Past projects 161
Shooting for Success
Funded Jul 27, 2018Thank you so much for providing such amazing resources to enrich our learning! We've been using the wobble cushions daily. Each table group has three wobble cushions and students take turns using them. They do such a great job of sharing and utilizing the wobble cushions to wiggle while they work. The cushions help with movement, posture, and concentration. Our new headphones have been key to everyone using technology - student are able to read books online, listen to extra math lessons, and play educational games such as Sumdog math to reinforce important topics. The wireless mice have been numbered to match our laptops. No more tangled cords! It makes using our laptops a breeze. Lastly, the bright green book boxes organize our chapter books by series and help students choose books they are interested in. We can't thank you enough for helping our classroom run smoothly!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Van Dorp
This classroom project was brought to life by General Motors and 5 other donors.The Power of... Yet!
Funded Dec 28, 2017Thank you so much for providing such awesome books with amazing messages and strong characters. My students have been inspired to work harder, be kinder, and push the envelope in their learning. They were inspired by gymnasts, scientists, Native American ballerinas, Olympic medalists, and fictional characters that have overcome huge obstacles. My favorite part about reading these books were the discussions that followed. In group discussions students were open and honest about mistakes they made and were sympathetic to characters who weren't always treated kindly by their classmates. I was also touched by discussions between students that showed they had taken the lessons in the books to heart. Thank you so much for instilling a love of reading in these students and helping them be kinder and believe that they can do anything they put their minds to!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Van Dorp
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 9 other donors.Learning Around Our Room
Funded Mar 27, 2018These giant pillows, soft folding chairs, and plush rug have added so many learning spaces to our classroom. I love seeing students engaged in their learning while sprawled across the floor or propped up on pillows. Not everyone learns the same way, so these options allow student to find a learning spot that works best for them. I lowered one of our tables and my students love to sit around the low table in the folding chairs while working on computers. Thank you so much for helping us thrive as we learn and keeping us comfortable while doing it!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Van Dorp
This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple and one other donor.Educational Economy
Funded Mar 27, 2018The delivery of these items was one of our highlights of the year! We sat on the floor and carefully unpacked each item to ohhhhs and ahhhhs. Our students are renewed with motivation and excited to work hard through the rest of the year. They have opportunities to earn money for completing their work, keeping their area clean, extra jobs around the classroom, and participating in class discussions. At the end of the week we have store where students can spend the money they earned. The items that we received from this project have made our store amazing! We have slime and putty, squishy balls, Pokemon items, shark figures, dinosaur eggs, fidget spinners, erasers, and more! The other exciting aspect has been my students growth in dealing with money and making connections in math. Yesterday they all successfully counted their money and organized it into dollar piles! This is a huge difference from where we were even two months ago. Thank you for helping me make my classroom an amazing place to learn!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Van Dorp
This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple and 6 other donors.Duunnn Dunnn... Duuuunnnn Duun... Shark Night
Funded Jan 25, 2018We're still abuzz from the fun of Shark Night yesterday! Students and their families joined us in the evening for shark themed activities. It was awesome to look around the room and see families and students engaged in learning together. The highlight of the night was the shark tooth dig kits where together students and families worked to uncover real shark teeth. Other actives included true and false shark fact cards, a puzzle, and a photo booth. Students and families played a game called Shark Bite - they had to fish out of shark mouth that would snap at random intervals. It was heartwarming to see the love and laughter shared when they were playing the game. Another fun part about our evening was seeing families cozied up reading shark books around our classroom. Lastly students and families created awesome shark and ocean creatures out of Perler beads. I can't thank you enough for providing such a rich learning experience for my students and their families. Thank you for all the supplies, activities, and decorations that made our night so special!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Van Dorp
This classroom project was brought to life by The First Million Fund and 5 other donors.Fintastic School of Students
Funded Jan 5, 2018I'll spare you the photos of the slimy green tank that is not functioning properly... and move on to our new "fish mansion" as we are calling it. Today was the big day that we were able to move our fish over. We have 12 albino bristle nose plecostomus fish (aka sucker fish) and they are loving their new home. We set up the new tank and let the water get conditioned and acclimated to our room temperature before we were able to move the fish over today.
My students had so much fun throughout the whole process. The new tank glistens and shimmers in the middle of our room and we are able to look in on it from all angles.
Thank you so much for providing a relaxing and beautiful addition to our classroom. Students are currently seated beside the tank - working away and being soothed by the glow and beauty of the tank.
Thank you for helping me make my classroom and amazing place to learn!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Van Dorp
Supplies for Success
Funded Jan 25, 2018Thank you so much for your generosity in donating to this project! These supplies have already been put to use daily.
We've got a pile of new stickers to adorn awesome student work! My students particularly love the scented smelly stickers. There is something about earning a sticker that makes them extra proud of their work.
I've been able to use the laminating pockets to protect activities I've created. Students are able to use them and they hold up to the wear and tear of sixteen 9 year olds.
The ceiling speakers have had the biggest impact. We are able to watch videos, listen to music, participate in brain breaks, dance, and move around thanks to the amazing Bluetooth speakers.
Thank you so much for helping me make my classroom an amazing place to learn!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Van Dorp
This classroom project was brought to life by The First Million Fund and 2 other donors.We Love Mouse Adventures!
Funded Jan 25, 2018Our love of books and reading continues to grow! Thank you so much for helping us find new books to love. The books you provided for our classroom have found new homes in our library. The new Series Sophie Mouse has it's own bucket. With your help we were also able to add to our favorite series Baby Mouse and Geronimo Stilton. Growing young readers is so important to finding success in school and later in life. I can't thank you enough for encouraging us to flourish. We appreciate and treasure our new stories!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Van Dorp
This classroom project was brought to life by The First Million Fund and one other donor.Latest and Greatest Books
Funded Jan 25, 2018Wow! I can't thank you enough for all these amazing books. I have to tell you that these books have made a huge difference in our classroom. It was like a jolt of electricity arrived with the books and they have been inspiring and pushing my students to excel in reading. My students are motivated and excited to read. The girls have been devouring the Dork Diaries books in particular. We've also loved the Boxcar Children graphic novels, the new Series Press Start!, and Dogman. Thank you for helping me instill a life long love of reading in my students and helping them to grow as readers!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Van Dorp
This classroom project was brought to life by The First Million Fund and one other donor.Our Growing Library Needs Bookshelves
Funded Jan 25, 2018I spent this weekend in our classroom rearranging and getting our library all set up with our new bookshelves. It was so fun to refresh our room and see the students so excited when they walked in our classroom Tuesday morning. They love the new set up and are so happy to see our books so neatly arranged. It makes it easy for them to make choices and see all the wonderful series we have available.
Thank you so much for helping me make my classroom an amazing place to learn! Thank you for helping inspire a generation of life long readers!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Van Dorp
This classroom project was brought to life by The First Million Fund and one other donor.