Past projects 8
Bright Blue Bins
Funded Jan 24, 2025What a difference a bin makes! We had everyone take everything out of their desks. We had them put all their folders in their bin first, followed by any workbooks. We had them put their pencil cases and any crayon and/or marker boxes on the sides of the bin.
Our students are now keeping their materias so much neater and more organized. They can also access their items so much quicker than before! I don't know why we didn't do this sooner! It's all thanks to you, our incredible donors! Thank you so much from the bottom of our teacher hearts!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Mahalko
Helpful Water Bottle Holders
Funded May 3, 2022Thank you so very much for your generous donation to our classroom! Thanks to you, our classroom is a much quieter, drier place, LOL! There is no more CLANG from the stainless steel water bottles falling off of the desks or spilling all over the place. Thanks to the foam water bottle holders you provided us, our classroom is a much more "sensory-friendly" space! What a difference such a tiny thing can make! The children LOVE them! They were so excited when they arrived and couldn't wait to try them out! They fit so many different sized water bottles as well, so they are very practical. They are also very sturdy and easy to clean, so they will last us for years to come! Thank you for having such a positive, long-term effect on our classroom! We sincerely appreciate it!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Mahalko
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 9 other donors.Life Hack Books for 2nd Graders!
Funded Jan 30, 2022Thanks to your generosity, the Ninja Life Hacks series of books has had a positive impact on our classroom. Many of the books deal with "Growth Mindset" topics, which has been a large part of our classroom this year. With a growth mindset, we talk about our elastic brains, how making mistakes are helpful, and the power of "yet". Each Life Hack book focuses on a different concept. The "Focused Ninja" book, for example, emphasizes how one can try to be more aware of when we are and aren't focused, and teaches strategies to help with being more focused. After one of our students read "Focused Ninja", they were able to recognize themselves as having difficulty staying focused. They chose to try out a few of the strategies in the book, saying "Maybe that can help me!" And they did! A teacher can't ask for better than that! When a student demonstrates self-awareness and advocates for themselves to create a better learning environment, that student is certainly going to meet their full potential! Thank you again for this amazing series of books. They've definitely had a positive impact this year, and we look forward to using them in the years to come! Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Mahalko
Yay for Outdoor Play!
Funded May 25, 2021Thank you so very much for your generous donation! Thanks to you, the materials we ordered enabled our students to go outside and have fun, when we had no equipment!
When the materials arrived, the children were so excited and couldn't wait to get outside to use them! The pump we purchased with your donation was key in terms of getting all the balls blown up quickly, so we could use them right away!
We even taught the children how to play Kickball and had some great games, once everyone understood the rules. The multiple jump ropes your donation provided enabled the students to work on their jump-roping skills! They even made up some new games and ways to jump!
Our classroom has been so fortunate to be the beneficiary of materials and equipment from your generosity and we sincerely appreciate it! We are sorry we weren't able to provide pictures, but please know we made good use of the items!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Mahalko
Bins & Stools
Funded May 4, 2021We wanted to take a moment to thank you so very much for your generosity. Thanks to your donations, we were able to get the bins and stools we requested. The materials arrived so quickly! The children were so excited to see their very own bin when they arrived at school! Now they have a safe place to store their jacket, book bag, lunch box, and Chromebook throughout the day. The classroom looks much neater, and it is much safer! We are no longer tripping over items that fell off the back of their chairs onto the floor. The children thank you!
The teachers also thank you! You have relieved us from our back pain. Prior to the stools, we would have to go from student to student, bending over their desks for a few minutes. The stools enable us to scoot from student to student to provide assistance/help as needed, quickly and efficiently. The children get a kick out of seeing us scoot around!
Your donations provided us with two simple items that have made a huge impact in our classroom! Thank you so very much!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Mahalko
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 4 other donors.LEGOS in Our Makerspace!
Funded Dec 20, 2019Ours students were SO INCREDIBLY excited to receive our brand new Lego kits! These kits will seriously increase and improve our Lego collection! In our classroom, we do a program called MakerSpace. MakerSpace is an engineering design program in which students are involved in creative projects. They come up with an idea, devise a plan, carry out their plan, then reflect and revise as necessary! In particular, we have a new unit coming up in Social Studies, where we will be learning about the similarities and differences between urban, suburban, and rural communities. We will use our new Lego kits to create models of urban, suburban, and rural communities! Sorry we don't have picture of that to show you! Thank you again so much for your incredible kindness! We sincerely appreciate it!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Mahalko
This classroom project was brought to life by Endless and 8 other donors.Help Us Get Our Teach On!!
Funded Apr 11, 2019Thank you so much for sending me to the 2019 Get Your Teach On conference! My students are now benefitting from your generosity!
The conference provided me with the opportunity to network and interact with my co-teacher as well as teachers from all over the United States. We attended hands-on workshops that focused on how to get children engaged in learning.
One of the biggest take-aways for me was the workshop about using music to enhance content and routines in the classroom. I was inspired to write two songs. One was about lining up, as our children were having difficulties getting into two straight lines. I am happy to report that now that we sing "Line Up and Walk With Me" to the tune of "Shut Up and Dance With Me", the class has no problems lining up any more! We wrote another song about regrouping, when our children were having trouble with that concept when adding 2-digit numbers. "Old Town Regroup", sung to the popular tune "Old Town Road" has helped the children tremendously! (Both songs are attached in the photos). Thank you again for your kindness and generosity! It was most appreciated!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Mahalko
Make Room for Our Reptile!
Funded Aug 16, 2019The children were so excited to receive all the new equipment for our bearded dragon's upgraded tank! Once I was able to set up the tank, I added a new accessory or feature each day. The children couldn't believe it and were so thrilled to see what was added each day. They indeed were very impressed!
As you can see from the pictures, our beardie Spike was in desperate need of an upgrade! The first couple of pictures are from when we first got him, in January of this year. He's grown so much! He is really enjoying all the extra room he has in the new tank. In addition, the front opening makes it so much easier to tend to Spike on a daily basis.
We cannot thank you enough for your generosity and helping us to make this happen! Next up, we are starting to do "Makerspace" in our classroom! This is a very open-ended activity in which the children utilize the engineering design process (ask a question or determine a need, imagine, plan, create, and improve) in self-designed projects. We may be in need of materials in order to make this successful, so please stay tuned! Thank you again for your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Mahalko
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 11 other donors.