Past projects 7
Social Emotional Learning Is So Important!
Funded Jul 9, 2024Thank you very much for helping bring social emotional books into my classroom. The Little Spot book series your donations helped purchase have been a HUGE hit with the kids. The books are age appropriate and address many important issues. I keep the books in our classroom library and students often pick them during free time in the morning or put them in their book bags for independent reading.
As a teacher, I've used these books to discuss topics like kindness, respect, going to school, and learning to read. The other 1st grade teachers on my team have used them, too. So your donations are not only helping my students but the whole grade. I have also used and shared the calming strips. These strips have been great on desks and on laptops to help fidgety kids stay focused.
Once again, thank you very much for your kindness and generosity. My class and I are most grateful.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Alonardo
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Supporter and 3 other donors.Super Duper Reading Seating
Funded Jun 28, 2024We are so thrilled to be using the stools your generous donation helped purchase. We use them every, single day at the two teacher tables in the room. The chairs are sturdy, comfortable, stackable, and brighten the entire room. My little learners can finally sit at these teacher tables without wiggling all over. This helps them stay focused and learn so much more. I can't begin to explain how nice it is for me to not have to spend valuable time reminding students to stay seated while at my table. It has completely changed everything I can accomplish when the students are in front of me.
One added benefit of these stools is that I can easily grab one, carry it around my classroom, and pull up next to a table of students to help them. Not only have I found myself doing it, but other teachers who come into my room to help students are doing it, too. Needless to say, these stools are a game changer!
These stools are going to help my current students and many others for years to come. Thank you so very much!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Alonardo
A Clean Class Is a Happy Class!
Funded Feb 25, 2024I can't thank you enough for the chair covers. They have made a HUGE difference in my class in such a short amount of time. As soon as I received the package, I couldn't wait to get my students' names into the sleeves and get the classroom organized. I love how each student can now easily keep all of their materials right at their fingertips. They are learning how to be responsible for their own materials and keep their folders and notebooks organized.
I love how these chair organizers save me so much time. Before I had these chair pockets, I had to store notebooks and folders in baskets by table number and ask students to get the baskets for their table, then, when we were finished, gather up the supplies, put it back in the basket, and return the basket to a shelf. Well, no longer do we have to go through this arduous process thanks to you!!
I have gotten tons of compliments about how cute the chair pouches are, too. They really do brighten up the room. I can't wait to use these for years to come.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Alonardo
WE LOVE TO READ GRAPHIC NOVELS
Funded Sep 2, 2021Thank you SO MUCH for helping my class get new, cool graphic novels to read. Even though the students in my class are only 6 and 7 years old, they want the newest and coolest titles to read. Thanks to you generosity, my students have exciting books to read.
The students in my class get a chance to read everyday. I am also very fortunate in that I have many adults in my class to come and read with the students. This exponentially increases their joy for reading. This extra attention coupled with the new titles purchases as a result of your donations are making a HUGE difference in my first graders' reading ability.
Thank you once again. Happy New Year!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Alonardo
This classroom project was brought to life by Dollar General Literacy Foundation and 2 other donors.Learning OUTDOORS!
Funded Oct 2, 2020THANK YOU very much for funding my project "Learning OUTDOORS!" This year more than any other year, the students enjoyed being outside. Wearing a mask all day long can be exhausting at any age, but when you're 8 or 9 years old, it can be especially difficult. Being able to go outside allowed the students to work closer together and get a break from wearing a mask. When the restrictions on mask wearing outdoors were lifted, the kids simply could not get enough of being outside.
When the students first got to see the blue Adirondack chairs your generous donations provided, their eyes lit up! Being able to sit in a comfy chair outside as opposed to sitting on the ground was a total game changer. The students were excited to do their work under a tree in the shade or read in the sun like a day at the beach. As their teacher, I was particularly grateful for these chairs because it allowed me to take MY mask off and teach with my whole face. This may not seem like a big deal, but SO much can be conveyed with your face. For kids who struggle with language because English is not their native tongue, being able to see my facial expressions in conjunction with my words is invaluable.
I also want you all to know that your donation will be used to help more kids. I am teaching summer school in just over a week and plan to make good use of the Adirondack chairs to LEARN OUTDOORS once again. Your donation to this project is going to help make learning fun for students for many years to come.
THANK YOU again. Without generous people like yourselves, us teachers could not bring our ideas to life.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Alonardo
Historical Fiction Rocks!
Funded Sep 29, 2019My class and I thoroughly enjoyed the book Front Desk that your generous donation allowed us to experience. I read the book everyday after recess and the students never wanted me to stop! Each day they would beg me to read more and couldn't wait to hear what happened next. The students would talk about the main character Mia as if she was a real person. One student enjoyed the book so much that she looked up the author and read more about her life story (the book is based on her own issues as she emigrated from China to the United States).
The book had so many pertinent social topics that generated rich, thoughtful discussions amongst the students. It also had loads of figurative language and expressions that we continue to reference even though we finished the book. The class's favorite quote from the book was when Mia's father told her that she "was not a bike." Earlier in the story, Mia's mother referred to Mia as a bike while other kids were a car when it came to her English language and writing. The students were upset about this and LOVED it when her father made her feel better. In fact, a student made a poster with this phrase to hang in the classroom to remind them all that they are all "cars."
Thanks again! We could; t have had such a memorable experience without your generous donation.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Alonardo
Listen, Read, Discuss, Create!
Funded May 6, 2019Thanks to your generous donation, my students were able to read along with their own shared copy of "Out of My Mind." While I read out loud, students were able to follow along, viewing the text while listening to proper intonation and emphasis. This helped them understand how a complex text with more advanced grammatical structures should sound. Additionally, it helped them identify new vocabulary (they were more likely to ask me about unfamiliar terms) or recognize words that they may have seen before but were pronouncing incorrectly.
This was the first book all year that I can say was truly inspiring and thought-provoking for all of my students regardless of reading level. Holding their own copy of the book really helped my students stay engaged. They were more apt to ask thoughtful questions or answer questions that I posed to them. The students debated controversial topics and discussed events related to the plot with remarkable maturity. Every student in my class had a positive experience and will surely remember it for years to come.
Once the book was completed, my students worked in groups to plan, design, and promote a product that would help a student with the same disability as the main character. This cross-curricular connection to STEM really helped my students not only empathize with the character, but also with others who face challenges in daily life or in a classroom. Students designed products such as extended straws, self-brushing toothbrushes, sticky hand gloves that would allow someone to hold items more easily. The students then wrote promotional advertisements for their product and presented it to the class. Without your generous donation, my class would have missed out on an incredibly positive experience to end their 4th grade year.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Alonardo
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 7 other donors.