Ms. Amtmanis' Classroom Edit display name

Current requests

Past projects 10

• We’ve Got Game in Health Class

  Funded Feb 20, 2025

  My students were so excited to receive new games to use in health class! These games give students opportunities to practice so many important skills including communication skills, relationship skills and self regulation skills. Having a variety of games helps all students find something that engages their interest.

  We have been working on developing our decision making skills this marking period. My students very much enjoyed practicing making good choices by choosing what game they wanted to play, who they wanted to play with, where the best spot to play was and how they were going to play. After we finished playing, we reflected on how our choices worked out and if we might do something differently next time. After identifying healthy and unhealthy friend behaviors, these games provided us an excellent opportunity for practical application.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Amtmanis

• Becoming the Best Me I Can Be!

  Funded Feb 6, 2025

  My students have really been enjoying the Best Me I Can Be materials in health class. They appreciate the many ways that these materials represent so many different perspectives. They also appreciate the many ways that these materials allow for creative expression.

  Students love using the emotions rollers to create lots of different people and put faces on them that show different emotions. They enjoy choosing clay in a variety of skin tones to create their people. One thing that is great about these rollers is that students who struggle with fine motor skills are able to enjoy creating alongside their peers, as these tools help students to strengthen their motor skills but are very accessible for all students.

  Students also really enjoy the many different combinations and possibilities of the Family Builders set! The blocks came with cards - some of which show complete families and others that encourage students to make predictions.

  Students' creativity really shines with the feelings mats. They love creating different faces and adding hair and eyebrows. All of these items help students develop emotional awareness.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Amtmanis

  This classroom project was brought to life by Munchkin and 5 other donors.

• Clean, Confident and Ready to Shine!

  Funded Dec 3, 2024

  I invited our school nurse to speak to my health classes about hygiene what students should be paying attention to as they get older. We showed them the hygiene products that will be available to them in the nurse's office if they need it. She assured them that these visits to her office will be confidential.

  As students begin to experience puberty and are learning to deal with their increased hygiene needs, knowing that they can visit the nurse to take care of any unexpected needs will be tremendously reassuring.

  When students basic needs are met, they feel confident. When they are feeling confident, they are available for learning.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Amtmanis

  This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 4 other donors.

• Building Skills to Grow Into Our Best Healthiest Selves

  Funded Sep 19, 2024

  My students are so excited about our new materials for health class! Hands-on activities are really important for fully engaging children. These materials have really helped me create vibrant, interactive learning experiences for my students.

  We have already put the mindfulness materials to effective use in our self management unit on violence prevention. Students worked on developing strategies that are effective for them in helping them to manage their feelings so that they do not do or say anything hurtful or unkind. We also worked on strategies for being an upstander when someone else is being treated in a hurtful or unkind way.

  As we are beginning our unit on healthy decision making and nutrition, the food models and My Plate models, my students have been fascinated by the many different foods in the tub of ethnic foods. They have also enjoyed creating meals out of Play Dough to fill their plates. These play-based learning opportunities will stay with my students and really help them to develop health enhancing skills!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Amtmanis

  This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community & an Anonymous Partner and 3 other donors.

• Purposeful Play for Skills Based Health Education

  Funded Feb 3, 2024

  My students have been able to use the materials in our skills based health classes to help them develop and practice important skills such as interpersonal communication, decision making and advocacy. These materials have been invaluable in helping our curriculum come alive for students who are still developing literacy skills. While older students can use their reading and writing skills to learn and to demonstrate their learning, k-2 students need play based learning opportunities.

  Role playing is an important learning tool in skills based health classes. This can be a difficult concept for K-2 students. The doll house especially has been wonderful for students to demonstrate their understanding and skills in a way that is very natural for them.

  Skills based health education is an equity issue because students who do not have adults who model these skills for them (because the adults were never taught). Developing health enhancing skills plays an important role in breaking unhealthy patterns of generational trauma.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Amtmanis

  This classroom project was brought to life by Connecticut State Department of Education.

• All-Weather Fun in the Great Outdoors!

