Past projects 5
Jiu Jitsu Belts For Middle School Jiu Jitsu Club
Funded Mar 12, 2023The kids were so excited to get their very own jiu jitsu belts! I had gotten jiu jitsu gi donations from my connections in the local BJJ community. I passed out the gis and then I tied their belts on them. They couldn't believe that I got gis in their size and belts as well.
I asked one of my coaches to come and teach one day, and we were able to recognize a few of the kids who had put in enough mat time with their first stripe on their white belts. this was a really big moment for the kids, and they were all really proud and excited.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Rageth
This classroom project was brought to life by Mission Tiger and one other donor.Martial Arts Club Materials for Middle School
Funded Dec 9, 2022On behalf of my students, I would like to thank each and every one of you. For a first year club, we had up to 10 students participate which is impressive considering there were many other clubs being offered at the same time including eSports (video games).
When I first received the mat tape and cleaning supplies, one student who had participated on the wrestling team asked why they had not cleaned the mats during wrestling season. Since January, we have met every day Tuesday through Friday, and no one has needed to miss jiu jitsu because of skin infection or injury. The lack of skin infections is especially a big victory because they are so contagious and middle schoolers are not always the best at showering after practices. The ability to clean the mats as a team kept us all healthy, training, and learning responsibility for our materials.
Students have enjoyed learning techniques that they can apply to wrestling next season. It is also my hope that this club has been an inspiration for students to continue learning jiu jitsu and other martial arts in the future. They have also learned strategies to apply in their lives outside of jiu jitsu: there are many solutions to a problem, it's best to deal with the most pressing problem first, and solving problems requires patience, timing, and perseverance.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Rageth
This classroom project was brought to life by DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation - Sports Matter and 6 other donors.English and Spanish Books to Dazzle Fourth Grade Readers
Funded Aug 14, 2019My bilingual students are ecstatic about the new books in our classroom library this year! With this project, I asked for two copies of each book. I did this purposefully. By ordering two copies of each book, my students are reading the books at the same time as another student. The kids are then able to help each other comprehend the text better because they are then able to have rich conversations around the books as they read.
The kids are working on developing vocabulary in two languages, reading rich literature, and are able to have discussions about such things as the author's message, figurative language, and more. The real power in this project is in the discussions that students are able to have as they read their books. So often readers read a great book and then want to talk to someone about it. With many of the other books in my library, I only have one copy, so they aren't able to talk about the books with their classmates.
With these books, my kids are able to share their excitement, their struggles, and their connections with the stories as they read them. They are the most read books in my library, and my fifth grade colleague is also sending her students to borrow some of the books to enjoy. My favorite part is sharing in their excitement in our Literacy Lunches. When my students finish reading a book with their partner, they have lunch with me and we talk about the book.
Thanks to your generous donation, reading is really becoming a celebration in my room. Students are excited to recognize another's interest in a book and be able to read it with them. Even my more reluctant readers are less reluctant because they have a friend motivating them to keep reading their book. My students are recommending books to friends and really paying attention to what books others are reading and asking to have the book after they finish.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for making this possible. The difference is astounding!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Rageth
Classic Authors for a Class of 1st Grade Characters
Funded Oct 4, 2014"These donantes are the best!" "They bought us ALL these books?!" "There must be a million books here!" These were just some of the comments I was able to write down as I opened the boxes and boxes of books that we received thanks to your donations. "Donante" is the Spanish word for donor that we learned as I explained to the students how we were able to get all of the wonderful titles that I now have in our classroom library.
Since I first opened the boxes, these books have been my students' go-to books for putting in their book boxes for their independent reading and have been top choice when they choose the books that I read aloud to them. My students have been using these books, many of which have read the English version of the books before, to learn new words in their second language of Spanish. My native Spanish speakers are reading the quality literature that was previously only available to them on a limited basis with my still fairly new classroom library. The students have been doing some very high level thinking like comparing and contrasting characters like Frog and Toad, making text to self connections with Clifford and Curious George, and learning about environmental stewardship from the Lorax.
These are just some of the great ways that I have been able to improve my teaching and increase my students' interest in reading and thinking critically while reading. At Christmas we learned about acts of kindness as we tried to grow a paper cut-out Grinch's heart three times bigger with our own acts of kindness. In March for Dr. Seuss Day, a day that I turn into a month, we are going to learn about being a good friend from Horton the Elephant and that it doesn't matter what makes us different, we are all the same from the Sneetches. I have so many other ideas as well for these great books, and were it not for all of you, I would not have been able to do this. Your wonderful donations have greatly impacted my teaching and my students' learning. As one of my students said, "These donantes are the best!"”
With gratitude,
Mr. Rageth
First Grade Dual Language Needs Circle Time Rug
Funded Oct 8, 2013Words in one language cannot begin to describe how grateful my students and I are for your generous donations to our classroom, so we'll use 2 languages. !Gracias! Thank you! Since receiving this rug, my classroom has brightened up so much. The day after I rolled out the rug, the students immediately started commenting! They all started reading it and looking at all of the bright colors. Other teachers have come into my room and have said how beautiful the rug is.
Every morning we gather on the alfombra (the rug) with our amigos de la alfombra (carpet buddies), so that we can practice our Spanish with our partners. We sing songs and we listen to our Stars of the Week. During our reading time, our rug is now a special spot to read on, and I use the letters on the outside of the rug to tell students where to sit. During math, we use the rug to sit in a rectangle to share the things we have learned.
Basically, this rug is now the focal point of our classroom. It is the meeting place for all of our activities and lessons. Especially in the winter months, now, this rug has added a brightness and life into our classroom. From both myself and my students, I would like to thank all of you for what you have done for our classroom. The amount of good it has done cannot be measured.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Rageth