Past projects 13
Hearing With Headphones
Funded Aug 19, 2022I am so overwhelmed by your generosity! My class was using old, outdated, and falling apart headphones with their Chromebooks. Then you stepped in and...WOW! My kids were so excited to see brand-new headphones. Many of them had never had new anything, so this made a huge impression.
The new headphones are a great fit for their little heads and have a volume control that does not go too loud. This is perfect to help protect their ears and be able to hear what they need to. They also contain sound well and they don't have to listen to their neighbor's Chromebook through old headphones. I like that they can hear me when I try to get their attention, even with the headphones on.
My class and I send huge virtual hugs and many expressions of thanks!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. McFall
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In at 877 Old Airport Road.STEM Is Super!
Funded Aug 19, 2022Where to start? First of all, my students were very excited to see so many "toys" come into the classroom. I love that they called them toys because that means they will use them and learn at the same time. Win-win!
We have already used almost all of the materials that were sent and some multiple times. They have particularly enjoyed the puzzles and building materials. We had some amazingly creative creations during our center time. I like seeing their brains work and engage through play. I know that when we begin our Science studies after Christmas, the STEM toys will receive heavy use and garner lots of excitement.
Thank you so much for your support to help our classroom. Many of these items were out of the realm of possibility until you stepped in to help make them a reality. I very much appreciate your thoughtfulness and contributions to education.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. McFall
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In at 877 Old Airport Road.Teaching With Teachers Pay Teachers
Funded May 4, 2022Thank you so much for gifting my classroom a Teachers Pay Teachers gift card! I was switched to a different grade two days before school started, so this gift card has come in very handy for content for my new grade. I was able to purchase large cards with numbers from 0 - 20 for display, tens frames, addition materials, anchor charts, and multiple other activities for Math, Social Studies and Language Arts. In addition, I was able to purchase an excellent first week of school packet that helped guide me through the first week in a new grade. Many of these things would have been impossible to afford without your generous donations. I am extremely appreciative!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. McFall
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 4 other donors.Seeking Science and Social Studies Supplies!
Funded Oct 21, 2021I was surprised to find myself teaching Science this school year after many years in Language Arts and Social Studies. The amazing materials I received have been a great help as I brushed off my rusty Science skills.
I chose to ask for hands-on experiments and materials because I knew they would generate the most interest and learning experiences. I was correct! As the science kits and activities came in, my students immediately wanted to play with the new "games". So much so that I had to place them in less accessible areas to prevent too much curiosity.
We started our semester of Science after the Winter Break and have had quite a bit of snow, so we have not gotten to use many of the projects yet, even though we have used the art supplies quite extensively for our Social Studies projects before Christmas. However, we have done a magnet unit and the kids had an absolute blast putting their knowledge to the test at the end of the unit. The activities in the magnet kit were great for them to explore, play and experiment with! With warmer weather looming (I hope), I have plans for all the materials and can only hope these upcoming units will garner as much excitement for learning! We thank you so much for your generosity.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. McFall
This classroom project was brought to life by General Motors and 2 other donors.Coloring Our World
Funded Apr 8, 2020Thank you so much for your donations toward our classroom supplies! The crayons, markers, and colored pencils came a couple of days before school started. I left the boxes out on purpose so the kids could see them right away. "Woah! I didn't know you could get THAT big a pack of markers!" was a comment by one student. "We get to keep these?" was another student's query. Needless to say, such generosity made an impact.
Except for the colored pencils, which are slated to be used in the coming months, the markers and crayons have been used and enjoyed. A little bit of color makes lessons more interesting. A favorite activity has been drawing spelling words. The kids will write their word and illustrate it. They enjoy drawing and I enjoy seeing their interpretations of the words. Particularly when they connect their drawings to something from their personal life.
Once again, we very much appreciate your thoughtfulness. I look forward to seeing how many more projects and assignments will benefit from a little splash of color.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. McFall
Supplies for Students
Funded Jul 14, 2020My students, fellow teacher and I would like to tell you about the difference you have made in our classrooms. Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, we currently are serving 19 students in two different grades. The model our school district is currently using is a hybrid model. Kids come to school for two days and do virtual learning for the rest of the week. So there has been a real need for two different sets of school supplies to prevent cross-contamination. Couple that with the fact we are in a low socioeconomic area where many parents can't afford the first set of supplies, let alone two sets; and your donations have really been a blessing!
