Past projects 45
Basics For My Classroom!
Funded Jul 5, 2022I am so incredibly honored that you chose to help fund this project for my classroom! It is so humbling to know that there are others out there who believe in supporting public education! With this project, my hope was to obtain as many resources as possible to help create an organized classroom this fall. Because of this grant, I was able to make, laminate and organize STEM centers using the Sterilite bins, and organize my weekly read aloud rotation using the magnetic bins. I am also very excited about the candy jar, as that will be my new prize box this year. I will fill it with all sorts of treats to help motivate my little learners. In addition, the magnetic hooks will allow me to utilize my magnetic dry-erase board more, by allowing me to hang anchor charts for my students to reference.
I cannot thank you enough for your support. I am truly so excited to utilize all these new resources in the months to come. Thank you again for your generous donation! It is so incredibly appreciated!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. S. Garofalo
Teacher Made Resources for the Fall!
Funded Aug 31, 2022Thank you, thank you, thank you! I cannot express my gratitude enough for your generosity in supporting my classroom.
The last two years have been so incredibly challenging for most of my students, and while this year we have returned to "normalcy", that doesn't mean that we aren't faced with new challenges. This year, my school's budget was cut and we lost extensive funds. Funds that would have been used for supplies, special activities, arts programs, and even the hiring of new staff. Because of this budget cut, my school had to collapse a second grade class, which ultimately increased my classroom population to a total of 29 students, the most I've ever had in my career! I am overwhelmed to say the least, but your kindness has given me hope! With your help, I will be able to use this Teachers Pay Teachers gift card for all the various different learning models I will be implementing this school year (digital centers, printable resources, guided reading reference sheets, etc.). I have already begun filling my cart with so many resources to support my students. I am finding new and creative resources to use in my classroom like math centers, spiral ELA worksheets, reference guides, social emotional activities and intervention resources. I have already purchased and laminated activities that are visual, engaging, socially emotionally targeted, and academically motivating (check out my photos! How lucky are my students?!). I have also begun making teacher-models for my students to reference after a lesson. Going forward, I am hoping to also purchase more printable graphic organizers, as well as digital lessons and activities.
The students in my school are such creative, curious, inquisitive little learners, and I know while we cannot "unbox" these resources together, they will appreciate every task and activity purchased. The resources I have purchased thus far encourage everyday problem solving, creativity, as well as analytical and critical thinking skills. They are engaging, colorful and the digital activities include movable pieces that I know will be a big hit with my students.
The help from Donors Choose is just phenomenal; I feel so blessed that this project was funded. Especially in this time of need and growth, thank you so much!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. S. Garofalo
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and 2 other donors.Reading? What a Novel Idea!
Funded Feb 9, 2022It has only been a few short weeks, but this project has already been so worthwhile! My students are absolutely loving the new class set of books that we received! The second book in the Dyamonde Daniels series has truly been such a welcome addition to our realistic fiction reading curriculum and classroom library.
This new set of books has already sparked a flame in my students to read, and to LOVE to read. This set is exciting, full of color and includes many meaningful lessons. My students are mesmerized by the story lines, and able to make connections with the characters and their life events. Students often see themselves and their peers in stories, and this new mentor text will provide that opportunity for them.
I honestly cannot thank you enough for your support! I am so excited to not only utilize this book with my current class, but with my future classes as well. Thank you again! :)”
With gratitude,
Mrs. S. Garofalo
This classroom project was brought to life by Nickelodeon and 4 other donors.Books and Cleaning Supplies, Oh My!
Funded Jan 9, 2022I am so incredibly honored that you chose to help fund this project for my classroom! It is so humbling to know that there are others out there who believe in supporting public education! COVID has taken a huge toll on my students' families - many have lost loved ones, lost jobs, and cannot make ends meet. I can't imagine asking them for basic supplies, and wrote this grant with the hopes to help keep my classroom clean and sanitized. In addition, with this project, my hope was to revamp our reading curriculum to include more mentor texts that matched the diversity and cultures of my student population. The Ellray Jakes series will be a welcome addition during my realistic fiction unit, and I just can't wait to incorporate it into my lesson planning.
My students will be absolutely thrilled to know that we can continue to keep our classroom a clean and safe environment for learning.
I cannot thank you enough for your support. I am truly so excited to utilize all these new resources in the months to come. Thank you again for your generous donation! It is so incredibly appreciated!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. S. Garofalo
This classroom project was brought to life by #TeachHealthy with Nature Made and 2 other donors.Teacher Made Resources for the Start of School!
Funded Dec 28, 2021Thank you, thank you, thank you! I cannot express my gratitude enough for your generosity in supporting my classroom.
Last year was so incredibly challenging for most of my students - many were not making the progress that they would have if they were in school full time. This year, since we are back full time and in-person, I wanted to make sure that all of my students had access to engaging content on all academic levels despite their Covid/quarantine status. This Teachers Pay Teachers gift card will be so incredibly useful for the various different learning models I will be implementing this school year. I have already begun filling my cart with so many resources to support my students. I am finding new and creative resources to use in my classroom like math centers, spiral ELA worksheets, reference guides, social emotional activities and intervention resources. I have already purchased and laminated activities that are visual, engaging, socially emotionally targeted, and academically motivating. I have also begun making teacher-models for my students to reference after a lesson. Going forward, I am hoping to also purchase more printable graphic organizers, as well as digital lessons and activities.
