Past projects 21
We Have A Dream
Funded Mar 13, 2014There is nothing more important than getting books into the hands of young children. In my case...I feel like it is extremely important since most do not get read to at home. Having books on tape/cd is wonderful. While I am reading with children in small group another small group can have a story read to them. They love going to the listening center. Their writing is wonderful afterward. But to have informational text for them to listen to and then retell important facts and details to me is beyond wonderful. Students lack exposure to real life. They are mostly read or told stories of fiction. For them to ask, "Mrs. Fleak did this really happen?"and then express their thoughts and feelings is beyond imaginable. The joys of reading has begun for these children and you are to be thanked beyond words for your help and support.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Fleak
Laptop Needed
Funded Jan 10, 2014The new lap top has been wonderful. I am extremely grateful for all who gave for my classroom. The kids are able to practice their sight words on it. My very low students get on everyday and I can see a tremendous growth in their academic progress. My high students are getting on and writing their own stories. 5 of my students just won a local writing competition for their writing. How wonderful is that. They were so proud of the medals they won. Their parents were extremely proud too. Thank you! I have my on-line testing in reading next week and math the following week. The students have been able to practice these skills. I know they will do better because of this practice. There are no words to explain how blessed I feel to have your help and support. You have made this year wonderful and many more years. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Fleak
Heidi Songs Wanted
Funded Nov 19, 2013I was so thrilled to get the Heidi songs before Christmas break. We spend every morning doing a reading CD and then in the afternoon we sing and participate with a math CD. I can not tell you what an inspiration and impact this has made on my class. One boy in particular who is very shy has even started standing and whispering the songs to himself. This has helped him. He now can recall 10 sight words in a very short period of time. Another girl as she was writing in her journal was singing one of the songs to herself to remember how to spell it correctly. I had to grin to myself as I was watching and listening to her. WOW!!! Is all I can say. I still have a whole semester left and this is going to help motivate and extend their learning even greater. I believe involving all of the students sensory methods while learning these sight words is causing the greatest impact. Thank you for helping my class achieve their success.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Fleak
Classroom Rug
Funded Aug 25, 2013My classroom rug is unbelievable. I have 22 students this year. 16 are EL and out of those 10 are either preproduction or beginners. This means they know very little of the English language. This rug has been amazing. First it has stopped the behavior problems I was facing during floor time. They each have their own square to sit in and they know that is their space. The kids are taking ownership of this space. We are asked to do morning meeting each day. One component of morning meeting is a whole group activity. I have miniature items that goes with each letter of the alphabet. I will show the item. The students will say the item and then stand on the letter that that item begins with. If they don't know what the item is or afraid to speak like one of my precious girls I say it and then they go stand where they are suppose to. This one girl in particular I can easily check if she recognizes beginning sounds by going to the correct letter to stand on. It has been wonderful. We also play hop out the word. I will call three students up. And I will give them a word. For example cat. They each stand on a letter within that word. Then the whole class stretches or segments that word....as we do they hop on the letter as we stretch. They love it. This is helping them on so many levels. And to me the most important factor they do not have to sit on the cold tile floor. There is enough room on this rug that during math centers I can have four different groups working on their centers at once. It is amazing. The kids are laying down reading and working. Wonderful! I feel blessed and grateful. You are all truly a blessing sent from above to help my class and future classes. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Fleak
Basic Art Needs
Funded May 23, 2013On behalf of my students and myself, I would like to thank you for your generous donation
of art supplies for our classroom. Your contribution makes it possible for us to have hands on learning all year long within our classroom. We have been in school for 16 days. Already we have used the play dough stampers to stamp our names in the writing center and stamp the sight words in the writing center. We have used the paper for several different projects. I feel strongly against worksheets. I feel the kids learn more by doing. For examples in math we are working on the numbers 0-5. The kids have made circle maps for each of the numbers. We did one circle map each day for 5 days. I had a mom come in Friday and help the kids with their first painting project. They used their new number stamps and paint and stamped the numbers 0-5 in order. The mom was impressed how 20 out of 22 students knew these numbers and knew which order to place them in. We have used the foam letter puzzle pieces to write our names and sight words. We have used some construction paper to make a number flip book. We have used the construction paper to make a reading book about their colors. They wrote I see red. I see blue. ect to make a rainbow. They read these books to me in reading. During math they took cereal and sorted the colors on their rainbow before they could eat their snack. This hands on approach is working. I have one father who emailed me and said he asked his son how school was. This boys response..."Dad school was fun. I learned a song for like, how to spell like. We played in played and discovered how to form like and then in math after we sorted our colors with cereal we had to create the word like. I think I like school. I also think I am falling in love with my teacher. She is so fun!" How could I as a teacher not smile as I received this message. This is what teaching is about. Kids loving to learn and able to appropriately use the ability to dig deep into the basic foundations of learning. I was thrilled and elated when I received my boxes of goodies. I promise from the bottom of my heart that I will give these 22 students the best reading and math foundation I possibly can. Thank you again for your help and support.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Fleak
