. These little things make such a big difference in everyday activities.
My students are always excited to get new materials for our class, but they were most excited about the bingo games. They also appreciate that they don't need to share glue sticks as much as they had to before we were able to restock. We always look forward to getting more projects funded, and definitely intend to as more needs come up, or project opportunities arise.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Alston
This classroom project was brought to life by Perry and Donna Golkin Family Foundation and 2 other donors.