The students in my school are such creative, curious, inquisitive little learners, and I know while we cannot "unbox" these resources together, they will appreciate every task and activity purchased. The resources I have purchased thus far encourage everyday problem solving, creativity, as well as analytical and critical thinking skills. They are engaging, colorful and the digital activities include movable pieces that I know will be a big hit with my students.
The help from Donors Choose is just phenomenal; I feel so blessed that this project was funded. Especially in this time of need and growth, thank you so much!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. S. Garofalo
Flexible Seating for My Second Graders!
Funded Jan 1, 2022I can't fully express my joy, excitement, and thanks for your donation to my project. It is amazing to see that you share my vision for reaching children with special needs.
The tools that you funded have already made a huge impact in my classroom. The wobbly stools are amazing tools that allow my students to remain seated during important learning periods while also being present, active learners. The impact these stools have had on my classroom has already been unbelievable.
When the boxes first arrived, my students were filled with excitement and couldn't wait until we opened them. We sat in a circle, and slowly opened the packages, guessing and making predictions as to what could be inside. Once they saw the wobbly stools, they each had a chance to test them out. The stools allowed each student to rock, move and wiggle around, all while being seated. They were having so much fun testing them out, and couldn't wait until we used them during whole class and small group lessons. I created a schedule for usage in the classroom, and the students are absolutely loving it. This alternative seating solution has helped expel tons of excess energy that can often make learning difficult for many of my students. These stools are truly an incredible resource in my classroom!
I can't thank you enough for your support. Your donation to my project will help my students all year long, and will make a huge difference in my classroom. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. S. Garofalo
Special Delivery - A Mailbox for My Learners!
Funded Nov 30, 2021Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am so incredibly honored that you chose to help fund this project for my classroom!
I am all about organization, and not having a solid system in place for my students to put their homework folders & homework notebooks has been a struggle. I initially tried using bins to organize my students' take-home materials, however it just wasn't working. The bins were constantly falling over, and my students were mistakenly taking home the wrong folders and notebooks. The mailbox organizer in this project has truly helped redesign my classroom. My students now have their own separate area for their take-home materials! This mailbox has allowed me to give my students their very own designated space in the classroom to help find important documents. In addition, the kids are able to access their mailbox throughout the day to obtain their classroom materials, and even leave positive notes to each other!
Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for supporting my passion for teaching and giving my students the opportunity to stay organized, enjoy and learn from this wonderful resource! The mailboxes are truly a game changer!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. S. Garofalo
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 4 other donors.Money Masters!
Funded Sep 28, 2021Thank you SO much for helping make this project come to life! I am thrilled to have access to new math resources for my classroom! We start teaching money later this year in the spring, and I know that my students will be completely engaged when we use the financial literacy centers. Learning and understanding math is so incredibly important, as we use mathematics everyday! Skills like learning to count coins, understanding values, learning how to save for long-term goals and how to spend responsibility, will be lifelong skills for my students.
One of the most important things kids can learn at an early age is differentiating between things they need and things they want. Then learning how to save for those things. Second graders don't always understand where money comes from, or the value or a dollar. My hope is that this kit will encourage my students to love math, and not fear it, like so many second graders do.
In addition, your donations helped me obtain various new technology resources that I will now be able to use with my Smartboard and laptop. I will now seamlessly be able to share slides and transition between activities. Thank you again for making this a reality for my class. We are so incredibly grateful to have these amazing new learning materials in our socially distanced classroom!
Thank you again!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. S. Garofalo
This classroom project was brought to life by Charles Schwab and 3 other donors.An Apple Mac to Bring Students Back (To School!)
Funded Aug 12, 2021Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support of my project! I am humbled to see all of the love, kind words, and generous donations that I have received from you! Having an updated laptop has been an absolute game changer in my classroom. With the MacBook, I am able to effortlessly show videos, present my screen, host Google Meets/Zooms without interruption, and have multiple tabs open at one time.
With this MacBook, I have been able to keep my students' engagement high by playing educational games like Kahoot and demonstrating online programs such as RazKids, and Zearn. In addition, I have been able to seamlessly track student data, create lesson plans, and create an accessible "cloud" of all second grade curriculum for my entire team. It is amazing what you can do with new technology!
I am so thankful for your support and assistance! Thank you so much for your incredible donation to my practice!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. S. Garofalo
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and one other donor.Book Bins for My Buddies!
Funded Aug 13, 2021Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am so incredibly honored that you chose to help fund this project for my classroom! I have been so fortunate to have amassed a number of read alouds for my classroom, however I have been struggling with storage solutions! This project will now allow me to color coordinate my read alouds into sturdy bins for all students to use. In addition, the file bins will help me store and sort my students' portfolios! Each year I take my students' work and file them into their very own subject-specific portfolios. Over time, those folders fill up very quickly, so having sturdy bins to keep those folders organized is a must! The last set of bins included in this project were trays to help sort and collect student work. I will use those bins to collect homework, assessments, and completed classwork. Having nice bins will really be a game changer in my classroom.
Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for supporting my passion for teaching and giving my students the opportunity to enjoy and learn from these wonderful resources!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. S. Garofalo
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and one other donor.