Past projects 6
Creativity and Literacy in the LMC
Funded Mar 2, 2025Wow! I feel so incredibly fortunate that you chose to bless us with this project fulfillment. Thank you for helping me give my students more tools to explore their creativity! You’ve made a loyal customer! Words cannot describe what I am feeling at this moment. Thank You Panda Express!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Lofgren
This classroom project was brought to life by Panda Cares.Osmo Fun and Learning
Funded Jan 28, 2020I cannot thank you enough for your support. My students really enjoyed the time we had with our Osmo's. The learning that occurred was joyful to watch. Our diverse student population really enjoyed utilizing every aspect of these games.
Sometimes, as an educator, you get a class that is very tricky to teach. You have to find ways to engage them and lower the risk of behavior problems. Some of my toughest students were engaged with the Osmo's. They most enjoyed the Pizza game, where students not only had to work with customers in a timely manner, but also had to pay rent and for supplies. They loved these real life skills and worked hard to get good reviews at their restaurant!
Thank you for giving my kids the opportunity to practice letters, shapes, business management, words, math, and cooperative learning with these amazing educational tools. We're truly grateful!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Lofgren
This classroom project was brought to life by Endless and 6 other donors.One Stitch at a Time: Maker Movement
Funded Dec 3, 2019It took a while to get our project up and running. We had the sewing machines since Christmas, but I had to work on getting fabric donated so that students could start to work on things. Getting fabric donated was more difficult than predicted. "Sew" far the sewing machines have been very well received! We placed it in the library as a Makerspace item. Students are able to use the machines if they are caught up on work, need a break from class, during lunch or before/after school.
We've had a number of students, including some of our male students, getting excited about using the sewing machine. The kids enjoy the fabric choices and we have a few teachers who've come in to help us to set up the machines. Students have learned how to thread the needles and sew small projects. Many students have referred to the books purchased for creation ideas. The students are very excited and have begun making "scrunchies" and pencil holders. Some have even attempted bags for reusable straws! We even had one student with a ripped pair of pants who was able to repair the seam!
Thank you so very much for your generous donation. I'm sure it will definitely be used in our library for years to come. It is so very important to have a variety of items for students to experience in these middle school years of their lives. We may have the next Louis Vuttion from our school! Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Lofgren
This classroom project was brought to life by An anonymous classroom supporter and 10 other donors.Uke Can Do It! : Staying Loud in the Library
Funded Nov 18, 2019I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the funding of our six ukuleles and instructional booklets. This investment has been joyous to watch in the hands of our students. The kiddos who walked in and saw them were chomping at the bit to begin playing. I eagerly encouraged them to do so! Their middle school faces lit up!
We held our first meeting this week. Now, our students are excited to meet every Monday. They are positively eager to check them out and bring them home. Students I normally have a hard time getting off of their chromebooks during lunch were more than willing to try out the ukuleles. My students were all smiling from ear to ear. The best part for me is that students are teaching me how to play. Quite a few have experience and want to bring in theirs from home. I have a feeling this club will rise in popularity!
I'm hoping that we can learn to play a few songs together and will be able to play for the school during an assembly. Our strings teacher is also in a Ukulele group and is planning on coming in and teaching us some things too.
Thank you donors! Your generosity is greatly appreciated!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Lofgren
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 10 other donors.Being Loud in the Library is Encouraged!: Now let's jam!
Funded Jul 2, 2019With the busy start to the school year, our time was limited for our new Specdrums. Our students have been asking to use them during our free lunch periods and during our Resource times.
I've also introduced them at my new Arts Integrated elementary school and purchased more sets! We have lessons plans for how we're going to use the Specdrums and the Spheros with students over the course of the school year!
Thank you to all my donors for your generosity and for engaging my students in new learning.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Lofgren
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 6 other donors."Wonder" What Compassion We Can Learn
Funded Nov 6, 2017I have to begin by thanking you. My students were greatly impacted by viewing the movie Wonder in the theater. So many of our students come from low income homes that a trip to the movie theater is not generally an option. The students that went all read the book, some more than once and were excited to see it on screen. So many great discussions were had after the movie, one of our chaperone's had this to say, "... I am approaching my 30th year here and I have to say that accompanying the classes to this movie today was one of my most heartfelt moments. Watching and listening to the kids during the movie was a great experience. I saw tears shed by some of the toughest ones in the bunch. The comments I heard from boys and girls alike were inspiring. You could tell that this movie hit home. ' I cried tears of joy when Auggie got the award', 'I felt bad when his friend talked about him', 'I am never going to say anything mean again', 'His family is so loving', 'I almost cried but fought it back because I am a boy' the list goes on." The kids were very excited that our largest donor was able to join us at the movie and gave her a standing ovation. Most created "thank you" cards we gave to her.
One of my favorite pieces of this whole event were the conversations that took place afterward, whether it was in line for the buses or in our library skills classes or within regular classrooms, students were made to feel something. Anyway we can build empathy and compassion in students through literature or movies is a step in the right direction.
When we returned to school on the same day of our trip, I had arranged to have a former student with Treacher Collins Syndrome come and talk to the students. Her speech was a fantastic connection to the book, the prior conversations, and all of the other build up on differences and facial anomalies. The students really seemed to get her message of inclusion and anti-bullying.
Many of my students were so touched by the discussion raised during this movie, the book, and the speaker they wanted to have a fund-raiser to donate money to those who have facial anomalies. We brainstormed a variety of ideas and they came up with the idea of selling a bracelet. They researched costs on various companies, how to get the best deal, and came up with an action plan to advertise them as well as a schedule for sales. They worked collaboratively to design a bracelet and create fliers. They are selling them to other students in our schools. They've been selling them at lunch, after school, and even to other schools. The students want to "Choose Kind" and wanted to find a way they could help give back to others. I'm so proud of their planning and that they want to help those who may not be able to afford the cost of the expensive surgeries many with facial anomalies need.
Students have been looking for random acts of kindness and leaving positive notes on desks. There will be a Kindness Olympics in February. My sixth graders have created anti-bullying public service announcements. Overall, I think that we have made a positive change in our school. The reading of R.J. Palacio's Wonder and movie of the same title has benefited our students greatly. Thank you for helping us to spread kindness in our school and our community!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Lofgren