Mrs. Gauci's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 139

• Hands-On Learning With Math Families

  Funded Aug 13, 2021

  Thank you so much for your generosity and kindness. We love having these math manipulatives in the classroom!

  As this grant was funded in the summer, I was able to get started with them in the classroom right away in August. I placed these snap slides and ten-frames in the math center and students were playing with them right away. We sat at the carpet and talked about how the numbers match the quantity of clips. We discussed how we slide the snap pieces and there are still the same number. This work has helped me to assess what they already know. Right now, they mostly love to snap the pieces onto the triangle frame. They also count the clips and write the numbers.

  I use the magnetic pieces on the white board to teach the class as a whole group, and to remind them of the lesson when they are "playing" with the math materials. These materials have been a great teaching tool.

  I am excited to see how they will progress with these hands-on tools to learn math.

  Thank you!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Gauci

  This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and 2 other donors.

• Risk-Free Writing with Chalk Markers and Erasers

  Funded Aug 12, 2021

  Thank you so much for helping me to put these fun chalk markers into my students' hands. We have set up our clear shields (on which we are able to write) on the tables to separate us and to help protect us in the classroom. We are using our new chalk markers on the shields to write letters and words, play tic-tac-toe and learn strategy. We are able to keep our distance from others and still work and play together. The erasers are just the right size, fitting into their hands. They erase the chalk markers on the shields beautifully.

  Thank you for helping me to teach my students how to write, share and clean up after themselves. These chalk markers and erasers write crisply and cleanly. My kids love them. Thank you!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Gauci

  This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and one other donor.

• Keeping My Kids Safe In Our Classroom

  Funded Jun 11, 2021

  Thank you for your generosity and the care that you have extended to my classroom. Having this cabinet has been incredible. I have quick and easy access to all of our Clorox wipes and hand sanitizers. All of our needed chemicals used for science and cleaning are kept neatly and securely in this cabinet. I have placed paints and extra scissors in here, as well. I can lock the doors so that students are kept safe from any accidental spills or usage.

  I am so grateful that I have a locking cabinet to protect my students from any chemicals and any harm. Thank you for your kindness.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Gauci

• Rhythm and Beluuuu(ga)s

  Funded Jul 23, 2021

  Thank you so much for your generosity. I have spent the past couple of weeks listening to these CD's and creating times for when to teach these fun lessons. I am so excited to use the rhythm sticks and ribbon bells. My students will hear songs they know and new songs, too. They will begin to appreciate jazz and blues, as well as learn language through rock 'n roll. They will create beats individually and work in unison.

  I will do my best to teach appreciation for music and different cultures. Each culture has something special to teach the world. I want my students to learn about others, and understand that differences are a good thing. Providing this variety of music and culture will help my students learn to respect others. It may even inspire a future musician or singer.

  Thank you again for helping me create this musical and educational classroom for my students.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Gauci

• Sneeze Guard Shields and Writing Boards

  Funded May 26, 2021

  WOW! This has been incredible! My students love the clarity of these plexiglass sneeze guards. The shields stand upright and sit firmly on the tables. My kids are having so much fun using the screens as writing boards.

  Yesterday, I taught them how to play tic-tac-toe. They screamed when they won! They loved learning the game and the strategy of it all. They loved being able to write on these shields. They are still learning how to play tic-tac-toe, but they are enjoying the plexiglass screens as a way to learn, instead of being just a way to separate them from each other.

  The clarity of these shields is amazing! The kids love to get close to each other, and the clarity allows them to feel that they are close. And sometimes, they do get very close to the shield. I love knowing that they are being kept safe from germs and viruses. Thank you so much! We still have two more weeks of school, and I am thrilled to get them started writing words and learning more games, like hangman and dots, a word game and a math strategy game. I am excited to use these shields next year, as well. Thank you for protecting my kids and supporting their learning in a fun way!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Gauci

  This classroom project was brought to life by Born This Way Foundation and one other donor.

• Connecting With All of My Students With Adapters

  Funded May 28, 2021

  Thank you so much for helping me to connect to my students. My students online and in the classroom are all having so much fun as we rock and move to different videos that I can now share. With the CD Drive, I can now share songs that have accompanying videos, like School House Rock and Sing & Spell. They can move to the beat (in their respective 4' cubicles) and to the directions of GoNoodle online. They are together, and yet they are still separate. They are connected.