Grasping the Mathematics at a Young Age
Funded Apr 18, 2013When this box of math materials arrived at school I was thrilled. It came at the greatest opportunity ever. My kindergarteners this year had to take an achievement test. Yes bubbles and all. It has been very tiresome and long. The box arrived two days before the test. Not only where they just as excited as they would be at Christmas but I was able to do wonderful math reviews and after 2 1/2 hours of sitting and testing the students were excited and thrilled to learn more. These games made reinforcing this year a breeze. One student was yes I want to do the monkeys. He has so much trouble counting one on one this was perfect for him. The reading word problem game....one boy was "Hey, Mrs. Fleak look here I used my sight words. Read this sentence. And did my math. Aren't you proud of me?" I could not have been any more proud of him. I was elated. I was so scared that my child with aspergers would have a very hard time during achievement test. Not a problem. I let him choose every morning before the test what he would like to review first ad saved it for him. He did GREAT!!!! This was a HUGE defeat in itself. The best part is I can end the school year strong and begin the coming year even stronger. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Fleak
Updated Technology For an Inner City Classroom
Funded Feb 24, 2013I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the funding of the ipad for my classroom. This investment has been nothing less than life altering for me. This may sound like an exaggeration, but I assure you that after spending just a day allowing the kids time to explore and learn the atmosphere of the classroom changed 100%. Having 29 students in a classroom is not an easy task. The ipad has not only helped my students with addition, subtraction, sight words, but also behavior. My child that has asperger will now work calmly for ipad time. My autistic child has mastered several sight words, the majority of my class are english language learners and their language and vocabulary has doubled. I feel I can now be a more effective teacher. Without question, I am able to accomplish and reach more students now than I had before the ipad.
Thank you again, I (we) greatly appreciate it. Knowing I will have it this year and years to come is a wonderful and exciting feeling!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Fleak
Nutrition For Kindergarten
Funded Feb 9, 2013This is just a small token of my gratitude for your generous donation to my classroom. The nutrition hands on manipulatives are a wonderful addition to my students and learning not only things they are good for your body but applying orally language to their daily vocabulary and adding these items into their writing centers to write about and their reading centers to read and manipulative different sentences about. We've used this already in whole group and getting ready to apply them in small literacy centers.
Our school is currently facing a budget shortfall, so without your help, my students never would have had these vital resources. For beginning EL students and for inner city students vocabulary and language is one of the most important indicators of continue academic success.
Students that live in the inner city have poor nutrition styles. This is a perfect way for me to incorporate all of my teaching standards and objects and make it apply to their daily lives.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Fleak
This classroom project was brought to life by Produce For Kids & Publix and 14 other donors.From Mess to Clean
Funded Jul 23, 2012Thank you for your generous gift of book bags, logs and frog die cuts, pop it frogs and note pads. Plus the biggest gift my book bags for the back of the chairs. My students have what they need at the back of their chairs. This is wonderful! I have 28 students I am responsible for this year. I have two autistic children. This has been a major plus for them. They are able to keep everything they need right at their desk without being so overwhelming for them. I am able to use these bags in the writing centers too keep their paper and supplies ready to use when the students rotate from center to center. The book bags are great because each student can keep the books on their level handy and ready to read. Having the frog note pads sitting at my desk I have been much better about writing parents positive notes each week. The students love these words of encouragement and the parents have enjoyed hearing positive things their child is doing during the week. I feel very blessed and honored for your donation to my classroom. The bags I will be able to use for many more years to come.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Fleak
Math Basics
Funded May 22, 2012I now have 28 kids I am responsible for throughout the school day. Teaching math to them has become a joy and pleasure. The kids don't moan but get excited. They each have a game that corresponds with the common core standards that they may choose after they have completed their math assignment. I have been to a couple of trainings this year and my substitute has bragged about how the kids love math and quickly finish their assignment to go to math centers. The kids are learning so much thanks to your generous gift and donation. My EL students (all 18 out of 28) have expanded their vocabulary thanks to your generous hands on approach. My two autistic children have become much more involved and excited to try new and amazing manipulatives. These games are wonderful and will not only be used all of this year but future years of teaching. From the bottom of my heart thank you. I truly feel blessed and my kids are learning so much.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Fleak
This classroom project was brought to life by Tony and Nanar Yoseloff and 9 other donors.