We received the supplies and packaged them into individual sets of supplies to be sent home. Each child received a pencil pouch, two pencils, a pencil sharpener, a box of crayons, a glue stick, and a pair of scissors. (Extras are being held here in our classrooms waiting for parents to request replacements.) The students loved the little bags! Several had a hard time choosing which ones they wanted from the color options. A couple wanted to know what they were for before I explained and they were happy. One was excited to see the little pencil sharpener and said, "Well that's good. We have pencils at home but you can't sharpen them when they get broken." Several others told me about the various supplies they had at home and there were not that many who had access to them. It makes me even more grateful that this project was funded. Thank you so much for your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. McFall
Make Indoor Recess Great Again!
Funded Nov 19, 2019Thank you for our new indoor recess materials. My students were so excited just to see all the Amazon boxes piled up in our room. Then we opened them and I could barely contain their excitement! They literally oohed and aahed over every new item that came out of the boxes. Which led to stories about who had played which games, how to play the games some students were unfamiliar with, when they last played that game, how one time "Uncle Billy beat me at Connect Four and I got so mad I got in trouble!", etc. It was a very exciting time in our room that day!
As mentioned in our request, we are using the materials for indoor recess time. Living in the mountains of Virginia, we get some snow and some very cold temperatures. On days we do not have snow days, it is often too cold to take the students outside. Typically we either watch a video of some kind or have free time. Free time is not very fun when all you have is notebook paper and crayons. These games are a huge hit and they have all been played numerous times.
I hope to be able to continue to use these resources for a long time to come. Both for indoor recess and other times during the school year. I foresee an Uno tournament in our near future!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. McFall
Rugs Rule!
Funded Mar 8, 2018Thank you so much for the rug that was purchased for our room using your donation. All of my students, from PreK through 5th grade, enjoyed seeing something warm and homey in our room.
The younger students were especially excited! I didn't point it out to them at first. Instead, when it was time for group time, I asked them to go sit on the rug. They looked confused. "What rug?" they asked, as they walked over to the area for group time. And then they spotted it. Their faces lit up as they walked around it and shouted out what was on it. After we used it the first time, one student said that it is, 'a nice rug and it wasn't cold on my butt'. (From the mouths of babes, lol!)
We have used the rug daily since receiving it. The kids like to try and clean up their computer station quickest so they can choose what letter or picture they get to sit on. Once there, they are not nearly as squirmy and can focus on the story, song or activity we are completing on the big screen. That was an issue before since linoleum is not the warmest or softest thing to sit on. I intend to keep this rug for a long while!
My students and I very much appreciate your generosity in donating to our classroom. Thanks for helping make a difference in our class and our school.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. McFall
Color Projects Everywhere!
Funded Feb 6, 2018Thank you so much for helping bring color to our technology lab! Your donation purchased color ink and color copy paper for our big printer and our small color printer. We are using these items on a fairly regular, almost daily basis to help enhance our learning experiences.
The color ink has brought so much excitement to the middle primary grades (2-3). We work with word processing, Google and clip art frequently. They are good students and work hard, however knowing their projects/stories/pictures will come out in color gives them something extra to focus on. In the past, they have looked for simple pictures because they knew those would print out best in black ink. Now...wow! They are excited to match their fonts to colors in their clip art and to use color to go with their stories. Some have even discovered the painstaking, yet rewarding, task of making each word or even letter a different color. I have been impressed with some of their patience! My first graders have been working on typing their first names correctly and changing fonts and colors. They did not care too much about the color until we got our color ink. Now they love looking at the color choices for their names.
The color paper has not been used too much...yet. I have some St. Patrick's Day and Easter projects in the works that will used the color paper and I know they will be so excited to dig in and design shamrocks, Easter eggs, Spring flowers, seasonal stories and so much more.
In closing, I just wanted to thank you for the fun, learning and excitement you have given to this elementary school. We all appreciate your donation and willingness to give to education!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. McFall
Desperately Seeking Healthier Classroom Air
Funded Dec 22, 2015Thank you very much for contributing to this project. My students were excited to see the Kleenex and cleaning wipes. They knew we were out of Clorox wipes and on our second to last box of tissues. They are very conscious of their classroom work spaces and know how dirty they can get. Our work tables where they sit on a day to day basis are white, so they show everything. I believe we opened and used the cleaning wipes within the first day of their arrival.
Admittedly, they were quite puzzled with the diffusers and essential oils. One child even asked me if the diffusers were broken since they were smoking so bad. I chuckled to myself quite a bit over that one. I enjoyed the learning opportunity. A few of my students know someone who uses essential oils, but many had never even heard of them. We discussed what they were, why they were used, and how helpful they could potentially be for our classroom. They notice when they stop misting and tell me, so I can refill them.
We are currently dealing with a nasty stomach bug throughout the school. I look forward to the health benefits that will come from the materials you helped provide. Thank you so much for helping make our classroom a healthier place to learn!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. McFall