  I can also share the pictures that I have taken of them from my phone, online and on the big screen. Having these connecting adaptors has made my online students feel just as much a part of the class as those who are attending in person.

  Thank you for providing my students and me with this amazing gift!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Gauci

• Kindergarten Geometry With Magnetic Pattern Blocks and Dice

  Funded Mar 24, 2021

  Thank you for your generous donations! My students have been having so much fun learning with these magnetic pattern block pieces and pattern block dice. They can make shapes and designs with them online and in the classroom. They hold up their magnetic boards to share what they have made, and the other children can see and get excited for them, as well.

  The pattern block dice have been especially fun. My students are learning games where they can take turns rolling the dice and filling in the game boards. They challenge each other through the clear partitions to play together, while remaining apart. Online, they can play in partners or play against the teacher. They love challenging me to a game of "Fill the Hexagons" where we roll the dice and fill the hexagon with that shape, one piece/roll at a time. The first person to fill all six hexagons wins! The square and rhombus don't fit, and so a turn is missed. The kids love to beat the teacher! They love to play with friends. Thank you for helping me keep my kids connected while they remain 4 feet apart and still continue to learn new concepts.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Gauci

  This classroom project was brought to life by A Northern California family and 4 other donors.

• Getting Ready For Our Return To The Classroom

  Funded Apr 12, 2021

  Thank you for your generosity! Your donations have helped my students to return to the classroom in a safe manner. We have our face shields and our soap to keep us protected from any germs or viruses that attempt to come into the classroom.

  My students are so happy to have foam soap for clean hands. It smells wonderful and kills germs and viruses. We have separate containers for our manipulatives. And we have envelopes to sort our papers and materials without the need to share, so that we don't accidentally share germs.

  Each student has their own 4' cubicle or half of a table with a table shield to protect them from others across the table. They wear their masks all day. But, when we do phonics, I have to see their mouths move and hear their voices enunciate the sounds. So, the masks can come off and the face shields go on (while they remain in their cubicles). In this way, my students still have protection beyond the cubicle and I can see and hear that they are enunciating correctly. The sounds of B & P, and M & N can be so similar. Seeing their mouths and helping them form their mouths to create the proper sounds has been so rewarding. Thank you for helping me help my children.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Gauci

• Self-Checking Subtraction Machines

  Funded Mar 24, 2021

  Thank you for your generosity and help in teaching my students their subtraction facts. These subtraction machines are so fun and helpful. They reinforce lessons that I have taught and empower my students to learn math facts by finding the answers quickly and accurately. Having the correct answers immediately ready for self-checking helps my students to learn and retain the correct math facts. They know what they have to learn and what they need to practice. In addition, they find patterns in the subtraction machine, helping them again to learn their subtraction facts.

  My kids are always so happy when they can bring home materials to practice with their parents at home. Home materials help the parents to reinforce what the kids are learning at school, to make a better home-school connection for learning.

  Thank you for these subtraction machines. Thank you for helping me reinforce our subtraction facts at home.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Gauci

  This classroom project was brought to life by A Northern California family and one other donor.

• Art in Many Colors

  Funded Mar 20, 2021

  Thank you for adding color to my lessons, our homes and our classroom! We have been learning about holidays and traditions. We've created leprechauns, bunnies, dogs, and lambs. We are incorporating art into our science lessons with bumble bees and earth projects. We have seen weather changes, learning about the sun, rain and rainbows. We have created fun pictures with our colored paper and scissors.

  We have also been learning to follow directions and create with flowing lines during our directed draws. We have had the most fun painting our drawings.

  My students have been adding color and art to so many lessons that they are now referring to our past projects to recall the lessons they have learned, like bees and pollination, or the land and water masses on the earth's surface.

  We are having so much fun learning with color, and learning by doing. Thank you for making our homes and our classroom full of color and full of memories of things we have learned. My students are so proud of their work and have gained positive self-esteem and confidence. Thank you.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Gauci

  This classroom project was brought to life by Allstate Foundation and one other donor.