  Funded Dec 1, 2020

  Having outdoor play equipment for winter weather has been really transformative for my students and our physical education classes! It has allowed us to truly embrace being outdoors in winter. There are so many mental and physical health benefits that come from being active outdoors. The sleds and snowball making toys have gotten the students really, really excited about getting outside, even when the weather is cold and windy.

  A significant number of students had never been sledding before. Seeing their thrill and hearing their giggles and shrieks of delight has been really uplifting for me during this challenging year. At a time of hardship for students, having something to look forward to can be really important for mental health. We had a big snowstorm before our winter break and students are now eagerly anticipating more snow because they can't wait to go sledding again!

  Thank you so much for helping me to provide such fun and memorable experiences for my students! There is a real need right now to normalize going outdoors. My students and I are grateful for your support in helping us to embrace outdoor play! I'm already looking ahead to incorporating kite flying into our lessons in the spring!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Amtmanis

  This classroom project was brought to life by FamilyAlbum and 7 other donors.

• EZ Up Outdoor Classroom

  Funded Sep 16, 2020

  These shelters have been invaluable to me and my students as they have allowed us to have outdoor PE on all but the very worst weather days. The shelters have kept students personal effects, as well as my technology and learning materials safe and dry, even as my students and I have donned raincoats and ponchos to run and play in the rain. The consistency of maintaining a routine has been comforting for students which is very helpful during uncertain times. Having PE outdoors where we can safely take our masks off has allowed us to make the most of our limited time together. Students are able to engage in vigorous activity which is so beneficial! In addition, students are accessing the mental health benefits of being outdoors in nature, which is of particular value right now. At a time when our society does so much indoors and online, some of the most important lessons my students are learning from outdoor PE are developing an appreciation of the outdoors, learning to dress for the weather, and understanding that they can still enjoy being outside even when the weather isn't ideal. Thank you so much for your support of this project and for helping me to look after my students' wellness during a pandemic! I deeply appreciate it!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Amtmanis

• Self-Care Care Packages for Kids in Need

  Funded May 17, 2020

  This was such an important project that I actually have difficulty finding the words to express the depth of my gratitude. The stress management tool boxes filled with tools, strategies and items for engaging in self-care went to students and families that were not engaged in online learning. At a time of crisis, in the midst of a pandemic, isolated from their friends and school community, it was never more important to let them know that people care and want them to take care of themselves.

  The almost universal response from the parents, older siblings and other care-givers that I met with in delivering these boxes to students' homes was "they really need this!" The students were so excited to see a familiar face from school - even if it was partially covered by a mask. I made arrangements with one of my student's mom on a Friday to meet them outside of the shelter where they are staying on the following Monday. Before heading out, I called again to make sure it was still ok for me to come and the mom told me that the girl had been so excited that I had called and had been asking repeatedly when I would be coming ever since. It was wonderful to be able to make these personal connections and provide these resources for my students during this extraordinarily difficult time!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Amtmanis

  This classroom project was brought to life by Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and 5 other donors.

• Special Javelins for Special Athletes

  Funded Nov 20, 2017

  My student athletes were SO excited when we unpacked the javelins and put them together! They couldn't wait to try them out - even though our Unified Sports season doesn't begin for another month and we have ice and snow on our field right now! Luckily these rubber tipped javelins can be safely thrown indoors! Among all of the students on our Unified Sports team, with all of the different sports that are part of our Elementary Community Field Day event, the javelin throw is a consistent favorite. We have only had foam noodles to practice with. Our new javelins are fantastic! They have enough heft to fly some distance with a good throw, without blowing around in the spring winds that we always have to contend with, but they aren't too heavy for our young athletes with disabilities to manage. The goal of our Elementary Unified Sports Program is to help develop sports skills that will enable students to take part in athletic opportunities at the middle and high school levels while fostering social relationships between students with and without disabilities. These outstanding javelins will really raise the quality of the track and field program that we can provide for our students. Thank you so much for supporting our Unified Sports student athletes!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Amtmanis