Past projects 16
Project Success!
Funded Feb 4, 2010Thanks with all of our hearts for your generous donations. The digital projector you presented our students has already made an enormous impact. Although for the last month we have been bogged down with state standardized tests, the children have already had the chance to experience the projector in a variety of enlightening ways.
In addition to viewing (and quizzing themselves using) vocabulary-enhancing PowerPoint presentations, the children have seen educational videos aimed not only to help them improve their reading and English, but to add to their characters as well (they watched of an elephant that can paint a self-portrait. I told them if an elephant can paint, they could become great English speakers, writers and readers). I have also been able to model key writing points in real time.
The children love using the projector for PowerPoint versions of Jeopardy, grammar quizzes and Reader's Theater - and you can see their skills improving.
They are also aware of the generosity you have shown in giving them the projector - sometimes they mention how lucky they are to have one now. And it has made it so much easier for me to make certain points regarding English, especially when teaching reading and writing. My fellow ESOL partners are also using the projector, which means your gift has touched over 100 students this year along. All of us are so grateful.
I do want to apologize for the lateness of this note. I wrote shortly after receiving the projector, but apparently that message did not "stick." Please know that our appreciation - especially mine - is endless.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Roberts
Harry Potter and the Magic of Reading
Funded Feb 28, 2009It's impossible to adequately express my thanks for your wonderful gift. Because of your generosity, my students - most of them struggling desperately with reading - will be able to continue reading about their favorite fictional characters, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermoine Granger. Not only does reading along with me as I share Harry's adventures with the class help my students with their reading skills (most of them are more than a grade below average), the stories also provide moral lessons that nourish them.
All of my children live in a violence-filled neighborhood far removed from Harry's world of magic, but there are lessons within the pages of JK Rowling's books that appeal to every child that has had to make hard choices. When Harry must make a decision, we often predict what he will (or should) do - then see if our predictions are correct. The children also see that when a character is in trouble, the first thing he or she does is run to the library to get information that will help solve the problem. This is a great lesson for kids who have no books at home. They're learning that the goldmine that is the public library is a desirable place to go.
You've done so much - we are truly grateful.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Roberts
English Language Learners in Need of Guided Reading Books
Funded Mar 19, 2009Thank you with all of my heart for the guided reading books you so generously supplied. The kit is just what I need to help elevate the reading skills of some of the students in my classroom who struggle the most. There were not enough books at their level to help them progress - your donation provided several. What's particularly nice is that the selections are clever and engaging. The children simply delight in them.
What you have done in making this donation is to help children develop skills they need desperately to survive in our society. They feel frustrated and embarrassed all the time because of their academic delays. Your gift helps them lift themselves up a little closer toward their goals.
With many thanks,”
With gratitude,
Ms. Roberts
Listen Up!
Funded Feb 21, 2009I can't overstate the immediate impact your gift has made on our students. They are hungry to be read to - few of them experience this pleasure at home - and they love reading along. They don't care that it's actually an effortless and extremely effective way to improve their reading - they simply revel in the experience of falling into another world. They're practically falling over each other to be in the next group to use the listening center. Right now, we are reading "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," which will be a major motion picture later this year. The stories I choose usually teach a moral lesson as well as one designed to work on specific reading skills.
Another lesson you've taught my students - one just as important, I think, as improved reading skills - is to know that there are kind people out there who care about them, sight unseen. That's a big deal to them. We brainstormed our thank-you letters because writing is another skill they are still learning, so you may see some repetition, but all of the words are theirs and straight from the heart. The kindness of strangers means much more to kids who don't see much of it than their counterparts with plenty.
Please never doubt that you've made a significant different, this year in 23 lives, in the future possibly ten times that many, with your generous gift. A thousand thank yous aren't enough.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Roberts
Harry Potter has a Magical Effect on my Students' Reading!
Funded Dec 30, 2008Thank you SO MUCH for this amazing gift! The timing is perfect, as we are planning to start reading the book when we get back from Winter Break (when it arrives, of course).
Your unparalleled generosity will make an enormous difference in these children's lives. Most of them don't even have books in their homes. They relish the time we read aloud more than just about anything else. Because their literacy levels are, in some cases, distressingly low, they need much modeling of high-interest literature. Having experienced the miracle Harry Potter has on young students, I can assure you you have just made a concrete, lifelong difference in two dozen young lives.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Roberts
All Ears for Reading!
Funded Nov 3, 2008Thanks with all of my heart for your generous donation. Our children are in critical need of resources so that we can help them become literate, successful members of society. The situation is, without exaggeration, dire for many of them, and your gift will help lift them up.
With respect and gratitude,
Jami”
With gratitude,
Ms. Roberts